All three men opined that it would cost them
$80-$100,000 in research and development costs
just to get back to where they are now.
"After the rule change last year I spent 14
days on the dyno and blew up two engines to
get the horsepower back that the last rule change
cost me," said Oddy.
I spoke with a half dozen of the better supercharger
racers and they all expressed basically the
same thoughts. One racer who didn't want to
be identified said, "We've gone through so many
rule changes designed to slow us down and I've
spent so much money trying to keep competitive
that I'm seriously thinking of quitting. I just
can't spend the time and money anymore. Maybe
I'll just park my stuff."
The other sentiment the supercharger racers
shared was their disgust with the way that IHRA
seems to go about making rule changes. Mike
Janis told me that Saturday (April 24) at Rockingham
he confronted IHRA Tech Director Mike Baker
and asked if the rumor of a rule change had
any truth to it. According to Janis, Baker replied,
"No! That's just a rumor that Burk put up on
his website (Drag Racing Online). We aren't
thinking of making a rule change."
Just for the record, I heard the day after
the race at San Antonio that a member of a prominent
nitrous team was telling anyone who would listen
that before the IHRA race at Virginia there
would be a rule change that would put the blower
overdrive at a max of 20 percent. I emailed
IHRA's Mike Baker on the April 19 and left a
voice mail with Skooter Peaco the same day about
the subject and got no answer. We put up a 1320
note on the 20th stating that a 20 percent overdrive
rule change could happen before Virginia.
I then asked both men about the rumor while
at Rockingham and got no answer. It appears
that IHRA had made up their minds about some
of the rule changes prior to then, doesn't it?
IHRA president Bill Bader told me at Rockingham
that he had instructed Mike Baker that he wanted
"both supercharged cars and nitrous cars in
Pro Mod."
As far as I can tell they had a mix of both
powerplants, but evidently the mix wasn't right
and rules were made apparently to ensure that
more nitrous cars not only made the field but
qualified in the top half of the field.
For the supercharged racers there are two big
questions. What will be the cost to get back
to the performance levels they had before the
rule change and, if they do get back, what will
be their reward from IHRA for all of the hard
and expensive work? The new rules may very well
accomplish what was desired, but the question
is at what price?In the meantime NHRA Pro Mod
racers will have a couple of events at 25 over
-- Bristol and Chicago -- and the nitrous racers
will have the same two races to test and perfect
traction control. The IHRA race at Virginia
Motorsports Park could be the beginning of a
new era in Pro Mod and the end of another.
The supercharged racers have repeatedly had
to bear the enormous cost of all of the changes
mandated by IHRA. After each restriction they
have worked to improve their performance. The
nitrous racers have made improvements in their
on-track times and speeds, but at considerably
less cost.
If the nitrous racers cannot or will not increase
their performance to keep pace with the supercharged
vehicles, perhaps it is time to separate into
two classes rather than slowing down the majority
so the minority can keep up. Nobody suggests
slowing down Larry Dixon because Arlie Langlo
can't make the field. 
What do
you think? Send your email to response@dragracingonline.com.
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