Re: no more blocking
 

This is way cool.

Re: no more blocking
 

Dave Gook Cook, Thank you. I haven't got mine yet. But then I live 20 miles from Glendora....Go figure.

Re: no more blocking
 

>> I doubt they would be in good position defending themselves in court allowing this

Where do people come up with this stuff? Arbitrary rule. Every sport has them. These are the rules of the game. There is no issue to be taken to court. Fastest Street Car classes weren't allowed to have lettering/decals on the car body. Arbitrary rule. Hey, maybe you could sue NHRA for allowing something in Stock that's not "stock". :confused: Equally as ridiculous.

Re: no more blocking
 

Nhra is becoming ridiculous!!! Why not blinders, all the blinder does is help you concentrate!! This is the stupidest rule that i have ever heard of!!!! It doesn't blind my vision, why do i need to see what is going on in the other lane until i leave the starting line????? what to see, somebody not knowing how to do a burnout!!!???? Better yet see somebody not to be able stage the car!!!!????? We pay nhra to find out if somebody is leaking on the starting line or if there is a problem with any of the cars!!! It is not dangerous!!!!

Re: no more blocking
 

As a big fan of TF/FC/PS, I've looked closely at the helmets these guys use, like Kurt Johnson and some of the others, the opening in the helmet for the face/eyes is very small and actually has a "factory" blinder built in. So, just change helmets like I'm going to do. I prefer to see as little as possible when I race.

Re: no more blocking
 

Why is holding a penalty in football? That's absolutely ridiculous.

Re: no more blocking
 

Lets Really Throw A Wrench Into The System, Back In The Early Bracket Racing Days At Minnesota Dragways, They Had A Mph Breakout, If You Go Faster Or Slower Than 5 Mph Of The Mph You Wrote On The Window, Your Grabbing Trailer!! That Would Help Keep Cars From Going On Their Roof! Now Thats Being Safety Minded. Joe D

Re: no more blocking
 

BRAVO Kevin...you are 100% right..totally ridiculous....maybe we can use the blinders to direct the generator exhaust over the trailers...I've already mounted my trans brake button on the generator to use as a kill switch....what the hell..I spent the money and now NHRA says throw it away...What next you can only bring one person to a race with you because the pedestrian traffic is too much in the pits. Leave the kids home..they're a liability to NHRA also.

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Joes does that mean im out or am I the one person you can bring to the track??? I think I would look really silly directing traffic.

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Kevin,

I'm not sure if this rule was for safety or to make everyone learn to hit the tree.. But a few years back at Lebanon Valley, there were two cars on the line with both of them wearing what could have been mail boxes taped to ther helmets,, There was trouble at the end of the track and the starter was motioning them to back up. Neither one of them could see him. He had to walk past the starting line to get their attention. Now that doesn't seem to safe to me. The funny thing about it was both of them sitting on the chip the whole time. I like the idea of no driver aids.. I just wish they would have also done away with the two step altogether for the automatic drivers. Now lets get rid of reaction times on the time slip!!!

Lee Zane

Re: no more blocking
 

Pretty soon I think there will be a hand drop like on Pinks All Out.

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This is Stock eliminator NOT ARTS AND CRAFTS.
If you want a crutch go see a doctor.I think this is the way to go.

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Lee,
Are you really serious about getting rid of reaction times too? Because my father and I have said that for years!! I didn't think the blinder was a safety issue. But I dont think they are doing it for those reasons.

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I dont use my blinder to just see the bottom, i use it to block the other side of the tree. Even though most tracks have blinders on the tree you still get some light off them...

Tape is stupid I agree.. Like I said I will just go back to using my hand...

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To James P....

I do tend to agree w/ your viewpoint ............ but......... if a blinder is a crutch............ how would you define the widespread use of the "iCard" ?...... is that not a crutch also?


Ang

Re: no more blocking
 

Kev, What are you & all the D-1 "bratz" going to do with your LMSL Kits?

(Lincoln Moorehead Starting line kits)
Sg

Re: no more blocking
 

Get rid of RT on the time slip ?!? Hey while we are at it get rid of ETs too so that we eliminate sandbagging. I agree with getting rid of electronic assistance, and I can understand eliminating something that may be a safety concern, but getting rid of RTs on a slip is just plain absurd.

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How does the NHRA determine what they enforce and what they don't enforce...how about sandbagging and smoking the front tires in the lights....I have seen this multiple times throughout the racing season and no one gets thrown out for that?

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Locking up the tires at the finish line is grounds for immediate disqualification. We've done that to racers at my home NHRA track, and so it should be enforced at divisional and national events as well.

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Getting rid of timeslips in class eliminations is one idea that sounds interesting.That would be a good way for the AHFS to get straightened out.
If you had the faster car and got there first,you would know that you won the heads up race,but might not be sure what you ran.This might make it easier to properly classify a combination.Turn the clocks off for heads up runs.Only somebody in the tower would know what you ran just like Pinks All Out!

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Whats the matter with just leaving everything alone???

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This seems so crazy to me. Now in the day of Infrared Tree Readers and Optical Matty Boxes, why worry about the possibility of people cheating with old time delay boxes, etc?
We went to a $20,000 footbrake race in NC a couple of weeks ago and a couple of people questioned my oviously unplugged 2-step button on my brake pedal. A two-step with a delay box would be like having a knife in a gun fight against the tree-reader boys.
I just wish tech control would get into the 21st century.

Re: no more blocking
 

I heard they are going to eliminate the other side of the tracks numbers on you slip, for the entire meet.

Also, interval sheets and the i-card. ("crew chief pro" and stuff)

Next - will be the weather stations which page you in stagging and eventually all knowledge which could help you win.

Not sure how they will eliminate experience but they are probably working on that too.

You gotta love it....

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It seems like everybody wants rules to change that benefit themselves. I like Stefans Idea. LETS LEAVE EVERY THING ALONE AND RACE. I'm just waiting for guys to Lobby for no Heads up races next, and use some BS line like " Now the real drivers will win " I think stock is on the way out and it's just a matter of time, and most likely the internet is a big part of this. How come they don't ask us about these rules? Maybe they should run the heads up Street classes at National events that you see on Speed channel and HP TV. 10.5 tire class, DOT class, ect. I guess a bunch of guys will have to go back to bracket racing then and the rest of us will have to find a different sport. This was a great Class 4 years ago now it looks out of controll. I'm off my soap box now

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Regulation tire pressure.
BTW,I've seen some Stockers with front tires that are the size of a little red wagon wheel.Is that safe?
I think that is something that many racers will find that they need when they find out that the foot is slower than the hand.I highly doubt that there would be any need to be a foot braking tree blocker in a stocker,but I could be wrong.Why all of the uproar over no blocking?

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Lee ,,got to disagree with getting rid of RT`s,,,,,,thats one of the key factors in determining if the run was fair,,,,,believe it or not,,,Ive seen timeslips with a better total package LOOSE,,,and if it werent for the RT`s,,would have never known it,,,,it also helps determine if the run was legit or a bogus run,,,,GOOD EXAMPLE,,,,,twice this past year at bristol,,,,,had weird RT`s,,,and all other incrementals were off,,,,,got put back in,,,,,,another time,,,had a .10 red (didnt happen) and all the incrementals were way off,,,,,(fast),,,by .30 tenths EXCEPT mph which was 10mph slow,,,,,,no one could explain and I didnt have time for a re run cause I was in another class

twice at a track in nowhere KY,,,,I had runs,,,one run was .002 better,,,the other was .006 better and lost both,,,,,was reinstated in both races

point being,,,more info on timeslips,,,the better

Re: no more blocking
 

Want to know how to block and be legal? .... read my post on Legal Blocking.

Serious situations require serious actions.

If it wasn't for blocking, the quaterback would get sacked on every down....

Pat

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A good quarterback would avoid the rush and scramble down the sidelines for a touchdown!

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Wonder where that happened.. LOLOLOLOL...

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[QUOTE=Pat Joffrion;50045]
If it wasn't for blocking, the quarterback would get sacked on every down....

QUOTE]

I understand that 31 teams in the NFL are petitioning for a new rule that prevents any of Tom Brady's offensive linemen from moving at all between the time they have gotten into a set position and until the play is whistled dead. And if that doesn't stop Brady and the Pats from winning, then their next request for a rule change will be to ask that Brady only be allowed to throw to one receiver in a game. And speaking of Patriot receivers, is Wes Welker any relation to stock racer Matt Welker?

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I'm curious how many racers who are upset over losing blockers helped get deep staging eliminated? :rolleyes:

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Mike,,, are you sugesting what comes around ,,goes around??

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NHRA never had a rule that blinders were OK. Racers just adopted it. Now NHRA is just clarifying that they are not allowed. And when racers took it to the extreme and people are getting run over in the staging lanes, I'm all for it.
Look, racing involves dealing with distractions of all sorts. Those that can deal with them prevail more than those that can't. That's just a part of the sport.

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So if I understand this right, any type of blocking what-so-ever in comp/ ss/ and stock is illegal?

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Sorry to get off subject.......but where does it say we can run a clutchless tranny in a 4 speed car. Does the rule book have to be if it doesnt say we cant then we can do it......just curious.......

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Bill as a racer that understands electronics and what they do and now as a track operator I came to you and said someone questioned the button on the brake pedal. Actually I went to Grace.and simply said pull the low side chip out as it wasnt clearly unhooked then if someone does protest myself as a racer and a tech guy understands what I'm talking about and probably know more about it than most racers. I ran a delay box in 1989 when they first came out and hid it so noone would see it and also released it in very different ways other than a button. Even ran one with a lenco in 1989.

Lee we at Piedmont are going to run a no RT race this year...actually about 3 of them.....we are calling it the OLD SCHOOL NATIONALS. Free entry 1000 to win with nothing but 1/8 mile Et and MPH....no 60 footers, or 330. No offense but at 8 cars Ill bet I can tell you it will be the same ppl that are always at 8 cars....


Herb McCandless Jr
Piedmont Dragway

Re: no more blocking
 

From what Ive heard, this all started when that Tricky McWaley kid got greedy and tried to demand 2 pepsi's instead of ONE from the D1 Rat pack for said undetectable "reaction secrets" . So they spiked ONE with truth serum, turns out he was a double agent and came clean to the West... he also lost all his money and dippity do gel at the poker table , last heard he joined a cult rap group and is raisin donkeys?

Sad day


Happy Holidays

Re: no more blocking
 

Stock, section 5A, Transmission, manual "clutchless transmissions prohibited". And they do check...

Regarding the rulebook, it is the policy of NHRA that it is NOT legal unless directed it IS legal. See page 15 (2007 rulebook) under "How to use this rulebook". It also says somewhere else that "past useage does not make acceptable", or words to that effect.
That would apply directly to this blinder issue.

Re: no more blocking
 

Unless this track has time slips that show ET and RT to the ten-thousandth of a second (0.0001), you probably should not have been reinstated in the race where you had a better package by 0.002, IMHO. The time slips that are printed either truncate or round the ACTUAL ET and RT (measured to better than 0.0001). As such, with each time listed where the time is NOT shown to the 4th digit, there is an error of +/-0.0005 seconds. Multiply that by four (ET and RT for each driver), and you have a maximum display error on the time ticket of up to 0.002 seconds (when calculating the package by hand off of the ET and RT numbers listed on the time slip).

If the MOV (which is typically displayed to 0.0001 seconds on the time slip) showed that your competitor got to the finish line first by 0.002 or less, then the truncation / rounding issue above is why you lost.

Unfortunately, I know about this because I had it happen to me once, before the MOV was printed on the ticket. I did not get reinstated, and was offered the same above explanation, which scientifically is correct.

Now, 0.006 seconds?!?! That one I can't explain...

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Tim..

That was put in as a joke!! mainly to get people lost if they ever did it.
I know within two time trials or less you would know were you are ,, but alot of people would be lost.