From the National Dragster....

"Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, all Comp competitors will be required to have an oil-retention device meeting either SFI Spec 7.1 or 7.2. For Jan. 1, 2008, the same rule will apply for Super Gas, Super Comp, and any E.T. vehicle running 9.99 or quicker or 135 mph or faster. NHRA is developing an implementation strategy for an oil-retention device meeting the SFI specification for the reminder of the NHRA Lucas categories."


You guys hear of this?
Ready to put a diaper on your street driven car?
And pay a bunch of money to do so?

Not to mention that NHRA can't spell remainder!

I suggest that you contact your Div director and bitch.
This is a ploy to make the folks who will eventually produce such a device MAKE MORE MONEY!

Can you say IHRA?

Pure BS!

Jesus, why not wrap the whole car in plastic and hang old tires off the sides for protection!

A car condom?

Ron

Another reason to "just say no to 9's" ;)

Bob,
It's not a reason to say NO to nines.
C'mon, you want to go there and you know it.

The nines isn't the point......current 9 sec rules are acceptable...barely....but this is over the top.

Besides....I've never heard a drag racer say they didn't want to go faster. And you can't convince me that you are only a bracket racer.....

Ron

This is getting crazy.....if there weren't already enough rules I don't comply with!!

JIM

Bob,
It's not a reason to say NO to nines.
C'mon, you want to go there and you know it.

The nines isn't the point......current 9 sec rules are acceptable...barely....but this is over the top.

Besides....I've never heard a drag racer say they didn't want to go faster. And you can't convince me that you are only a bracket racer.....

Ron

I can't afford to go that fast Ron, transmissions and rearends are going to break me or get broken, or... :D I dropped the motor off at the builder tonight, new cam arrived today, he thinks we can squeeze another .2-.3 out of it ;) Yeah, I'd like to go 9.99 once, thats good enough. My main goal is to stay ahead of my son, he's run 10.73 with my old .030 over 454, so I still have a little breathing room. I am a bracket racer first, but I missed out on the good fall air this year to do some TNT'ing and go for new bests although I did a pretty good job at it through the summer heat.

I do think they are gettin carried away with the rules, they lower the e.t. for rollbar requirements but the magical 10 second barrier they are treating it like we are top fuelers or something.

I agree there are a lot of stupid rules, this is not one of them. I have a diaper on my car and could not imagine running that fast without one. I have a good friend who knocked a rod out the side of his 632, turned his 7.6xx car upside down at 150 mph.......destroyed the car.

In country mans terms what does it mean? A divise to stop oil downs? If so you might not like what I have to say.I always thought someone should come up with something to stop a guy from running in his own oil.That's alway's been one of my biggest fears in drag racing!

In country mans terms what does it mean? A divise to stop oil downs? If so you might not like what I have to say.I always thought someone should come up with something to stop a guy from running in his own oil.That's alway's been one of my biggest fears in drag racing!

It is basically a very heavy canvas bag that fits over your oil pan. Mine has an absorbant pad in the bottom of the bag that will hold 5 or 6 quarts of oil.

From the National Dragster....

"Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, all Comp competitors will be required to have an oil-retention device meeting either SFI Spec 7.1 or 7.2. For Jan. 1, 2008, the same rule will apply for Super Gas, Super Comp, and any E.T. vehicle running 9.99 or quicker or 135 mph or faster. NHRA is developing an implementation strategy for an oil-retention device meeting the SFI specification for the reminder of the NHRA Lucas categories."


You guys hear of this?
Ready to put a diaper on your street driven car?
And pay a bunch of money to do so?

Not to mention that NHRA can't spell remainder!

I suggest that you contact your Div director and bitch.
This is a ploy to make the folks who will eventually produce such a device MAKE MORE MONEY!

Can you say IHRA?

Pure BS!

Jesus, why not wrap the whole car in plastic and hang old tires off the sides for protection!

A car condom?

Ron NHRA would like to make all vehicles that don't burn nitro methane just disappear, of course if the money paying spectators would all just stay home too their attitude would change real quick. Guess as soon as the little guys quit they'll get their head out. I'm sure glad the local track here is IHRA and we have way less B.S. to put up with. Compton is the worst thing Wally Parks has done since he started the organization. It sure would be nice them lose their tax free status, after all they're not a charity.

Look,
Safety is fine.

But how much is an approved diaper for a 9.90 car going to cost?
Can we fab our own? NO!
We will have to buy an approved one, that some mfgr. designed for the NHRA and will make a killing on.

So Rat...your car is just a touch faster than a 9.90 car...with a butt load of nitrous to boot.

So I'm going to ask you....where would the oil come from in the event of a blow up?
Just from the pan?
I don't think so.

How about the back of the block?
How about from the side of the block?
What about the coolant?

Here is the deal. We have to run trans shields, or blankets now. My trans holds 8+ quarts. And inspite of having the proper equip, when my trans broke, it dumped 4 quarts on the start line. Thank god it didn't break down track.

Might as well make us run a full length absorbant diaper that extends all the way to the rear tires.
That ought to be safe eh?

I think an inneffective or partially effective diaper on cars that never needed one before is stupid.

I'd like to see the statistics that verify the necessity.

Ron

What's really going to suck is the diaper is probably going to have to be re-certified every two years like the bull***** seatbelt rule.

I never really feel safe using belts that can't last longer than two years when used twice a week in a car that lives in a trailer or garage!


Randy

I bought some oil pads last year made for cooking oil on line pretty amazing things these pads.
They are 30"x20"X1/4" look like cotton and will hold 3 gal of oil while repelling water.
Now if your allowed to build your own ....

Having lost an engine in '01 from running the rods too long ( aluminum ) I have a neutral opinion on this................my losss came as soon as I let out the clutch.......on the line........I literally ran over engine parts.........the block was poured and it blew a hole ( actually knocked off a huge chunk of the front corner ) of the block as well as making the pan look as if a hand grenade went off. If that had happened at the 1000 ft mark...........well then maybe I wouldnt be here to talk about it.

Its possible that some of the tracks we run at will not even enforce it anyway.

This is what irks me. Have said it before. Today, anyone can go out and put together a 600+HP powerplant, then drop it into an unprepped car - just like that you have a "racecar"". Have seen one heck of a lot less motors come apart than rears & trans over the years though.

The ones I have seen out now that are SFI approved are around $800.

NHRA would like to make all vehicles that don't burn nitro methane just disappear, of course if the money paying spectators would all just stay home too their attitude would change real quick. Guess as soon as the little guys quit they'll get their head out. I'm sure glad the local track here is IHRA and we have way less B.S. to put up with. Compton is the worst thing Wally Parks has done since he started the organization. It sure would be nice them lose their tax free status, after all they're not a charity.

As far as I'm concerned they can get rid of the fuel and alcohol classes and , overhaul "pro stock" , what a joke ( big blocks and carbs ) get the F outta' here...........IHRA has it better , NMCA and NSCA or any of the heads up stuff is much more entertaining and relatable to the regular guy.

I agree with Ron on NHRA's safety policy. I know that safety is in everyones best interest but why does it only apply to certain people. I run a S/G S/pro car and at 9.99 have to wear a 2 layer jacket, pants, neck collar and gloves. Tell me why an 8 sec super stock racer has to only wear a jacket. Tell me why I have to change seat belts every 2 years when the local stock car track is every 3 years and those guys crash into eveything. I do believe a part of it is sponsor dollars, If you want backing make it mandatory to use my parts. Hopefully by 08 it will have been reviewed or ammended or something.

I'm not fast enough for that but they can always change the rules... right ?

This is a double edged sword... safety Vs. money Vs. tracks paying for clean ups.

I totally agree about the safety belt rule, two years is BS, mine is up in April, got to tear them out and get them re-sewed.

One of the reasons (not the primary one) for running a dry sump system is to minimize the oil in the pan and reduce the chance of running thru your own oil as the result of a catastrophic engine failure. Unfortunately, the new rule doesn't appear to make any allowances for dry sump systems. Hmmm,... let's see,... where is my list of "outlaw" tracks?

As far as I'm concerned they can get rid of the fuel and alcohol classes and , overhaul "pro stock" , what a joke ( big blocks and carbs ) get the F outta' here...........IHRA has it better , NMCA and NSCA or any of the heads up stuff is much more entertaining and relatable to the regular guy. Amen! Shootout racing is the most fun to watch. I skip the big shows here because it is such a pain as the spectator parking is hosed now at Tulsa. One has to come into the back gate and walk half a mile to the stands. I used to use the boring fuel car's running to take a bathroom break, now i just skip the race altogether. The summers are so hot here that sitting in 100 degree heat on bleachers with no shade and without anything to drink is not something i'm going to do.

Call me nieve or trusting or something like that, but personally I cannot believe that this is just a decision that NHRA decided to make. I would bet almost anything that it is driven by thier insurance carrier. Matter of fact, I would not be a bit surprised if it was the only reason.

That being said, I have driven through a minor trans line leak in the traps at 125 mph and it is no fun at all. I cant imagine a major engine failure with 8 quarts of oil and a bunch of water mixed together !! Anything to improve safety is a good thing. Like someone else said too, if you have a car that runs 9.90's. or even 10.90's for that matter, it is a race car, period. It needs to be assembled, maintained and treated as such. And yes .... that does cost money, like it or not.

"Like someone else said too, if you have a car that runs 9.90's. or even 10.90's for that matter, it is a race car, period. It needs to be assembled, maintained and treated as such."

That's a joke right?

Do you guys really believe NHRA is doing this for safety reasons? More like keeping the little guy (Sportsman racer) from slowing down the the big show.:D

Safety is one reason but rest assured there are others. Not the least of which is the sponsorship contingency program (racers using a mfr's products and displaying their decal that wins or RU's at a national or divisional event gets $$ from that mfr). NHRA needs companies to put up big bucks for contingency awards for every category at every race. The more products racers must buy, the greater the chances for more mfr contingency awards posted. Mfrs must sign up for the entire season. Kind of a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" deal. And guess who gets to keep all excess contingency money left unclaimed at year's end. That's right, NHRA.

IMAKEHP,

I said that guys drop 600+HP in a car and call it race car. I do not agree with saddling an owner with extra costs, but at some point there are probably stats to show the increased carnage as cars cross the 9.90 threshold, and more likely, there are more and more cars going faster every year. Not everyone of them is put together with the most attention to detail.

How is one supposed to get this to fit in a stock chassis car.(see pic) And then later on what happens when we start seeing more fires due to oil saturated engine diapers? Then will fire suppression systems will be mandatory, with a dedicated nozzle directed at the diaper.

Is this diaper supposed to contain the transmission too? Most transmissions hold more fluid than any motor? Safety? yeah right. More and more Sportsman (class and bracket) racers will just steer clear of the big sanctioned races and part of the crowd will go with them. It will be interesting to see what happens.

The last time I lost a rod I was only going about 70 and the oil got all over the rear tires it was like riding on owl sheit!
The front tires had control but the back tires passed me.
I can remember controversy with each and every rule from the NHRA roll cages,trans blankets,safety loops,seat belts you name it.
I don't think the small guys are attracting the customers I don't fly in to Houston and Gainesville to see 8 and 9 sec cars I want to smell NITRO.

Nitro lost me a long time ago. I dont like the Funny Car body styles of today, a wedge with a bubble on it. I would much rather see the body styles of old, more like a production style body. I would rather watch Pro Mods, Pro Stock, 10.5 cars and DR cars myself.

Obviously this raised some hackles....it sure raised mine.

Bob, didn't meant to get in your face about going nines......but I've rarely seen a racer who didn't think "there has to be another tenth in the combo"....and when you are at 10.0....well, that's a nine.

My beef here is that I drive my car to the track. (Ok Joe....I almost always drive it home)

So how am I going to fit whatever they come up with, on my street car and be able to drive it?
Look at the photo posted. NHRA will have to find more than a few manufacturers who can support a wide variety of cars with these required products.

I"m all for safety. But why put it all on the low buck sportsman racers?
Has the NHRA made the race tracks safer for us? Soft barriers etc? NO!

Someone spoke of law suits and NHRA insurance carriers. Does this mean that when I sign the release form at the gate, and assume the risk, that I can still sue? Well then the liability forms need a bunch of work.

Next they might as well outlaw small tire cars that go quicker than....X.XX, because they can get squirrely at some point in the run. And that's just not safe!

I guess there is always street racing.....and I thought the street legal programs of the NHRA were designed to eliminate racing on the street.

Maybe our street legal programs aren't considered ET racing? Maybe we will be exempt? Maybe I read the rule wrong?

Anyway, I emailed my division director and told him to forward the email to NHRA. I suspect more than a few racers around the country will do the same.

Ron

Ron,

I still remember when they mandated the trans blanket. I would think the statistics that have pushed this through have been helped along with the increased use of larger N2O shots. Personally, never lost a rod, but when I raced (way back), we had a decent budget that didn't require cutting corners - but in reality, I never ran better than a 10.50, that next .50-.60 is a big drop. And with bigger drops, comes bigger risks. Now you know why I quit racing.

Ron.............just wait until your track tries to enforce it and then start screaming.....until then.............just ride it out and see. It may be refined to exclude some cars and or tracks...........hell your track may not even enforce it once they see participation drop......................I'm not spending 5-800 bucks on a damn blanket...............hell thats a set of rods right there!

Ron where did you see that rule posted. I looked in my National Dragster but couldn't find it.

Ron where did you see that rule posted. I looked in my National Dragster but couldn't find it.



http://www.nhra.com/content/news.asp?articleid=17364&zoneid=8

Ron.............just wait until your track tries to enforce it and then start screaming.....until then.............just ride it out and see. It may be refined to exclude some cars and or tracks...........hell your track may not even enforce it once they see participation drop......................I'm not spending 5-800 bucks on a damn blanket...............hell thats a set of rods right there!
I wouldn't be surprised if it at least gets modified, or maybe even eliminated altogether after a huge backlash. They backed off the proposed muffler rule for Stock and SS a few years ago.

Nitro lost me a long time ago. I dont like the Funny Car body styles of today, a wedge with a bubble on it. I would much rather see the body styles of old, more like a production style body. I would rather watch Pro Mods, Pro Stock, 10.5 cars and DR cars myself.

I'm with ya Bob! The fuel cars are very impressive to say the least, but once you've seen (felt) them a couple of times, it's all the same after that. Same with all dragster classes IMHO.

So how am I going to fit whatever they come up with, on my street car and be able to drive it?

Ron


I hear ya on this Ron,

It's almost like it's not even worth it anymore to build a fast "street" car with the intension of racing it because if you want to at the strip you pretty much have to turn it into a "race" car anyways like you said.........with all this safety crap.....................that is, unless you plan on street racing it, eventually getting in trouble with authorities, and taking a chance on losing your license....which for some people like myself means I'd lose my JOB.........what a great deal huh?!:angry:

I can see both sides of the diaper rule. I certainly wouldn't like getting oil under my tires running mid 9's at 3450 lbs. But, the SFI tag running the price up is a joke for the sportsman guys.

Also, I just don't see how your gonna come up with diapers to fit every vehicle and have them function as they are supposed to.

For example, many of the Mopars with expensive aluminum race pans have the tie rod centerlink go completely through the oil pan. Early Chevy II's usually have the sumps notched for steering clearance. Side engine mounts will be in the was of the diaper coming up enough to contail oil. Also, many of todays headers are a tight fit as they are, now you gotta squeeze a diaper in there somehow? Lastly, many of the affected vehicles are stock chassis type and oil pan to crossmember clearance will be a big problem. All the diapers I've seen so far are for flat bottom pans like used in dragsters, roadsters, and boats. Now you got a ton of different sump style oil pans which will require specific diapers to fit the pan and chassis combination.

Sounds like a nightmare to enforce for NHRA, and the same goes for the racer to implement and install. IIRC, someone mentioed the bottom of the balancer needs to be inside the diaper as well as the starter and oil filter. The flexplate will be very close and might chew up the diaper as well.

I can see them being a good thing, but a total PITA as well.

Funny thing is, on the sportsman level I've seen just as many slow cars oil the track as I have quicker cars.

I'm with Bob and Jay, I went to the Vegas Street Car Super Nationals this past weekend and if you never been to one GO !! Great doorcar action all day long. Here's a video from Vegas http://www.dragracingtv.com/scsn2006/pro-mod-videos-scsn06-pro-street-qual3.html .

Just to play devil's advocate here for a bit... and this is a very general statement...

Say a company develops a product that they can prove mitigates a real safety issue. The product doesn't solve every problem but certainly does what it was designed to. A sactioning body decides to NOT require the "at risk" cars to use the product. Do you think for a moment that the lawers wouldn't jump all over this and hold the sanctioning body at least partially liable for damages that are bound to occur?

Safety technology marches on... If it's not this gadget now it'll be another gadget later on. I don't see a conspiracy, I think the they're doing what they have to.

You have to know the weight of your piston in bone stock class!!
What happened to just drive to the track race and drive home?

I'm with Bob and Jay, I went to the Vegas Street Car Super Nationals this past weekend and if you never been to one GO !! Great doorcar action all day long. Here's a video from Vegas http://www.dragracingtv.com/scsn2006/pro-mod-videos-scsn06-pro-street-qual3.html .

I was there to and it was badass!!!:D

I spoke with a guy from Champion today. They can easily make custom diapers to fit most any engine/oil pan combination. At this point they are waiting for NHRA to come out with the specific spec for the diaper design, etc. This is supposed to be released after PRI which is the middle of December.

http://www.gochampion.com/Engine%20Diaper%20Main.htm

I spoke with a guy from Champion today. They can easily make custom diapers to fit most any engine/oil pan combination. At this point they are waiting for NHRA to come out with the specific spec for the diaper design, etc. This is supposed to be released after PRI which is the middle of December.

http://www.gochampion.com/Engine%20Diaper%20Main.htm

That certainly looks like something most racers could live with. What are the chances the price will stay $159.00? Also, I don't see any provisions for side motor mounts. I run plates but not everyone does.

Great points regarding the Slopar stuff Todd, always looks weird with the center missing from thier oil pans

From the National Dragster....

"Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, all Comp competitors will be required to have an oil-retention device meeting either SFI Spec 7.1 or 7.2. For Jan. 1, 2008, the same rule will apply for Super Gas, Super Comp, and any E.T. vehicle running 9.99 or quicker or 135 mph or faster. NHRA is developing an implementation strategy for an oil-retention device meeting the SFI specification for the reminder of the NHRA Lucas categories."


You guys hear of this?
Ready to put a diaper on your street driven car?
And pay a bunch of money to do so?

Not to mention that NHRA can't spell remainder!

I suggest that you contact your Div director and bitch.
This is a ploy to make the folks who will eventually produce such a device MAKE MORE MONEY!

Can you say IHRA?

Pure BS!

Jesus, why not wrap the whole car in plastic and hang old tires off the sides for protection!

A car condom?

Ron

you are looking at this the wrong way???????????
this is to stop the oil downs that stop the action!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
every one b!tchs when they pay the enterance fee and only get 2-3 runs...
but you don't want to make it easier for the flow to keep moving and get more runs in!!!!!!!!!!!!
safty is a bonus to this ...a plus if you will................

you are looking at this the wrong way???????????
this is to stop the oil downs that stop the action!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
every one b!tchs when they pay the enterance fee and only get 2-3 runs...
but you don't want to make it easier for the flow to keep moving and get more runs in!!!!!!!!!!!!
safty is a bonus to this ...a plus if you will................

maybe so, but if that's the case, then everyone coming in the gate to run should be required to run one, not just those running 9.99 and quicker.

As I've stated before, even slow cars can and DO oil the track.

yes the do oil down the track..

but the guy running over 100 mph that does an oil down .most times crashes...
and sometimes doesn't walk away..
insurance coverage for tracks is through the roof...
anything to help lower or stagnet the cost... is good for all..
lawyers and liabity's don't help either...
the cars that run fast enough to kill the driver in a crash are the oil downs that are the most important...
and the fast cars are the ones the crowd watches...
keeping the stands full and action flowing is the name of the game...
and tho.. a 15sec. car can oil down the track.. the chance of it killing the driver and stopping the show are nill..

Guess its one more reason to run 10.0's or slower. As there will never be a diaper on my car. SFI tags are getting outta control and from my viewpoint there are more transmissions/diffs/water downs then anything. When will it stop "4 blades" just like the quattro? Seems you cant do anything these days, it just isnt "safe". I better not go outside this winter might slip and fall on the ice... Just my .02 on the matter.

yes the do oil down the track..

but the guy running over 100 mph that does an oil down .most times crashes...
and sometimes doesn't walk away..
insurance coverage for tracks is through the roof...
anything to help lower or stagnet the cost... is good for all..
lawyers and liabity's don't help either...
the cars that run fast enough to kill the driver in a crash are the oil downs that are the most important...
and the fast cars are the ones the crowd watches...
keeping the stands full and action flowing is the name of the game...
and tho.. a 15sec. car can oil down the track.. the chance of it killing the driver and stopping the show are nill..

Seen lots of oil downs this year, lots of them since '99, lots of cars running well over 100mph, a few crashes too, havent seen anyone killed. You are at a bigger risk driving your personal vehicle to the local grocery store at speeds under 55 mph. A 15 second car venting the block or oil pan will stop the show just as long as a 150mph car will, gettin the car stopped may just be a tad more spectacular.;)

Seen lots of oil downs this year, lots of them since '99, lots of cars running well over 100mph, a few crashes too, havent seen anyone killed. You are at a bigger risk driving your personal vehicle to the local grocery store at speeds under 55 mph. A 15 second car venting the block or oil pan will stop the show just as long as a 150mph car will, gettin the car stopped may just be a tad more spectacular.;) Amen, Lots more beaters here lose fluids than really good cars. If you stand one up real high that oil is going right out over the back of a diaper anyhow if the engine lets go. If a rod comes out it will probably go through the pan and the diaper. We broke a transmission pan at a TNT session before the Clash race and Brian got over to the side of the strip with no drama so all the fluid was in one place. An engine diaper wouldn't have changed anything. Just more NHRA "B.S.", trying to appease the insurance companies again.