[Mike Carr]

I am guessing when the rule was changed away from shipping weight to being allowed to the add the 170, that 170 was an average drivers weight. This system is much more favorable to, let's say, oversized or overweight drivers. Back when the shipping weight was the minimum weight, a heavy driver competed at a disadvantage to a lighter driver.

The weight break determining a cars natural class is shipping weight divided by either NHRA or factory HP, whichever is used. In the DP case, it's now 390 NHRA rated. 3,100 is the shipping weight. 3,100/390 = 7.95. Meaning the car naturally falls into AA/SA, and can also run A. You can take the bottom weight break to figure the minimum weight, with driver, across the scales (7.5 for AA, 8 for A). So 8 x 390 + 170 = 3,290. AA weight is 7.5 x 390 + 170 = 3,095.

Never feel embarrased or apologize for asking questions. We all have stuff to learn, and much better to have an issue cleared up now, then before going to a race and making a mistake that could get you DQ'd or cause you to make a mistake and cost the car some performance and lose a race.

On the PA/OH line here, weather is getting bad...I imagine it's the same in Barberton?