NHRA Gets Tough on Oildowns

[Ramos]

to the people that are saying that the "smaller" teams need to do more to with their containment devices needs to look at who actually did the damage. While there were some smaller teams that had issues, it is a problem across the board from the top down. The number 2 car in downtime is dixon. He's a small team. And the last two to three races have seen massive damage by the top teams. Vegas had mutiple expolsions by "big" names as did reading and dallas. Go back and look at the damae at the last three races and yell at those teams for not having adequate equipment.

The big fines do nothing!!! Big teams pay them and small teams don't go!!!

Why punish teams who have worked their asses off to have no issues and now face some steep penalties if something small and insignificant happens resulting in oil. Only discourages them from even trying.

Remember- no one is trying to oil the track unless he or she does something stupid,like say pedal a car three to four times in qualifying resulting in a huge fireball and oil!!!

umm you don't think the big teams will be worried about losing qualifying et?

 

[hateful]

All teams would be worried about losing their ET's. The monetary aspect means nothing! If you wanted the big teams to take notice, should've nailed them with point penalties!

To a small team, losing the ET is WAY second to losing 2500 bucks.

And that 2500 is only for the first incident.

Another way to act like all the teams are being punished when in fact they aren't.

 

[Toejam]

Doug Kalitta ran the quickest 1/4 mile ET ever with the blower belt off it before the finish line

What was his speed Mike?

 

[The Counterfeiter]

It will be very interesting to see if NHRA seeks "input" from ALL fuel competitors regarding next year's oildown rules. Obviously, teams that have any chance at a championship will be lobbying very hard for no championship points being deducted. This $2500/$5000 rule (and who knows what the fine for three would be!) is regressive, heavily penalizing smaller teams.
My suggestion is smaller monetary fines, which might encourage smaller teams to do better at containment without chasing them away, points deductions for repeated offenses (which would hopefully strike fear in the hearts of the big boys) and a system of credits for teams who do not cause problems against future oildowns.

 

[Toejam]

It will be very interesting to see if NHRA seeks "input" from ALL fuel competitors regarding next year's oildown rules. Obviously, teams that have any chance at a championship will be lobbying very hard for no championship points being deducted. This $2500/$5000 rule (and who knows what the fine for three would be!) is regressive, heavily penalizing smaller teams.
My suggestion is smaller monetary fines, which might encourage smaller teams to do better at containment without chasing them away, points deductions for repeated offenses (which would hopefully strike fear in the hearts of the big boys) and a system of credits for teams who do not cause problems against future oildowns.

Jim the Previous Oildown fines were $500 in Qualifying, $1,000 in Eliminations plus a loss of 10 pts.

 

[The Counterfeiter]

Jim the Previous Oildown fines were $500 in Qualifying, $1,000 in Eliminations plus a loss of 10 pts.

Thanks Joe! Does anyone see a downside to returning to these rules?

 

[MM]

What was his speed Mike?

328 and some change....he had been in the mid 330 range all day

I was there to see it and you can also see on the video that the car was not under power as it crossed the finish line

 

[kegs]

Lets say there are ten oildowns at Pomona during the weekend between FC and TF. That's $25,000.00. Does that money go to the safety safari for their extra work, the fans who had to endure the down time, split between the teams that didn't put down oil or just go to NHRA?

 

[hateful]

The monies will go to "research" in improving clean up times.

 

[Guppy]

The monies will go to "research" in improving clean up times.

I'm guessing this "research" would take place on some beach in the Bahamas or a similar location, Only the NHRA brass attending of course.

 

[none]

If you hate the NHRA that much why don't you take up tiddlewinks?

NHRA DOSEN"T WANT ANY MONEY! They want the teams to clean up their act. If the threat is great, more care will be taken. If a team owner tells his crew guys that any penalty money will come out of bonus money do you think they will maybe pay more attention?

Nothing will make the NHRA happier than to collect no fines this weekend and run the show clean. If you had been in the stands on Saturday in Vegas, you wanted someone to pay. Everyone was asking why don't they do something about this. Something has been done. if you don't oil the track, you don't get fined.

How much talk is going on right now in the shops in Brownsburg about oil retention? And how much was going on before Vegas? if the teams put as much effort into containment as they do to low ET there would never be another drop of oil on the track. I think NHRA has their attention now, don't you?

As always, this is my opinion, I an NOT the NHRA spokeman,

Alan

 

[Jon Asher]

No one has been harder on NHRA over the year than I, but let me assure you in the strongest terms possible that Alan Reinhart is absolutely correct. Anyone who thinks NHRA is seeking a profit center with these fines is so far off the mark as to be unmeasurable.

Think of this like the NFL's recent stance on helmet-to-helmet hits. Fines have been levied and punishments meted out in an effort to STOP those hits.

That's what NHRA is doing -- trying to find a way of STOPPING the oildowns.

Could ANYONE have been happy with what took place in Las Vegas?

No!

Were there serious concerns about it?

Yes, and ALL of those concerns were about the spectators. It's all about putting on a good show for the fans, and don't ignore the fact that the RACERS were just as concerned about the horribly long show as was NHRA management.

If fines and ultimately (probably next year) points penalties are invoked, and those punishments result in fewer oildowns and a smoother, cleaner, more fan-friendly show, they will have achieved their stated purpose.

And just for the record, fines collected by NHRA go into the general fund. Yeah, charitable donations to, say, DRAW, might make those fines easier to swallow, but it's their ball game.

Jon Asher
Senior Editor
CompetitionPlus.com

 

[twostep]

If the money itself isn't the motive - and I believe firmly that is the case - then use it to pay for direct expenses regarding track cleanup and divide the remainder, at years' end, among those who have had no oildowns. A little team who's tried all year to be careful might appreciate a reward for their efforts.

I say a combination of fines and points removed is the correct solution, similar to what was done in the past. Make it simple; don't confuse things with all this giving up low ET, etc. First oildown is pro bono. $1000 for the next one, minus 10 points. Then $2000/20, $3000/30, and so forth. The fines will have an effect on small-team offenders, who aren't that concerned about the loss of points - and point deductions will do the same for the big teams, which aren't that concerned about the fines. Hopefully, as time goes on, people will figure out a way to reduce oildowns for everybody.

 

[clwill]

Alan and Jon, I get it. Let's make sure teams are paying attention to the problem. Let's stop oildowns from happening. But, not to be too repetitive, I'd like to see NHRA put much more effort into cleaning them up when they do happen.

A few years ago, an oildown spelled the end of a lane. The lane would suck after the cleanup, and people waiting would do a lane swap immediately. But the Safety Safari worked on their techniques and now, they get the lanes back perfectly. You never see a team swapping lanes after an oildown, and they usually run beautifully. That's completely to the Safari's credit. Amazing work.

But they did it at the expense of time. Whereas a few years back, it was a 10 minute thing, today an oildown never takes less than 1/2 hour. Sometimes it's 45 minutes. Usually longer than it takes to run the whole class. Two of them in a round, and it's a nightmare.

I'd like NHRA to invest some serious time/money into doing the job well AND fast. Maybe that means two more tractors. Maybe that means some more scrubbers. Maybe that means investing in some R&D into some chemicals beyond kitty litter. I don't know.

The problem is not just stopping them (although that's certainly a good thing), the problem is fixing them when they happen. Boeing invests billions to keep planes in the air. We all think that's the right thing to do. But they also invest a ton into finding out what happened and fixing them when they don't. Because sometimes they don't.

 

[kegs]

So where does the fine monies go?

 

[d'kid]

So where does the fine monies go?

RE read Jon Asher's post... like the last paragraph.

d'kid

 

[Nick Name]

Alan and Jon, I get it. Let's make sure teams are paying attention to the problem. Let's stop oildowns from happening. But, not to be too repetitive, I'd like to see NHRA put much more effort into cleaning them up when they do happen.

A few years ago, an oildown spelled the end of a lane. The lane would suck after the cleanup, and people waiting would do a lane swap immediately. But the Safety Safari worked on their techniques and now, they get the lanes back perfectly. You never see a team swapping lanes after an oildown, and they usually run beautifully. That's completely to the Safari's credit. Amazing work.

But they did it at the expense of time. Whereas a few years back, it was a 10 minute thing, today an oildown never takes less than 1/2 hour. Sometimes it's 45 minutes. Usually longer than it takes to run the whole class. Two of them in a round, and it's a nightmare.

I'd like NHRA to invest some serious time/money into doing the job well AND fast. Maybe that means two more tractors. Maybe that means some more scrubbers. Maybe that means investing in some R&D into some chemicals beyond kitty litter. I don't know.

The problem is not just stopping them (although that's certainly a good thing), the problem is fixing them when they happen. Boeing invests billions to keep planes in the air. We all think that's the right thing to do. But they also invest a ton into finding out what happened and fixing them when they don't. Because sometimes they don't.

I believe the time situation n ow is that it is much harder to get synthetic oil off the track than it was dyno oil.

 

[clwill]

I believe the time situation n ow is that it is much harder to get synthetic oil off the track than it was dyno oil.

OK, I'd buy that. All the more reason for an investment in some R&D on better tools/chemicals.

 

[JF]

You can't blame the Crew If an Owner uses "Pre-Tested" Rods and they fail.
You can't Blame the Driver If a crew guy Fails to tighten a bolt.
You Can Blame NHRA If the money isn't spent and is accountable to the Prevention Of Downtime.
You can Blame NHRA if it takes to long to clean something up. If it takes 45 minutes for 10 guys and two trucks Then 20 guys and Four trucks should be able to do it in half the time, 30 guys and six trucks even faster.
I guess I would try anything.

1. There are track guys about every 20 feet during fuel car runs. Give each a tarp and the closest to the offending car "Runs and throws a tarp under the car to catch as much oil as possible before it gets on track.
2. Give each a bag of absorbant and as soon as they see oil before the Safety Safari gets there pour it on the oil.
3. Pay the track guys for speed and a job well done (Fine Money)
   
   1. 1. Look into a carbon fiber/kevlar tub system that encloses the whole bottom end of the car.
      2. Try just burning it off with a jet dryer
      3. At Zmax run the other lanes
      4. Don't just fine a car disqualify them for the event or the next one. That ought to get their attention
      5. If synthetic oil is problem Ban it, regular oil works just fine

 

[JF]

$2,500 for the first, $5,000 for the second?

Fuel car owners lose that much at Blackjack. Its just Pissin in the wind. Won't even make it into the accounting books...Pocket Change