What was the reason for this?

[CBS]

Easy now........I agree someone should have noticed it about an hour sooner.....but they didn't.....Jeff Foster met with us and explained the situation(He's a pretty good guy..and we are lucky enough that he posts what really happened).....He was taking a breather at the time (getting more foam blocks ready after Pro Mod...touring the track...) after a very long day.....otherwise he would have noticed it right away......

I had to beat the same guy twice.....and was lucky to do so.....but things happen....the guys that had byes....did not get to rerun..so they were at a disadvantage in the next round....(unfortunately Tommy Phillips didn't need the extra run to put the hurt on me.....in round 4).....

CBS

[SGSCSG]

It was surprising that almost all of the guys (5 out of 7) that won the original round on the red-lights or the bye-runs managed to win the next round even though they had to race guys that had just been down the track. I would have thought not having the run on Sunday would have been a huge disadvantage, but it looks like it worked out the opposite way. Anything fluky with the numbers or the track between the re-run and the next round on Sunday that explains this, or is it just a coincidence?

It shouldn't take someone like Jeff to notice a problem like this. It should have become obvious to anyone in the tower at some point during SG. At the very least, this problem should have never made it to SC. When a SG car runs 196 mph and another runs No Speed, anybody paying any attention at all should have noticed there was at least a problem with that. While the MPH numbers aren't guaranteed, they did indicate there was a problem that warranted at least some investigation before continuing to ensure it was only the MPH that was affected. At that point, a simple and quick look at the finish line difference numbers would have told the story that there was a major problem. It shouldn't take an electrical engineer to notice that the finish line cone is blown over and sitting a foot away from where it should be. The MPH issues were so obvious that it basically ensures that someone did notice at least those but made a conscious decision that "those SG guys don't need MPH info so we'll just keep running" without any further investigation.That this type of attitude prevailed during 3rd round at Indy is what disappoints me. It isn't like it was a time-shot at a points meet or something. I'm not surprised by this attitude anymore, but it still manages to disappoint me.

NHRA did do the right thing with the rerun after they finally realized the problem and should be commended for that. I'm not 100% sure what the best way to handle the red-light guys should have been. The bye run guys should have definitely been given another bye run during the re-run round. I would not have re-run the red-light races, but I'm thinking that those guys probably should have gotten byes during the re-run round as well. The red-light would have given them a free shot down the track without fear of breakout, so there shouldn't have been a problem with them getting a bye/time shot during the re-run round to equal them up with everyone else. Since most of them won the next round anyway, maybe they were actually better off not getting the extra run.

[Brent Rooker]

Out of the last nine NHRA division races I have competed in, I lost three times due to timing equipment issues, at three different tracks. Two of which are owned by the NHRA. The most recent of of the three was at Cordova. There I went to the tower and presented the time slip. The Director looked at the numbers and I was not awarded a rerun. Reaction time was way late, 60' was two tenths too fast, and the ET was a huge breakout.
The more racers I talked to during the rest of the day, the more I found that had unexplainable numbers. So I wasn't the only one.

As racers what other recourse do we have but to go to the tower. I would love to talk to Mr. Foster about the timing problems that I have had and how I should have handled the situation.

We have spent thousands of dollars to chase points and try to win races and maybe a divisional title, but it doesn't seem like timing issues should be part of the equation.

Now I'm just sounding like a whiner ... sorry... I''m just frustrated by the whole thing.

See you at Earlville.

[CBS]

I hear ya on that one.....but its not that easy to detect lazy photocells which probably caused your situation.....Jeff mentioned that the tracks have not had him out to review their timing equipment as much as they have in the past because of budget issues.....this is mostly the divisional tracks...as the national event tracks are reviewed at the national races by Jeff....

So again.....you must know all the facts before a statement is made.....

I guess the bottom line is you lost and it may not have been your fault.....which is frustrating.....


CBS

[Mark Schmidt]

I was on the starting line on my convertor when they shut us down. I thought they did a good job with what they had. Stuff happens. One of the starting line guys even brought me a shot of cold water. (or was it Jack D.?)

Stuff happens I guess.

[CBS]

as soon as they notified Jeff......he hit the stop button......

CBS

[Jim Blankenship]

if we had the I-card up and running whould this have been caught "maybe" a little sooner ?


jim