Very uncertain times

If you read a tech card before you sign it you will find you are responsible for having the proper safety equipment. After all they aren’t paid baby sitters.

$235? Around here they charge $350

I paid $400 to have the guy come to my house, and certify mine. You show up at a track that goes 7 tenths under the limit, without all the proper "money grab" requirements, and you are lucky they didn't tell you to just go home.

You got to love the current NHRA management logic - you are a "not for profit" organization so you need sponsor dollars to exist - your major sponsor breaks the contract early for probably for some legit business reason. I am sure Coke does not want the bad press but they made the decision to cancel. For NHRA to file legal action is just ridiculous and detrimental to their existence - all that does is make securing new sponsorship much more difficult. They should have just issued a press release thanking Coke for the good times etc... I think all this pretty much confirms NHRA is filing bankruptcy later this year - stick a fork in it - it's done!

Yes, nice car and so is the guy who owns it. The tech guy may be working for NMCA but apparently he's qualified to do NHRA chassis certs. My buddy was at BG two weeks ago and ran their weekly bracket program with no issues.

As I previous posted, I understand the safety requirements on theses cars and without any tech there would be a lot of death traps on the track. I still say it was a money grab, cert the chassis, collect the money and don't ask about anything else. They got some extra cash, my buddy got to race and made his money back several times over, all is good.

In the end it is what it is.

I have no issues with any technical requirements for my car. My gripe is that seat belts don't wear out in a couple years, my car sits in a trailer sunlight is not an issue. And is not an issue for 99% of most cars. It was just done so the seat belt manufactures had enough business to pay their insurance bills. Helmet dates the same deal.

And I don't mind getting my chassis certified, or wearing a hot heavy fire suit. But if you really want to make cars safer, do a once a year or so good technical inspection, put a sticker on the car and let people race. When I say a good technical inspection, check things like brakes, ball joints, front end alignment, tire dates of manufacture, etc. To tell you the truth it kind of makes me mad when I fill out the card and go to tech and the guy looks at the seat belt date, and says it's good, how the hell does he know it's good? I like when a good tech guy looks over the car makes suggestions and compliments me on my work.

I agree about the whole tech thing. My local tracks don't really look for crap. There's guys running 6.20s in the 1/8 with roll bars, open face helmets, so I'm sure they don't have any of the extra stuff needed either. Now 6.40 is supposed to be the cut off for 10.00 in the 1/4 and granted it typically takes a mid 6.30ish to run a 9.99, but they will tell some to slow their car down, while they let others continue to go faster than that. Not to mention some guys in Mod/Pro have a delay box IN their car when running Mod/Pro. I know what my junk needs and yes my CSR trans shield is past its expiration date, but its on the car along with all the other stuff I need to run the 10.70s I run. I even put a diaper on the car, not because I need it, but for my own sake in case something happens. Some of the cars I see run are down right scary. Had a guy a few years ago roll a mid 11's sec mustang. He got all kinds of stupid loose around the 1/8 mile. When I went to look at the car as they were loading it up the cords were showing on the slicks.... Basic checks by the tech guys would be greatly appreciated by many racers. If a racer has an issue and gets mad, it's for their own safety and safety of others, get over it.

I race almost every weekend tech is strict at my local track a lot of people especially test and tuners complain but the rules are there for the racers own good. Yes some rules are nuts like the two year seat belt expiration but thats the rule so we have to abide by it. I run 11.50 index and recently raced at two tracks not my home track and I can't believe how many cars competing in the class have no roll bars, sure the rules say 11.49 and faster roll bar required but most of the cars are fully capable of going much faster, I guess as long as the dial is 11.50 they think its ok. NHRA is wasting their time trying to sue Coke I guess the NHRA suits see their huge/ overpaid salaries in jeopardy and have to try and do something to protect them, do they really think Coke didn't go over this with their legal team before they canceled the contract.

I am sure the contract was for a full race season each year at all the major cities around the country for maximum product exposure but with all the cancellations and several the races just being held at Indy do you blame Coke for dropping the sponsorship deal.

NHRA got sued by and was force to change it's non profit status in CA years ago for having more money in their accounts at the end of more than one year to operate the next year.
I've race at NHRA national and divisional races since 1973 when almost every major automotive manufacturer of after market parts had race reps at the events and offer contingency money for winning and running their stickers, they would pay you after sending in the required paper work from NHRA showing you won and had the required decals on your car. Those company had set a budget for paying and kept what they didn't pay out at the end of the year.
Around 1976 NHRA decided to take over paying out that money and made those company that decided to stay with them on that new program pay them the entire amount budgeted for the pay outs, any money left over at the end of the year NHRA put into their general fund for operating and paying expenses the next year. About 80% of those sponsors drop out
Don't talk to me about NHRA being a legit non profit , especially when they are paying their top executives big wages and bonuses to keep their non profit status intact
I think of them this way, if you have to be bit by a snake do you want it to be a Rattlesnake or a King snake

This Weeks NHRA Insider Podcast touches on this some and was a good listen.