(Words and photos by Darr Hawthorne) – As we get down to the first NHRA Street Legal event this weekend at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, Wednesday’s test session to determine which racecars would pass the Court mandated level of 85 Decibels at the nearest monitoring point.  The results proved to be bittersweet for racers and drag fans. Ray Wilkings, VP And General Manager of the Speedway, led the testing with a track staff to see just what the new 1,800 foot sound attenuation wall could handle.  Track Manager Tracey Fischle invited some of the racers who were expected to show up for the upcoming PSCA and NMCA events in a couple of weeks.

Eyes were focused on the Pro Mods of Scott Oksas, Mike Maggio and John Scialpi – a turbocharged Camaro, a supercharged Camaro and Scialpi’s blown ’57 Chevy, all had run in competition at Auto Club Dragway in the past. According to Manager Tracey Fischle, track personnel had been dragging and prepping the track for a couple of weeks prior to the test,to get some rubber into the inactive racing surface, dormant since March of 2012.

In a controversial decision, the San Bernardino County Courts shuttered the Dragway, the last active, weekly LA area quarter mile dragstrip when a local community group filed suit and won citing environmental and noise issues.  The remedy, based upon multiple sound studies at other tracks, was to build a sound attenuation wall estimated as at additional $1.2 Million over and above the massive costs to defend the lawsuit.

To start the morning sessions, a couple of Super/Street, Super/Gas cars made it down the track, but traction was difficult and even racers with throttle stops and delay boxes often spun their slicks as they launched. Heritage Series NE1 Champion Bobby Cottrell made a solid pass and Joe Glenwinkle launched in his Top Dragster, but all this effort was to test how the sound wall works.

The track was still green as the first of the Pro Mods rolled forward with Mike Maggio in his blown Camaro; his company was a major player in building the Dragway wall.  When Maggio hit the throttle, the tires spun, but the decibels from the burnout were recorded, he motored down the track. John Scialpi in his potent ’57 Chevy made a crossed-up burnout, staged and launched, spinning the tires, but again the sound from the burnout was enough for gathering data.Last was Scott Oksas in his red twin turbo Camaro, who overpowered the track, but the sound level was being recorded at the two remote locations.

Calling a break on the track, Track Manager Tracey Fischle, Ray Wilkings and other track personnel met to compile their information and Wilkings came forward with his observation, “We are getting some good data, but we’ve got some cars that are not going to be able to run here.  We are reaching too much of a decibel level, but the wall is doing what it is supposed to do, it’s showing that the (sound) studies we did are verifying what was showed.”  Wilkings added, “What we did today was to bring out something that we thought would exceed those numbers and, in fact, they are exceeding those numbers.  We proved that the studies were accurate, what they said we could run – we can run, what they said would be borderline were in fact borderline.” Wilkings had been measuring the sound from approximately 1/8 mile, directly north of the dragway starting line, on the other side of the newwall. “Everything was fine, we didn’t even reach a decibel level that exceeded the level of normal traffic on the road.  It was the blown Pro Mod cars that were the problem.”

An observer to the testing was MNCA Event Director Rollie Miller who commented, “We’ll make the decision as to what we’ll be doing over the next few days – all other classes (except Pro Mod) are going to be fine.”  The NMCA Lucas Oil NMCA West Street Car Nationals is scheduled for Auto Club Dragway on March 28 – 30. Pro Mod owner Mike Maggio was humorous in his response, “I love the way the wall looks, its pretty.  We were hoping we could run out here, it’s a half hour from my house!  But it doesn’t look like it, this year we are just going to run at different places.”

Scott Oksas’ Camaro registered only 77 decibels on the burnout, but was philosophical about the day, “I kind of expected this result, and I just came out here to help them with the sound study so they could see what happens.  They’re not going to have a problem with me (turbo Pro Mod), the problem is the blower cars and that stinks, we’ve got to  be able to have blower cars to run these Pro Mod classes.”Sadly for Pro Mod fans, this is going to be a “good neighbor” year for  Auto Club Dragway, but there will still be plenty of fast racecars going  down the track, with a full schedule planned.  The 2015 schedule may allow for some additional “noise” racedays, but only time will tell.  The dragway is open for business!

This Saturday, March 22, marks the first of fourteen scheduled NHRA Street Legal events at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana.

Pro Mod Decibel Level Testing Results from
Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA

 

The results of yesterday’s sound level testing at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana indicated that Blown Roots combinations with Zoomie Headers are over the track’s decibel level limit for 2014.

Therefore, the Blown Roots combinations with their current exhaust configuration will not be able to run in NMCA WEST Pro Mod Competition at the three Fontana events.  They will be able to compete without any issues at both Pomona and Las Vegas.

 

“The Pro Mod Class will still be contested at the three Fontana events with Turbo, Naturally Aspirated, Nitrous, and Centrifugal Supercharger combinations,” said Rollie Miller, National Event Director at NMCA WEST. 

 

Miller added, “If Blown Roots Blower combinations can modify their exhaust and come in under the 85db limit, they may compete at Fontana in NMCA WEST Pro Mod.  John Scialpi is currently working on several header and exhaust baffle/muffler combinations with Flowmaster and will attempt a sound test in coming weeks to see if any of his combinations will adhere to the decibel limit.”

 

If any Pro Mod competitors have questions regarding this situation, please contact Rollie Miller at ProMedia headquarters by calling 714.444.2426 or by email to [email protected].