There may be a moratorium on testing at NHRA national event facilities, but the restriction can be easily circumvented by teams testing at non-national event facilities or making a visit to the IHRA national events where they can essentially test and have a chance to get paid for doing so.

While no teams are committed to run the IHRA Presidents Cup Nationals in Budds Creek, Md., or participate in a private test session this Monday at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich., these venues are clearly on the forefront of their planning processes.

NHRA Racers will head to IHRA, but will the IHRA welcome them?

 

There may be a moratorium on testing at NHRA national event facilities, but the restriction can be easily circumvented by teams testing at non-national event facilities or making a visit to the IHRA national events where they can essentially test and have a chance to get paid for doing so.

While no teams are committed to run the IHRA Presidents Cup Nationals in Budds Creek, Md., or participate in a private test session this Monday at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich., these venues are clearly on the forefront of their planning processes.

The decision came at a time when teams will be forced to switch over to Goodyear’s new D2550 tire and adapt to a required chassis design change. Some teams have managed to get their cars early and test.

Others have just taken delivery.

With the new tire, everyone is on a level plain.

“We haven’t decided what we are going to do yet,” Tasca said. “We haven’t decided whether we are going to go to Michigan to test after Chicago or if we’re going to race the IHRA events. We just can’t stop testing our car. We now have a three-rail car that we just took delivery of that we want to break in and no testing is not an option. We are going to find alternatives.”

 

The quick fix alternative might not be an option for the teams who want to race the IHRA. Simply put, the IHRA isn’t keen on being used for a test session according to sanctioning body president Aaron Polburn.

When you look at our racers, they are professional blue collar. They need our money to help finance their operations. The money they win in a weekend helps them to get to the next race and compete. To have a number of NHRA teams come in and take away that income, I’m against that. - IHRA President Aaron Polburn on NHRA racers using their events to test

“There are two distinct problems,” Polburn said. “If they are coming in to test, we have stockpiled nitro for our teams. I would love to have the extra cars, but we have enough for our teams to race with. If they came in and bought nitro, then our stockpile would be depleted. Obviously, I don’t want that.

“Secondly, when you look at our racers, they are professional blue collar. They need our money to help finance their operations. The money they win in a weekend helps them to get to the next race and compete. To have a number of NHRA teams come in and take away that income, I’m against that.

“The teams on the NHRA side who I’ve talked to understand that. They don’t want to mess up the points nor do they want to mess up the financial matrix that makes the IHRA tick. Would I love to have the cars at the event? Of course, I would. It would just be a B.Y.O.N affair.”

For those not up on their drag racing lingo, Polburn’s B.Y.O.N. reference means, bring your own nitro.

“I’ve never stopped anyone from competing and I hope I never have to,” Polburn said. “The best solution is to just rent M.I.R. the day after we finish or whichever track is available.

“It would just kill whatever we do to push our regular racers aside and I owe it to them and our association to put them first and I will.”

Be forewarned, Schumacher will bring enough nitro for his teams. He’s on vacation this week in Mexico and hasn’t determined what he plans to do as we post this story.

“We don’t really know at this point and time what we plan to do,” Schumacher said. “We are working on that as we speak.”

John Force plans to remain in the spirit of the rules and for him that means no testing whatsoever. He does see the potential for a problem with the chassis for some when the event at Denver rolls around.

“We do like to test but this puts everyone in the same boat, but when the new chassis comes into affect, this creates a problem for those guys who haven’t had a chance to run the cars and get their combinations right,” Force said. “It doesn’t affect my team or Schumacher’s because we’ve already got our cars.”

One could speculate where this puts John Force racing with their safety development and testing. Sources indicate this testing is being done on a computer through data provided through the various Blue Boxes provided by Delphi and Ford. The engineers are able to process the information into their computers and continue to refine the safety process without further testing.

Speculation also exists as to whether the traditional Norwalk Under Fire hosted by Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio and scheduled for August will continue without a hitch. This event traditionally books in as many as eight nitro cars for a three round match race.

Bill Bader Jr., President of SREMP, said the issue hasn’t come up in conversations between he and the NHRA's Graham Light and he really doesn’t see the event as an issue.
 
“This is a show where we book in the cars and we pay them to perform,” Bader explained. “At a test session, they pay me. At Night Under Fire, I pay them. I can’t really say that Night Under Fire falls under the guidelines of a test session.”

Besides, Bader said, a post-event test ban doesn’t really bother him.

“On Monday after a national event where I’ve worked without sleep for days, the last thing I want to hear on Monday is the sound of a race car. Those test sessions are profitable. Are they worth the aggravation? No. As far as I am concerned, this does not affect me at Summit Motorsports Park. I gave Graham my unconditional support.”

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