[Bob Don]

I don't know if this is old news or not but I received the following email a few days ago:

Gentlemen
After several weeks of researching ORD's (oil retention devices) on Stock and Super Stock cars SRAC members have talked to a lot of racers and gathered a lot of information.
This past weekend at Houston Danny Gracia was looking under cars gathering helpful information and taking pictures of cars that will be all but impossible to install a ORD with the rules as we know them now.
Bob Lang was at Atco this weekend also leaving no stone unturned CRAWLING UNDER CARS gathering information on whether all S/SS cars will be able to comply to a broad across the board ORD rule. As an old SS racer I have to say I very much appreciate the efforts these guys have put into this issue making sure not to put a rule into place that will destroy the class or leave people out of racing.
Not to put words in anyone's mouth but I think both of them now know a lot more about how difficult and costly the task will be to have a rule on ORD's for all STK & SS cars.
Stock is probably the oldest sportsman class in NHRA followed closely by Super Stock. The basic rules for those two classes as far as maintaining somewhat stock frames and steering is still part of the identity of those classes. To make a ORD rule to make all of the car comply would be the end of those classes as we know them. I understand that is a strong statement and deserves explaining.
With the rules that have been in place for more than 40 + years the S/SS cars have been built and adapted to those rules and to put a rule into place that would have to alter the steering, exhaust headers and frame rails and even oil pans to allow for the installation of ORD's would certainly be the end to STOCK and SUPER STOCK cars as we know them. But that just about sum's up what will have to happen for all cars to be able to comply with a rule. The cost factor of having to rebuild existing cars to comply could certainly be thousand of dollars and in this economy would leave a lot of people out of racing and cars parked with car counts effected greatly.
As I said earlier some of the SRAC members have put a lot of research into this and we will be submitting our recommendation to NHRA very soon. To give you a brief preview of what we have talked about follows.
1. No new rule for S/SS ORD's
2 NHRA to ask for voluntary compliance to ORD's for cars that the application will fit without any costly equipment changes or violations of current rules .
3. NHRA contingency dept. vigorously pursue sponsor support from ORD companies for use of their product.
4. NHRA tech. dept. contact and work with new car builders with ideas on how future construction of S/SS cars could incorporate ORD's ( pans or diapers) without violating current rules.
5. NHRA tech. dept. research idea's of allowing better internal engine parts in some cars to reduce the chance of engine failures.
Please keep in mind there are other ideas and we as a group are not ready to submit our official recommendation.
This is just a preview Danny ask me to send.

Thanks for your consideration and concerns



Mike Crutchfield S/SS d2 SRAC Member