Safety Concerns

According to Jim Williams, at about this same time members of the NHRA rules committee had been in contact with Victory voicing some concerns about safety of the Nostalgia Funny Cars on two fronts. 1) How the bodies were handling aerodynamic loads of the cars running 260 mph with bodies that were designed to handle 220-mph speeds. 2) If there was sufficient down-force or a lack thereof in the top end of the track. The cars appeared to be skating around at high speeds.

The NHRA solicited some feedback from the brothers Williams on how to address these issues.

There is plenty of video and photographic evidence showing some Funny Car bodies that incurred issues with aero load in the front windshield and in the rear quarter panel areas. According to Jim, the goal was looking at a way of giving balance to those load areas to make the cars safer.

This is a noble mission for Victory to undertake and it appears there is some high-end support and backing from those in the NHRA.

NHRA’s Take

Mike Rice, an NHRA rules committee member, stated that the vote to approve the body was not unanimous by the committee members. He said that all rules committee members did see images of the car and that NHRA National Tech Director, Danny Gracia, made a trip to Victory Race Cars in Hesperia, California, to inspect the body in person.

Rice also acknowledged that there are going to be further discussions about clarification and enforcement of rules that are already in place. Rice said that with so many different body styles it is impossible to have a one-size-fits-all body rules package because it would cause the loss of individuality in those different body styles.

“They (the bodies) would end up looking alike and we don’t want that,” Rice said.

My Opinion

Diversity in the body styles makes the Nostalgia Funny Car class as popular as it is. Seeing the different styles of cars competing against one another, allowing the race announcer to pit one make or brand against another, adds to the enjoyment and excitement for the fans when the attend the races.

It is not hard to appreciate the work and artisanship that Victory Race Cars has put into this car and body. There are some reports that five have already been ordered. Which leads to this question: Will the creation of this body make it to where all we see are ’69 Chevy Camaros running in Nostalgia Funny Car? Does this have the possibility of making a bigger separation between the haves and the have-nots in funny car?

As a fan of nitro nostalgia racing, the biggest drawbacks that I can see in the body, is that there is a great deal of influence from “big show” cars in three areas:

One: The nose area is pulled in and narrowed significantly. This gives a visual effect of the grill area being both very narrow and laid back dramatically.

Two: The rocker panels bear a striking resemblance to both big show nitro and alcohol cars. Especially in the area around the header openings where there are some overt aero enhancements in that area.

Three: The rear spoiler once again has a great deal of big show influence to it and appears to be a miniature version of a JFR rear spoiler. The NHRA rulebook clearly states that:

Page 42 Section Spoiler, first sentence of the first paragraph: “Rear spoiler limited to roof height and body width (modern-type spoilers or spill plates prohibited).

The positive to the Hodgson body is that it is aesthetically pleasing. If the body is indeed safer from an aero-balance perspective then this is a plus. However, I think the reason Victory and Hodgson are encountering such push-back is because of what is termed the fire hose effect. Too much, too soon. Too many changes and mods all at once.

Can or will the NHRA back track on their decision to allow Hodgson’s body? No, you cannot put the genie back in the bottle. However, I feel the NHRA must start enforcing the rules that are already established, and remain consistent with the enforcement of those rules. It was three years ago at the Ignitor in Boise, when side windows and spill plates were cut up for not being period correct. Now we are 180 degrees over center again.

The NHRA rules committee also needs to find a single voice from which to speak, so that racers will have one person to seek out guidance, not going to six different people to get six different opinions on a matter.

So, we get back to the sixty-four thousand dollar question: Where do we draw the line in the sand? Where does innovation and modern technology circumvent the nostalgic intention of the class? I think we have seen at least one answer to that question.