Steve Gibbs of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum has issued a memo to the competitors in Nostalgia Top Fuel following the 2012 NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion that addresses the concerns the organization has about the number of oil downs and down time generated by the cars. During the event, there were 14 N/TF cars and those 14 cars generated nearly three hours of downtime, according to the memo (which you can read below). If you watched our live broadcast of the race, you remember that it seemed every pair lubricated the track or caused the track crew to check for oil or other liquid on the surface. By contrast, there were more than 30 Nitro Funny Cars on the grounds and they generated a total of 31-minutes of down time over the course of the weekend. It seems as though the oil downs from N/TF were the last straw for the museum as this memo intimates changes that may be coming for the 2013 season, including a reduction in the size of the field from 16 to eight cars.
Darr Hawthorne of DragRacingOnline posted a copy of the memo on Facebook yesterday. Read it below:
To: Nostalgia Top Fuel Participants
From: Steve Gibbs
Re: Continuing Oildown Occurences
I hope you will forgive the blunt nature of this bulletin, but the continuing oil down problems leave no choice but to take firm action. This past weekend, at The California Hot Rod Reunion, we had 14 Nostalgia Top Fuel Cars competing, and experienced 2 hours and 44 minutes of downtime due to track cleanup caused by oil downs from cars in the class. (Nostalgia Funny Cars had 34 cars competing, and had a total of 31 minutes of cleanup time.) Sunday’s eliminations were concluded at 8 p.m., rather than the scheduled time of 5:30. This was detrimental to the event and cannot continue.
It is apparent that the class rules and policies, as they are now written, are conducive to parts attrition and we have been collectively unable…or unwilling to modify rules and/or behavior, as to improve the situation.
Track operators have been unable to agree on a uniform policy for oil downs, so we have continued with much talk…and little action. Please be advised that the following changes are under consideration for the 2013 California Hot Rod Reunion:
Nostalgia Top Fuel Eliminator – If contested – will be reduced to an 8 car field due to lack of participation.
I was there and yeah it was a slow program because of the oil downs. A pair would run and then you had to wait 20 minutes while they cleaned up the track. Kind of reminded of the days at OCIR when we ran the Manufactures Meets or 64 Funny Car events and we wouldn’t get done until 2 or 3 in the morning. Maybe they need bigger diapers???
maybe they need bigger tires (like N/FC) so they don’t have to rpm the guts out of the motor?
I visited the reunion from the Uk and saw some of the best racing I have ever seen,
maybe there are ways to limit oil downs, given the current finicial times we need to encourage these guys to bring out ther motors not punish them, Come to europe and
may be wait for a couple of days to see a race due to weather etc.But I can truely say
3 hours of down time is a small price to pay after a 5 day round trip.
I’m waiting for the Chadmouth review on this, but I already know I agree with most of the stuff he’s going to say.
Sure seems like NHRA is really putting the hammer down here, but they haven’t addressed changing the rules which would help NTF teams put on a good (if not better) show for the fans.
Chad? Where’s that mouth of yours?
Give the diggers bigger fuel pumps!
they have out lawed themselves as for as Real Drag Racing.