New In-Car Safety Rules

Magnethead

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New rules for door cars - Starting at Pro-Mods but I bet it will trickle down to Pro Stock and then Top Sportsman.

@Nitro Dude probably has heard alot about this on the Pro side.

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The fifth, and might be a big one for some addresses new panel placement and the date in which chassis’ built before or after must follow. Since there is an entire paragraph explanation, I have attached it below so that you can review it for yourself.

A panel of .032-inch aluminum, .024-inch steel, or carbon fiber must be installed on the inside portion of the roll cage anywhere the driver’s legs can come into contact with the cage (chassis tubing). Panels must be installed in the front and lower portion of the driver’s-side X brace. Panels must attach to the interior side of the tubing. Panels must not be attached to rocker bar (7A), Windshield/Roof bar (12A) or Main Hoop (10). Optional padding may be attached to the panels. An additional panel(s) of .032-inch aluminum, .024-inch steel, or carbon fiber must be installed in the roll cage roof area. The panel(s) must, at a minimum, extend from the driver’s side roof bar to the centerline of the vehicle. For any car built after January 1, 2020, panels must be attached with tabs that are a minimum of 1/8 inch below the top of the roll cage roof tubes. The panel(s) in the Funny Car cage area must be removable for proper chassis certification inspection.

The sixth rule, and I am not sure if this was a change or addition is regarding helmet shrouds. Specifically, those that use a funny car style stroud.

If a Funny Car style helmet shroud is used, all bolts retaining panels to the roll cage need to be a 1/2- inch hex-style head that is easily accessible with the door open. Any portions of the paneling that are not accessible with the door open must be of tongue and groove or similar style retention in order to allow removal once accessible front hex head bolts are removed.

Next, we have window nets. No longer allowed are the seat belt buckle attachment style window nets that most are used to.

Window net system must be NHRA-accepted. See NHRA Accepted Products on NHRARacer.com for a list of accepted window net systems. Mechanism for release must have red label and in visible sight for track officials to use externally

The next regulation is something that I am surprised wasn’t addressed a long time ago, and in my opinion, should have been. That is a master cutoff switch that is an unobstructed view from the rear of the vehicle. A good call on NHRA’s part in my opinion.

Master cutoff must be configured as shown in diagram on www.NHRARacer.com. Rear bumper switch must be located on the driver’s side of the lower rear tail panel. The push button of the specified switch must be placed in such a manner as to give a safety official an unobstructed view of the button from the rear of the vehicle.

Fresh air system mandate. If you ask most outlaw radial racers, they will tell you that fresh air systems are becoming the norm. I believe a lot of this rule came after Erica’s terrible top-end fire earlier this year.

A 120 psi normally open-air switch must be installed to prevent the car from starting if system air pressure is below 120 psi. In the event the car is losing air pressure during a run, the switch must open when system air pressure goes below 120 psi. The switch must run in series with the ignition “run enable” wire. The switch may also trigger the fuel shutoff but is not mandatory. The switch must be wired to not remove power from the Electrimotion Safety Device at any time.

And lastly, and update to driver restraint systems in the pro mods. No longer will you be able to use a 6 pt harness system. The new requirements are for a 7 pt harness to be used. I don’t see any issue there. It is a safety aspect. Though I do still not agree with the two year SFI checks.

A minimum seven-point driver restraint system meeting SFI Spec 16.1 or 16.5 mandatory. Restraint system must be updated at two-year intervals from date of manufacture.


http://www.e3xtreme.net/2019-news-blogs/2019/12/26/nhra-adds-new-rules-for-pro-mod-in-2020
 
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