Intake Manifold Rule

[GTOMayhem]

Rule book states:

INTAKE MANIFOLD
Must retain the unaltered stock manifold, consistent with year and
engine horsepower claimed. Grinding, sandblasting, or any other
modification to manifold prohibited. Any film coating inside
manifold prohibited. Runners and plenum must retain OEM
appearance. Final acceptance at the discretion of the NHRA
Technical Services Department.

I know it is common practice with Pontiac intakes to separate the coolant crossover from the intake, to allow a better intake to port alignment. Is this practice used in Stock Eliminator?

Also, is the modification restriction only apply to the actual intake ports? Or can one modify cooling passages?

Rick Thomason
GTOMayhem