All major event s/ss winners undrgo tech inspection

[fordteacherguy]

No it is not true, but what are your thoughts on the concept?

Having read other great threads on the difficulty of enforcing stock/super stock eliminator rules it seems like pre-race inspection isn't getting the job done for a number of reasons.

First , there is NO stock/superstock tech for legality of vehicle unless you win class or set a record. We have a basic safety check and thats it. I have raced at many divisional and national events and have seen illegal items that would't pass a class tech. I have also seen some of these same illegal cars go on to win national events!

Are you racing against a bracket car?? You might be! How do you like your 30-100K stocker taken out of competition by a 4K bracket car?

The only two things that keep cars legal in our classes is the personal integrity of builder/driver or for those ummm... " rhymes with heaters" .......the paranoia that you might get caught and there is sufficient penalty for it.

Since the first group of builder/drivers with integrity to follow the rules don't need enforcement, all you need is some paranoia to enforce the second.

I can sympathize with NHRA to try to inpect 50-??? cars lined up spanning 60 years of combos and inspect all of the things that could be cheated on. It is a impossible situation.

How about this proposal:

All winners undergo tech inspection. In other words if you get a check, you shoud be checked!

I didn't say mandatory teardown although I would certainly consider that if a tech official deemed it necessary.

Not defining what would be checked would also keep most cars in line and guess what NHRA? You only have to do a thorough inspection of 1 car/class at the end of the race when there is usually a three hour wait to get out of the track ffrom traffic.

I can see muliple major event winners not needing a complete engine eardown every time they won, but leave that option open if they had to get to that win through a heads up run.

It seems that the incentive of a 100% chance of getting inspected would clean up the class considerably.

If I was a major event winner I would rather tear down after the race then put the car back together after I was home (if I had a wally and a check in my back seat,(ok they mail the check now).

Soooooo....what do you think? Pros , cons...support?


Brian Thompson
P/SA 6665

[Chad Rhodes]

Here is what I would do. Remember, we are looking for the flagrant cheaters, not the guy with .004 too much lift, with these inspections.

1. Impound top 10 after qualifying.
2. Everyone pulls carb,a spark plug, and a valve cover.
3. NHRA acquires an inspection camera that can go down an intake runner or through a spark plug hole.
4. A visual inspection of carb, casting number check on heads, visual on intake.
5. Stick camera down a few runners, looking for obvious modifications, Ti valves, etc.
6. Stick camera in spark plug hole to verify piston configuration
7. do an approximate valve lift check on stockers using a pair of calipers (not terribly accurate, but if someone has a BOGUS cam, its going to be WAY bigger not .015)

All of the above could be done at the scales, and then seal the motors. If there is anything odd in this cursory inspection, it would not be grounds for immediate DQ, just grounds for a full teardown.

Another possibility would be requiring an inspection plug in the pan that the camera would fit through, just to look for AL rods or ultralight pistons.

[Billy Nees]

Brian, you can pound salt in reguards to your "heaters" comment! My "heaters are better thought out than most $30-$100,000 Stockers.
Now in answer to your question, my DD told me years ago that he won't keep his people late on a Sunday night to be tearing down cars as most of them have already been there for 3 or 4 days and they have families and jobs waiting at home.
Chad, you don't need to just check the top10. If I were going to intentionally cheat I would run the car where it wouldn't attract any undue attention. 2 or 3 thorough random checks at a few events a year (Nat. and Div. and from all over the ladder) is all that is needed. Just the possibility of a teardown would clean up most of what you are looking for.

[Chad Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Brian, you can pound salt in reguards to your "heaters" comment! My "heaters are better thought out than most $30-$100,000 Stockers.
Now in answer to your question, my DD told me years ago that he won't keep his people late on a Sunday night to be tearing down cars as most of them have already been there for 3 or 4 days and they have families and jobs waiting at home.
Chad, you don't need to just check the top10. If I were going to intentionally cheat I would run the car where it wouldn't attract any undue attention. 2 or 3 thorough random checks at a few events a year (Nat. and Div. and from all over the ladder) is all that is needed. Just the possibility of a teardown would clean up most of what you are looking for.

good point Billy. I think the process i outlined, applied randomly would be a good deterrent, don't you?

[Billy Nees]

Something else to think about but probably about as popular as an STD would be to pick your random teardowns from first round losers.

[Chad Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Something else to think about but probably about as popular as an STD would be to pick your random teardowns from first round losers.

actually not a bad idea. But if you lose a heads up first round you are expempt, lol.

the problem with tearing down 1st round losers is.......................what are you gonna do, DQ them?

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Chad Rhodes

the problem with tearing down 1st round losers is.......................what are you gonna do, DQ them?

Give them a vacation, the length to be determined by the infraction.

Brian, upon rereading your first post, I took it the wrong way. Must be my paranoia kicking in! You were referring to the "heaters" building the "heaters". My bad, sorry.

[THE LEGEND]

Why not teardown the winners and r/u?
I think that is a good idea.
I would teardown the winner r/u and #1 qualifier seal the motors for the remainder of the season.
Chip

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Now in answer to your question, my DD told me years ago that he won't keep his people late on a Sunday night to be tearing down cars as most of them have already been there for 3 or 4 days and they have families and jobs waiting at home.

Tearing down AFTER a race just ain't gonna happen.

[Mark Ruset]

You ain't going to stop cheating so don't beat your head against a wall. What needs to be done is enforce the safety rules. I can tell you from my own experience, that the last time an NHRA Tech guy asked me to place my transmission in gear and attempt to start the engine was back in 2007 at Bradenton. I wonder how many cars are lacking the neutral safety switches. Safety right now is what we should concern ourselves about.