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.
Agreed. The 1/8 mile tracks were created to slow the machines in an effort to improve safety and create a greater competition with tighter runs.
In July of 2008, following the death of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta in June, the technology of being able to power cars to top speed was nearing or, in this case, exceeding the tracks ability to stop a car that was not able to be controlled by the driver or the Auxiliary Braking ( parachutes).
There seems to be some talk / speculation of returning to the original 1320, (1/4 mile), but some competitors are bringing up the cost savings to running 1000. And that the competition is better in the current format.
I ran quarters in stock years ago, in my youth, in central California at Raisin City and Bakersfield. Got started following Shirley Shahan out of Tulare and I was running a rat pack Chevy.
But according to a report by inspectors, Kat drifted right from the left lane and as she hit the traps at the other end her main chute appeared briefly and she went into the wall. She didn’t lose it because of the chute, she lost it during the run. Wind gust, oil, moisture, could have been a lot of things.
I also feel if it had been a full size track her torque would have been beneficial in keeping the car under control. She might have, also, been powering down to gain control since she was so far down the run and lost the torque she needed. Car got light without it.
rwood