FEEDBACK ARTICLE – DALE ARMSTRONG INTERVIEW - THE BEST PLAN FOR SLOWING TOP FUEL DRAGSTERS AND FUNNY CARS

This is a real problem that all of drag racing is facing. Dale has been around a long time, but this is just one mans opinion. I don't think any one person has the right answer, but what NHRA has done (1000feet) is a good quick fix. Give them credit for a change. I like your website but lately you have gotten to be too anti-NHRA. Don't be like Fox news and say fair & unbalanced then report unfair & unbalanced. I have followed drag racing since the 50's and seen it progress to where it is today. We all need to work together and I hope you do your part. - Dick Smith

This is a real problem that all of drag racing is facing. Dale has been around a long time, but this is just one mans opinion. I don't think any one person has the right answer, but what NHRA has done (1000feet) is a good quick fix. Give them credit for a change. I like your website but lately you have gotten to be too anti-NHRA. Don't be like Fox news and say fair & unbalanced then report unfair & unbalanced. I have followed drag racing since the 50's and seen it progress to where it is today. We all need to work together and I hope you do your part. - Dick Smith

Dick,

We read your e-mail with interest, but would like to comment on your charge that we've become too anti-NHRA. 
 
On the contrary, we continue to publish very positive stories about their national events, and provide the only real source for hard news on the Internet on the sport. 
 
I know you're not naive enough to believe that what comes out of National Dragster or NHRA.com is "real" news but is, rather slanted to place NHRA in the best light possible. There's nothing wrong with that, as that's the responsibility of those outlets. They are, quite obviously, "propaganda" arms of the NHRA, and please, I do not mean that in a negative manner. It's the just the reality of things, and again, there's nothing wrong with that. 
 
We have not written a single negative word about NHRA shortening the race distance to 1,000 feet because we also believe that's the right thing to do until a permanent solution to slowing the cars down can be found and instituted. 
 
Our piece with Armstrong is, as you said, only the opinion of one man (although it's hard to top his intelligence in this matter, but that's for others to decide, not us). 
 
If we appear to be anti-NHRA it's only because we're the only ones reporting the stories that are impacting our sport, and these are the stories that need to be told, from the Tony Pedregon gate incident on down to some other things we're working on now. 
 
We, like you, want NHRA drag racing to grow and be successful, but in order to do that the things that are "wrong" need to be corrected, and unless and until the negatives are exposed to the light of day, there'll be no movement forward. - Editor
 

I agree with the concept of slowing the fuel cars down a little, but would like to bring up some questions about Dale's program. Not all teams have the same blowers; some are much better than others. Let's say we put my blower on the dyno and it puts out X amount of C.F.M. @ 8000 engine RPM at 40% overdrive. Now we put Team XYZ's blower on the same dyno and we find you have to overdrive it 48% to put out the same C.F.M. What now? Case in point; big difference from one team's blower to the next. The same holds true with cylinder heads and the amount of air that they flow. Dale's program would be great if all teams had exactly the same key parts, but they don't. - Lee Beard

You are right about double A Dale being one of the smartest guys arount. One of the neatest cars he has was the A/FD with stack injector while he was running Pro Comp. - Jim Croyle

The 1000 foot change is a band aid on a severed arm and personally I would not go watch 1000 foot drag racing unless they lower ticket prices by 25% or more.

We all know they wouldn't do something so honest in lowering prices of tickets so I won't go on about being honest and having integrity in the product you offer. Slow the engines down or extend the tracks or both. If the track cannot be extended run those events by slowing the cars down. Give the short track owners 1 year to comply and if it just isn't possible due not having the land to do so find a different venue and then last but not least make that track a 1000 foot track and lower the price of admission by 25% or more. The world always has a knee jerk reaction when something bad happens and the NHRA is no exception. 

They have known for years of the potential problems and the "if it ain't broken don't fix it" mentality doesn't cut it anymore, especially when it comes to safety.  They are so afraid of negative publicity yet do nothing to get positive publicity except for the BS filled heartwarming crap you see which is an insult to every fan's intelligence.  It is time to be leaders, not followers and certainly not just going down the middle of the road with blinders on. - Ric Wilson

 
If NHRA doesn't listen to Dale regardless of what the rest of the racers think, they are dumber than I think they are.  The man is a genius!  Totally reasonable, cheat-proof approach to an on-going problem. - Pat Green

In my opinion, Dale Armstrong is like E.F. Hutton...when he talks, people listen. And for those that don't, they will if they are serious about the necessity of slowing these nitro powered time bombs down.

His suggestions are on the money...no pun intended. Use a different piston to lower the compression ratio...it's simple on it's face, and doesn't require a major reconfiguration of the cars, tires, parachutes or braking system. Use a different pulley to lower the blower speed...again, very simple on it's face, and doesn't require a major reconfiguration of the cars, tires, parachutes or braking system.

Implement these two rules, and all points that the NHRA made after Scott Kalitta's tragic crash have been addressed, with the exception of the length of the shutdown area at each venue.

The fact of the matter however, is that if the cars are going 20-40mph slower at the stripe, the problem would, to a degree correct itself naturally. This would also go a long way to making the speeds slow enough that tires would also be less of a concern. The difficult part of his ideas are not the implementation, but the enforcement. In this writer's opinion, after qualifying, test each of the sixteen cars for compliance. If they are found to be in violation, devise some sort of uniformally enforcable penalty that if they were to be hit with it would then create pressure from their sponsors to comply or loose their sponsorship program. Second time offenders, should be punished in a much more harsh manner, and habitual offenders should be treated like Jerry Eckman, or Darrell Alderman … Suspensions … Temporary or permanent. Much money can be saved here, but more important, this could very well be the solution that would have saved Scott Kalitta's life. - Larry Irwin

First of all, I have a great deal of respect for Dale's arguments, as to what to do to slow these cars down. He certainly supports his views with good technical support.  I'm not in the trenches deep enough to really profess the right answer.  That being said, I think I can add some food for thought. I've watched Top Fuel and Funny Car racing for just about 50 years and something that baffles me today is (and I want you to think about it) We try to burn all the fuel we can and create this "container" we call an "Engine" to make all this "HEAT" or

Power, then we send it to the clutch and tell it to just use what we can put to the track......It says (the clutch), I can do that, but you know all that Heat/energy you built in that bomb in front me we'll I'm going to have to throw a lot of it(heat) away.  I'm going to give it back to you the way it started,. HEAT, lots of heat...by the way I'll only be able to do this once. then I will be used up...But you can put in another new one I guess? While we’re minding the clutch, We need to rebuild or reload that Bomb, that’s up front, so we can do it again. What are we doing going to a race track, that's at 120 degrees, with 90% in the tank, first of all, 90% is harder to light than 85% Take a little clutch out of it? You've changed the load on the engine and your going to start dropping cylinders. The load plays a major role on these cars.

The envelope is very narrow. We don't need any more power we need to refine the way we put the power to the track. Anyway, I think sometimes we can't "see the forest for the trees" Dale's remarks are very qualified.  Any one who loves this sport, makes a living from it and can bring something, credible, to the table (crewchiefs) or crew should speak up. As Bernstein, said "it's not the speed that's dangerous, it's the BOMB you have to build to reach that speed"       No I don't have the answer either But maybe it's time we all need to start looking. - Mike Thermos

Great interview and great thinking from Dale. I would far rather see the lower compression and blower overdrive implemented then going to 1000 ft tracks, I have watched the IHRA 1/8 mile races and they tear stuff up there too. As Dale says the tuners will just shorten the fuse to match the distance. The trick is to get our sanctioning bodies to listen and then take action. - Fred Farndon

As a former T/F and F/C crew chief (for Jerry Ruth in the seventies) and a wrench for Lee Beard (in the early eighties), I can tell you that Dale Armstrong's solution is right on the money.  Supercharged fuel motors love fuel -- you take that away and they just burn up.  Limiting the compression ration and blower boost (through the overdrive) is the most simple and cost-effective method to slow these cars down.  Very easy to police (hey, NHRA tech inspectors already check the compression on Stock Eliminator cars) and the beneficial side effects are many -- less damaged parts, longer component life, fewer and less severe engine explosions, fewer fireballs (like Scott Kalitta's), lower operating costs, safer racing, closer side-by-side racing, better show for the fans and TV, and on and on and on.  The bottom line: huge upside with NO downside.  This is so a no-brainer.  Now, I grew up in and around drag racing. 

Made my first runs down an NHRA sanctioned track in the late sixties.  I raced Modified Eliminator in the early seventies.  Was an NHRA tech inspector with the late John Zendejas at various tracks in SoCal.  Got into wrenching on fuel cars and then worked in the industry for nearly 30 years.  I've known and been friends with many NHRA officials over the years and always supported and defended the NHRA when other racers around me were badmouthing the organization. 

But I have little respect for the NHRA right now.  I've known Graham Light since the mid-seventies. All you fuel car racers out there need to NOT wait on the NHRA to impose a rule, because there is nobody there right now that has the smarts or the balls to take the proper action.  You've got your own organization -- PRO -- so now is the time to take the initiative to improve the safety of the sport for everyone involved and adopt Dale Armstrong's plan.  Oh yeah, you might also want to tell the NHRA that you won't race at tracks that have concrete retaining walls at the end of the shut-off area.  Just a thought. - Art Dodge

I felt the response that NHRA gave about not having anyone who knows how to check up on what Armstrong is proposing pretty much speaks for the state the organization has reached.

It truly is time to utilize the ideas, input and knowledge from people who were the innovators and big names during the sport's heyday rather than an army of corporate yes-people and bean counters.

Dale Armstrong's idea; albeit only one opinion out of what would likely be many given the opportunity, seems to make sense and I believe at this point it is time for the folks at the top to utilize some rational input in the name of survival rather than constantly sticking their heads in the sand until it blows over, hoping people will forget the most recent issue.

The only thing people will forget after these kinds of actions is the sport itself, and that would be a great shame. - Matt Arbuckle

Great idea, policing may be a little problem, but make the penalty so great no one will risk the chance.  Dave Settles, wonderful choice.  I've know Dave for 35 years and he hasn't changed a bit in all those years. (I can think of a few that would be nice)  Never lies, never bends the truth an inch.  Be a great choice and could easily imagine he would come up with an easy way to check compression. - Mike Dakin

Very simple, cut down the size of the Rear Wing on the T/F. Cut down the size of the spoiler on the F/C. If you can't hook-up you have to kill the power. Very easy to police, all the tech guy needs is a tape measure. Dale A. is very smart, but motor mods would be a nightmare to verify. - Sam Keith

It is time now that NHRA and IHRA start conversing with people like Dale Armstrong, Ken Veney and other very successful people like Dick Lahaie. Dale's interview makes a hell of a lot of sense and absolutely no true fan will give a rat's ass if the nitro cars slow done to 290 range and become less of oil spewing derricks. Nothing bores me more then watching 4 qualifying passes in a row with stoppage for oil downs. I would rather sit at home and watch the grass grow. Armstrong is totally right on when he says the crew chiefs will just shorten the wick so they start kicking the rods and burning the things up at 800 feet. Let's put a frigging end to the unnecessary risks and slow the cars done making it easier on Goodyear to make a safer tire. I think reducing the fuel tank size might also be instituted along with the compression ratio and blower drive rule to help stop these guys from getting these rules because they need fuel to run. This article proves again that Dale is a genius and why he is a member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. - Dennis Smith

I think it is an excellent idea. Easy to administer and very cost effective. But sadly, until you have a Bill France type leader nothing will get done. NHRA should run the association by dictating the rules, not by the racers opinions when something as serious as a drivers well being is at risk. - Bill Webb

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