I will be running my chevelle at the local track on weekends and have noticed that most cars that are running out there have a roll cage. My interior is completely stripped right now and thought it would be a good time to address this. If I should have one, I would appreciate tips on style, brand, # of attachment points needed and suppliers. Any other "bracket racing" requirements as far as the car setup itself would be appreciated. Thanks y'all ;)
BTW, I hope to be running in the low 12's -high 11's (for now.... :D )

John,
You'll need a roll bar if you are planning on running 11.99 or quicker.

Yup bar/8pt for 11.99 and faster
10pt cage for under ten's

If you plan for it... might as well just go the full cage route now rather then add it later, but a 8 pt bar is much nicer for a street/strip ride

My goal is to run mid-11's ultimately so I guess I will need a cage. Is the "8 pt cage" an NHRA rule ? A 4 pt will not do the trick ? Thanks for your advice and where is the best place to buy this "cage" ? graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Yes, the 8pt is NHRA/IHRA rule. 4-pt cage won't do anything for you at the track.

You might want to check it out at the track, safety wise it is Best to have the Bar atleast. But there are many tracks out there that dont care. I was at 5 differant tracks last year and only went thru tech once. Its kinda scary .. If the main purpose of the car is for the Track, then do a Cage. Alston, Morrison, Comp. Eng. all offer decent cage kits.

There is no rule stating you have to run an 8 point roll bar. The NHRA rule states the minimum accepted for 11.99 ET is a 5 point roll bar. The main hoop is two points, two rear support struts are two more points and a single drivers side bar adds the last and 5th point. Almost everyone simply adds the passenger side diagonal bar for a true 6 point roll bar.

With unmodified fllor pans & firewall, this 5/6 point roll bar is legal all the way down to 10.0 in the 1/4 mile.

Thanks for the additional info guys. graemlins/thumbsup.gif
The two times I have visited this particular track (Sealy, Tx. 1/8 mile IHRA) I have walked around the pits, staging, starting line and have never noticed a car going thru tech. This is from the beginning of the day to the very end. I assume that the staging coordinator or starter would speak up if he saw an obvious violation. The roll cage will be installed nevertheless. :D

IHRA rules are different than the NHRA's. You'll need to check with the IHRA for their specific roll bar rules.

I believe they don't require bars till 11.49, but you need to get the exact specifics from them.

Originally posted by 10secBu:
IHRA rules are different than the NHRA's. You'll need to check with the IHRA for their specific roll bar rules.

I believe they don't require bars till 11.49, but you need to get the exact specifics from them. Will do graemlins/waving.gif

Yes, IHRA wants to see a roll bar at 11.49 or quicker. However, some IHRA tracks have their own additional rules beyond what IHRA says and may require one if running 11.99 or quicker.

I had this discussion last summer with tech at an IHRA track. Ironically, the local NHRA track never had anything to say about me not having a roll bar.

I'm installing an S&W 8 point in a couple weeks so there are no questions next year.

I checked the rules not too long ago, and it says that a full bodied car (chevelle) can run 11s without a roll cage. Something like a mustang or a nova would need a roll cage though. That was for NHRA, but I'm not sure how current they were. My track was recently picked up on a 3 year lease this year by the IHRA... Sounds like I'll be installing a cage now?

*EDIT* I thought my track was being leased by the IHRA, but its actually the ODRA (the Oregon Drag Racing Assoc.) I wonder what their rules are. I hear that the track promoter (Super ODRA guy) talked police places around here into changing the street racing ticket to, working at the track for a weekend, and then you have to race for 5 weeks at the track, instead of paying a huge fine. It sounds kinda loopy to me, but if it's true I sure wish this guy was around when I got mine last summer. :(