Racing itself constantly pushes the envelope. Putting a semi-guided missile on the straight away of a racing oval is a more than questionable move.
In the wake of Scott Kalitta’s fatal crash, the NHRA has decided to shorten the length of the race in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes from 1320 feet down to 1000 feet. This comes as part of an effort to reduce speeds; plus, with the shortened racing distance, the drivers are left with more track after the finish line, allowing them more time to slow down after the race. The measure is said to be temporary, but the NHRA is looking into several other ways to increase safety and decrease the risk of another tragedy.
Historically, the early jet dragsters were powered by huge military-surplus engines. The NHRA, fearful of a Challenger-style technical glitch, banned jet cars in November 1961 on the grounds that they were just too dangerous. That was a lie.
They were concerned that their top draw, the dragsters were being over shadowed by the jets. By the summer of 1961, Walt Arfons’s jet-powered Green Monster was routinely pacing in the mid-seven-second range. By comparison, Don Garlits barely managed a 7.99 that August with a conventional wheel-driven dragster. The sport was competing the two without trying and the jets were winning.
Twenty-five years later, there are about 35 jet cars in circulation and perhaps 50 licensed drivers. But NHRA sanctioning has come with strings attached, says Dennis Roslansky, president of ProJet, a drivers’ association that deals with the NHRA. Jet-powered cars are considered exhibition vehicles only. No race category. No prize money. And most onerous of all for the drivers, the NHRA imposes a speed limit currently 320.99 mph (the number has crept up from 260 mph to keep them “in their place.”
Tack that on to the strip changes, the increase in speed of the rails and funnies, and the NHRA is continuing to run a far more controlled program not based upon safety or competition, but the money.
rwood
I am an old codger, yet I am still too young to remember when NHRA (and NASCAR) weren't about the money.
Mr. niteowl77
I saw this young lady on TV recently, RIP, heart breaking, So much potential and talent, her family must be devastated.
I get it, the sound of the ICE ( British straight 6's might be my weakness ) is almost primal we need it. I hang w/ a couple of old school aircraft ( homebuilt's as well types ) guys and one noted back in the day, a local Detroit guy built a 200 mph electric rail type dragster. It made no noise, they accomplished it, and it was done. Heck, we have people tweaking Tesla's or using their motors and other battery packs and sticking them in lighter cars for constant 9 sec 1/4 mile cars. Throw that power package in a rail what times would you have? What times with further advances? Will the NHRA allow it? Or, like you kind of hinted with the Jet rails in the 60's kinda quash it.
National Air Racing sanctioning body did the same thing to protect the War Bird modifiers in the Unlimited Class. They instituted a minimum empty weight to keep some upstart teams / designers who had on the boards and built and even test flew some lighter and smaller racers to take the big boys on. Not that they were on the cusp of being competitive, but they nipped them in the bud, one being a push-pull twin rotary powered ship that I think pushed the flight envelope up in too the 300's before they were outlawed.
Kind of what like McCain, Schumer and all the other Deep Stater's w/ the help of Louis Lerner did to the Tea Party's...
I’ve spent a lot of time on drag strips, in round numbers 5000 trips down one. The safety records are pretty good, but I still have two buddies who are short an arm from track injuries.
There isn’t an 1/8 mile track in existence where a 300 mph run could be stopped without a chute, on most tracks, I think I could get a 150+ mph Pro Stock run shut down without one, or with minor damage, I’ve ran runs over 120 myself hundreds of times without pulling a chute, but 300 is not possible, the 1/8 tracks just aren’t made for it for obvious reasons.