NMRA Digital News ----------------------------------------

Official Statements Released by NMRA Technical Department
Date: Friday, August 15

8\14\08

HALFACRE SUSPENDED FOR FAILING TO COOPERATE WITH TEARDOWN

The NMRA Technical Committee has formally confirmed the decision of Promedia regarding the protest and teardown non-compliance infraction on Jarrett Halfacre’s Super Street Outlaw '93 Ford Mustang that occurred at the Nitto Tire NMRA Ford Nationals at Atco Raceway in Atco, NJ on August 09, 2008.

The NMRA’s Head Technical inspector was provided an Official Protest Letter against Mr. Halfacre’s vehicle. Upon inspection of the vehicle it was discovered to have what appeared to be a solenoid which may not be in compliance with the rule on page 58 of the 2008 NMRA Rulebook, where under NITROUS OXIDE, it reads in-part, "NITROUS OXIDE: If entry is entered as a non-nitrous entry, all solenoids, lines, fittings, and bottles must be removed prior to technical inspection and any competition runs.” And whereas the high pressure line apparently attached to said device was not verifiable due to containment area, and the high pressure line could not be 100% verified that it did not connect to the engine or induction system which could violate the rule on page 58 of the 2008 NMRA Rulebook, where under NITROUS OXIDE, it reads in part, “Nitrous oxide may not be used in conjunction with any other power adder.” And page 56 where under Class Overview it reads in part “Super Street Outlaw is designed for single power adder ……Fox and/or Mustang-based vehicles.”

Upon finding what appeared to be a solenoid of some sort, along with high-pressure lines that could not be verified, Mr. Halfacre was asked to disassemble the vehicle further for inspection. Mr. Halfacre was non compliant in any further technical inspection. Once Mr. Halfacre refused further inspection he was informed of the options for further action. With this knowledge Mr. Halfacre denied any further inspection. This action is in direct violation of section B.5 TECH INSPECTION “During the initial tech procedure, the NMRA staff reserves the right to inspect any and every portion of the competing vehicle to ensure rules compliance, including teardowns, weight checks, P&G cubic-inch checks, etc. Do not enter your vehicle for competition if you are not prepared to prove the legality and compliance of your vehicle. During the running of the event, prior, during, or after the qualifying and/or eliminations the NMRA reserves the right to inspect, seal for inspection, and/or teardown any racer’s vehicle for any reason, or impound any vehicle and/or parts as deemed necessary.”

Therefore, the following penalties are imposed in addition to the disqualification, and removal of points from the Nitto Tire NMRA Ford Nationals event:

1. . . .


Comments (0) - Post a Comment - Posted on Friday, August 15 @ 12:56 PM by NMRA Adam

Atco Event Announcement
Date: Wednesday, August 13

We regret to inform you that the 8th annual NITTO TIRE/NMRA Ford Nationals presented by Downs Ford Motorsports originally scheduled for August 8 -10, 2008 at Atco Raceway have been cancelled. The recent rainout coupled with very aggressive Atco Raceway, NMRA and NMCA schedules make it virtually impossible for the NMRA to return to Atco Raceway.

The Atco event will not be finished however, qualifying, round, records, tech and bonus points will be awarded to all registered competitors who attended the event. Any competitor who was not eliminated and does not wish to claim points for this event will be eligible for an $85.00 credit from NMRA as outlined on pages 48 & 49 of the 2008 NMRA Rule Book. Once the points are posted each competitor wishing to receive the credit voucher and decline their points must send a self addressed, stamped envelope along with the competitors name, class, car number, phone number and social security number to ProMedia Headquarters no later than September 15, 2008. (There is no need to send in your PARTICIPANT TICKET as we have your tech card on file). True Street was completed and no credit vouchers will be extended to this category.

Any bracket competitor at this event will be eligible for a $65.00 credit for Brackets I or II and $25.00 for Bracket III from NMRA. Each competitor wishing to receive the credit voucher for this event must send a self addressed, stamped envelope along with the competitors name, class, car number and social security number to ProMedia Headquarters no later than September 15, 2008. (There is no need to send in your PARTICIPANT TICKET as we have your tech card on file). These vouchers will be honored ant any NMRA event for a period of one year.

If you posses a gray NMRA multi day spectator/crew ticket from the event you are eligible for a partial credit and you may send the physical gray ticket to ProMedia Headquarters along with a self addressed, stamped envelope for a credit voucher. These tickets will also be accepted until September 15, 2008.

If you posses a yellow NMRA Sunday 1-day spectator ticket from the event you are eligible for a partial credit and you may send the physical yellow ticket to ProMedia Headquarters along with a self addressed, stamped envelope for a credit voucher. These tickets will also be accepted until September 15, 2008.

We understand that this situation is unfortunate and places a burden on just about everyone involved. The NMRA staff would like to personally thank all those who attended for their understanding and cooperation.

If you have any questions please con . . .


Comments (0) - Post a Comment - Posted on Wednesday, August 13 @ 5:55 PM by NMRA Adam

The announcement you've all been waiting for...
Date: Monday, August 11

Well, sort of. I have been asked to let everyone know that official word on how we'll handle the completion of the Atco event will come down on Wednesday. Keep an eye on this space for updates as the situation calls for them.

Comments (0) - Post a Comment - Posted on Monday, August 11 @ 12:53 PM by NMRAPaul

Stick a fork in it...
Date: Sunday, August 10



Unfortunately, the Atco event has been called - lightning can be pretty hard on a timing system, so they've pulled the plug just in case. As soon as I get more information, I'll pass it along.

Comments (0) - Post a Comment - Posted on Sunday, August 10 @ 2:34 PM by NMRAPaul

Atco Sunday Morning Update
Date: Sunday, August 10

It's 8:30 in the morning here at Atco Raceway and the sky is clear and the air is crisp. We're going to begin calling cars to the lanes in a bit and get underway at 9:00. If yesterday's performances were any indicator, there are going to be some hard-fought battles throughout the afternoon. Today should be a great day of racing!

Comments (0) - Post a Comment - Posted on Sunday, August 10 @ 8:36 AM by Donut

Saturday's Bits from the Pits
Date: Saturday, August 9

By - Thumb and Donut


It’s been a long time coming for the Aussie from Mississippi. Joey Bridge struggled with consistency earlier this season, and after the midseason rules adjustments, he had a little bit more work to do. He showed up at Joliet with an 85mm turbo atop his Modular engine, but is here in Atco with an 88mm strapped in the nose of the car. He was rewarded with 8.02 passes in both the second and third rounds of qualifying, re-setting the Drag Radial record for the year, and coming oh-so-close to the coveted 7-second zone. He’ll be tough to beat tomorrow.


After racing at Fun Ford Weekend last weekend, Conrad Scarry had a camshaft problem that sidelined him for the entire week trying to make the necessary repairs. When he got here to Atco, the heads were still not even installed on the engine. He headed out to see Rich Maitre at RAM Racing Heads at the direction of fellow Pro Outlaw 10.5 racer Jerry Morgano. Maitre fixed the heads up, and Scarry and the Scarry Crew got the car back together after a long, late night. Not only did they get the car fixed, but they also joined Dan Millen in the fastest side-by-side Pro Outlaw 10.5 pass in NMRA history. Scarry is currently qualified second with a 6.802 at 217.18 MPH.


Last night Dan Millen reset the record in Turbonetics Pro Outlaw 10.5, with a 6.84 at only 200 miles per hour. Today, in the second round of qualifying, Millen didn’t back up the record, but reset it with a 6.78-second blast at over 212 miles per hour, showing the potential that Friday’s trap speed hinted at.


After a hellish ride up to New Jersey from South Carolina that included three simultaneous blowouts on the same side of the rig, Chris Tuten finally got his wounded trailer onto the premises and unloaded his Super Street Outlaw car. With this event just Tuten’s second race in the class, he’s well ahead of the typical learning curve for a venture of this sort. The car is definitely making the power, as evidenced by Tuten’s hellacious 187.26 MPH trap speed. The curve of making the 28x10.5 tire work, however, is something he hasn’t mastered…yet. Another couple of races, and we have the feeling that Mr. Tuten will be turning a whole lot of heads.

Comments (0) - Post a Comment - Posted on Saturday, August 9 @ 8:04 PM by NMRA Jason

Atco Saturday Morning Update
Date: Saturday, August 9

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We're finishing up the morning bracket time trial and are just about ready to enter heads-up qualifying round two. Unfortunately, the Live Timing system is inoperable this weekend, but we'll try to get some results up for you as soon as is humanly possible. In addition, there were quite a few racecars that rolled in early this morning in the heads-up classes, so look for new names on the qualifying sheets this afternoon. The weather is awesome, it's not too humid, and the racetrack is hooking hard, so look for some stout performances! If you're in the area, come on down for a show you don't want to miss!

Comments (0) - Post a Comment - Posted on Saturday, August 9 @ 10:26 AM by NMRA Jason

Atco first round qualifying results are posted
Date: Friday, August 8

Click here to see 'em

Comments (0) - Post a Comment - Posted on Friday, August 8 @ 10:36 PM by NMRAPaul

Atco Bits from the Pits - Friday
Date: Friday, August 8

By - the Thumb and the Donut



Dan Millen has been working extremely hard on his Skinny Kid Race Cars-built ’01 Mustang. He’s struggled a little bit this season, but it all came together in the first round of qualifying this evening. Just after this photo was taken, Millen eclipsed the standing Turbonetics Pro Outlaw 10.5 record with a killer 6.845 at 200.41 MPH elapsed time. We’ll see if he can back it up tomorrow.



Bob Hanlon is here on the property this weekend after missing the entire beginning of the NMRA season. The Edelbrock Hot Street standout has been taking some time to tend to family matters, along with growing his Hanlon Motorsports business. He’s looking to be competitive in a very tough field of Hot Street standouts.



Also on the Hot Street front, 2007 Champion Ben Mens is back in the saddle again after missing the Milan and Joliet races after a crash in testing. Mens made two hits during the test and tune session, and is very, very comfortable with the elapsed times that the team was able to achieve. During the time he was out repairing the car, the crew at Roush made a number of upgrades to the chassis in an attempt to put Ben back at the top of the pack. In addition, Phil Delaney and the gang at Rage Wraps came up with an all-new design scheme to showcase Ben’s Lucas Oil sponsorship. Ben told us the engine is making the power and the chassis is working quite well, and he’s hoping to make a strong showing this weekend.



“Captain” Keith Kohlmann and the infamous Purple Ranger are on the property. When we made it over to say hi – and bust his chops about turning in his freelance work for us – he kept repeating a sequence of numbers like the crazy dude on LOST. After a few minutes, we realized it was his competition number he was reciting. It seems that not having a single-digit competition number on the windshield made him crack a little.



It’s been decidedly cooler this weekend than it's been in years past here in Atco, but we’ve had fairly strong gusts of wind which have been problematic for the canopies (as seen in Carlos Sobrino’s pits) and even a little rain. However, it was nothing that caused any serious delays and we made it through Q1 in relatively short . . .


Comments (0) - Post a Comment - Posted on Friday, August 8 @ 9:32 PM by NMRA Jason

Atco Friday Update
Date: Friday, August 8



After nuking his Modular mill in the first round at Joliet, defending BFGoodrich Tires Drag Radial champ John Kolivas ran out of time to get it back into shape before this weekend's race. Instead, he's got a pushrod small-block with a side-intake 85mm turbo between the fenderwells, and has already made an 8.19 hit in test & tune.

While I'm still safely ensconced in my office at ProMedia HQ, Donut and Thumbhead are on the ground in New Jersey, and will be bringing you periodic updates throughout the weekend. Remember that first round of quals goes off this evening at 7pm, so it will be a late night for the boys - expect results tomorrow in the morning rather than at oh-dark-thirty tonight when things finally wrap up. In the meantime, remember that the Sagera system and up-to-the-minute results are just a click of the "live timing" button away (it's up there at the top of this page).

Comments (0) - Post a Comment - Posted on Friday, August 8 @ 5:57 PM by NMRAPaul