Quote:
We finished up running our 1 round of qualifying and class around 10:30. The protest came up around 11:00. We were scheduled to run 1st round at 3:30. We didn't run 1st round until 5:30 or so, but this still would not have given Paul time to get his engine back together had he been legal.
Larry
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The time line Larry posted is accurate. The only thing I can add is after the engine was pulled and disassembled, we weighed the piston at about 1:45. Had it have been correct we would have handed it back and the thrash would have began to make 1st round. With the enthusiasm of the group working on the car I feel that although it may have been tight timewise, they would have made it to the lanes on time.
For those questioning the accuracy of the scales used to weigh the piston rod assembly, anyone who has a gram scale also has a set of gram weights that assures their scale is correct. NHRA is no exception and the scale is always checked at each use.
Here is a tip for anyone racing the LT1 or LS1. The reason some can remove a piston rod so quickly is the engine does not have to be removed from the car. Those individuals have fabricated a tool similar to the one used to support the engine when removing the transmission from a FWD car. It is a bar that goes from shock tower to shock tower and lifts the engine high enough to remove the oilpan.
I was not involved in the decision to accept or decline the protest. I will say that it was a unique situation given the timeline the weather had thrown the event schedule into. One run Saturday morning became qualifying and more importantly class runoff. I will stand behind my boss's decision to accept the protest. If I had been asked my opinion at the time I would have voted to accept the protest as I feel there was sufficient time to teardown and reassemble the engine. All this being said I will post no more on the subject.
(Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by me on this forum are exactly that, my opinions. I may be repremanded for making this post but I feel some things needed to be stated.)