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THE GAME’S THE SAME,
’THOUGH THE RULES HAVE CHANGED
Despite the Y2K uneasiness about the new NHRA rules changes, the Winternationals
at Pomona were equal parts success and weirdness. By lowering the percentage
of nitro for the fuel cars, oildowns were dramatically reduced, but
the brainsplitting noise from these savages was also trimmed too. By
about 10- to 15-percent, I’d say. The 75-minutes between pro rounds
did not cause any mutinies, but fortunately and possibly because of
the new nitro percentage rule, there was little in the way of nuclear
blasts on track. The subsequent $500 fine for oildowns also produced
no rebellions, and surprisingly didn’t spark a lot of ire from
what I saw.
In terms of performance, the Top Fuel cars were off a tenth and down
by about 3 to 4 mph. Funny Car was off by less than a tenth. In fact,
Tony Pedregon’s 4.83 could build a strong case for the cars' not
being off at all. However, the mile per hour was down noticeably with
winner Jerry Toliver’s 313-mph off by about 7 to 8 mph. All in
all, watching the nitro cars was like watching them through glass, still
a great show, but something seemed to be missing ... at least for veteran
racewatchers.
— Chris Martin
Let’s keep it moving, folks
Seventy-five minutes between rounds? How about 60? According to insiders,
one hour is the target time for pro rounds although there doesn't seem
to be a hard-and-fast date for implementation. Sixty minute rounds would
mean four hour shows. That's great for television. But at what point
is the show so compact that race fans feel like they aren't getting
enough bang for their buck? Food for thought.
— Dave Densmore
Pomona pre-race predictions
A tour of the pits during qualifying produced a number of varied responses
to the new rules. After Thursday’s solo pro session, Joe Amato’s
4.66 and John Force’s 4.95 led Top Fuel and Funny Car respectively
with just nine Top Fuelers in the fours. Off of that session, a number
of drivers, mechanics and manufacturers had opinions as to future performances
and trends based on the rules changes. It’s a brow archer to look
back at these remarks in light of what happened at Pomona.
Tim Richards (Chuck Etchells FC)
- "There has been a definite loss of power and the cars won’t
go as fast as they used to. It’s hard to say how much because
we’re all learning a new tune-up and it’s not something
that just falls into place. I think as the year goes on, you’ll
see the cars pick up at the good tracks and in good conditions.
If you can run 4.90s in a Funny Car this year, you’ll be competitive.
Overall, I have no problem with the 90-percent rule, I think the
more nitro you have the greater the destructive potential.
As for the 75-minute rule, I dunno. I’ll say this that if
a team sustains chassis damage or burns a computer and the plumbing
on a run ... well, they’re gone. They’ll need a huge
crew to get back in the game."
Connie Kalitta (Top Fuel)
"Our team got hit with the first $500 fine (Doug Kalitta
on Thursday), but I’m not mad at all. I had gotten a new dry
sump and it malfunctioned and we got some oil down. 99-percent of
the time if you’ve done your job, that stuff ain’t gonna
happen. The car won’t have a problem. It’s when you start
tweakin’ and twistin’ and messing with it that you blow
out oil. We don’t need that stuff. Just use your head and tune
your car. I can live with that rule and the other ones."-
Kenny Bernstein (Top Fuel)
"In our Arizona test sessions, we ran the 90-percent limit
and I think what we experienced tells you a lot about how I feel
on the new rules regarding nitro. We ran at both Tucson and Phoenix
and used just two sets of heads. Normally on that many runs, we
use up 10 or 12 sets of heads. The amount of internal damage was
greatly reduced."-
Nick Arias (Manufacturer)
"If you’re running 90-percent nitro, you’ve got 10-percent
extra alcohol. I think alcohol provides a better fuse and the fuel
burns better. I think you’ll also see some of the unsponsored
guys step up with the 90-percent rule. The reduced volatility in
the fuel helps guys like Bobby Baldwin who has trouble with the
big loads. He ran a 4.82 today, which will put him in the show.
The racing will definitely be cleaner."-
Bob Stange (Manufacturer)
"The new rules? Nuthin’ to panic about. Give the racers
six months with the rules and things will be back where they were.
You look at any type of racing when new rules are put in and what
happens? The racers figure ‘em out and go faster. You can’t
slow them down."-
Dale Armstrong (WWF Funny Car)
"Whatever power we were makin’ in 1999, we’ll be
making in two or three races. I’ll tell you how we’ll
do it; high compression, more intake manifold pressure and boost
the blower speed among other things. The 90-percent means you can
squeeze the car harder. Methanol is like lead in gasoline, you get
a higher octane. There’s a lot of smart guys out there and
they’ll just find some way to circumvent the rule. The rule
will prove to be only a momentary solution. These guys’ll be
throwing bombs at each other soon enough, wait and see."
— CM
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