FEEDBACK ARTICLE: NITRO SPEC TESTING: WHAT DOES THE NHRA HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH?

Well, it’s been a year. Fuel cars are "lack luster" and not so many. Fans don't seem to be going to the tracks looking at the crowds in the stands on TV. The cars are no longer the "kings of the sport". John Force can only do so much to make a show. Short fields, short racing, short excitement and short on fans.

Local bracket racing seems to be doing fine if not better these days. Nostalgia is in and I wish we had some close enough to go see. Will we ever see 1/4 mile racing again for the fuel cars? I've gone and seen the short run racing and, short tracks and short fields leave me short of money when Dallas rolls around. It leaves me sad. I can see them slowing the cars down at short tracks but let them run at long tracks. Oh, wait! Pomona, Indy, NHRA owns the short tracks? Jungle Jim's rolling in his grave. - Mark Suttle

FEEDBACK ARTICLE: NITRO SPEC TESTING: WHAT DOES THE NHRA HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH?

Well, it’s been a year. Fuel cars are "lack luster" and not so many. Fans don't seem to be going to the tracks looking at the crowds in the stands on TV. The cars are no longer the "kings of the sport". John Force can only do so much to make a show. Short fields, short racing, short excitement and short on fans.

Local bracket racing seems to be doing fine if not better these days. Nostalgia is in and I wish we had some close enough to go see. Will we ever see 1/4 mile racing again for the fuel cars? I've gone and seen the short run racing and, short tracks and short fields leave me short of money when Dallas rolls around. It leaves me sad. I can see them slowing the cars down at short tracks but let them run at long tracks. Oh, wait! Pomona, Indy, NHRA owns the short tracks? Jungle Jim's rolling in his grave. - Mark Suttle


5-29-2009

Everybody inside drag racing knows that the easiest and cheapest way to slow the cars is to limit the fuel volume. Everything else can be overcome. Leave everything alone and put 60 gpm pumps on the cars. - Jerry Freeman

 

5-22-2009

I have been saying this for 15 years + 55 gpm and run the can! - Butch Blair

5-8-2009

They do need to slow the cars down -- slightly. I believe that if you remove one Mag—that means they have to remove some of the fuel and that will slow the cars down cheaply and easily. A restrictor plate would do the same thing that they did in Nascar. Cheap fix. One plate to fit all the cars. The NHRA hands it out at the beginning of the weekend and everyone gets a different one each race. They are actually all the same but it takes chance out of the deal. Less air -- less fuel -- less power. I guess you could make that plate for under 100 dollars each. Wow what an idea, or just pull the plug on one mag. really cool. Two mags on the engine but only one works. NHRA needs to address the cost of the racing engine development. Reducing the above would change development but the cost for parts would be less and the teams would not have to junk all the parts they have. My opinion may just mean a little bit. – Joe Rossman

I have two ways to slow the cars down. First method is to limit the cubic inches to 400cid. That will bring out the small guys that have small cubic inch setups. Two is one pump, one mag, 4-disc clutch setup, again the small guy with a limited budget can get into the act. The 4 disc clutch will tend to bring back the transmission and nix some of the expensive clutch management systems. Just a thought  - John Terhaar


They did this back in 1997 when Dale Armstrong was crew chief for the snake. They tested at National Trails outside of Columbus on Monday.

If I remember the compression ratio was 6.1 static and the blower was 30% over and 95% in the tank. They made three runs. They were all in the mid 4.70's at a tick over 300 mph. I think they dropped cylinders on each run but they did not hurt any parts.
I was working for VP Racing Fuels at the time and we stayed over for the test on Monday, I got to see every run. The cost would be minimal compared to what they want to do now. - Dave Flory


I don't want to argue/discuss the "why's" of trying to slow the nitro cars down.  That is a "management" decision.

I think I'm a little confused about HOW NHRA is going about trying to slow the cars down with the "spec" engine changes.  Seems to me they are adding fuel to the "anti" fire by making TOO MANY changes.  I'm no science major, but I think fuel has a specific amount of power that can be gotten from a given quantity of fuel.  I think this is BTU's.  In any case, given this assumption, the simplest way to limit horsepower is to limit the amount of fuel the engine can us.  NHRA did address this with the "Single 70-gallon fuel pump".  All of the rest of the stuff doesn't really matter, and fuels the "high cost of change" argument.  If you limit fuel volume, you limit horsepower.  Leave the rest of the current specs, except maybe the rev limiter, in place. 

You can have a 50% overdrive blower firing 100% nitro with 2 mags/plugs on a 15 to 1 compression 500", but if you limit fuel, it doesn't do any good.  The simplest and least "change" to get the desired results, less horsepower. - Bob Wold

 

 

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