Vehicle contact

[Lew Silverman]

Just wondering if anyone remembers a rule about not touching a vehicle in competition after it has pre-staged?



It may just be old-age (I suffer from a mild form of CRS ) but lately it seems that there is a larger "gaggle" of crew (and owners) at the starting line during final rounds at some of the more recent NHRA events. I'm not talking about the folks who play "toreador" during a burn-out, either, jumping out of the way at the last instant! Ole'!!



While watching the FS1 broadcast this past weekend I noticed at least a few instances of crewmen touching the vehicle while it was staging, and one where the driver had already lit the stage bulb (the announcer noticed it also!). I knew that there was a rule on the books about no vehicle contact during a burnout, but this latest occurrence had me puzzled. Are they going to wait until someone gets injured before something is done?