NHRA ADDS PRO MOD CLASSES FOR 2001 AND EFI FOR 2002

by Jeff Burk

In an announcement that stunned the drag racing world, NHRA released proposed rule changes for 2001 and 2002 that, if made official, will radically change drag racing for the 21st century.

NHRA dropped a couple of bombshells on the drag racing public by announcing that they were considering adding new classes to the Competition Eliminator division for 2001 and drastically changing the rules in both Pro Stock and Pro Stock Truck for 2002.

The proposal which adds both supercharged and nitrous oxide-injected Pro Modified classes to the Competition Eliminator division for the 2001 season was perhaps the most significant change as it would drastically affect both IHRA and NHRA tracks and competitors.

The immediate response from some Pro Modified competitors was mixed. IHRA Pro Mod racer Quain Stott, who is sponsored by Lee Boy, said about NHRA’s announcement, "At first I was really excited because I had heard that it (the class) was going to be a heads-up Pro class. Then we found out it was going to be an NHRA sportsman class and be run on an index. At first our sponsors were really excited but when they found out that NHRA was going to bring in Pro Modified as a sportsman class they told me they had no interest in doing that and neither do I."

That doesn’t mean that Stott won’t run any of the NHRA events.

"I will probably make a couple of the NHRA events. I would definitely go to the NHRA event at Atlanta since it is just a couple of hours from my shop," said Stott. "Don’t get me wrong, I’m very exited about NHRA having a Pro Mod class and glad they did it but I‘m just not interested in racing in a sportsman class and neither is my sponsor."

Current IHRA points leader Jim Oddy is also very interested in the NHRA Pro Mod program, but as with Stott, his sponsor’s interests would keep him from running a full NHRA schedule.

"Summit wants us to run the full IHRA schedule next year and that is what we will do, " said Oddy. "We will run for the IHRA Championship again next year."

Like Stott, Oddy is interested in running selected NHRA events as long as they don’t conflict with IHRA dates. "We would probably run the Columbus and Las Vegas (races) because of Summit’s connection with those events and I would really like to run at the U.S. Nationals."

It appears at least on the surface that the decision by NHRA to have Pro Modifieds will dilute the number of cars in Pro Mod at IHRA events somewhat. Most of the hitters in IHRA Pro Mod have so far decided that they will (probably) stay with IHRA. The question is how may of the racers who qualify in the bottom half of the field or regularly don’t qualify will opt to take their act to NHRA.

One factor that seems to be very popular with every racer I talked with was the fact that the supercharged Pro Mods and nitrous Pro Mods were going to be segregated in NHRA competition and that each would probably run off of a separate index.

Other questions that racers were concerned with were what it paid to win Comp Eliminator at an NHRA National event and what were NHRA’s rules going to be in relation to IHRA’s.

All racers seemed thrilled with the prospect of another sanctioning body adopting the Pro Mods, if for no other reason than it may remove IHRA and Bill Bader’s iron-fisted control over the class. Many feel that prior to the NHRA announcement the IHRA could make rules changes or purse changes or policy changes whenever they wanted and the racer had no recourse. If racers wanted to race Pro Modified at a National Event they had to race with IHRA.

The NHRA announcement changes all of that. Pro Mod racers and their sponsors now may have the alternative of racing at NHRA National Event tracks, in front of NHRA crowds, and with NHRA television coverage if they aren’t happy at IHRA.

If NHRA does finalize the addition of the Pro Mod class, it will certainly change the class. With an NHRA legal class I wouldn’t be surprised to see more Pro Mods booked at NHRA tracks on a match race basis. Certainly there are a lot of dedicated NHRA class racers who will build Pro Mods and compete at both the national and regional level.

Some IHRA racers I have talked to are concerned about whether NHRA crowds would fill the stands to watch Pro Modifieds. The smart money says that at tracks like Englishtown, Bristol, Indy, and Pomona it’s a sure bet. The crowds will be there for sure if NHRA advertises six-second, 225-mph doorslammers.

There is another bonus involved in this decision. If NHRA makes the rules realistic then there is a good chance that at tracks like Dallas, Houston, Gainesville, and Englishtown we could see these cars get into the very low sixes at over 230 mph. You can believe that the prospect of seeing doorslammers that quick and fast will put race fans in the seats and keep them there.

While the Pro Mod racers and their fans welcomed NHRA’s proposed new rules for 2001-2002, apparently the NHRA Pro Stock racers and some major sponsors aren’t so thrilled.

Apparently, as soon as the rules were released several Pro Stock teams and support manufacturers hollered "foul!" I’ve been told that many Pro Stock teams do not want to see Pro Mods at NHRA in any form. They view them as a threat to their popularity and sponsors and probably with good reason.

But, while the announcement that NHRA would bring Pro Mods into the mix gave a few Pro Stock/Pro Stock Truck teams a stomach ache, the rules change that proposed a ban of carburetors and mandatory electronic fuel injection for the 2002 season for those classes caused a few people to clutch their chests.

It’s well known in the industry that for years major carburetor manufacturers have vehemently opposed the use of fuel injection in Pro Stock even though no current Detroit-built cars come with carburetors. They probably feel that once FI is implemented for Pro Stock and Pro Stock truck it won’t be long before it will be legal in the "Super" Classes and then the only place you’ll see carburetors in is Stock and Super Stock.

Another objection that many racers have is that racers will use fuel injection computers to control more than fuel delivery and they may have a legitimate concern. You can bet that the NHRA tech department has already begun to work on policing Electronic Fuel Injection or they wouldn’t have proposed the changes.

Another concern is the amount of money it would take to convert their engines over to fuel injection. However, fuel injection is being used on many Pro Stock-type engines in drag racing already so it may not be as costly as some think. Besides, according to Warren Johnson, fuel injection will be easier to tune and make more power than carburetion and, with the Pro Mods coming on the scene, Pro Stock is going to need some performance.

It is important to note that none of these recommendations can be finalized as a rule until comments from the racing community are received and considered at the second rules meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2000 in Indianapolis (during the U.S. Nationals). In the meantime, input and comment is requested on any recommendation. Input can be mailed, to the NHRA Tech Department, attn: Rule Changes, PO Box 5555, Glendora, CA 91740-0950; sent via FAX to 626-914-7551; or by e-mail to Jim Skelly at JimS@nhra.com.

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