Funny car cages....good or bad?

Wade Mahaffey · 06-11-2010, 10:15 PM

Funny car style roll cages are mandatory in some race cars for NHRA and IHRA certifications. In full body cars it is an addition to an already (full cage) proven package. The full cage with funny car cage is great for keeping bad things away from the driver. When I was driving in one from 95-99, I gotta tell ya I did'nt like that support (middle bar) right beside my ear. Now while fabricating the chassis, I did build the cage nice and wide. But was constantly thinking, If my head ever contacts that bar (even padded) six inches away I'm gonna be in serious trouble. I have seen head trama first hand in my 25 years as a professonal firefighter. I would like to see a new design that would not have a bar anywhere close to the drivers head. We need to take some notes from NASCAR on this one. They crash at 200 and walk away with no head injuries. You won't find a bar close to anyones head in those cars (and there's a reason for that)! My opinion

Next time you get in your car for a run, move around and check to see if your head can contact any bar. Now add about four more inches to that, because that's how far you'll really move in a serious crash! And anyone building or adding a cage, this should be a top priority for you!

Wade Mahaffey

wildchild22 · 06-12-2010, 04:32 AM

the seats that nascar uses are what keep the drivers head from moving very far. Nobody uses that style of seat in drag racing because it would completely block out your view of the other car and not allow you to turn your head very far. If your talking about head trauma as related to the tragic accident over the weekend i believe top alcohol is required to used custom form fitted seats which should prevent most trauma.

Wade Mahaffey · 06-12-2010, 06:10 AM

NASCAR seats while offering support do flex more than a steel bar cage support. As far as vision goes, there can be a gap in the side padding detail to allow side vision. When you look at the John Force cars of today, you will see that the cage area is now wider and has more padding. They are moving in the right direction, but not there yet. The most disturbing situation to me is the smaller GT cars as well as the SS/AH cars that are mandated to have these funny car cages. Many if not all of these drivers in Super/Stock have no head restraint system other than a neck collar. The next time you see a driver strap in, take a look at the relationship of his/her head, to the roll cage member. The objective for safety equitment is to protect the driver should an incident occur. They know that roll bars/cages are dangerous should you contact it during an incident. That's why the rulebook says any part of the roll bar/cage that the drivers head could contact must be padded. Maybe this is a condition we have to live with for now, but it does'nt mean we can't consider and/or strive for improvment. My opinion

Wade Mahaffey

06-11-2010, 10:15 PM	#1
Wade Mahaffey Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 581 Likes: 0 Liked 17 Times in 7 Posts	Funny car cages....good or bad? Funny car style roll cages are mandatory in some race cars for NHRA and IHRA certifications. In full body cars it is an addition to an already (full cage) proven package. The full cage with funny car cage is great for keeping bad things away from the driver. When I was driving in one from 95-99, I gotta tell ya I did'nt like that support (middle bar) right beside my ear. Now while fabricating the chassis, I did build the cage nice and wide. But was constantly thinking, If my head ever contacts that bar (even padded) six inches away I'm gonna be in serious trouble. I have seen head trama first hand in my 25 years as a professonal firefighter. I would like to see a new design that would not have a bar anywhere close to the drivers head. We need to take some notes from NASCAR on this one. They crash at 200 and walk away with no head injuries. You won't find a bar close to anyones head in those cars (and there's a reason for that)! My opinion Next time you get in your car for a run, move around and check to see if your head can contact any bar. Now add about four more inches to that, because that's how far you'll really move in a serious crash! And anyone building or adding a cage, this should be a top priority for you! Wade Mahaffey

06-12-2010, 04:32 AM	#2
wildchild22 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Washington Posts: 14 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Funny car cages....good or bad? the seats that nascar uses are what keep the drivers head from moving very far. Nobody uses that style of seat in drag racing because it would completely block out your view of the other car and not allow you to turn your head very far. If your talking about head trauma as related to the tragic accident over the weekend i believe top alcohol is required to used custom form fitted seats which should prevent most trauma. __________________ NHRA #660

06-12-2010, 06:10 AM	#3
Wade Mahaffey Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 581 Likes: 0 Liked 17 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Funny car cages....good or bad? NASCAR seats while offering support do flex more than a steel bar cage support. As far as vision goes, there can be a gap in the side padding detail to allow side vision. When you look at the John Force cars of today, you will see that the cage area is now wider and has more padding. They are moving in the right direction, but not there yet. The most disturbing situation to me is the smaller GT cars as well as the SS/AH cars that are mandated to have these funny car cages. Many if not all of these drivers in Super/Stock have no head restraint system other than a neck collar. The next time you see a driver strap in, take a look at the relationship of his/her head, to the roll cage member. The objective for safety equitment is to protect the driver should an incident occur. They know that roll bars/cages are dangerous should you contact it during an incident. That's why the rulebook says any part of the roll bar/cage that the drivers head could contact must be padded. Maybe this is a condition we have to live with for now, but it does'nt mean we can't consider and/or strive for improvment. My opinion Wade Mahaffey