GAMBLING ON THE VEGAS TEST SESSION?
The NHRA’s Vice President of Racing Operations Graham Light said he
felt compelled to notify the Las Vegas Motor Speedway management of his
safety concerns. He felt the need to express his concerns regarding
tires and the effect over-prepping the track can have on them at the
forthcoming Nitro Blast Off event scheduled, January 18 – 20, 2008.So concerned was Light that he first notified LVMS management in December. Reportedly when LVMS brass didn’t immediately respond in the way Light had hoped, the NHRA executive conveyed those concerns with P.R.O. President Kenny Bernstein. Bernstein said he then shared them with the members of his organization at the request of Light.
That course of action then prompted LVMS General Manager Chris Powell to issue a statement on Tuesday evening saying the event will carry on as planned.
NHRA, P.R.O. Expresses Concern; LVMS Says Show Will Go
So concerned was Light that he first notified LVMS management in December. Reportedly when LVMS brass didn’t immediately respond in the way Light had hoped, the NHRA executive conveyed those concerns with P.R.O. President Kenny Bernstein. Bernstein said he then shared them with the members of his organization at the request of Light.
That course of action then prompted LVMS General Manager Chris Powell to issue a statement on Tuesday evening saying the event will carry on as planned.
Have these concerns and the subsequent actions essentially sabotaged the event?
The letter issued by Bernstein pointed out the event wouldn’t be “sanctioned” by the NHRA, a term that is now being labeled as the wrong choice of wording by both Light and LVMS General Manager Chris Powell. The statement also pointed out that neither the NHRA’s technical department nor does the Safety Safari would be in attendance.
Powell confirmed that the NHRA has never had their equipment as part of the support equipment for one of his test sessions and there’s nothing different about this year’s January test session than there was in year’s past.
When the concern was raised with us, we had a responsibility to share that concern with Las Vegas Motor Speedway and we did. Then I mentioned to Kenny that I had shared that with Chris Powell and Chris Blair. He notified his membership. There are a number of concerns raised by a number of teams and we share those concerns based on the conditions. We have a responsibility to let everyone know of those concerns - Graham Light, NHRA VP of Racing Operations
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
A source familiar with the test session confirmed that LVMS had always performed their own technical inspections and the times that NHRA tech officials were present was to get a head start on body certifications
for the upcoming season.
The only difference this year as opposed to the other sessions is the NHRA has voiced their concern over track prep and the potential for tire related safety issues.
What prompted Light to issue those concerns? Light blamed it on a number of teams that had already contacted his office regarding the issue.
We’re opening the gates for those who want to test and we can provide a great facility,” Powell said. “That’s not to mention a great city where they can test. We hope they will come and learn a lot from the test session so they can be more effective during the regular session. - Chris Blair, GM of LVMS
“There were a number of teams that expressed concerns with running there at his time of the year,” Light said. “It can typically be very cool at this time of the year. The track is a very good surface. It’s been prepped very heavily in the past and that combination of coolness and so on can result in and has resulted in tire issues.
“When the concern was raised with us, we had a responsibility to share that concern with Las Vegas Motor Speedway and we did. Then I mentioned to Kenny that I had shared that with Chris Powell and Chris Blair. He
notified his membership. There are a number of concerns raised by a number of teams and we share those concerns based on the conditions. We have a responsibility to let everyone know of those concerns.
“If they go and run that’s up to them. If Las Vegas still wants to run – that’s up to them. We didn’t tell them they couldn’t do it. Someone expresses concern and you have concern, you have a duty to notify all parties.”
Would expressing his concerns relieve the NHRA of any legal liability?
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
Powell said that he took Light's concerns into consideration and will actively seek the counsel of the various crew chiefs to avoid “over-prepping” the track. He said safety has always been the top priority and friendliness number two.
“We’re opening the gates for those who want to test and we can provide a great facility,” Powell said. “That’s not to mention a great city where they can test. We hope they will come and learn a lot from the test session so they can be more effective during the regular session.
But, why aren’t we working together to forward this sport? That takes the teams, the sanctioning body and Goodyear. If those are the tires we are required to run, they need to be there. They need to prep the track just like at a national event. Dan Olson would need to look at it, judge the weather and determine the correct mix. By them not being there it is bad – especially when we have all of these chassis changes and now the 90% -- they need to be there to see what is happening. - Jim Oberhofer, Crew chief Kalitta Motorsports
“As I said in a letter I wrote, we have been the launching pad for a lot of technological advances. We have bent over backwards to help drivers get their licenses. We have done everything we can do in the name of serving the competitors so they can have better seasons.”
In a responsive statement issued by Powell concerning the P.R.O. letter, nitro racers will be limited to only this session and their traditional Last Chance/Pro Stock Super Bowl is reserved for only Pro Stock vehicles. This is a change from last season’s policy. The change is largely due to the manner in which the track is prepared.
Powell commented the Pro Stock teams prefer more spray while the nitro cars demand less. The February session, according to Powell, is one that was specifically reserved for Pro Stockers but his track made exceptions to accommodate nitro racers.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
Don Schumacher Racing made the early decision to stay away from the session prior to this issue being raised.
“We are very sensitive that Chris Blair has scheduled this,” Schumacher said. “It is out there if teams want to attend, but I will not be sending any of my teams to this. The conditions are not conducive to accomplishing what you want to achieve at a test session because it is too cold at that time of the year. You have to wait until about 2 PM before you can consider making a run because it gets so cold at night there.
“We just don’t feel it is beneficial for us to come out there.”
According to one of the Pro Stock teams testing at the second event, their temperature gauges showed a reading of 63.8 degrees that rose to 70.5 degrees by 2 PM. The ambient temperature is not the key to their
success and when that number drops below 70-degrees, the amount of valuable data accrued is extremely limited.
Johnny West, veteran crew chief, was in Las Vegas for the second test session and pointed out that it was cold, despite what the air temperature may have indicated. In his assessment, “We couldn’t get enough clothes on that day, trying to stay warm.”
West indicated that prior to Knoll’s recent announcements the team’s had planned to skip the Vegas sessions because of the expense incurred chasing conditions that were likely “Star Wars.”
While Will’s accident was cited by Light as one of his concerns when related to the tire issue, Kalitta Motorsports crew chief Jim Oberhofer isn’t sold on the weather, LVMS track prep and the subsequent tire
issues being the reason for Will’s crash. He believes there was another reason for her mishap.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
| |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
“There were cars going out there and smoking the tires before we ran,” Oberhofer said. “To me, I didn’t feel the track was all that great. It if had run all out on that run, we were looking at no better than a 4.66
at 316. We were struggling just to make it down. We had backed it completely down because we were trying to get from point ‘a’ to point b.”
Oberhofer said he didn’t feel the track was near as good the second time around as it was the first.
“I think our tire problem was a bonding issue,” said Oberhofer. “Goodyear said it wasn’t, but if that’s the case then why did they recall a bunch of tires? There was a significant amount of tread that was coming off early in the run. I have a picture of the car with tread coming off and that was at half-track. In my opinion, I don’t think the track had a thing to do with it.
“What everyone seems to forget is the tire that was on Hillary Will’s car was one serial number away from the one that was on Jack Beckman’s car that had the tread coming off in Phoenix the week before.”
Oberhofer confirmed that Kalitta Motorsports will have two cars in Vegas – Scott Kalitta and David Grubnic. Doug Kalitta and Hillary Will are scheduled to participate in a sponsor function that weekend.
Oberhofer scratches his head in amazement surrounding this controversy brewing between the NHRA, P.R.O. and LVMS. He wonders why the NHRA doesn’t support these test sessions, especially this one upcoming in Las Vegas.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
“It would be nice if they stepped up and prepped the track for both the Vegas and Phoenix test session. That way we are running under the conditions they would want us to run under. I don’t know why they don’t
do it. If we are supposed to be in this together – then we need to be in this together. But, we are not. I understand they don’t want to be involved in case someone crashes and God forbid something happens
because of a tire deal, I understand that.
“But, why aren’t we working together to forward this sport? That takes the teams, the sanctioning body and Goodyear. If those are the tires we are required to run, they need to be there. They need to prep the track
just like at a national event. Dan Olson would need to look at it, judge the weather and determine the correct mix. By them not being there it is bad – especially when we have all of these chassis changes and now the
90% -- they need to be there to see what is happening.”
As an aside, Goodyear officials are very aware of the issues colder temperatures can cause. The racers are too, especially when chunking, can limit $1,200 dollar set of slicks to just one pass.
“There is concern during that time of the year,” said Carolyn Ashbee, Goodyear Sales and Marketing Manager for Drag Racing. “Temperatures in the 40's can be tough on the tires. Teams tore up a lot of tires during the test session last year because of the combination of cool temperatures and track preparation.”
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
According to Goodyear the D2420 is raced at every track on the NHRA circuit by both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes.
NHRA does have experience when it relates to tire problems and the cold. In 2000, the NHRA postponed their Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ., when cold temperatures led to a series of chunked tires from a strongly
prepared racing surface. A massive tire failure on Whit Bazemore was one of the mitigating circumstances that led Light and the NHRA to call the event off.
Light admitted there is no “calling it quits” temperature line that is clearly defined when it comes to racing nitro cars in frigid conditions.
“In a perfect world it would be great to have that number that determined what was okay and what wasn’t,” Light said. “We don’t live in a perfect world. There are many factors – atmospheric conditions being
one of them. There are different things that play into it. For instance, an ambient temperature of 50-degrees in one location may be fine and another it may not – although the temperature is the same.
“The biggest factor is the track surface. We all know that we have twenty facilities that we run at and no two are alike and the track varies. Some are good, some are pretty good and some are marginal. There’s a whole bunch of variances and it’s hard to come up with one specific temperature where it is good and bad. You can adjust that with the amount of VHT that you put on it. You know it’s going to get cool and at a national event, you have the advantage of running a bunch of cars and you have to scrub everything off.
“In a test session, you don’t. You can run 400 sportsman cars at a national event before a fuel car goes down the track, when you see the temperature dropping, you can slack off on the spray or you can scrub it
off and get back down to reasonable, desirable surface. There are too many variations to have a black and white policy on this like we would all like to have.”
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
Another serious question being bantered around is the reaction of track owner Bruton Smith and whether or not this will have an adverse reaction on his or the track’s relationship with the NHRA in the future.
“This hasn’t even affected Bruton but I will fill him in on it,” Powell said. “It’s a test session and we have test sessions all the time. This doesn’t strain any relationship we have. The only people I have consulted with this issue is Graham Light and I am in line with what he had to say. I want to have a safe facility. We’re going to provide one. We can control the way we prep the track and we will do that to accommodate the fuel cars for our January test.”
Does Powell feel the P.R.O. letter sabotaged his nitro test session?
“No, because P.R.O. has every right to express its opinions,” Powell said. “I don’t know about sabotaging the event, but they certainly have the right to talk within their ranks as they see fit. We also have the right to respond. We look forward to having a great test session. If nobody comes, that’s fine too. This is not a national event. They have a choice to make. We provide the facility and if they choose not to, we’ll miss them – but the sun will come up the next morning.”
Powell said that whether this event will take place in 2009 based on 2008 support would be too much speculation for him. He did add that he didn’t foresee any real change.
With the facts on the line, sources wonder if the NHRA and P.R.O. were justified in their actions and whether LVMS is taking the high road in the situation. Only the weatherman can answer those questions where the high temperatures are slated for 57-degrees both days.
The bottom line, according to Light, is he felt an obligation to say something.
“It’s still a member track and these are NHRA racers,” Light said. “If there is a concern being shared by racers and we share that concern then I think you have to share that with the track operator rather than not say anything. God forbid something happens – then you sit there and say, ‘Man I wish we had said something.”
| {loadposition feedback} |
