Drag Racing Internet Magazine - Competition Plus.com - HEAD’S REGRET AND SOLUTION

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"We marveled at our own magnificence"

I'm glad they have Jim Head over there basically leading the charge.

I don't think that there is a smarter owner/tuner/driver out there, independent to boot, w/a very fast car.

I agree on 1000' Nitro racing, how anyone cannot see the logic is incomprehensible to me.

Must be a right brain/left brain thing?

REX

Excellent article!!!

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LeBoeuf Motorsports
4203 TA/JD
4222 SC (The "Bengal" roars back...eventially!)

I just read the article over at Comp Plus, good job Bobby. I feel sand trap safety is in very good hands.

I'm not for 1000' racing but if it went to that I would still go to the races. However I do feel that teams would still blow up a lot of parts. They would push them that much harder since the track is shorter.

I know this seems like the proverbial dead horse, but here's my opinion: I would rather keep the quarter-mile, and have slower cars. I want the thunder to last longer. 1000 foot racing shortens time the cars are under power, and after awhile, they will start getting to the 1000 ft mark even faster. I really don't think we need 335mph racing, impressive as it is. So to me, it makes more sense to come up with a new combo, set the clock back a bit, by limiting the amount of fuel burned and whatever else makes sense, so that we can have 300 mph cars that are safer, and less prone to destruction. One thing Jim Head said on TV that surprised me was that he felt there is a huge difference between 300 & 330, regarding the energy involved in moving at that speed. A lot of us have said & thought, if you crash at 300 or 330, what's the difference? Apparently a lot. I'd rather watch a race over the quarter mile, even if they are only going 300ish, than watch 330mph race cars shut off at 1000 ft.

the logic? how bout slowing the cars down and running 1320. how can you not see the logic in that?

it would be much more fun to watch. 1000'? blink and it's over.



The ironic thing? Scotty's one and only funny car win in 1989?
He would have lost if it were 1000 feet.

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I'm still DamnYankee

"A Friday night run in a Funny Car is just really intense" - Whit Bazemore

OK, this is my logic.

I think a lot of tracks, E-town probably the most dangerous, are just too short.

I remember in 1989 (or thereabouts), as speeds were looking like they were going to top 300 pretty soon, NHRA was concerned with slowing them down.

So 1000' racing was strongly considered.

I gotta' find the issue of Nat Dragster..........the one that got me all twisted up, (I have every issue dating back to 1983) when I wrote a looooong letter to the NHRA, stating my displeasure........how dare they, etc.

Well, They did get mucho flack over this, and around that time 2.90 rear gears were changed to 3.20.

THAT was SUPPOSED, ahem, supposed, to slow them down

And ever since then it has been the same ol' same ol'. It will work for awhile, then the speeds will rise.

As far as the argument that the wick will shorten. How? If teams are only allowed what they are running now, stay within the rules, no changes from right now, the cars will run up to the limiter, and then shut off.

I've been to eighth mile races, and engine damage occurs, though rarely.

Virtually ever major explosion I have seen is after the 1000' mark.

Added engine revolutions and strain.

There are many very smart people behind this idea now, not just me. I'm not that smart anyway.

Owners, tuners, and drivers.

They are saying enough is enough.

I will take their word for it, its their LIVES, its our entertainment.

REX

Seems like I read someone on another thread talking about the same concept

of using stop jets on an aircraft carrier. I even mentioned Jim as the guy to perfect it.

There were many doubts but each one had a simple solution.

I actually shared this with Dan Olsen at Eric Medlens funeral service.

I am glad they are working on it.

I think it would work. It would stop the car and it would not tear it up.

This is all not needed if they go to 1000 foot.

If they keep it at 1320 then this would be one part of an overlapping sytem where you are not depending on any one thing to stop the car.

(concrete should not be one of them)

mike

What is on the back of those trucks you see on the freeway before people are working... It looks like it is big springs or something to obsorb a big hit from behind when a lane is closed. Does anyone know whay I am talking about. That would destroy the body, but could be the last resort...

Execllent work Bobby, and Jim Head for President (at least of the NHRA)

Irony can be a fickle thing. Who's to say for sure he would not won another, or many??

Who knows.

If last week at E-Town, the race went to 1000'?

We almost certainly would not be having this discussion

REX

What about better catch nets? I'm not sure how but something that would collapse around the body and absorb all of the energy. Just a thought...

What is needed is an overlapping mutistage system. Where it is not dependant on any one stage. Each stage would be the least possible damage to the car with the best chance of stopping the car.

If a stage fails then the next would be in place but would have a greater chance of damage to the car but have a greater chance of stopping the car.

Satge #1
Parachutes. They should be 100% fire proof. They should be directed out and away from the car. ( The problem with Scott Kallitta's was the fact that the bodies now require pins that prevent it from releasing. When his body blew apart the back section tilted up but remained attached. The parachutes came out pointing down at the wheelie bars).

Stage # 2
Brakes and possibly a system where they can be engaged if the driver is knocked out. One of the timers could engage the brakes at a certain point if the driver has not. Along with an automatic fuel shutoff.

Stage # 3
A series of cables similar to those on an aircraft carrier. Many cables that would allow it many best chances to catch the car. They can be small diameter and be able to stretch. The same way bungee jumping cables work. Obviously stronger but the same concept. Each cable caught would apply more stopping force and the impact would be gradual.

Stage # 4
A net that would do as stated above in the previous post. That would absorb the energy. It may damage the car but it would be necessary.

Stage # 5
A sand trap. tested and designed to keep the car from flipping end over end.

Stage # 6
Another net simliar to the first one but after the sand trap.

Stage # 7
Water barrels simliar to those used to stop runaway semi. and used on guard rails. 3 rows 10 wide. Greater damage but a cushioning impact ( better than concrete)

Stage # 8
A clear path
Remove all obstacles. Trees , forests, concrete walls, cranes, metal posts, houses. For highways put in Rail Road crossing gates to stop traffic.

If this was in place Scott would still be here.

Greater cost? money yes cost no

worth it ? yes.

mike

They could still race to 1320 safely if they'd back these cars down somehow, and create runoff areas that would actually contain these cars. There's no reason they can't do it.

Are we really going to change the length of the dragstrip because Etown had a support pole directly in the path of the right lane? I mean seriously that's where it is. The car hit the sand and launched into it. Fix that, don't ruin the sport.

They don't need to run 4.70 at 330 to be entertaining .
Every other major motorsport has reduced speeds to increase safety.

And they are all just as much fun to watch as they were before.

well,,,except nascar...

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I'm still DamnYankee

"A Friday night run in a Funny Car is just really intense" - Whit Bazemore

Why does Jim Head and others wait for a tragedy like this to come forward, saying how they've been pushing for changes all along! And how NHRA wouldn't listen to them? If E-town is such a death trap like Jim Head says it is, why did he race there year after year? Things that make you go Hmmmmmmmmmmm.....

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Shift for Brains!!!!