my opinion

[Evan Smith]

Tom,

Since you are speaking for Ed, I will explain it. The difference is that valves can be legally cut, port volumes are not supposed to be manipulated. So if the volume is too big, either the spec is wrong, you have a magically oversized casting, or you have modified the head. Period. As we have seen, it is certainly possible to make a head pass with one inspector and then it fails with another.

My cylinder head guy installed valves from the manufacturer (1.85-inch) and the spec calls for 1.84. Neither the spec or the valves were checked. It was an honest mistake, albeit a huge and very stupid one. At Indy, I was checked by a D1 tech inspector who is a friend of mine and he did his job properly. It would have been very easy to look the other way and "let me off." I didn't expect him to do this and did not get any special treatment.

In the 15 years I've run Stock, I have been to the barn numerous times and have never had a problem—never in fuel check, or on the scale. Perhaps a clean record goes a long way.

I did not race at the race where I returned with the engine apart. Because of rain-shortened qualifying, I did not get the car back together in time to qualify. If Ed would like to protest me, I will gladly take the engine apart and collect his money. The car sat in the trailer and I raced a week later.

As for my idea on the points, it would be easy to make the points awarded for qualifying a very low count and you could limit the amount of races where you could earn them, just as it is with races claimed. Also, you could set a max on the times you could get points from setting a record, say twice a year or something like that. My idea is not that you can win a championship if you qualify first and lose first round wherever you go.

These points could enhance your points total from round wins. But make it so you can't win a championship based only on points earned from records, qualifying and Class wins. Maybe it would allow a hard-working racer who can't make a ton of races sneak into the top 10 in his/her division? It would be cool and performance really would matter.

Evan

[Billy Nees]

Evan, You've vindicated yourself over and over again. You're OK with me and probably 99.9% of racers. Just let it roll off your shoulders.
For what it's worth, I don't think there was any malice intended in Ed Os. post. I think that he was just trying to make the point that if NHRA is going to make Stock and SS more "Performance" based Eliminators again they are going to have to come up with a better system for policing it than the "wink,wink, nudge,nudge" system that they have.

[Evan Smith]

Thanks Billy, more tech would be a good think whether there are rule changes or not, but I doubt we'll get any until the economy rebounds and there can be more manpower in the pits.

I'm off to the PRI show floor.

Evan

[Billy Nees]

[QUOTE=Ed OBrien; Did you ever think a 390 ford would be a player or a 383 ? Have a nice day[/QUOTE]

Ed O, I've always called that the "Ebb and Flow" of Stock racing. Rules change just the slightest bit and it affects one combo different than another. The 390 and 383 are players for different reasons. The 390 got a bigger carb and better heads. The 383 got defactored. Either way, they both became good. Just as a point of reference, (I'm NOT whining!) 10 years ago I could go to a race and pretty well know that I would be a top 10 qualifier. The last year I raced the car I couldn't make the top half of the field! The specs are the same, the HP factor is the same and the ETs are a bit faster. BUT nothing that changed in the rules benefitted my combo. So what do I do? Ask for HP back? I don't deserve HP back. I want to think that the AHFS will "fix" the combos that the rules benefit. Now all of the talk is about "whacking" the indexes. Go ahead and "whack" them. If the AHFS doesn't do it's job the indexes are a moot point. Maybe my little 6 cylinder should become some kind of a "standard" to base everybodys combo off of! (he said tongue in cheek!)

[bubski]

Originally Posted by Evan Smith

Tom,

Since you are speaking for Ed, I will explain it. The difference is that valves can be legally cut, port volumes are not supposed to be manipulated. So if the volume is too big, either the spec is wrong, you have a magically oversized casting, or you have modified the head. Period. As we have seen, it is certainly possible to make a head pass with one inspector and then it fails with another.

My cylinder head guy installed valves from the manufacturer (1.85-inch) and the spec calls for 1.84. Neither the spec or the valves were checked. It was an honest mistake, albeit a huge and very stupid one. At Indy, I was checked by a D1 tech inspector who is a friend of mine and he did his job properly. It would have been very easy to look the other way and "let me off." I didn't expect him to do this and did not get any special treatment.

In the 15 years I've run Stock, I have been to the barn numerous times and have never had a problem—never in fuel check, or on the scale. Perhaps a clean record goes a long way.

I did not race at the race where I returned with the engine apart. Because of rain-shortened qualifying, I did not get the car back together in time to qualify. If Ed would like to protest me, I will gladly take the engine apart and collect his money. The car sat in the trailer and I raced a week later.

As for my idea on the points, it would be easy to make the points awarded for qualifying a very low count and you could limit the amount of races where you could earn them, just as it is with races claimed. Also, you could set a max on the times you could get points from setting a record, say twice a year or something like that. My idea is not that you can win a championship if you qualify first and lose first round wherever you go.

These points could enhance your points total from round wins. But make it so you can't win a championship based only on points earned from records, qualifying and Class wins. Maybe it would allow a hard-working racer who can't make a ton of races sneak into the top 10 in his/her division? It would be cool and performance really would matter.

Evan

11:34AM 3rd round stock qualifying sat. 2:22PM rain halts racing sat. Dont you normally get 3 hits at e-town points race if youre lucky then 1st round?