NHRA Rejects Camrie Caruso’s Intake Manifold (1 Viewer)

...but will allow them to use it until June? Hows that work?

Yes, they can run the manifold until June 1st. So it's legal for the Charlotte 4-Wide (that doesn't have Pro Stock) and legal at the Richmond event (that doesn't have Pro Stock) but when we race in Epping June 3-5 (that does have Pro Stock) it won't be legal. So, that's how that works.

Alan

P.S. The manifold in question, has already been (as of Tuesday April 26th) modified to be acceptable June 1st. As I said before, this is a non story.
 
Tanner Gray possibly wins a Championship with said manifold and now said manifold is deemed illegal? Got cha.:rolleyes:
 
As usual, someone trying to make something out of nothing. Take a few minutes and read the report on Comp Plus. Got cha.
What did I say that wasn't true? The Comp Plus article didn't clarify anything but NHRA says the manifold is illegal. Maybe Gray won with it or maybe he didn't but the possibility is there.
 
Too much backroom stuff going on with NHRA. We got to get this out in the open with everything else going on. way to many secrets being sat on.I can no longer trust the motives of NHRA.
 
What did I say that wasn't true? The Comp Plus article didn't clarify anything but NHRA says the manifold is illegal. Maybe Gray won with it or maybe he didn't but the possibility is there.
Mike, the article says that the problem had nothing to do with performance enhancement.

“They told us flat out, basically if we thought this was a performance advantage, you wouldn’t be running it right now; we’d have told you to take it off,” Smith said. “We realize your injector is where it’s supposed to be; it’s below the radius. You just need to fill that in to bring it into compliance with the wording of the rule for today.”
 
Mike, the article says that the problem had nothing to do with performance enhancement.

“They told us flat out, basically if we thought this was a performance advantage, you wouldn’t be running it right now; we’d have told you to take it off,” Smith said. “We realize your injector is where it’s supposed to be; it’s below the radius. You just need to fill that in to bring it into compliance with the wording of the rule for today.”
When I first read the Comp Plus article it didn't include what Smith and Freeman said. I think that was added after I had read it but if it was there I just didn't see it.
 
Too much backroom stuff going on with NHRA. We got to get this out in the open with everything else going on. way to many secrets being sat on.I can no longer trust the motives of NHRA.
Things started getting REALLY secretive when Oliver Stone was added to the Board of Directors.
 
What a flagrant and dishonest violation....somebody reworking their intake in order to gain some power. Oh, the horror !!

I understand how it works but I reckon I still have a bit too much old school in me. 500 inches, 1 cam in the block, 2 valves per cylinder, racing gasoline and naturally aspirated, 2350 pounds including the driver, strict enforcement of the safety equipment - and that's it. Run a flat crank if you think it helps. (Johnson tried one). Build a set of 180-degree headers and try them (Johnson tried 'em). Run stack injection. Direct injection. Or your old dual Dominators you've had sitting on the shelf for 6 years. Design an intake made from a 3D printer with runners big enough to throw a cat through. If your oddball stuff gives you an advantage then good on you. Doesn't matter anyway; in 2 weeks everybody else will have one just like it. Ain't no secrets in Pro Stock - at least not for long.

Answer me this - was Pro Stock more interesting back in the days when racers had some latitude, or now?
 
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Well. lessee.... I always like the hood scoops. And having Ford, Chevy & Mopar competitive. I think that was most important. Have never liked Pro Camaro, or Mustangs w/ Chevy engines. Wish that other brands (Toyota, etc) could come up w/ a P/S combo, but don't think that will ever happen. Wish NHRA would "think outside the box" w/ P/S.
 
For competitiveness, I do think the racing is closer and more drivers have a shot to win than any era before. Of course it is full of Camaros with the same engines so why wouldn’t it. Growing up in the late 70’s through the 80’s there was only a handful of racers that actually has a chance to win. It was a monumental upset if Geordie Rivera, Don Coonce or a Harry Scribner went to a final round let alone win a race. In the 90’s and early 2000’s I enjoyed seeing 30 plus cars trying to qualify for the fields even though a good portion of the cars had no shot to win.
 
For competitiveness, I do think the racing is closer and more drivers have a shot to win than any era before. Of course it is full of Camaros with the same engines so why wouldn’t it. Growing up in the late 70’s through the 80’s there was only a handful of racers that actually has a chance to win. It was a monumental upset if Geordie Rivera, Don Coonce or a Harry Scribner went to a final round let alone win a race. In the 90’s and early 2000’s I enjoyed seeing 30 plus cars trying to qualify for the fields even though a good portion of the cars had no shot to win.
Good points. My yearning for yesteryear is indeed more fan-friendly than racer-friendly...although even though they had little chance of winning I think there were quite a few early-day PS racers out there who enjoyed the challenge and the freedom to color outside the lines even if they couldn't whip a Bill Jenkins or a Ronnie Sox or a Bob Glidden. I dunno, y'all...it's a 50 year old class; the race-Sunday/buy Monday idea doesn't really work anymore and it's ridiculously expensive to campaign a car in that class, on the order of 7 figures a year with sponsorship increasingly becoming a tough thing to come by.

I love Pro Stock cars; I truly hope the class stays with us. But between Factory Stock, the upcoming FX class, ProMod and all the big tire/small tire/no prep racing going on, it's stuck in the middle and I personally don't see anything changing. It'll either survive as is or it won't.
 
Pro Stock as a class has changed identity so many times over the past 50 years. Early on it was dominated by several racers who were either smarter or was able to spend more money to win. It was the haves and have nots for decades until engine leasing became a thing in the 90’s. It was cheaper for many to lease an engine from Steve Schmidt than develop your own. I dont think any Schmidt customer ever won a world championship though but it made guys competitive without spending major money. When the factory support disappeared close to 10 years ago, the participation dropped rapidly and left the class at a crossroads. Without the efforts of Elite and KB, PS might be gone for good. I’m sure in the next 10 years or so it will change the course once again. Maybe factory support will return but I don’t think that will happen. The FX class could become a replacement for Pro Stock. I don’t think that is the intent of NHRA but who knows what the future will be.
 
What a flagrant and dishonest violation....somebody reworking their intake in order to gain some power. Oh, the horror !!

I understand how it works but I reckon I still have a bit too much old school in me. 500 inches, 1 cam in the block, 2 valves per cylinder, racing gasoline and naturally aspirated, 2350 pounds including the driver, strict enforcement of the safety equipment - and that's it. Run a flat crank if you think it helps. (Johnson tried one). Build a set of 180-degree headers and try them (Johnson tried 'em). Run stack injection. Direct injection. Or your old dual Dominators you've had sitting on the shelf for 6 years. Design an intake made from a 3D printer with runners big enough to throw a cat through. If your oddball stuff gives you an advantage then good on you. Doesn't matter anyway; in 2 weeks everybody else will have one just like it. Ain't no secrets in Pro Stock - at least not for long.

Answer me this - was Pro Stock more interesting back in the days when racers had some latitude, or now?
Give me the early days of the class.
When Pro Stock began, it was a true representation of the original intentions for the class; to showcase each manufacturer's factory hot rod(s) on an equal footing. Bill Jenkins won the first race in the class, then the Mopars took over for a couple of years. While only NHRA knows what went on behind the scenes in meetings with the other manufacturers, they saw fit to effectively legislate the Hemis out of the class. Instead of telling GM and Ford they needed to work to improve their own products, NHRA penalized the Mopars. Chrysler pulled their factory support of racers after that.
In a complete break from the original plans for the class, NHRA now allows any engine in any car. What we ended up with is GM engines in every car, which just happens to be all Camaros. Sure, there might be a Mustang or two, but they are still GM powered.
That's why the stands empty out when it's time for the Pro Camaros to begin eliminations.
As far as Factory Stock, it is quickly becoming all Camaros. In 2018, I said the worst thing that could have happened at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals was the all Mopar final in the Factory Stock class. The Mopars were penalized before the week was out and they were no longer as competitive.
Long story short, as nice as it would be to see more Mopars and Fords in Pro Stock, you're not going to get those manufacturers to invest heavily in R&D.
Why should they?
As history has shown, NHRA will always penalize the Fords and Mopars in order to get the GM cars back into the winner's circle.
 
Leah won Indy 2018 Then:

"The Mopars were penalized before the week was out and they were no longer as competitive."


Then Leah won St. louis, then Leah won Dallas and the Championship.
Just stating the facts.

Alan
 
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