NHRA expands oil down penalties

NHRA expands oil down penalties to all classes
courtesy NHRA.com

Given the significant increase in oildowns by both Professional and Sportsman competitors, NHRA will expand its oildown policy to include all competitors attending each NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national event. The policy will be effective beginning with the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., March 15-18.

Until this year, only professional competitors in Top Fuel and Funny Car and Sportsman racers in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, have been assessed oildown penalties at national events. Starting next week, an oildown policy will be extended to professionals in Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, as well as sportsman racers in Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street.

Oildowns, and more importantly downtime associated with clean-up efforts, affect everyone at an NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event, including spectators, competitors, sponsors and television viewers. With curfews and schedules, the recent problem of oildowns in both professional and sportsman categories, has caused in some cases cancellation of qualifying sessions, early start times and very late conclusions to the respective sessions.

“Over the first two events of 2007, Top Fuel and Funny Car accounted for a total of two hours and 49 minutes of downtime, while Sportsman classes combined for a total of four hours and 37 minutes during the same two events. This trend, seen over the last several years, is the impetus for NHRA's decision to mandate oildown penalties for both professional and sportsman classes,” said Graham Light, senior vice president of racing operations, NHRA.

In conjunction with the implementation of the oildown penalties, lower engine restraint devices will still be mandatory in Sportsman categories based on the staged approach announced by NHRA in 2006. Competition Eliminator vehicles with a wet sump oiling system must be equipped with a lower engine restraint device by May 1, 2007. By January 1, 2008, all Competition Eliminator vehicles with a dry sump oil system, all Pro Stock, Super Comp and Super Gas vehicles must be equipped with a lower engine restraint device.

While all devices must now be NHRA accepted, an SFI Spec 7.2 device is highly recommended in light of the newly announced oildown penalties (SFI spec 7.1 is mandatory in TAD and TAFC). Comp and Super Comp dragsters may utilize a belly pan in lieu of a restraint, but the belly pan must be from frame rail to frame rail, extend forward of the harmonic balancer and rearward of the flywheel, and must utilize a minimum two-inch-high lip on all sides.

“Competitors at an NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national event are the best drag racers in the world and, as such, should be at the top of his or her game and be prepared to represent the sport at the highest level,” said Light.

Fine revenue derived from oildown violations at NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events will be utilized by NHRA to purchase equipment and/or supplies in an attempt to improve oildown clean-up time and efficiency.

Professional and sportsman competitors can review the complete oildown policy by logging on to www.nhra.com/oildowns





Oildown Penalties


Professional Categories:

Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle


Each professional team is allowed one (1) oildown violation prior to any penalty. Violations are assessed after the first allowed oildown in the following manner:

Violation Number
Penalty

1
$500 fine regardless of whether qualifying or eliminations;

Loss of 10 points if during eliminations

2-5
Fine increases in $500 increments; Loss of 10 points for each infraction during eliminations

6
$5,000 fine regardless of whether qualifying or eliminations;

Loss of 10 points if during eliminations

After 6*
Fine increases in $1,000 increments;

Loss of 10 points for each infraction during eliminations


(*) NHRA will review (with the team) their season performance. As a result of that review, further action may be taken as determined by NHRA, varying from probation to a requirement to test or a denial to participate at future NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national events.

Multiple Violations at Same Event

If professional competitors violate the oildown policy multiple times at the same event, the resulting violations will result in double the posted fines plus loss of 15 points if during eliminations. Three (3) or more violations during the same event will result in double the posted fine plus loss of 20 points if during eliminations.

Additional Earned Credits

Professional teams will earn an additional one (1) credit after 25 consecutive oil-free runs at NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national events. Those credits earned will not be rolled-over from one season to the next.

NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship

In 2007, NHRA launched the sport's first-ever playoff-style format to determine the NHRA POWERade World Champion in each of the four professional categories. Given that, the NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship oildown policy is as follows:

Countdown Finalists

The Top Eight teams, beginning with the start of the NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, will have their oildown credits re-adjusted to one (1) credit. The same policy, as implemented in the regular season, will apply.

The Top Four teams, entering the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, will have their oildown credits re-adjusted to one (1) credit. The same policy, as implemented in the regular season, will apply.



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Sportsman Categories:

Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street

Each sportsman team starts each event with zero (0) oildown penalties. Violations are assessed in the following manner:

Violation Number
Penalty

1
$250 fine;

Loss of 5 points

2
Additional $500 fine;

Loss of additional 10 points

3
Disqualification from event;

Loss of additional 15 points