POLL - YOUR PREFERENCE ON SLOWING NITRO CARS

[Nick Name]

Make them run with the chutes out

 

[J]

At least leave it where it is or make it 1320. If it goes to 1/8 mile I ll find somethiong else to watch. 2.9 seconds isnt worth it

 

[Nunz]

These crew chiefs are so smart, running with the chutes out will be a temporary slowdown. They'll figure out how to use the added load on the motors to make more power.

 

[FABMAN]

Crew chiefs are like mad scientists.

 

[flapjack]

I think this storm has been brewing for quite a while, ever since the Armstrong/Coil days.

 

[twostep]

All this talk about slowing them down and going back to 1320...one major problem, if you slow them down you end up with top fuel and fuel funny cars performing at the level the top alcohol dragsters and funny cars are now. What do you do about them?

Nothing. If you were to take one of the suggestions above and run them 1320' with no power restrictions, you'd have mid 4.50 FC's and mid 4.30 TF's, both at speeds around 345. The best alcohol cars are 5.40 and 5.20, respectively, with speeds in the 265-275 range. They could slow down the nitro cars considerably and they'd still be far faster and quicker than their alcohol counterparts. And they'd still be about 5 times as loud, which is the primary turn-on as far as fans go, anyway.

But they can't run unrestricted at 1320 feet. The tires won't take it, and with their current configuration, I don't believe the engines would, either.

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

Nothing. If you were to take one of the suggestions above and run them 1320' with no power restrictions, you'd have mid 4.50 FC's and mid 4.30 TF's, both at speeds around 345. The best alcohol cars are 5.40 and 5.20, respectively, with speeds in the 265-275 range. They could slow down the nitro cars considerably and they'd still be far faster and quicker than their alcohol counterparts. And they'd still be about 5 times as loud, which is the primary turn-on as far as fans go, anyway.

But they can't run unrestricted at 1320 feet. The tires won't take it, and with their current configuration, I don't believe the engines would, either.

I think yer being conservative Carl. With NO power restrictions I'm thinkin TF would be close to 360 MPH at 1320ft. But what ever yer right, the tires can't take it.

 

[None]

I think yer being conservative Carl. With NO power restrictions I'm thinkin TF would be close to 360 MPH at 1320ft. But what ever yer right, the tires can't take it.

It is all part of the equation. 1320 feet, shut down length, sand trap length, tires, engine limits and body limits. Leave it to the driver and crew chief.

 

[Leebone]

None of the above. Don't change ANYTHING !!!

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

None of the above. Don't change ANYTHING !!!

I wish that was possible Lee. But we all know, with the speeds they're hitting, they (NHRA) will have to do something. We are getting close to the tire chunking again.
So unless someone comes up with a new tire, I don't see how NHRA can avoid some kind of major change in both nitro classes. Either shorter distance, or
huge power restrictions.
Don't get me wrong, I wish they could be left alone, but I just don't see how.

 

[Tony]

Simply slowing the cars down is not the answer to how to make them safer. The incident that prompted the switch to 1000' is a perfect example. Scott Kalitta would likely still be dead if he had been going 10, 20 or 30 miles an hour slower. Running into concrete at 250 will kill you just as well as 280. The key is to not run into the concrete.

Racers die in crashes because of blunt force trauma, penetrating trauma, fire related injuries or some combination of the three. Slowing the cars only partially addresses these issues.

Fire related deaths (i.e. burns, inhalation of toxic gases or lack of oxygen) are almost non-existent.

Penetrating trauma such as getting stabbed with a chassis tube or the support structure of a funny car body can happen at relatively low speeds. A look at Mark Niver's crash in Seattle illustrates it doesn't take 300 mph speeds to generate enough energy to turn the car itself into the weapon. Just to be clear, I don't know that Mark's cause of death was penetrating trauma but it doesn't take a big stretch to imagine part of that chassis spearing the driver. Bob Tasca's efforts to build a funny car body without the metallic support structure was in response to this issue.

Blunt force trauma is probably the most common cause of death. This can be the result of running into an object outside the car (Scott Kalitta), getting hit by something (Darrell Russell) or extraordinary internal forces (Eric Medlen). It's difficult to find accurate records but I don't believe any of these drivers exceeded 310 mph on the runs that killed them.

Anecdotal evidence aside I think we can all agree that there is no "safe" speed. NHRA and the competitors are better served by creating systems and an environment that limits as much as possible the forces on the driver and the possibility that an object can strike the driver. Canopies, the Electrimotion safety system, driver compartment padding, decreased severity of engine/tire damage and improved shutdown/containment systems have done way more for driver safety than reducing speeds by 20 or 30 mph.

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

Well I think the poll ends now. I must say I'm amazed it is unanimous in favor of slowing the cars. After the up-roar a few years ago when NHRA weekend the
cars (by lowering percentage) I thought some would prefer shortening. But the people have spoken, I only hope NHRA listens.
Thanks to ALL who voted.

 

[FABMAN]

Simply slowing the cars down is not the answer to how to make them safer. The incident that prompted the switch to 1000' is a perfect example. Scott Kalitta would likely still be dead if he had been going 10, 20 or 30 miles an hour slower. Running into concrete at 250 will kill you just as well as 280. The key is to not run into the concrete.

Racers die in crashes because of blunt force trauma, penetrating trauma, fire related injuries or some combination of the three. Slowing the cars only partially addresses these issues.

Fire related deaths (i.e. burns, inhalation of toxic gases or lack of oxygen) are almost non-existent.

Penetrating trauma such as getting stabbed with a chassis tube or the support structure of a funny car body can happen at relatively low speeds. A look at Mark Niver's crash in Seattle illustrates it doesn't take 300 mph speeds to generate enough energy to turn the car itself into the weapon. Just to be clear, I don't know that Mark's cause of death was penetrating trauma but it doesn't take a big stretch to imagine part of that chassis spearing the driver. Bob Tasca's efforts to build a funny car body without the metallic support structure was in response to this issue.

Blunt force trauma is probably the most common cause of death. This can be the result of running into an object outside the car (Scott Kalitta), getting hit by something (Darrell Russell) or extraordinary internal forces (Eric Medlen). It's difficult to find accurate records but I don't believe any of these drivers exceeded 310 mph on the runs that killed them.

Anecdotal evidence aside I think we can all agree that there is no "safe" speed. NHRA and the competitors are better served by creating systems and an environment that limits as much as possible the forces on the driver and the possibility that an object can strike the driver. Canopies, the Electrimotion safety system, driver compartment padding, decreased severity of engine/tire damage and improved shutdown/containment systems have done way more for driver safety than reducing speeds by 20 or 30 mph.

I think originally they were concerned about the shut down length on older tracks and speed, they had to do something and that the quickest way to slow it down.As time has gone on the cars are getting much quicker and faster an now it's the tires. All the test on tires say they will not support speeds of 350 mph and NHRA can't come to a conclusion on how to slow them down, besides the racing at a 1000 ft has been pretty exciting.

 

[d'kid]

Zappy, You forgot a Choice... Just leave 'em the FFFFFFFFFF Alone as they are now.... Or Drop NITRO... Make Alky IT. No Adders....

 

[Larry]

One Mag and smaller blower and fuel pump .
The savings would bring out more teams .

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

Zappy, You forgot a Choice... Just leave 'em the FFFFFFFFFF Alone as they are now.... Or Drop NITRO... Make Alky IT. No Adders....

That would be great Karl, but the tires cant take it. we're right at 300mph at the 1/8 mile now. None of us like it, but they, (NHRA) has to do something.

You may have something, dropping nitro. BIG cost savings, less parts breakage, many more cars in class, return to 1320 possible, Hmmm.......

 

[SoCal Racer]

Here's a simple solution.... First set an index, and then put a throttle stop on the cars. 3.80 index for TF; 4.00 index for FC. Quicker and you broke out!

And yes, I know that's not technically feasible....

Seriously though, if you're going to slow them down, then get back to 1320 while you're at it.

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

Dave it IS feasible. Most crew chiefs can call their ET's within about .03 (NO throttle stops please). That would be a solution without making any parts
obsolete. Also you could go back to 1320ft at the long tracks, just have different index , one for 1,000ft - another for 1320ft.
(it would sure make drivers RT more important). Good idea.

 

[MM]

What is all this tires can't take it nonsense? Right now, tire damage is at an all time low. Teams are getting as many as 10 runs out of a set and then cycling them out simply because they're at the end of their life span. This is a far cry from 1 run tires of a few years ago. At Brainerd when all the records were set, there was little to no report of tire damage.

 

[FABMAN]

What is all this tires can't take it nonsense? Right now, tire damage is at an all time low. Teams are getting as many as 10 runs out of a set and then cycling them out simply because they're at the end of their life span. This is a far cry from 1 run tires of a few years ago. At Brainerd when all the records were set, there was little to no report of tire damage.

Maybe Goodyear needs to come out with the correct data on tires. Your right, I haven't heard of any tire chunking for quite sometime.