Really? Because for decades the factoring has killed, and I mean flat out KILLED packages and they've never been fixed.
All you have to look at is the SS/AH class. Yeah, NHRA gave them their own class. It's certainly not factored correctly as more than half the Challenge competitors at Indy do not qualify for the SS field. Ludicrousness!
Even before the hard index, most of the Indy non-qualifiers were A-AA (before AH) cars. AH is Super Stock's version of Pro Stock. A handful of engine builders supplying the top power, with a few people following behind running yesterday's leftovers. The hard index is to encourage these guys to actually run them out. A few have asked for a 9.50 index, but there are a few cars capable of hitting that magical 1.2 under spot (8.30 on a 9.50) that would get them triggered with horsepower/weight, therefore hurting everyone.
As far as the valve seat replacement, I just sold a pair of AH legal cast iron Hemi heads towards the beginning of the year that were just as they were taken off a running car a few years ago. Every seat had been replaced in those heads.
