Ever the years i have raced with all of the series and i have notice that it depends on who or how often a racer have raced with that series the rules get bent just so that they could race, even if it was unsafe for that car to be on the track. I sure hope that all that would change. I know that some of you think that i am crying about this matter but think about it, would you like to be on the other lane when that unsafe car crosses over the middle lane? we are trying to be as safe a possible and i hope that they would help make it safe for all of us too.

 

i hate racing against cars with 3 wheels. i gets scared

 

Find a safer sport.

 

i have seen the wheels fall of cars while they are going down the track.

 

i guess you never have to face a car coming at you from the other lane.one day you will and see of you will find a safer sport.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 75w90 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i guess you never have to face a car coming at you from the other lane.one day you will and see of you will find a safer sport.</TD></TR></TABLE>
It happens, how do you plan on eliminating that? Put a wall between the cars or run them on rails? Top Fuel Funny Cars have millions of dollars of safety innovation and no rules are comprimised yet cars still cross the center lane, hit walls, etc.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 75w90 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i have seen the wheels fall of cars while they are going down the track. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Should the tech officials start checking the torque on everyones lugnuts?

 

That is why we have so much safety equip to wear, in car etc. I hope I always look silly at my local test and tune putting on my Hutchens device and fire suit when it is 100 degrees air temp. Lord knows what would happen if I didn't. The point is your car can be prepped to the max and any number of things happen: you blow a head gasket, your cooling system gets overpressurized and you put water under your tires, or you break an axle, etc, etc. You could be the cause of your own accident. That said if you want to be totally safe the stands are the place to be.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 75w90 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i have seen the wheels fall of cars while they are going down the track. </TD></TR></TABLE>

like this?

http://rides.webshots.com/vide...Vpyxw

 

love that video

 

lol talk about a bad day at the track

 

I think he means more like this

http://10.127.73.8:15871/cgi-b...42050

Spin Out



Its one of those 2 links, not sure which one cause I cant watch vids at work anymore

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Boner_Ben &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Top Fuel Funny Cars have millions of dollars of safety innovation and no rules are comprimised yet cars still cross the center lane, hit walls, etc. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I'd like to disagree with you on that. I've been following NHRA for a long time now and they don't make safety changes until someone gets killed. Even then, it's usually a bandaid solution with very little research put into it and sometimes not even addressing the real problem.

The only exception I can think of is the Eric Medlin/Force thing this year that resulted in the padding around the head.. but as far as I know NHRA hasn't put a dime into that research. I hope i'm wrong and they have been contributing so if you have info that proves it please let me know.

 

My point is if you are looking to be 100 percent safe then play chess. Racing is one of the few sports that require TWO *****!

 

I'm with the original poster. I hate seeing piece of **** cars that don't pass tech get into the race. It happens all the time. I usually see kids getting turned away at tech in for the dumbest **** Like a headliner thats missing. Mean while theres other clear dangers right in front of there face. And some sit here and argue with common sense.

 

it doesnt take someone dying to make new safety requirements. anytime something they deem unsafe its corrected. although when something like that happens (darrell russell, eric medlen) i think nhra and sfi have come though with the proper updates.

 

Of the NHRA and NDRA events I have raced in, I have never experienced a lax tech crew. It is different if they see you there racing every week and they know your team has your stuff together.

We did race another event that was not one of the above and we could have weighed whatever we wanted, run whatever fuel we wanted, etc.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by E-Town4229 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it doesnt take someone dying to make new safety requirements. anytime something they deem unsafe its corrected. although when something like that happens (darrell russell, eric medlen) i think nhra and sfi have come though with the proper updates.</TD></TR></TABLE>

SFI is independent of NHRA though. Of course they roll in updates when someone else is fronting the money, what i'm saying is NHRA has no interest in actively pursuing (aka putting up their own money) into making a safer car unless someone gets killed. If you go down the line, every major safety revision has either been made by a manufacturer, racer, someone employed by a racer, or has been a bandaid solution by NHRA resulting from the death of a racer. Other sports like NASCAR, IRL, F1, etc. all have had teams of engineers doing this research at times to make sure their sport is safe and it's pathetic that NHRA won't.

Furthermore, if you look at every single one of those sports the cars they're racing today are significantly safer than they were 10 years ago... can you say that about ANY of the cars in NHRA pro competition? The NHRA is easily 10 years behind other forms of motorsports yet have no qualms about claiming they're "dedicated to safety." Kinda ridiculous isn't it?

I know this is outside the scope of this topic but it just boggles my mind that so many people turn a blind eye to this.

edit: Case and point: http://www.competitionplus.com...mid=7


Modified by njn63 at 1:29 PM 12/4/2007

 

gotta disagree. ill stand by my first statement that if there is something they feel will cause a safety issue it will be changed. wasnt the nitro mixture rule made a few years ago to slow the fuel cars down because they felt the cars were going to fast to safely control?

you cant think of EVERY situation no matter how much money you spend on how many people. freak accidents will happen. besides medlen and russell look at how many motorsport deaths there have been in the last 10 years: paul dana, dale earnhardt, adam petty,etc.

i dont think theyre doing a bad job at all. just the wrecks that ive seen in person that drivers walk away from prove that.
-Roger

 

btw to the OP ive seen you bring this up in a few threads now. is there a particular incident you were involved in where tech deliberately looked the other way on an unsafe car?
-Roger

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by E-Town4229 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">gotta disagree. ill stand by my first statement that if there is something they feel will cause a safety issue it will be changed. wasnt the nitro mixture rule made a few years ago to slow the fuel cars down because they felt the cars were going to fast to safely control? </TD></TR></TABLE>

And they're changing it back to 90% next season. They thoroughly researched that idea prior to doing it huh?
http://www.nhra.com/content/news/24145.htm

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you cant think of EVERY situation no matter how much money you spend on how many people. freak accidents will happen. besides medlen and russell look at how many motorsport deaths there have been in the last 10 years: paul dana, dale earnhardt, adam petty,etc. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Look at how many people have been seriously hurt though in the NHRA also. Force this year and Brandon Bernstein in 2003 come to mind. The Bernstein injury could of for sure been avoided and also could of easily ended his career.

It's also ridiculous that at least 3 top fuelers have broken in half over the past 7 years and it still hasn't been addressed. This is the main thing that concerns me because it's only a matter of time until someone does die and the way the chassis are currently designed, it's inevitable that they will break like this: Cory Mac in 2006, Tony Schumacher's in 2003, and Larry Dixon's in 2000.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i dont think theyre doing a bad job at all. just the wrecks that ive seen in person that drivers walk away from prove that.
-Roger</TD></TR></TABLE>

I was in the crowd at the US Nationals in 1996 when Blaine Johnson and Elmer Trett died on back to back days. That kind of **** has an impact on you, especially when it was later learned (but not widely reported) that Blaine's death was due to an oversight in the shut down area.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mike93eh2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

http://rides.webshots.com/vide...Vpyxw

</TD></TR></TABLE>

dayum...

 

Drag racing in general is a different animal because for the most part we do not have spec chassis, spec engines, etc. It is a bigger challenge to tech 100 cars that are all different then it is to tech 35 IRL cars that are all the same.

As for the PowerADE stuff not being safe. How safe is 8000hp and 330mph really going to be? People are going to get hurt occasionally. Drag racing is just a different animal and takes a person cut from a different cloth to understand it.

I'm confused about the statement that NHRA is behind all other organizations as far as safety and tech goes. Are you comparing NHRA to IRL, F1, and NASCAR? That is apples and oranges. They all have spec cars and are trying to accomplish something very different. On a smaller scale are you also comparing NHRA to SCCA, Nasa, and the like? I can tell you right now that the tech at those type of events and the safety procedures are a complete joke. I race SCCA on weekends I'm not drag racing, and have friends that tech'd the nationals this year for Nasa. It is nowhere CLOSE to the tech NHRA and Nopi do at an event. It is easy to get away with safety violations and it is really easy to cheat.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mike93eh2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">



http://rides.webshots.com/vide...Vpyxw

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Talk about a crapy 60 foot!!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 4piston &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">As for the PowerADE stuff not being safe. How safe is 8000hp and 330mph really going to be? People are going to get hurt occasionally. Drag racing is just a different animal and takes a person cut from a different cloth to understand it. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't understand this lackadaisical attitude. Just because something is dangerous by nature doesn't mean research shouldn't be done to make it safer. Everyone talked **** on Buschar for running a 9 second car without a roll bar but won't even stop to think that maybe the current method of making a chassis might not be the best.

It's also pathetic that THE RACERS are now taking the initiative and getting the cars built safer. To add on my earlier link: http://www.competitionplus.com...mid=6
The reason I keep bringing up IRL and NASCAR is they've both put significant money into making their racing safer. NHRA on the other hand is looking more and more like a case of "take take take" without giving anything back to the racers.

edit: Looks like the racers feel similar about this. Read Ron Capps' opinion: http://www.competitionplus.com...mid=6

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm confused about the statement that NHRA is behind all other organizations as far as safety and tech goes. Are you comparing NHRA to IRL, F1, and NASCAR? That is apples and oranges. They all have spec cars and are trying to accomplish something very different.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Um.. you really think Top Fuel isn't a spec class at this point?