Backstretch Motorsports

GLENDORA, Calif.– As the investigation continues into the tragic accident that took the life of driver Scott Kalitta, NHRA announced today that beginning at the Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver, Colorado, both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes will race to 1,000 feet instead of the traditional 1,320 feet or one-quarter mile. This is an interim step that is being taken while NHRA continues to analyze and determine whether changes should be made to build upon the sport’s long standing safety record, given the inherent risks and ever-present dangers associated with the sport.

This interim change was made by NHRA in collaboration with professional race teams. NHRA believes that racing the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes to 1,000 feet will allow NHRA and the racing community time to evaluate, analyze and implement potential changes based on the safety initiatives outlined last week.

With the change, fans will still be able to enjoy the sights, sounds and thrill of NHRA nitro racing with speeds around 300 mph and quick elapsed times to 1,000 feet.

Over the years, NHRA has implemented many initiatives to enhance safety including measures to limit speeds from increasing, personal protective gear, vehicle improvements, and track enhancements such as sand traps, catch nets and concrete barriers the entire length of the drag strip.

In the wake of the tragic series of events that took Kalitta’s life, the following technical issues are currently under investigation: 1) what might be done to reduce engine failures; 2) parachute mounting techniques and materials as well as identifying a parachute material that could be more fire resistant; 3) exploring whether there is a way to increase brake efficiency when cars lose downforce due to the loss of the body; 4) analyzing additional methods that might be developed at the top end of the race track to help arrest runaway vehicles; 5) considering whether current speeds should be further limited or reduced to potentially improve safety.

“The board members of the Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO) wholeheartedly and unanimously support this decision,” said its president Kenny Bernstein. “We want to thank NHRA for listening to our input and suggestions to incorporate these changes. It is not lost on any of us that this constitutes a change in our history of running a quarter-mile, but it’s the most immediate adjustment we can make in the interest of safety which is foremost on everyone’s mind. This may be a temporary change and we recognize it is not the total answer. We will continue to work hand in hand with NHRA to evaluate other methods of making Top Fuel and Funny Car competition safer so that we might return to our quarter-mile racing standard. We also want to thank Connie Kalitta for his invaluable input. He has been a rock through these difficult times.”

Quote from Del Worsham:

“We all talked about this a lot, last weekend in Norwalk, and the 1,000-foot idea was the one we were all discussing the most. We need to do something while people analyze how to make the sport safer for the nitro cars; we can’t just close our eyes to what happened and hope it doesn’t happen again. I know this is pretty radical, but we have some issues with 330-mph race cars and tracks that weren’t built to hold them, and until we settle those issues we have to be aggressive and not just stand by.

“By going to 1,000 feet, we’ve just added 320 feet of shutdown area to every track, and we’ve successfully slowed the cars down in terms of the speed they’re running at the finish line. A 300 mph run in a Funny Car now will be an absolutely huge lap, not a run-of-the-mill deal, and we’ll all have more room to get stopped. If they tried to just slow us down, whether it was with aerodynamics, or tires, or whatever, there are smart people out here who would immediately find ways to go faster again, because we’re all trying to win and that’s what we’re here for. 1,000 feet is 1,000 feet, no matter who you are. It will be the same for all of us.

“I’ll admit I have some mixed feelings, because drag racing has always been a quarter-mile deal and this is really a big change, but I know in my heart that this is the right thing to do while we figure this all out for the future. It’s going to be strange, but we’re all in it together so the playing field is completely level, and I’m happy to see that NHRA acted so quickly and strongly on this. At the track, the fans are still going to see the most powerful and quickest-accelerating cars on the planet, and we might just find out that the racing is even more exciting.”

Comment from Las Vegas Motor Speedway President and General Manager Chris Powell:

“I applaud NHRA in taking this bold step,” Powell said. “The racing to the thousand-foot mark will be every bit as exciting as it is to the quarter-mile. As an additional benefit, this should limit the amount of downtime during the events because most oil-downs seem to happen in the final 320 feet. And reaction time should become even more important for the drivers because they’ll have less time to make up the difference on the track. NHRA has my full support in taking this interim step.”