[Ron Ortiz]

I was one of the first three pair out at last years Gators, 2013. I was notified by NHRA e-mail on Tuesday before the race, of the first three pair out rule, which was a new thing.
Nobody came up to me to tell me that I was one of them as I was real slow at that event and qualified in the bottom three. I went to the scales in the morning as I was warming the car up and asked if I was one of the three on the bottom. The tech guy looked it up and said yes, you better get up there. Being an idiot and not having a watch with me i went back to my pit area to pic up my cell phone which was charging. As i got into the car I heard the first pair go out and halled butt to the lane to miss out by about 45 seconds.

This year at the Gators I was on the bottom three again but was told several times by officials who came by the previous day and in the morning.

It is the racers responsibility to know what is going on, but if I had been informed like this year, last years situation would have been avoidable.

I presume that NHRA should be aware of this situation now in its second year of enforcement and take the necessary steps to provide their "customers" with competition related information.

Now if they only would get rid of scales and fuel check during competition unless it is heads up, but that's for another thread

Ron Ortiz
U/SA been there done that