AND THE CROWD BOOED
Sat, 2008-07-26 17:28
The fans booed. That’s what 50 minutes of downtime will do to race starved drag racing fans.
NHRA officials were forced to halt the first round of Funny Car qualifying when the track became very slick.
The NHRA’s Dan Olson has no idea what happened other than the chemicals in the compound aversely reacted to the track surface. The high-ranking official who heads up the track prep said he’s taken samples and will investigate when he returns to the office.
Multiple sources told CompetitionPlus.com that a solvent was mistakenly applied to the surface.
The fans booed. That’s what 50 minutes of downtime will do to race starved drag racing fans.
NHRA officials were forced to halt the first round of Funny Car qualifying when the track became very slick.
The NHRA’s Dan Olson has no idea what happened other than the chemicals in the compound aversely reacted to the track surface. The high-ranking official who heads up the track prep said he’s taken samples and will investigate when he returns to the office.
Multiple sources told CompetitionPlus.com that a solvent was mistakenly applied to the surface.
Ron Capps, like many of the racers and fans, had no clue what was going on.
“I kept asking what was going on and Lanny [Miglizzi, track specialist] said no one is telling us,” Capps explained. “A couple of crew chiefs came by and told us there was a problem when they put down the initial traction compound. We still don’t know what happened but every crew chief that came by told us to keep it in the groove and don’t get out.
“I sat in the car for 45 minutes and no one told us anything. That’s unacceptable to keep us in the car that long. I think they were trying their best to get it fixed.”
The NHRA’s crew used the downtime to re-prep the track. From that point on, the new surface appeared cohesive enough to yield competitive times.
Capps heard the fans boo while strapped inside the race car with his helmet on.
“It was loud and I could hear them in the helmet easily,” Capps confided.
Top Fuel driver Bob Vandergriff Jr., was standing on the starting line when the situation transpired.
“The fans had a right to boo but on the other hand, you have to applaud Dan Olson and the NHRA because I went up there and told him that myself and a few other drivers weren’t going to run because we didn’t feel it was safe. It took a while to fix it but at least they stopped everything and tried to make it better.
“You can complain about it and know it was a mistake, but they took the time to fix it. The end result was that it got better. They were willing to listen and fix the problem.”
Capps said he felt this was an isolated incident and the NHRA has made great strides since suffering track prep problems earlier in the season.
“If it happened all the time I’d be upset, but since Vegas they’ve really done well … the racing has been second to none,” Capps said. “I don’t see this becoming a trend again.”
Nitro teams inspect the racing surface Friday during the nearly one hour of downtime. (Bob Pellegrini)
The NHRA’s Dan Olson has no idea what happened other than the chemicals in the compound aversely reacted to the track surface. The high-ranking official who heads up the track prep said he’s taken samples and will investigate when he returns to the office.
Multiple sources told CompetitionPlus.com that a solvent was mistakenly applied to the surface.
The fans booed. That’s what 50 minutes of downtime will do to race starved drag racing fans.
Nitro teams inspect the racing surface Friday during the nearly one hour of downtime. (Bob Pellegrini)
The NHRA’s Dan Olson has no idea what happened other than the chemicals in the compound aversely reacted to the track surface. The high-ranking official who heads up the track prep said he’s taken samples and will investigate when he returns to the office.
Multiple sources told CompetitionPlus.com that a solvent was mistakenly applied to the surface.
Ron Capps, like many of the racers and fans, had no clue what was going on.
“I kept asking what was going on and Lanny [Miglizzi, track specialist] said no one is telling us,” Capps explained. “A couple of crew chiefs came by and told us there was a problem when they put down the initial traction compound. We still don’t know what happened but every crew chief that came by told us to keep it in the groove and don’t get out.
“I sat in the car for 45 minutes and no one told us anything. That’s unacceptable to keep us in the car that long. I think they were trying their best to get it fixed.”
The NHRA’s crew used the downtime to re-prep the track. From that point on, the new surface appeared cohesive enough to yield competitive times.
Capps heard the fans boo while strapped inside the race car with his helmet on.
“It was loud and I could hear them in the helmet easily,” Capps confided.
Top Fuel driver Bob Vandergriff Jr., was standing on the starting line when the situation transpired.
“The fans had a right to boo but on the other hand, you have to applaud Dan Olson and the NHRA because I went up there and told him that myself and a few other drivers weren’t going to run because we didn’t feel it was safe. It took a while to fix it but at least they stopped everything and tried to make it better.
“You can complain about it and know it was a mistake, but they took the time to fix it. The end result was that it got better. They were willing to listen and fix the problem.”
Capps said he felt this was an isolated incident and the NHRA has made great strides since suffering track prep problems earlier in the season.
“If it happened all the time I’d be upset, but since Vegas they’ve really done well … the racing has been second to none,” Capps said. “I don’t see this becoming a trend again.”
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