Oil Downs (Beat to Death)

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN

X 2 But NHRA has their head up their azz ! Cut out one fuel pump, limit the blower size and overdrive. Limit the percentage of nitro in the alcohol. I remember when they used to run a 64 (Yep...Sixty Four) car top fuel field and the used one engine and usually the winner AND runner up never had the heads off during eliminations. So who cares if they slow down to high 5 second runs ? As Will says the noise and nitro smells will still be there. At least they would run a real race side by side and the little guy could afford to compete. Just look at the Nostalgia front engine fuel races going on today. Its a much better show than the crap thats out there today and there would be less oil downs. .

X2 And if you remember in those days they were running a junk yard block and heads and a real GMC blower, and as memory serves ran better races. Would also mandate one mag and plug per cyl, and why not a 400cid limit .

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

X2 And if you remember in those days they were running a junk yard block and heads and a real GMC blower, and as memory serves ran better races. Would also mandate one mag and plug per cyl, and why not a 400cid limit .

Yes I remember and have some 8mm film of Colman Bros. Speed Shop, Tex Randle, "Joltin" Joe Jancano (sp?) with his small block Chev fueler at Aquasco in Md. around 1962-63. I dont recall any of them blowing stuff up during a race. I was there when Tex was killed and it wasnt because his engine blew up. Even when they smoked the tires the full 1/4 mile the race was close and exciting. More exciting to me because of the tire smoke. All of the suggestions sound good but I doubt the big wigs would ever go for it in NHRA. It would make to much sense. Do we really need 300+ MPH fuel dragsters and Ha Ha cars?

[Bill Edgeworth]

It appears they are no longer talking about the new smaller engine the NHRA was supposedly working on. Did they scrap the idea in favor flames, oil downs and explosions to keep all the nitro head bangers happy?

[gmonde]

Originally Posted by SStockDart

I have been outspoken about this subect and we have had a ga-zillion comments about it. I am not racing the Winternationals this year and I am listening and watching on the internet.
The race is on hold for a Top Fuel oil down. Been down for a half an hour now, enough time to run the next complete round of Super Stock. Earlier was a similar Funny Car oil down. Yesterday evening, an Alcohol Funny car oiled over half the track. I listened to the first round of Stock and Super Stock, and recall one incident of water on the starting line, that took a minute to clean up, with about 140 cars going down the track. I may have missed some, but it certainly was not like the fuel cars where you: Make a run, clean the track, etc.
The probablilty of a Fuel Car oiling the track is (on a scale of 1 - 10) is probably around 5. The likelihood of a Stock or SuperStock car is, in my estimation, significantly less than 1. I would like NHRA to calculate the "down time" due to oil downs, on a "percapita" calculation, address the oil down problem accordingly.

this was a topic of discusion at my local machine shop yesterday ,,yes it sucks in the delay but each team is getting fined per oil down (one frebee per year) but to a sportsman racer who has a limted budget and has some bad luck with fluids on the track twice in a season this can put a deciding factor in place (do i as racer continue to race the season or say i am done)all off us make sure our cars are reliable to get down the track with out any fluids coming out ,this not only at a national but divisional as well ,,we all hate when there is a oil down and waiting but it happens ,,,fines maybe but have the person who oiled down perform comunity service on the track ,,it might make for faster clean up with out the hit to the wallet ,,,,,thoughts

[Jess Suter]

The first round of top fuel and funny car took 90 minutes. So did the 2nd session with half the cars! The rest of the racers sit and wait. They couldnt start sportsmen early beacause the track was too cold. I understand this as having been there many years. NHRA is only concerned for the ESPN show-period. Look at the stands on ESPN3, alot of empty seats. People want to see racing not idiots shooting shirts into the crowd nor do they want to see the sweepers going up and down the track. The trickle down effect will of course be to the sportsman. I wonder how many teams have burned their "freebie" in the first race of the year? Not a great way to start the year off in my opinion. Here it is already 3:15 pST and still have not seen any true sportsman on the track. Probably won't happen today because once the sun starts setting the track goes away. Toby called it on Friday-sportsman will run on monday! Awfully sad. NHRA HAS to do something about these oil downs. Penalties and points obviously don't work so what is the answer? 1 engine per event? Automatic DQ? I don't know what will work but it has to be cleaned up som how

[skills]

I am not a mechanical guy so if some of this is wrong but my theory if this. Go back to quarter mile, the 1000ft idea isn't making a difference now. Everybody is just turning it up harder in 1000ft. Lower the cubic inches, take of a fuel pump and a magneto. If you don't have the fuel then you can spin the supercharger as fast. Besides if you not using as much fuel and parts the smaller teams can run more events it will balance it out better. Less money equals more sponsors less time on events makes racing better.

[SStockDart]

Antron oiled the track.........over 15 minutes so far for clean up.

Two runs later, a funny car oil down......on hold again.

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by sstockdart

antron oiled the track.........over 15 minutes so far for clean up.

Two runs later, a funny car oil down......on hold again.

lol...............................

[nopwradders]

I agree with "skills"! Go back to a 1/4 mile racing, but change the engine set ups and fuel. They are pushing them harder now than before. Again, its all part of the "show".Now instead of trying to set 1/4 records, they are pushing them to get 1000 ft records.
Are the oil downs created by stressed equipment or has there been alot of tires going up in smoke and un-loading the motor?