SFI pants for Stock

[Rory McNeil]

I was just looking thru my 2009 NHRA rulebook, and it appears that all the Stockers in M/S and higher will need SFI approved 3.2A/1 pants in addition to the jackets already required. (I thought that this was not going into effect until 2010) Has anybody ever bought these pants yet? All the pants that I have seen before carried the 3.2A/5 designation, that is the same rating as the triple layer jackets that are required on 9.99ET and quicker cars. I have yet to see any 3.2 /1 pants. Also, it appears that I need to wear these pants when racing my 12 second M/Stocker, but in my 10.0ET 132mph bracket car, all I need is the jacket, and the SFI pants can stay in the Mustang. Does anybody else find this a bit odd? Even in Super Street (10.90) pants are only required when a car is running 135MPH or higher. The M/SA record is a 11.61, the M/S record is slower than that, yet both classes (and all the higher classes) require the jacket (and pants now), but bracket drivers don`t need to even wear a jacket until their particular car hits 11.49 or quicker, and pants are not required until getting into the 9`s..Seems a bit lopsided to me.