NHRA rules question

[Craig 2000 TA]

Okay so my stocker 2000 TA. I am looking at taking it to the track for the second time and I have been getting conflicting information... some say that 13.99 or quicker requires a driveshaft loop... some say 13.99 or quicker with slicks. My car is and will be on street tires and my best from the first time was a paultry 14.079 so I am trying to get into the 13s this time. The problem is that this is a track rental. So if I go down...pass tech and pay my money then get lucky on my first run and pull a 13.98 are they gonna boot me? I haven't found a definitive source either way. Now common sense tells me I should get a loop anyway...and I will but probably won't have it in time for this track rental.

[FRMLAV8]

Here is a quick reference chart from NHRA.com

E.T. reference chart

It depends on how strict the track is. I have run a 13.6 and they never said anything to me about a loop.

[96TAragtop]

With your car being stock, regardless of the rule- I doubt they'd give you much flack. Hundreds, and thousands of fbody owners with stock cars run low and sub 13 second 1/4 mile times with no grief. I always bring a helmet to the track, but have only been told to use it once (I have a convertible). Depends on the event, many times. Test & Tunes seem to be very lax, at least with the 3 tracks I have been to. Actual events, especially big ones, are VERY anal about rules.

I can say I hit 13.41 in TX, and they didnt sweat me on anything. You're supposed to have a roll bar (2 pt) at 13.99 to, so Im told.

-George

[Craig 2000 TA]

Oy! its so damn confusing. I wonder if the rool bar thing you mention is IHRA cause I haven't heard anything about roll bars or roll cages until 11.99 which i am nowhere near yet. I am going to go without the loop for now. I will get one eventually for my own safety but for now I'll just cross my fingers and hope they don't give me grief Its a track rental so i am hoping tech will be pretty lax. Besides we got a guy with a tubbed out pro-streeted 1st gen Camaro going who should take up all their attention. As long as I show up the same time as him it should be all good! Ha!

[Joe 1320]

Enforcement is up to the tech inspector. Many times a stock Camaro that runs 13s gets overlooked, but a 540 cid Camaro who happen to have it dialed back and runs a mid 13 gets gone over with a microscope. While not a fair practice, it does allow the stock or near stock hobby racer to sneak by. I am sometimes amazed at what make it through tech at some tracks.

[96TAragtop]

Originally posted by Craig 2000 TA
I wonder if the rool bar thing you mention is IHRA cause I haven't heard anything about roll bars or roll cages until 11.99 which i am nowhere near yet.

It's a convertible thing You don't have to worry about that.

[Injuneer]

It's amazing how much different the tracks are, even though many of them are NHRA affiliated. I've run 11's with the M6 and close to breaking into the 10's with the TH400, and no one has ever actually looked under my car to check anything, except once when they thought I didn't have any mufflers. The only tech item I ever got called on was the fact that the front wheel studs were not long enough.

I race mostly at Englishtown (Old Brigge, NJ) and their general rules are:

-Helmets for EVERYONE.

-Cars must be "muffled", with the pipes extending at least past the back edge of the door. Noise may not exceed 90dB @ 100', both during a 5K rpm rev in tech, and under full load on the track. 2 years ago on SLP Customer Appreciation Day, they threw the SLP car off the track for running cutouts..... .

-No converts under 14.0 without a roll bar, no coupes under 12.0 without a bar, nothing under 10.0 without an NHRA certified cage and a competition license. If you go under once, they warn you, go under again and they tell you to leave. If you are running brackets, you can not dial under the limits for your car... e.g. a convert can not dial 13.9 without a bar.

-They never check for a DS loop that I have ever seen, even for a manual trans car running slicks and 11`s.

- They do often check the battery to make sure it is firmly tied down.

-They have never questioned my lack of a seat brace on an aftermarket seat, never checked for flywheel shield on my M6 (I ran a blanket from an automatic), never checked the expiration date on my harness (it was close to expiration - 2 year limt), never looked for SFI rating on clutch and flywheel (I had them), never looked to see what rating the helmet has, never checked pressure rating or date on nitrous bottles (one bottle had expired but has now been retested) .

-They did give my buddy he!! for running 9.1 with no fireproof gloves...

Another track I go to (Island Dragway) wouldn't let me run nitrous because their "se may not exceed 90dB @ 100', both during a 5K rpm rev in tech, and under full load on the track. 2 years ago on SLP Customer Appreciation Day, they threw the SLP car off the track for running cutouts..... .

-No converts under 14.0 without a roll bar, no coupes under 12.0 without a bar, nothing under 10.0 without an NHRA certified cage and a competition license. If you go under once, they warn you, go under again and they tell you to leave. If you are running brackets, you can not dial under the limits for your car... e.g. a convert can not dial 13.9 without a bar.

-They never check for a DS loop that I have ever seen, even for a manual trans car running slicks and 11`s.

- They do often check the battery to make sure it is firmly tied down.

-They have never questioned my lack of a seat brace on an aftermarket seat, never checked for flywheel shield on my M6 (I ran a blanket from an automatic), never checked the expiration date on my harness (it was close to expiration - 2 year limt), never looked for SFI rating on clutch and flywheel (I had them), never looked to see what rating the helmet has, never checked pressure rating or date on nitrous bottles (one bottle had expired but has now been retested) .

-They did give my buddy he!! for running 9.1 with no fireproof gloves...

Another track I go to (Island Dragway) wouldn't let me run nitrous because their "nitrous tech" was not there to inspect my system??????

[Injuneer]

There is something wrong with the board!!! It is "double posting" parts of my post, and will not allow me to delete the double posts in "edit" mode????

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Doubles

A few of my longer posts have been "doubled" too.

[Craig 2000 TA]

Damn Fred... I went to the last SLP appreciation day in Jersey, I would have laughed my Arse off seeing them tell the days sponser to get off the track! I remember your car because when you went to race you left most of the rear interior on the ground in your parking place. I think I will be okay. The only time I actually have been on a Track was Englishtown in Jersey and they just looked at my tread on the tires and asked if I had a helmet. Since the lebanon Valley track is actually a track rental day for us I think as long as I show up with my helmet I should be fine. As for the vert...nope...no problem with that yet...If my car becomes a convertable THEN we have a major problem! thanks for all your help guys. Hopefully I'll have some new timeslips to post after the track day.