Indy Tear Down

[Alan Roehrich]

For what it is worth.

I talked to 3 good friends, who also happen to be current or former NHRA tech officials, all of them well liked and respected, who said they found more illegal cars in the bottom 10 of the field than in the top 20. A lot more.

If you think about it, being really fast is just inviting a tear down. There are a few cars that are extremely fast that have been torn down by respected tech guys and found legal, more than once, but are still accused of being completely illegal, even by guys who you'd think would not be fooled.

[SS Engine Guy]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

For what it is worth.

I talked to 3 good friends, who also happen to be current or former NHRA tech officials, all of them well liked and respected, who said they found more illegal cars in the bottom 10 of the field than in the top 20. A lot more.

If you think about it, being really fast is just inviting a tear down. There are a few cars that are extremely fast that have been torn down by respected tech guys and found legal, more than once, but are still accused of being completely illegal, even by guys who you'd think would not be fooled.

Allen, as usual, you make some valid points. However, I have to wonder if those cars in the bottom half just didn't have the pull or just weren't interested in calling tech and instead of being illegal were deemed "legal" over the phone or on the spot depending on the circumstances. The reason I wonder if this is the case is because I have seen tech over ruled way to many times when the tech doing the inspection was 100% correct in calling a car illegal. Not even a grey area. Case in point: modified combustion chambers in SS several years ago. Still welding being done on a regular basis when the rule book says none. Plug locations being moved. Etc.

As far as teardowns and how to choose them. How about cars that can and have run tenths below an already fast record and never set the record (or win class for one reason or another). Years ago, I built a combo that ran in a popular class and it was clearly 2 tenths faster than anyone had gone in that class. At the first divisional it ran he was told by tech that he needed to set the record at the next divisional he attended because "it would be a shame to be torn down and not get the record". Message read loud and clear. He set the record, was checked from top to bottom and found legal. More of that and less BS is what is needed today.