Stocker roll cage bar beyond firewall rule......

[Rory McNeil]

Originally Posted by Karl Owens

Thats easy for you to say because you have a 1985 Mustang which was equipped with rack and pinion steering since 1974. The first GM rear wheel drive car to have rack and pinion was the 93 Camaro/Firebird, the first rear wheel drive Mopar to have a steering rack was the Dakota truck in 87. I have a 92 Firebird which has stock type steering but heavily modified for oil pan clearance and has a 40 year old Vega steering box. My car exceeds 160 MPH in the quarter. I have personally witnessed 3 steering boxes break after coming down from a big wheelie. Ive never seen a rack break. If I did switch to a rack, I would make sure it was the correct width and make sure the bump steer was right. Steering and brakes are safety items and there should be no rules that compromise safety. NHRA allows aftermarket brakes which is far more of a performance enhancement than a steering system. Allowing front frame rails to flex is also ignoring safety.

Well yes, my 85 Mustang is allowed to run a rack because that is how the car was factory equipped! By the way I have also raced several 69-70 Mustangs, a 66 Fairlane and several others, I never broke a stock steering box, nor considered the steering box to be a liability. And to be honest, I like my 85 Mustang, but if the funds were available, I would much rather be racing another 69-70 428 CJ Mustang, or 390/427 Fairlane, even with the inferior steering box and tight shock tower engine compartment. Personally I think NHRA needs to enforce the rules it already has, not relax them. I never raced in the Farmer Dismuke days, but from what I have heard from racers who did, the rules were pretty black and white, with no leeway for fudging. I wish we had a no nonsense, by the rulebook National Tech leader at the helm today.