Competition Plus Team
Since our inception, we have been passionately dedicated to delivering the most accurate, timely, and compelling content in the world of drag racing. Our readers depend on us for the latest news, in-depth features, expert analysis, and exclusive interviews that connect you to the sport’s pulse.
BOBBY BENNETT: LOGIC AND MORE TECH OFFICIALS COULD HAVE PREVENTED A DEBACLE
When I saw the Kalitta Motorsports official statement come across my desk in the newsroom, I was particularly impressed when team General Manager Chad Head stepped up and accepted the consequences of his team’s situation. I could say actions, but for it to be an action, there had to be a deliberate or unintentional act. Truly, this was an NBN (nitro being nitro) scenario.
“Some of the bolts rattled loose during the run and fell into the belly pan,” Team Kalitta General Manager Chad Head said. “The bolts were in place before the run, but some were not in place after because they came loose and fell into the belly pan. That’s on us.
“We respect NHRA as the sanctioning body and understand that safety is always the most important thing. We certainly apologize to our corporate partners, the race fans, and our fellow competitors. We did not win yesterday’s race, but we’re moving on and are now focused on the next race.”
It was perfectly stated and to the point.
Almost 24 hours after Head’s statement of apology, I am still waiting for the NHRA to issue their letter of apology. No, I am not asking them to apologize for doing their job.
What I am asking is for their bean counters to apologize for living on the cheap when it comes to ensuring the tech department has the resources to do their job. NHRA’s budget-makers have done it for years, and once again, a racer and a team have had to pay for their over-frugality.
Having a properly staffed tech department would have been paramount to preventing the debacle, which I have labeled the 24 Hours of NHRA Top Fuel race. Imagine for a moment if the NFL or Major League Baseball decided to cut two officials from a game, and you will get the point I am trying to make here.
Three more tech officials in the staging lanes could have properly vetted that all cars racing in any round had all bolts in the bellhousing. Such a pre-run inspection could have gone a long way to prevent what happened on Sunday.
I am not the most astute technical expert in drag racing mechanics, but I am confident that having bellhousing bolts in the dragster bellypan provides no performance advantage.
What I do know, thanks to the expertise of a retired veteran nitro tuner, is these bolts are essentially a 5/16, which a crewman can only tighten so much without damaging or pulling out the threads. Forget adding thread inserts; the entire bellhousing will need to be returned to the manufacturer for recertification. So, as I understand it, these bolts have a maximum of 25-foot pounds to tighten. However, to be on the safe side, I am told many stay in the 10-pound range.
This unnamed drag racing legend said they used to put tape over the bolts as an added factor of assurance. I wouldn’t suggest trying this out of fear of getting dinged for an unapproved alteration to a part.
So, was NHRA’s ruling heavy-handed?
Yes and no.
Yes, because logic says this was not a deliberate act. It’s kind of like penalizing the guy who blew his Funny Car to smithereens after winning the race and then disqualifying him for not making weight at the scales. He can’t help it because he had parts blown into the next county; no more than Langdon could help prevent bolts from vibrating out of the bellhousing.
Logic should tell NHRA that this was not the same thing as a person bypassing a safety device.
But let’s also consider NHRA’s defense. Their precedent has always been to disqualify the run when they discover a safety violation.
In Langdon’s incident, NHRA deemed the missing bolts as a safety infraction. What happens when there’s a safety infraction? The run is disqualified. But in this case, it was the first time it happened in a final round. If NHRA had deviated from this, they’d have had to go back to every DQ driver and reinstate them over the years.
However, if NHRA’s Tech had checked the bolts in the staging lanes and did a random tightness test, logic would have determined this happened during the run, much like an exploded Funny Car at the scales. However, they couldn’t because there weren’t enough resources for them to do so.
So this brings us to the next issue. Why did drag racing have to wait 24 hours for a race under review for what should have been an open-and-shut case? No one can answer this question, and we will likely find out who broke into the Wayne County Pro Stock shop before we receive a clear answer to why this review took so long to conclude.
The bottom line is that NHRA must do better in providing its tech department with the resources to do the job they are tasked with.
If drag racing is to always maintain its integrity of its product, there are two aspects which NHRA can never skimp on. Those are the sanctity of its timing system and a robust tech team that provides fair competition across the board.
A corporation the size of NHRA will always need upper management to ensure money is constantly flowing in. It also needs to have more technical officials who can perform simple tasks, such as checking bolts and other items, to ensure a team doesn’t have a hard-earned win taken away from them because of something that could have been caught or addressed beforehand.
When NHRA Drag Racing’s institutions lose their credibility, there’s little chance it will return.
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Competition Plus Team
Since our inception, we have been passionately dedicated to delivering the most accurate, timely, and compelling content in the world of drag racing. Our readers depend on us for the latest news, in-depth features, expert analysis, and exclusive interviews that connect you to the sport’s pulse.
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BOBBY BENNETT: LOGIC AND MORE TECH OFFICIALS COULD HAVE PREVENTED A DEBACLE
When I saw the Kalitta Motorsports official statement come across my desk in the newsroom, I was particularly impressed when team General Manager Chad Head stepped up and accepted the consequences of his team’s situation. I could say actions, but for it to be an action, there had to be a deliberate or unintentional act. Truly, this was an NBN (nitro being nitro) scenario.
“Some of the bolts rattled loose during the run and fell into the belly pan,” Team Kalitta General Manager Chad Head said. “The bolts were in place before the run, but some were not in place after because they came loose and fell into the belly pan. That’s on us.
“We respect NHRA as the sanctioning body and understand that safety is always the most important thing. We certainly apologize to our corporate partners, the race fans, and our fellow competitors. We did not win yesterday’s race, but we’re moving on and are now focused on the next race.”
It was perfectly stated and to the point.
Almost 24 hours after Head’s statement of apology, I am still waiting for the NHRA to issue their letter of apology. No, I am not asking them to apologize for doing their job.
What I am asking is for their bean counters to apologize for living on the cheap when it comes to ensuring the tech department has the resources to do their job. NHRA’s budget-makers have done it for years, and once again, a racer and a team have had to pay for their over-frugality.
Having a properly staffed tech department would have been paramount to preventing the debacle, which I have labeled the 24 Hours of NHRA Top Fuel race. Imagine for a moment if the NFL or Major League Baseball decided to cut two officials from a game, and you will get the point I am trying to make here.
Three more tech officials in the staging lanes could have properly vetted that all cars racing in any round had all bolts in the bellhousing. Such a pre-run inspection could have gone a long way to prevent what happened on Sunday.
I am not the most astute technical expert in drag racing mechanics, but I am confident that having bellhousing bolts in the dragster bellypan provides no performance advantage.
What I do know, thanks to the expertise of a retired veteran nitro tuner, is these bolts are essentially a 5/16, which a crewman can only tighten so much without damaging or pulling out the threads. Forget adding thread inserts; the entire bellhousing will need to be returned to the manufacturer for recertification. So, as I understand it, these bolts have a maximum of 25-foot pounds to tighten. However, to be on the safe side, I am told many stay in the 10-pound range.
This unnamed drag racing legend said they used to put tape over the bolts as an added factor of assurance. I wouldn’t suggest trying this out of fear of getting dinged for an unapproved alteration to a part.
So, was NHRA’s ruling heavy-handed?
Yes and no.
Yes, because logic says this was not a deliberate act. It’s kind of like penalizing the guy who blew his Funny Car to smithereens after winning the race and then disqualifying him for not making weight at the scales. He can’t help it because he had parts blown into the next county; no more than Langdon could help prevent bolts from vibrating out of the bellhousing.
Logic should tell NHRA that this was not the same thing as a person bypassing a safety device.
But let’s also consider NHRA’s defense. Their precedent has always been to disqualify the run when they discover a safety violation.
In Langdon’s incident, NHRA deemed the missing bolts as a safety infraction. What happens when there’s a safety infraction? The run is disqualified. But in this case, it was the first time it happened in a final round. If NHRA had deviated from this, they’d have had to go back to every DQ driver and reinstate them over the years.
However, if NHRA’s Tech had checked the bolts in the staging lanes and did a random tightness test, logic would have determined this happened during the run, much like an exploded Funny Car at the scales. However, they couldn’t because there weren’t enough resources for them to do so.
So this brings us to the next issue. Why did drag racing have to wait 24 hours for a race under review for what should have been an open-and-shut case? No one can answer this question, and we will likely find out who broke into the Wayne County Pro Stock shop before we receive a clear answer to why this review took so long to conclude.
The bottom line is that NHRA must do better in providing its tech department with the resources to do the job they are tasked with.
If drag racing is to always maintain its integrity of its product, there are two aspects which NHRA can never skimp on. Those are the sanctity of its timing system and a robust tech team that provides fair competition across the board.
A corporation the size of NHRA will always need upper management to ensure money is constantly flowing in. It also needs to have more technical officials who can perform simple tasks, such as checking bolts and other items, to ensure a team doesn’t have a hard-earned win taken away from them because of something that could have been caught or addressed beforehand.
When NHRA Drag Racing’s institutions lose their credibility, there’s little chance it will return.
John Doe
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BOBBY BENNETT: LOGIC AND MORE TECH OFFICIALS COULD HAVE PREVENTED A DEBACLE
When I saw the Kalitta Motorsports official statement come across my desk in the newsroom, I was particularly impressed when team General Manager Chad Head