The Professional Racers Organization scored a major victory on Tuesday afternoon and it had nothing to do with on-track drag racing.

This victory had everything to do with getting to the strip.

In an overwhelming majority vote, the State of California put to rest the fears of drag racers pulling race haulers longer than 53-feet on California highways.

Pro Stock racer and PRO board member V. Gaines testified in a special hearing also attended by NHRA board member Ken Clapp on behalf of the drag racers. Gaines has been one of the faces associated with the move to reinstate the permits allowing longer trailers back onto California highways.

Assistance by Sen. Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Hills) helped push the legislation through.

“We came in with very slim chances of getting it pushed through,” admitted Gaines. “Thanks to the Senator’s office, we were able to convince the committee.”

The bill was voted 7 – 0 to move forward through the final legislative approval processes.

“We’re very excited, as is the NHRA,” said Gaines.

The issue first arose last year around the time when NHRA Full Throttle and Lucas Oil Sportsman teams were en route to the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas. Officials from California’s State Transportation agency sent a letter to the NHRA notifying them that trailers longer that 53-feet were illegal on their highways and subject to impound if caught. For the last 17 years, teams had sought and received special motorsports permits for the oversized trailers.

“It has become a serious issue with team’s looking at the prospect of having to spend a lot of money,” Gaines said. “Some had even written the California races off of their schedules. The thought of having our trailers impounded made it too risky for us. They were talking about lifting these trailers up and they are fragile … you lift them the wrong way and they’ll crack like an egg.”

No one could say officially in the racing community why the longstanding procedure had all of a sudden become an issue, but speculation was largely pinpointed to a team’s driver and a government official having a misunderstanding which put in motion the initial issue.

The situation made for tense moments at the season-finale in Pomona, for many of the teams who elected to drive during off-peak hours to the event with outside of regulation haulers. Of the teams who risked getting caught, only one team was caught and transported back to the California state line via lowboy trailer.

“The situation was very tough at the time,” Gaines said. “We were operating like criminals. We were sneaking in at night and sneaking out. There were rumors of California Department of Transportation employees in the parking lot writing down tag numbers and names. We talked to the government officials and they knew where every single hauler was in the previous weeks. They knew we were coming over from Vegas. They told us that we were on their radar. We came to race, not to look over our shoulders.

“They knew we were looking to find a resolution but something of this magnitude, just doesn’t happen in a matter of a few weeks. We were prepared to do what it took to fix the trailers if we had to.”

Gaines said PRO and the NHRA took the diplomatic process to rectify the situation, even seeking assistance from the media to keep the situation on the down-low so they could work through the proper channels.

“The last thing we wanted to do was to wage war with the California government,” said Gaines. “The media agreed it was in no one’s best interests to start slinging mud. The same people we were working with were the same people we’d seek approval.”

Gaines said Tuesday’s decision brings relief to a stress-filled couple of months. He cannot express enough gratitude towards those who helped to push this through including Joshua Hoover, aide to Senator Walters. Gaines was impressed with the manner in which PRO and the NHRA came together to work on the situation.

“It’s like a big weight lifted off of our shoulders,” said Gaines. “We are once again legal and compliant. There are so many things we face in our race cars that the last thing we needed was an outside diversion.’

All articles and photography published in CompetitionPlus.com are protected by United States of America and International copyright laws unless mentioned otherwise. The content on this website is intended for the private use of the reader and may not be published or reposted in any form without the prior written consent of CompetitionPlus.com.