poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

First off let me say, I dont have a horse in this race, however when you have a rule book to go by and NHRA refuses to enforce its rules out of its book, it is a shame....Clearly states all classes 9.99 or quicker must have , window net, neck restraints, gloves, etc, and you allow an un certified car and driver who violated all your rules advance into the next round of eliminations at a NATIONAL EVENT is a shame and disgrace , why in the hell are you even having rules if you don not enforce them?

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Do you want to elaborate or just speak in code? Unless it was publicly announced you must know more than. The average person? Did someone go to an official after first round and turn this person in? Was there a spot check? Has this person been doing this all along and finally got caught? Nothing with worse than a vague statement that everyone has to wonder what the story is.

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

the incident happened today at Virginia during class runoffs, a competitor was allowed to advance with a car , that was not certified , nor did he have on required safety equiptment, Rule book states you must comply with certain items , if not you are illegal, same goes for valve string pressure or cam specs, if you are wrong on valvespring pressure you are disqualified, if your cam isnt to specs , you are dis qualified , so if your safety equiptment is in correct you should be disqualified, if you are wrong , you are wrong, bottom line if you get away with this , how much more will you push the envelope?

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

And who was it? How did you find out?

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

it happened today, doesnnt matter how i found out , the problem is there apparently is not any tech or Tech inspectors any longer to enforce the rule book, might as well build what you want as long as the car looks correct for the combo,dont worry about the safety equiptment but get new belts every 2 years and you are ok, When I was running in Stock years ago, the heads came off my poor 350 Chevy so much , it should have had zippers , from teardowns at divisionals and national events and at a few local s/ss combo races,

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

I think he is talking about the Round 1 heads up race in Richmond today.There were no class runoffs that I was aware off.

And it is an interesting topic.Will need a full bag of popcorn before this one is over.

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

you are correct sir, it was a heads up run both same class, one car was up to date on all the safety requirements but the other was not, thus making the winner illegal for the round, he should had been DQed at the scales, just as if his fuel didnt check....Bottom line he broke the rules and should be DQed for the event, and others till he and his car are correct....Why have rules if they are not going to be enforced?

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

There have been times where you are given ONE warning in situations like this.

Sometimes a cop gives you a warning for 5 mph over the speed limit and some actually write the ticket.

Not sure what the situation is here,but not all A/SA cars can run in the 9's .MANY can,but not all of them.

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

not gonna argue with you about how many can run in the 9, Grey doesnt have a proble neither does about 6 more in the country, but hey have moved into AA/s, and all of them have the required safety equiptment,, they moved to protect the index and combos, if you are going to warn someone, you do it then ,not later and you discipline them now, not later, the rule book clearly states what is required, ...Let me ask you , if you were eliminated but someone who was wrong, would you be happy going home, knowing he was warned, ?I THINK NOT.....The rules are printed for everyone to abide by, IF YOU ARE WRONG YOU ARE WRONG, YOU SHOULD NOT GET A FREE PASS......

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

So why didn’t offend driver stop at the scales and point it out to tech?
It’s too late now

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Although I agree with you completely, we are dealing with the 21ST Century NHRA.

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

I'm just a bored casual observer....BUT as Billy says this is the modern version of NHRA racing and for the most part has been for quite some time

They do have a rule book but not much in the way of desire or personnel to enforce every infraction

They just want their "show" to go on and move on to the next one....

Entertaining the paying customers is at the top of the list.....Sportsman racing is nothing more than time filler.....

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Face it, many of the real racers have supported the NHRA for years thru the Sportsman Classes, but the governing body aka NHRA could care less, it is all about the JOHN FORCES- DON SCHUMACHER- of the sport now...it as become a sport where the Sportsman classes pay for the others , you get forced into poor pits, maybe 2 time runs in terrible conditions, etc, but most still love the sportand that is a good thing, but if you let someone get away with a warning at a National Event, where it is suppose to be the premier race with a warning is just stupid, if it happened at a Divisional , the driver was warned, put on notice to get corrected before his next event is one thing, but not at a National event, we can dispute this all day but wrong is wrong, he broke the rules, same as being light at scales , fuel not checking etc, the tech guys should have got him on the topend......

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

and the bottom line of this discussion is...............................................

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Longhany / Hawk ?

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Go back find the video of the first stockers in the nines, you will see the next day three or four people dialing in the nines without any other safety equipment
it’s been overlooked for a while. Should have been enforced then I can see somebody running nines without the dial , but to dial nines without the equipment is pretty blatant

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

As someone that has a car that can run in the nines. I have a window net and keep the gloves and neck brace in the car. I try not to run in the nines. Bill went 9.985. Not sticking up for Bill but there is a good chance he didn't realize he would go that quick. I could see a warning but not to toss him. Now if he went 9.70's or dialed in the nines that would be another thing. PLease don't say whats the difference. I have seen drivers slam the brakes top end only to get a warning. The real mistake that Bill made was to run it out. BP

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

very well spoken barry thank you

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Since you claim not to "have a horse in this race" was it a friend or family member this scoff law beat so badly? I have a confession myself.......I tore the label off my mattress last night and I feel a major J walking spree coming on!!!

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

I would definitely not agree with a decision to toss a driver for exceeding his safety equipment by .015.

Certainly not the same as a violation of performance rules, in my opinion.

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

A little off-the-topic but can anybody explain to me how Ken Robinson lost in rd.1?

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Billy the numbers listed don't add up that is for sure. BP

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

I sense some anger here, not really sure if I believe the "Horse in the race" quote lol

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

When you don't have all the facts you should not cry. This happens from time to time and is always handled. To say poor tech you have no clue what you are saying. Stay on your keyboard and we all will race. Have a great day!

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

I am pretty sure those saftey rules did not apply to Stock Eliminator back then,I think they actually came at a later date (along with the AA class?)

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

The 9.99/135 was in effect long before Mission. It's a general regulation.

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

From working with the software DRC uses, that sure looks like a case where the tower operator typed in an incorrect dial. If so, it also might be the rerun that has yet to be explained. Since Summit pulled out, staffing is bare bones and it's possible the result of the rerun did not get sent to the reporter so the original report could be edited.

Reasoning: the number for the dial is typed in by a human. The number for the RT and ET comes directly from the clocks with no human intervention.

Whoever shows up for R2 will give us an answer to the question.

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Wasn't the old rule that the car/driver had to have the safety equipment for the car's class index?

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Yes, but weren’t Stock racers allowed to wear t-shirts, at any ET at that time?

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Go back and find the video of the first stockers in the nines, you will see the next day three or four people dialing in the nines without any other safety equipment
it’s been overlooked for a while. Should have been enforced then I can see somebody running nines without the dial , but to dial nines without the equipment is pretty blatant. Those car had stock fuel tanks and no wheele bars. The glory that Bobby D got from that run was incredible. Do it once by a hun get a warning do it twice your in trouble. The nines are barrier that some will never get to but in your dreams, Mr Hawk and crew took a shot at it and it is now more than a dream. Tom

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

not going to say anything else about the subject, seems there are too many people of ignoring the rule, just like some of the judges in the country, IF YOU MURDER SOMEONE, DONT WORRY YOU GET BAIL, JUST DONT DO IT AGAIN....The rule has been in the books for years, any person with a combo that has been campaigning the same combo for years, KNOWS HOW FAST HE CAN GO---IN A HEADS UP RUN---- so next time a competitor is light at the scales, or fuel doesnt check, JUST WARN HIM, LET HIM GO, while the guy he outruns goes home......Maybe this is why some guys have left the sport, no tech, no teardown, and get away with breaking the rules with a warning, Use to be you got sidelined for a race or two for breaking the rules, now you get a lollipop and maybe told not to do it again....

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Go ahead... please tell us how you really feel?

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Rules are clearly defined! Bill Hawk certainly knows how fast his car goes.

Maybe we should switch to everyone getting a trophy also!

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Its a safety issue and not a performance gain issue. Did it make the car faster ? NO Stern warning? YES.

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Come get my Hemi Car,chase 'em down.Thanks

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Questions...Did the tower notify tech immediately that Hawk had made a 9 second run? Did the tower know that Hawk did not have safety equipment for a 9 second run therefore immediately notifying tech? Did tech immediately confront Hawk about the 9 second run without the proper safety equipment in use? Did Hawk's opponent immediately stop at the scales and notify tech that the proper safety equipment was not being used? Do the tech cards when entering online have built in limitations as to how quick a car can run based on safety equipment declared by the racer? Would the old way of "hands on pre-race tech" have warned Hawk he was not allowed to go quicker than 10.00 due to lack of proper safety equipment?

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Yeah, I think everyone should get a trophy. :p

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

I'm sure it was as a general saftey rule but I think Stock went strictly by it's own class rules then and was not affected by it, probably because Stockers in the nine's was rare for some time even after Bobby's run at mission.

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

Since Jerry Valentine, the former NHRA Division 6 Tech Director, did the engine verification and certification of Bobby's engine when he ran in the 9's, did he warn Bobby he could not race the Camaro again until he complied with the safety requirements???

Re: poor excuse for tech at NHRA National
 

9.99 and quicker is a safety rule there to protect you and others. There is no g r a y area. Should the rule be as TD/TS , you go into the five second barrier and you DQ , points and the race.
Some very valid points have been raised here by great racers and should be addressed.
There are a ton of A-C cars that can run Nines.
It’s not just the window net…..

No I am not singling out Mr Hawk.