I Have A Few Q's About Drag Racing (Cars)

When I looked into doing high speed runs in a car via events held at airport runways, I believe it was stated that if you car hits 200MPH, you will need a roll cage. Is there a similar rule in drag racing, say if you hit a certain trap speed or ET?

Once a cage is needed, how do you find a qualified person to build one for you? Obviously, it is something you shouldn't cut corners on - though I seem to recall an era when some folks foolishly used muffler tubing to save weight.

What drag strips are in the Al/GA area that do open test n' tune dates where I can run my <Camry/Exploder/mini van/future project> ?

I will have more Q's in the future, but TIA for those that can enlighten me on these.

 

I have a few friends that play around on drag strips. I think they said below 8 sec ET requires cage and harness, but that's not a NHRA thing and probably varies track to track, especially for test and tune days. Probably best to call whatever track you plan on running. Not many street cars can sniff 8 secs, so unless you're in a purpose built car being trailered to the track, you likely are far above that ET.

 

Pretty sure NHRA requires a cage at 9.99sec.
That was why the Hellcat was banned from NHRA tracks.
But that is just from memory

 

I think they changed that since the Tesla can do 9 second passes

 

If it's not a convertable:
13.99 and quicker - need a driveshaft loop
11.49 and quicker - need a 5pt cage minimum, harness, and sfi clutch / flywheel
9.99 and quicker - need a full cage, battery shutoff, fire suit, window net, sfi flexplate...etc

 

@Metalhead - turn on the welder and crank out that cage

 

NHRA safety rules:
http://st.hotrod.com/uploads/sites/21/2018/03/NHRA-Racing-Safety-Rules.pdf

but there are exceptions for current late model cars:
https://www.nhra.com/news/2021/nhra-makes-significant-enhancements-street-legal-program

 

The airport runs are cool as hell- I transport cars to a few of the events . Some of the twin turbo vipers and Lambos are hitting 220+ in a half mile

 

What he said but also if your MPH is too fast you can need extra stuff regarding cage and also chutes.

Its not a big deal unless you get into the 11.5 and faster and really when you get into the 9'sand 10's do you need more cage bars, fire suit, HANS device, chutes, etc.

Where to get this stuff...Summit racing south of ATL. Depending on your car model you might be able to get a kit that can be welded in and be legal to 8.50 et.

Your usually best to buy a car or roller than build.

 

2014 and up 9.0 and 150mph can remain stock BUT factory safety equipment must be present and working. Airbags etc.

2013 and older the big one is 10.00. 11.50 to 10 is 6pt roll bar, sfi bell housing or blanket, 5pt harness, helmet, fire jacket.
150mph and faster parachute. 10.00 to 8.50 full roll cage. 8.50 and faster gets really complicated with a bunch of different 25.x “funny car” cages.

 

If you're curious how fast your Camry is, just look online!

 

Except, at least in the motorcycle world, what the magazines get is always faster versus real life.

 

Interesting thread, I’m thinking about a 2wd F150 regular cab 5.0 for toying around the street with a little Bradenton Motorsports Park thrown in.

Weld 17 or 15 inch wheels, street radial tires, long tube headers, whipple supercharger, traction bars plus the other setup required.

 

Guy at last years drag week had a 2016 rcsb f150 with your described setup. On e85 he was doing mid 10s all day long. Turned up the coyote f150s will do high 9s stock engine and transmission.

 

I took my 2017 F150, Coyote 5.0, six speed auto, 100% stock, to Holiday Dragway in Woodstock , AL (1/8 mile) not long ago. Ran a 10.9, in "sport" mode.

 

Also some tracks will require a NHRA/IHRA license under a certain time. Old friend got booted from Byron Dragway after he clicked off a mid 8 run with his Pro Street Dodge Omni 4dr. Fucking thing was pushing 900hp. All day long he was babying it to keep above the time. Last run he put the wheelie bars down and sent it. Track officials were waiting for him on the return road, asked for his license and told him to leave when he said he didnt have one.

 

LOL. How long ago was this, we started going there around 76 and I moved away in 84? There was a guy that ran Byron for a long time when I was a kid, and he was a jerk to my dad and some other motorcycle racers. I understand it wasn't just bikers, he was a jerk to car guys too.

 

I appreciate the feedback. I've never been on a drag strip, and it appears that test n' tune nights at one is my easiest path to having some fun. And I would want to do it the right way, taking no (or very few) shortcuts.

In the back of my mind, I still want to buy a 2015-15 Mercedes E63AMG with its 5.5 liter biturbo engine. A few parts and a tune you can have a very decent amount of power being transferred to the road surface via AWD. All while being a decent daily driver. I think that would be fun at test n' tune nights. I believe you can get DOT stamped "slicks," right?

Then again, my mini van is a Chrysler product. And so is the Hemi V8 sold by DSR Performance that puts out 1500HP. A match made in heaven? ;--)

 

Look into the golf R, bmw 340xi, Audi rs3, Mercedes a45. All those cars with a tune, down pipe and e85 will do 10s, on the street.
IMO the 2016+ golf R with DSG and a few bolt on parts is the budget sleeper of today. You can buy em for 20k and be doing 10s for 25k.