NHRA issued a statement on March 16, 2023, declaring Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Top Fuel champion Mike Salinas committed a rules infraction and, while he’d been declared the winner, was docked 20 points.
The infraction, which isn’t clearly defined on nhraracer.com, was described by NHRA’s Jeffrey Young in a statement for CompetitionPlus.com.
“The NHRA tech department made a mathematical error in weighing the car,” Young said.
From what CompetitionPlus.com learned in its investigation, NHRA weighs race cars in competition regularly. The data is then relayed to the teams if their car adheres to minimum weight standards.
According to a source, incorrect information was reportedly conveyed to the team, which led to a mistake. NHRA’s rulebook has always clearly defined the responsibility of weight as that of the team.
Salinas declined to comment on the issue. He is eligible to appeal the decision by NHRA. With the 20-point deduction, runner-up Steve Torrence now leads the Top Fuel points by 16 points heading into next week.
At next week’s #2Fast#2Tasty Challenge during the NHRA Arizona Nationals, Salinas and Torrence could race one another again during Saturday’s qualifying for bonus cash.
