NHRA LICENSE
 

How does one go about getting his license? I haven't had the car out in a long time but have recently been told that the track we go to now requires it along with chassis certification if your E.T requires it per NHRA rules. If this is really true and they enforce it I am screwed..no way my car will certify. It's not an unsafe death trap or anything but it don't think it's legal to run 9's. or the eighth mile equivalent.I don't know all the chassis rules but It has a 12 point cage but no x brace on the doors etc

who do you call to get the ball rolling on obtaining your license and will I need to slow the car down to a legal ET for the car when /if I do the test passes?

I have no clue Tod, I know its seems these days it has more to do with money & red tape than the safety part of the equation.

I'm all for safety don't get me wrong - I'm sure if you thought your car was unsafe you wouldnt even climb in it.

They just have to make the whole thing idiot & poor proof.


Hell, just do what I do, run at a OUTLAW track!

Rather than slow the car down, why not get the car teched and see what you need to make it legal ? If you're a drag racer you won't be happy slowing the car down.
Find out who the NHRA division director is for your area and give him a call. The biggest majority of them are very helpful and give you guidance. Getting the NHRA licence will get you into any IHRA event also since the IHRA honors the NHRA licence, but not the other way around.

I'm not sure what part of Indiana you're in but I think you would part of Div 3. Here's a link to their website.
http://www.nhradiv3.com/
To the left is contact info including a phone number. Joan always answers the phone and she's very helpful with the licensing stuff. At the top of that page there is a button for forms. You will need to download and print the physical & license forms. You have to have the physical completed before you make your test runs. The license runs will have to be made at a NHRA track and will have to be signed by the track manager and 2 licensed drivers. I think you have to make a half-pass, 3 moderate runs and 2 full passes in that order. I'm pretty sure the car you license in will have to pass tech but it doesn't have to be your car. I think the license will cost $100.00 for 2 years and you have to have a NHRA membership which I think is another 80 bucks a year. There should be a NHRA chassis cert guy somewhere near you that should be able to tell you what your car will need to certify. The division 3 office should be able to tell you who is closest to you. Sometimes tracks will have a certain day of the year when the NHRA guy will be at the track for chassis certification. That's usually near the beginning of the race season. They will come to your place to inspect your car but there is an extra travel charge for that.

You don't need an X brace in the door bars to certify to 8.50, only a down bar from main hoop to the front (aka shoulder bar) All main tubeing must be 1 5/8"X.120 min. if mild steel, or 1 1/2" if cromolly, window net also and SFI stickers on everything. Frame cars need the bars arrached to the frame, unibody cars can have the bars plated too the floor if the floors or firewall have not been altered. You can take it to a div tech guy and he wiil inspect it and tell you what's good and what's not. He will charge a fee somewhere between $175.00 and $250.00, if it fails you don't lose the fee, you just fix what's wrong and bring it back, he will then certify. You cannot make lic. passes in and uncertified car, so that's the first order of business. Our tech guy is only 40 miles away but the nearest NHRA track is over 200 miles away. If you need i can scan the rule book on the bars and send them too you via a PM.

Zip.

Oh yeah, the license runs all have to be singles and you have to turn in the time slips with the application.

You don't need an x brace on the door for an 8.50 cert. The basic 12 point cage is perfectly fine as long as it meets the 1 5/8 X .118 spec. It does need a dash bar though.

Best thing to do is get a current rule book as it is hard to describe what you need in text.

As far as licensing goes you will need a physical first, they will do a cockpit orientation test, where you are blindfolded and will have to shut the car down (pretend to shut down anyway) and exit the vehicle in a timely manner. Then 6 passes. When I did mine, they wanted me to make 2 mild, 2 moderate and 2 full, dumping the laundry on one of the full runs.

You can figure $500 by the time you are done, barring any items the car might need to bring t up to snuff.

Don't forget @9.99 and quicker

Full face helmet in date
3.2A/5 jacket and pants
3.3/1 gloves
neck collar or hans with helmet skirt
in date sfi trans shield and flexplate shield
sfi balancer
in date sfi flexplate

Just went through all this at the first of the year when our track switched to NHRA.

Curtis

if its close to the 9.99 mark, and your unsure if it will tag, there is a lot less hassel and $$ to go 10.00 :)

x2 I know ALOT of 6.50 cars that are capable of much more just a helluva alot less hassle there than 6.30's

should run 5.90's in the eighth.

Last time out Went 6.10 with 1.31 60' but the electric shifter malfunctioned and I forgot to shift and hit the rev limiter.

thanks guys. Sounds like a real PITA and maybe I need to look for a different track.

Oh FYI the track is Lyons Raceway Park used to be E.T. Raceway. Don't know if they enforce the chassis cert rule or not but it is listed on their web site.

Oh and don't forget about that mandatory pyhsical :wink:

My car is certified but I didn't go through the hassle and cost of a license. My car runs 6.50's in the 1/8 for a reason. The way I look at it. I'm not going to pay the extra money to run 9.80's- 9.90's. I'll slow the car down. I would go through the trouble to run 9.50's

Depending on what class you run, You could just put a throttle stop on the car.

what sucks is, there is no ihra tracks in indiana left, 1 in michigan (i am sure that'll change this winter) and more dropping. Sucks to pay extra for nhra

It is a PITA, but it isn't any more of a PITA than building or maintaining a race car. I'm not saying this is the case with you or your ride, but I sure get tired of running against cars that are stopped or pulled back because they won't cert. Most of the time I find everything else to be just as neglected as the components required to cert the car. All the enjoyment is gone for me when I know I'm chasing junk at 175MPH. At the same time, the people I race with know that I have done everything humanly possible to ensure we get to the other end without getting tangled up.

I've also been told if a car fails to certify it is deemed unsafe to race at any speed. Meaning if they find out the pipe is too thin for 9.99, it's no good for 10.50.

NHRA--- :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

I WILL STICK WITH MY THOUGHTS---NHRA SUCKS----THEY ARE CONTROL FREAKS/ DEMAND EXCESSIVE FEES/ WANT TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING TO DO TO YOUR CAR/ AND THROW YOU BUTTE AWAY WHEN THEY GET TIRED OF YOU :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

SOUNDS JUST LIKE OUR GOVERNMENT :shock: :shock: :? :?
MONEY-MONEY-MONEY
THIS WILL SEND MORE AND MORE YOUNG GUYS BACK TO THE STREETS TO RACE/ALL THIS STUPIDITY IS CAUSED BY GREED[THEIR SPONSERS/THEIR PARTS/ THEIR WAY -PERIOD]

SORRY GUYS BUT I CAN NOT STAND WHAT WE ARE FACING IN THIS RACING WORLD--WE NEED TO FIGHT BACK AND HONOR THE SMALL TRACKS[OUTLAW AND ALL]

LIVELY

NHRA
 

NHRA=NO HOT RODS ALLOWED!
Take it for What its Worth?
SFI and NHRA mean the SAME Damn THING=$$$$$$
Even Though I have a B/New Pro-Mod Car,I will do anything Possible,NOT to have to Race on a NHRA Track?There are Plenty of IHRA and Outlaw Track around.My car is Certed to 6.00 but some of the B()!!$#!T is Just INSANE!@
I Mean I dont want Mt Car or the Guy Next to me Running a POS that Should Not be there,but its getting to the Point that the Safety Stuff is MORE Expencesive the the CAR!
And,this alone will Push More Guys OUT of the $$$ Thing back to the Roots of Where it STARTED!
Later
G 8)

AMEN BROTHER!

There are a few short cuts you can take, if you know/feel that the bars are all in the proper location and you worry about the tubing thickness, find an engine builder who has a sonic tester (aka cylinder wall tester) for a few bucks you can have him check the thickness of the bars, this can save you some head aches when you take it too the NHRA offical, the other thing is if possible get the car certified somewhere other than at the track. At the track they seem to all think they are GOD and don't seem to have time for anything.

JMO

Zip.

the only dealings I ever had with getting a car certified , I had to show the inspector in the book where it WAS legal after he failed it . he then changed his mind and tried his best to find something else wrong because I proved him wrong...I will travel furthur to NOT race at a nhra track..they are way out numbered by good local tracks,,,JMO

The argument of $$$ is pretty much invalid amongst people that would drop 3 months worth of paychecks on a set of heads and 50 bucks on their girlfriends birthday.

I only run a few times a year for fun...the biggest hassle for me would be having to keep the sfi cert up to date on all the parts like flex plate,trans shield etc...it sucks tossing out seatbelts you have only used 5 or 6 times...only using the belts as an example cause they are easy to swap and not that big a deal but what do you do with flexplates and shields etc?How long are they good?

I do have good stuff on the car it's not cobbled up..I don't have a trans shield cause it will not fit but everything else is there.

$$$$$$
 

You ABSOLUTALLY RIGHT!
My WIFE Hates it when I Spend More on My GIRLFREINDS B/Day that I do on Hers!
I Mean,come on Now.........................?
Later
G 8)

Flexplates and shields are 5 year certs. Composite shields fit pretty decent in Nova/Camaro tunnels.

1 rule worse is the window net, every 2 yrs. what's up with that?

Zip.

The seat belt rule is the one that used to get to me. 99% of all racecars are kept indoors when they are not at the track. The seat belts are not degrading due to UV rays and are as good when removed as when they were installed. The seat belts that came in your privately owned vehicle are nearly always exposed to direct sunlight and they are never replaced unless the seat mechanism screws up. Seems like ripoff to me.

Correct me if I'm wrong but... I think the 2year expiration only applies to the mesh type. Get the ribbon type they last FOREVER :?
Also you need 1 5/8" for both mild and moly steels, the moly can be thinner.083" mild steel .118"

Tod you don't need any sfi equipment on the chassis to get the sticker, but you do to race.
cam67152

X2, the seat belt rule goes all thru me.

No difference in the type of window net according to the SFI site.

27.1 Window Nets October 11, 2006 2 Years

Zip.

http://www.sfifoundation.com/

We had a huge flood the summer of 2008 so I only went to the track once...I was laid off awhile last summer so I never went to the track at all. My seat belts have been used for a total of 4 passes and now they are expired. :( My flexplate and balancer are 3 years old..how long until they need to be recertified?

Re: NHRA LICENSE
 

You need a car that will certify 9.99 or faster,Call your division office,find out who does the certs(call him or her) and find out when and where.Make an appointment if nessary.Pay to have it cert,if it fails he or she will tell you what failed and why.Then if it does fail,go back and fix those issues. I needed a dash bar once thats all.After it has been repaired(sucky part) you will have to go back and try again on the cert.But if the repairs where made right,you'll be up and running.


Next download the application. http://www.nhra.com/competition/forms.aspx
papers along with the phyiscal paper.Second make an appointment for the docs for a phyiscal and take your physical paper with you.Have the doc fill it out completly(very important ,one box not checked,not signed or,they send it back delays everything).After U pass the phyiscal,load the car up and take it to the track.Along with all your paperwork.

You will have to make a half pass,3 moderate passes(about the 1000') and 2 full passes.Your last 2 passes will have to be 9.99 or faster!ones before doesnt matter much.Also you will need 2 people with nhra licenses to sign off and every pass made and after all the passes are made you'll need the track owner to sign off on it.Then you send a big fat check into NHRA for the classes you want to run..

Honestly,all my local tracks check to make sure its SFI but thats about it.Even further away tracks columbus ,indy ..bowling green just look for an SFI sticker.

Believe both flexpaltes and balancers are good for 5 years though.

Unless they have just changed the rule. This is from the 2010 rule book. If they did just change it I'll be pissed....my NEW ribbon type has NO date.

cam67152
section 6:3
http://www.nhra.com/UserFiles/file/G...egulations.pdf

Todd go here, to the SFI site and look at the certifaction page it gives all the lengths of time on each item.

Zip.

http://www.sfifoundation.com/

The rule is dated 2006, but i'm glad to hear that they changed it, my ribbon is dated 2003, but i didn't install it until 2008, and it's still brand new, i was only at the track 4 times in 2009 and our track closed, no races in 2010. I didn't anti up with NHRA in 2010 because there is no NHRA track within 200 miles of me, so i don't have the 2010 book.

Zip.

Re: NHRA LICENSE
 

[quote="traysvega"] You need a car that will certify 9.99 or faster,Call your division office,find out who does the certs(call him or her) and find out when and where.Make an appointment if nessary.Pay to have it cert,if it fails he or she will tell you what failed and why.Then if it does fail,go back and fix those issues. I needed a dash bar once thats all.After it has been repaired(sucky part) you will have to go back and try again on the cert.But if the repairs where made right,you'll be up and running.


Next download the application. http://www.nhra.com/competition/forms.aspx
papers along with the phyiscal paper.Second make an appointment for the docs for a phyiscal and take your physical paper with you.Have the doc fill it out completly(very important ,one box not checked,not signed or,they send it back delays everything).After U pass the phyiscal,load the car up and take it to the track.Along with all your paperwork.

You will have to make a half pass,3 moderate passes(about the 1000') and 2 full passes.Your last 2 passes will have to be 9.99 or faster!ones before doesnt matter much.Also you will need 2 people with nhra licenses to sign off and every pass made and after all the passes are made you'll need the track owner to sign off on it.Then you send a big fat check into NHRA for the classes you want to run..[/quote/]
Tod,
In the Area You are in down that way?There should Be Tons of Guys that can look your Car Over,for the Exception of Tubing Thickness,and tell you weather its Good?It Does NOT take a hole Lot to get a 8.50 Tag?
If Your Car has Stock Floor and Dash?(NO NEED FOR A DASH BAR)I have Been All Over this 1,and Proved Him WRONG!
Another BIG ISSUE?Make sure the Welds are Complete on the very Top of the Cage!They can Be UGGGGLY but Need to be 100% to Pass.The 1st thing they will do is run a Finger on the Top of the Welds on the Cage!!!
If you Run 1/8 mile and the Car is NOT Faster than 6.40?Then DONT Even Worry about it!
Later
G 8)

SIDE NOTE?
A BIG Thing to Keep in Mind?
If You take the Car for a Tag,and IT FAILS?YOU CANNOT RACE THE CAR UNTIL IT PASSES!

If the guy cert ing the car feels like the welds dont go all the way around on the top bar,and he cant see that they do,he let you know that you'll have to gusset the top bars together.No biggie really.

Re: NHRA LICENSE
 

[quote="bbchevy"]who'd you prove wrong?Guy certifing?

Tech
 

YES!
The Car was a B/Half.
It had Stock Floor,Firewall and Dash.And He was Addamit about the Car having a Dash Bar?Read the Rule Book.
Later
G 8)