Should backup cars be allowed during eliminations? (12 Viewers)

[z28]

The fans come to see races, not singles. Each round is a new race. As long as the car meets tech it should be able to run. With the shorted turnaround times today a replacement makes even more sense when needed. Would you disqualify Hagan if he crossed the center line after 1000' when he couldn't see even if he didn't hit anything? Backup cars make sense that's why the rule was changed.

 

[Sparky]

Nascar=oranges NHRA=apples they are not the same.

 

[Marchboom]

To my knowledge crew chiefs don't bring out a back-up car when the current car is still in race-ready condition. They know how the current car has performed. It can be a crap shoot with a back-up car. They are sometimes taking a chance with a car that hasn't been down THAT TRACK, on THAT DAY, before. I say let them use a back-up car if the other one can't be fixed in time for the next round.

 

[Randy]

In the not so old days if you did hit something or did some major damage NHRA tech would pull the certification sticker off your funny car body and make you go through tech again with it after you fixed it before you were allowed to run again and make it count. I'm not sure if they are still doing that today.

Here's Billy Meyer unknowingly making the case for car swaps. His car looked pretty beat up even without the body on it.

 

[stitcherbob]

Other than "fresh from the chassis shop" I would imagine that every backup car has seen track time, and has likewise been teched. In some cases it may just be last year's car, next year's car, or a teammate's car.

Jordan Vandergriff asked when was Doug's back up car last run and was told "never". It was a brand new car, warmed up only twice, and was to be tested in Brainerd but it rained out. Out of the box untested it ran 3.81 @ 335mph

 

[twostep]

Something that happens much more often than what happened Sunday is a team looks at the damage and says: "We can fix this, but it would be better and safer to bring out the back-up car." Then the damaged car can go back to the jig, be inspected thoroughly and repaired properly.

Alan

Right there is the answer as to whether or not to run the damaged car. Let the team decide whether or not the car's safe. If deemed unsafe to make the next round, allow the backup.

Just an opinion from one sitting up in the nosebleeds.

 

[twostep]

In the not so old days if you did hit something or did some major damage NHRA tech would pull the certification sticker off your funny car body and make you go through tech again with it after you fixed it before you were allowed to run again and make it count. I'm not sure if they are still doing that today.

Here's Billy Meyer unknowingly making the case for car swaps. His car looked pretty beat up even without the body on it.

Don't think a body tether would have done much good in this instance...

Competing for the Mother Of All Explosions was Mark Oswald's boomer at the Texas Motorplex. You may have competed at that race. Happened right in front of where I was standing. How he walked from that one remains a testimony to the safety built into these cars - even 30 years ago.