NHRA's weight on the A/Fuel cars

I believe that 80% of the performance of a blown alcohol motor is attibuted to boost and rpm,and that whoever can buy the latest blower and the most trickest valvetrain will usually come out on top.
B/AD an A/FD are like apples and oranges,you will never have parity in the class, no matter how hard you try.

Dale Hill

 

Good post Scott, thanks for the info about the web site, very interesting. Everyone should check it out ( no I don't have any connections or get anything from them).

Don't think I can agree with you DHE, I think there is much more to it than that. Kim

 

He did work for Banks for a lot of years, he now works out of his garage/shop in California building mag drives, idler pulleys, etc etc and repairing parts.

I am aware that the rule change doesn't really affect us as a team, but it indirectly could. With the performance of the dragster class (BAD and A/FD) we wouldn't even have a chance to sneak into the last spot at any divisional race. Sometimes we do go just for the experience because we love racing, but we really have no chance because the cars are so fast today and it's all about the money. I guess what I'm getting at is with the a-fuel cars running so fast and the blown cars chasing them, the class just gets faster and faster.

Next season we're planning on running the same motor deal but in a Funnycar, it'll be an IHRA legal motor as we can't afford a PSI, but at the same time we could attend one or two NHRA divisionals and at least have the possibility of squeaking into that #8 spot with a 5.9 or low 6.0. Our dragster is for sale, haven't had many bites or calls on it, but we're trying to sell it. It'll definitely be a different adventure as through all the years our family has only run in the TAD class, but we're looking forward to it. Especially me, I'm for sure looking forward to the different driving challenge.

 

Will do. It's good to hear that there are still some racers out there like us just trying to have some fun!

 

Nathan, Good Luck on your new racing venture next year. Although I have to say it does not bode well for the class when we lose another TAD racer.
Even though you say you are not as well funded as some of the other teams, at least you have stuck with it. I think very few teams start off with a large budget.( I may Be wrong!) I know that we didn't. We have been racing TAD for 18 years, Super Comp before that, and we didn't get a sponsor until 2 years ago, and believe me, it's still not enough that we can pay the crew or if we wanted to, hire a tuner. But we race because we love it, that's what matters. I think I've heard more than one racer say that, "if you aren't having fun, you better get out, cause the pay isn't worth s**t."
Hope you are able to sell al your TAD stuff!
Good Luck, Kim

 

Holy crap! All I really said was that money was an issue.....I bet your brain hurts now!!! It matters in any form of racing.....Sorry Scott to mislead you and waste that portion of your life....

 

Scott,

Bad air, first qualifier at Indy this year. Scribner, Neb. points race. Q2 at Dallas this year was hot.

Good air, Joliet, Reading, Englishtown, Gators

This year compared to others has been wet and colder in most cases.

 

Kim,

We love racing as well, which is why we do it. My family has been involved in drag racing for over 40 years. My dad starting driving in TAD (back then it was Pro Comp) when he was 16 or 17, and his dad was working on racecars for numerous years before that. We've had many different dragsters throughout the years with a few different drivers - my dad (Ken Sitko), Bryan Davidchuk, my uncle (Steve Sitko), Serge Dion, and now me. I started driving TAD straight out of the junior dragster class at the beginning of last season...only 17 years old when I won the Mission Canadian Open last year in TAD 'B' (they had 2 divisions based on qualifying times - A and B). During all that time we've had about the same budget.

We really would love to stay in the dragster class, but for us it makes a little more financial sense to run a Funnycar. Being that we're a family operation with little sponsorship we have to choose the best route for us so that we can even stay in the sport.

Up here in Western Canada (Edmonton to be exact) there is a lot of alky Funnycars and not so many alky dragsters. Not many tracks around here want to book a two car show, especially when it's the same two dragsters all the time, which is the situation we're stuck in. By switching to Funnycar we'll automatically have the opportunity to be booked into a few more races in our area.

Our home track as of last year switched to IHRA and we have a national event. Now let me tell you, to have a national event of any kind in your back yard, its soo hard to stand by watching and not be able to race in it. And now our neighbor 4 hours south of us, Calgary, has switched to IHRA after being independent last season, and before that a predominantly NHRA facility for many many years, and they now have a chance to have a national event.

What it basically boils down to is we don't want to have to fight for bookings anymore, and this is the best way we can see to do it. Now, the Funnycar thing isn't a for sure deal until our dragster sells or we find some sponsor bucks, so there's still a chance that we'll be doing the same thing next year with our dragster as we did this year...and for the past who knows how many years.

 

Rob,
Nice win in Reading. Rather be lucky than good any day. And You guys were definetely lucky. Lets get real though weight isnt going to hurt you guys enough to slow you down a tenth or more to make it a more even playing feild. I personaly have a blown car but i am rather interested in the A fuel cars and occasionally get involved in working on one with the want and desire to knw what makes them tick. As the best in both cars have shown us on the best day a blown car hasn't run faster than a 5.26 and an a fueler has run 5.18. If one carefully looks on average a fuel cars qualify a tenth better than blown cars. I know now you are probably thinking that i am just another one of thse blown guys that are bitching. But truely think what you like ireally dont care. Comment to your oil down comment. Yes we rev higher but if those building the motors and the crew chiefs do there jobs they can with stand the abuse of the high revs. If the A fuel guys dont want to lose out on anything then bitch to Nhra to let the Blower that Psi released several yeas ago to be legal. Rob you know the one im talking about. Lets all get something straight too I know Rob he Knows me and we get along well i think. My blown car hasnt run to its full potential yet but its cause of me and im learning but i am also realistic i know with out some new invention or some rule change in our favor there is no way my blown car will never run a teen. There are a few tings that the can do to help us run a teen but they dont want us going that fast.

 

I have read these posts and I always read look at the round wins and see there is parity and I have a hard time with that. Maybe someone can help me here. The problem with saying that is there is more to racing than just making the car go. The big thing is reaction time. That dont have nothing to do with parity as you can take someone that can cut a light put them in an afuel car and it will win but if they are in a blower car and cut a light they will generally win. Not only that a missed tune up is not a reason to say it either. Sure at chicago the times were close but one has to remember one thing, Jerry Derrian (hopefully I spelled that right) is one hell of a smart tuner. He did all that was needed to win. He knew that there was no chance of a blower car to run a low 20 so he kept it there and run just what he had to so Morgan could win and didnt try to rotate the earth. Smart racing there. Bottom line is that little bit of weight on the cars is like a fart in a whirlwind it just aint gonna change much plus the afuel cars true potential has yet to be realized. I do think they can go faster. Not trying to bash here cause I do like to watch them run guys but I do think that if something aint done it will ruin the class and I dont want to see that happen.

 

Good luck Nathan, it's pretty rough out there for roots dragsters, we just sold one of ours, after being for sale for a year. Try and post your deal anywhere you can, so it can be seen and get ready for tire kicker city.

 

Scott, I agree that oil downs are a problem, but I do not think that the best way to handle them is to gradually eliminate the "group" that might be causing the most of them. Gunderson has blown up his share of stuff in AFD, so it is not like they do not have problems. Miersch had quite an oil down in Seattle and I heard Bradshaw had a good one at one of the other races this year.

Miersch broke a rear end there. I don't think he has had a problem with a motor in quite sometime. Gundersons never put oil on the track except a valve cover seep at indy and was shut off.

What the hell happen in Dallas with oil downs?

 

Maybe NHRA should impose a class gear rule and a minimum tire runout (maybe 109"for AFD and 113 for the BAD ??) and maybe a 4.10 or 4.30 or ?? that would increase the rpm of the AFD's car which may slow them a bit and it may reduce the zinging BAD's . Just a thought from the outside.

 

Rob,

Don't know what happened in Dallas, was not there.

With all of this talk of oil downs, is it your position that the BAD's should be eliminated due to oil downs?

 

It's not my position.....It's NHRA's. Oil them down all you want. It's not healthy for the sport anyway you look at it. Fans, NHRA and other racers. Don't take me wrong, it cost the racer most of the time. No one wants to oil the track, but we have to look at track records on oil downs...Does that make sense Scott?

 

Les,
Who said we wanted to spin more RPM? Have we already started tipping the ol' bottle?

 

Rob,

Just a simple yes or no. Is it YOUR position that they should be eliminated?

Are you saying that it is NHRA's position that they should be eliminated?

 

Scott Nelson- First of all, NO it is not NHRA's position that alcohol cars should be eliminated. If it was, they wouldn't waste the time to consider changes to the class and put up with the aggravation of listening to people from both sides cry. They could have just left it alone like they have for the last two years and let the strong survive.
Secondly, why would you ask Rob what NHRA's opinion is?

[ October 13, 2003, 07:44 PM: Message edited by: Smokey ]

 

For the longest time, I rarely saw an A-fueler oil the track. This year has been different, I did read where Larry Meirsch had one in Seattle, and I did see Chris Ricketts(I think?) have a good one in Dallas.

 

Scott,

Should the blown cars be eliminated? No...Would I, if I had the money, build one? No...I hope that clears something up for you.

NHRA, in my opinion, and what they have exspressed to me, hates to see oil downs.......
This is why we have fines and DQ's for oiling the track. So, when they look at the cause of oil downs and who causes them, I would bet that it does make a differance to them....

Again, Larry's oil down was a broken rear end. Don't know about rickets...It's funny how you guys can only remember the few times an a/fuel car has oiled the track. Facts are facts, 90% of the oil downs come from a blown car.....Hell, I drove and tuned them....I had my fair share of oil downs. I remember at dallas, we oiled the track and I came around the corner by the saftey guys and before I could get stopped, I heard them go F**k Wendland, not again.....Believe me, I wasn't trying to do it! It just happens sometimes. RPM does affect that.

Go ahead while I reload my guns.....