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Quarter mile drag racing ?
https://www.tbk-light.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=7182		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Xen [ Thu Nov 03, 2011 8:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Quarter mile drag racing ?
For few years now the 1000ft is the standard in US drag racing, but I was wondering if there was any event (maybe outside the official calendar) that are still using the old 402m length ?
Author:  Tommy Vercetti [ Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
I want to say the IHRA, but I'm not sure if they still exist. Pretty sure the European drag racing sanctioning bodies still use the 1280 ft strip.
Author:  Gabriel [ Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
Why it was shortened anyway?

was it because of Kalitta's crash?
Author:  Tommy Vercetti [ Fri Nov 04, 2011 3:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
Pretty much.
Author:  KingOfChins [ Fri Nov 04, 2011 3:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
Tommy Vercetti wrote:
I want to say the IHRA, but I'm not sure if they still exist. Pretty sure the European drag racing sanctioning bodies still use the 1280 ft strip.

Yeah, IHRA is still around. Incredibly.
Author:  joha107 [ Fri Nov 04, 2011 3:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
Should be noted that Top Fuel and Funny Car are the only NHRA classes that use the shorter course, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle still run the full quarter mile.
Author:  smokyburnout [ Fri Nov 04, 2011 5:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
Oooh! I wanted the bring up this topic after Don Garlits was interviewed on Wind Tunnel a few weeks back, but they took their sweet time putting the interview online, and then I forgot.

Basically, he wants to cut the fuel cars down to 6000 horsepower, go back to the quarter mile, but add an annual event where power is unlimited and they make single-car runs to set speed records.
Author:  K_Sherman [ Fri Nov 04, 2011 3:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
That sounds like it could be a good idea. If they did ever do something like that, it would of course mean that the 1/4 mile track records would be untouched from there on out, unless they added another asterik in the record books for championship points reasons.

Also would the annual speed record event be a points paying even or just an exhibition? Either way it would be an incredible event to watch.
Author:  Xen [ Fri Nov 04, 2011 4:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
Why do you want to reduce the power to 6000 ? Ok to most people it doesn't make any difference, or even makes any sense at all to have such power, but still. The distance has already been reduced and honestly I would rather see 1/4 race with 6000bhp than 1000ft with 9000bhp ! :)
Author:  K_Sherman [ Fri Nov 04, 2011 4:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
Well yea, that's what Garlits was saying. Go back to the 1/4 mile with reduced horsepower.

I still think racing to the 1000ft mark was a knee jerk reaction, and the NHRA hasn't really done anything since to work back to the normal distance. The Englishtown raceway where Kalitta was killed has probably the shortest runoff area of any track the NHRA races on, which was followed by a concrete barrier and then trees. After that, they installed the new safety area with fencing on both sides and the sand barrels and safety nets. The next year there were two alcohol funny cars that went off the end of the track at a high rate of speed. Then another year after that, an alcohol dragster driver was killed, ironically enough by the safety net causing the chassis to basically fold back into the cockpit. It's just a very short race track.

But there are several other tracks with more than enough runoff area where these problems don't really occur. Say a car's parachutes fail to deploy. Sometimes the car would get to the sand trap and would be going fast enough to send the car upside down or something. But most cases I can remember, the car barely gets to the sand trap. I know that wasn't what happened to Kalitta's car, but again, his accident was simply a combination of very bad factors coming togther, which seems to be the case in any fatal incident.
Author:  NVirkkula [ Fri Nov 04, 2011 5:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
Yeah, I agree with what TheShermanator said.

Knee jerk reaction after one unlucky accident in bad circumstances. Top Fuel dragsters not doing quarter mile runs is like IndyCar would run the Indianapolis 150, NASCAR would have Daytona 100 and F1 would replace Monaco with Valencia. *cold shivers*

It's not that long time ago when Top Fuel had this 4-wide concept for 1000ft tracks. As awesome it looks, it's more dangerous than two cars doing the quarter.

[youtubeidiot]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elfrb181oaI[/youtubeidiot]


They should have unlimited power races for two cars on quarter miles and those 4-wide runs on 1000ft tracks.
Author:  Xen [ Mon Nov 07, 2011 9:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
I completely agree with Niko ! And yea sorry Shermanator I didn't read properly :oops: I think rather than reducing the length of the race, they should have made the strips longer, and make that mandatory. But I guess its life. I'm still enjoying drag racing, but imo it was just to more powerfully better before (as you always say). :)
Author:  smokyburnout [ Mon Nov 07, 2011 7:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Quarter mile drag racing ?
The whole idea behind shortening the tracks to 1000 feet is that it allows for a longer shutdown area on some of the ancient tracks the NHRA races at where the runoff area can't possibly be extended. It would be silly to only use that format at Charlotte's modern (built in 2008) strip which has half a mile of runoff.
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