NHRDA is no more

JoshH

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Feb 14, 2007
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The thing I liked most about the nhrda series races was that they were a true 1/4 mile. This 1/8th stuff just doesn’t do it for me.

That was a safety thing. A 6,000 lb truck going 150+ mph isn't safe for anyone.
 

LBZ

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Jul 2, 2007
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150 mph has never been safe in anything. That’s racing.
 

FC5452

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Mar 17, 2013
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And 3000 # in a 1/8 doing 170+ is just as safe lol..... I understand the point, but just as everything from a zero to going as fast as you can, comes risk. Been that way from the time folks started racing.




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DAVe3283

Heavy & Slow
Sep 3, 2009
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Sure, the 1/8th is safer, but staying home is safer still. I don't go to the races planning to wreck, or to watch people wreck, but this is racing. I also prefer 1/4, partially because it is harder on things (and therefore more impressive to me when people succeed). It does come with more risk, but everyone involved knows that. Let people make their choices.

I like MikeL's idea of renting a track somewhere and we all come out and just run and have fun. There are enough guys in/around Idaho we might be able to make that happen here. I don't have a fast truck compared to some, but I always enjoy putting it through its paces. Do a DuramaxDiesels.com track day / callout!

Sad to see the NHRDA go, though I can see the reasons why.
 

LBZ

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Sure, the 1/8th is safer, but staying home is safer still. I don't go to the races planning to wreck, or to watch people wreck, but this is racing. I also prefer 1/4, partially because it is harder on things (and therefore more impressive to me when people succeed). It does come with more risk, but everyone involved knows that. Let people make their choices.

I like MikeL's idea of renting a track somewhere and we all come out and just run and have fun. There are enough guys in/around Idaho we might be able to make that happen here. I don't have a fast truck compared to some, but I always enjoy putting it through its paces. Do a DuramaxDiesels.com track day / callout!

Sad to see the NHRDA go, though I can see the reasons why.



Agreed.

I guess the upside to all this is that the bigger events that were around before nhrda should still be a go. At least around here. G&J’s Big Sky in Montana and JB’s event (known as the blackout) at Castrol in Edmonton for example.
 

Ne-max

I like turtles
Nov 15, 2011
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If weight isn't a factory going that fast why does NHRA put max weight per chassis certification. Let's be real. Races are won in the 1/8
 

LBZ

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If weight isn't a factory going that fast why does NHRA put max weight per chassis certification. Let's be real. Races are won in the 1/8



I disagree. Seen plenty of trucks break at the 1/8th even the 1000’ mark and get beat.

On a 1/8th track, races are won between timing the tree and the 60’. No time to make it up before the 660’ if your sleepin a bit.

I will agree with you on the weight thing though.
 

Subman

Old Geezer
Jun 27, 2008
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Go to Youtube and check out dodge diesel truck crash at Breakaway. It was in 2008. It wasn't going that fast and it was only an 1/8 mile track. Mass and speed really bad combo. We are damn lucky that there has never been a catastrophic accident at a NHRDA event.

I use to poopoo 1/8 racing until I started doing it a lot. Now the last 1/8 mile is boring. For the most part in bracket racing if the driver know what his truck will run the race is decided on the starting line.

NHRDA tried to establish a national organization, and was pretty successful in the early years. There were lots of races, I think in 2009 there were 7 on the Northern CA, OR, WA, BC area alone. Too many races, too expensive to travel and no much for payouts. Not a good recipe for success.

Was always tough to get more than just a few trucks in the faster classes. We often would run both SS and PS with Max'd Out at the same race. It damn expensive to build and maintain one of these fast trucks and stay competitive, just ask me I spent a chit load of money on Max Out in the early days.

Randy did not like index racing and it was a tough sell to get him to add the Super Diesel, (11.90) class. Other than sportsman, it turned out to be the most successful class.

As he said last night trying to unify the niche performance diesel industry has been a complete failure, Regional bias, personality conflicts etc have made it impossible.

The leaps made in diesel performance while fun to watch resulted in fewer and fewer trucks in the fast classes. If you didn't have a major sponsor it was almost impossible to be competitive. Another problem is breakage, we use to have T&T on Friday night, but it was stopped due to all the breakage that occurred. Oil downs were a major problem with diesel drag racing, tough to keep anyone interested with hours of time waiting on track clean up.

I applaud Randy and the entire NHRDA crew for 15 years of very hard work. I became one of the Board of Directors for our local track and believe me, it a lot of long hours and may times pretty thankless work. Trying to put on races on at a National scale has got to be a nightmare. Impossible to please everyone, lucky if you can please 50% of them.

Thanks again Randy and crew,:thumb:
 

JoshH

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I'm not saying what is better one way or another. I'm just stating facts. Just like Randy said in the video, the NHRA said 6,000 lbs is too heavy to have a chassis certified for the speeds being run which is why they chopped it back to the 1/8 mile.
 

lutzjk913

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May 5, 2010
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And 3000 # in a 1/8 doing 170+ is just as safe lol..... I understand the point, but just as everything from a zero to going as fast as you can, comes risk. Been that way from the time folks started racing.

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Safer than 3k lbs going 230 in the 1/4. Absolutely.
 

DMAXchris

It’s only temporary!
Apr 28, 2009
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Always had good experiences racing with NHRDA. The event at Indy was second to none & I met a lot of great people at those races. Racing diesels in their own organization wasn't going to last forever, especially with the truck prices getting so out of hand. I saw a decline in attendance around 2013, while more purpose built trucks were emerging. The 11.90 class was filled with low 11 & high 10 second trucks and it was getting harder for a guy on a small budget to compete.
I wish the Coles well in their next endeavor! They were first class all the way!
 

2004LB7

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Dec 15, 2010
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Safer than 3k lbs going 230 in the 1/4. Absolutely.

To be honest, most of our rigs will get no where close to those speed. A 3k lb truck is a very purpose built racing truck and I think many of us would like to drive our trucks to the track, race, see how we do and drive it home.

My 8k+ lb pig would have a hard time braking 100 mph in the 1/4 but I would still line to race it against other similar trucks
 

lutzjk913

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May 5, 2010
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To be honest, most of our rigs will get no where close to those speed. A 3k lb truck is a very purpose built racing truck and I think many of us would like to drive our trucks to the track, race, see how we do and drive it home.

My 8k+ lb pig would have a hard time braking 100 mph in the 1/4 but I would still line to race it against other similar trucks

My point being is when you get that much weight going at any high rate of speed it’s safer to cut it back down 1/8 mile racing.
 

Ne-max

I like turtles
Nov 15, 2011
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My point being is when you get that much weight going at any high rate of speed it’s safer to cut it back down 1/8 mile racing.

Anyone you talk to racing the fast classes at the events will say it's a smart move.

Didn't nhdra still allow 1/4 for 10.90 class and slower?

The thing that sucks about the 1/8 is most motorsports based stuff off the 1/4. So not many know what decent 1/8 times are. Even on here. It's the 10.99 or faster. Not the 6.90 or faster.
 

lutzjk913

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Anyone you talk to racing the fast classes at the events will say it's a smart move.

Didn't nhdra still allow 1/4 for 10.90 class and slower?

The thing that sucks about the 1/8 is most motorsports based stuff off the 1/4. So not many know what decent 1/8 times are. Even on here. It's the 10.99 or faster. Not the 6.90 or faster.

Of yeah. I totally agree

When we started the 1/8th Mile stuff 13-14 years ago there were only a few organizations doing it and there was only 4-5 classes max for cars. It was saying something to break into the 4’s in the 1/8th at 150 mph.
 

NC-smokinlmm

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May 29, 2011
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Anyone you talk to racing the fast classes at the events will say it's a smart move.

Didn't nhdra still allow 1/4 for 10.90 class and slower?

The thing that sucks about the 1/8 is most motorsports based stuff off the 1/4. So not many know what decent 1/8 times are. Even on here. It's the 10.99 or faster. Not the 6.90 or faster.

We only have 1 maybe 2 1/8 mild tracks around here. Everyone runs the 1/4, it's the benchmark of power. I have started to hang around an older crowd of bracket racers and they live and die by the 1/8. They swear it's cheaper and more challenging, I get it, it all in reaction time. To me that takes some fun out of it, I typically loose at the line and walk people down in the back half...

I'm sad NHRDA is gone, my first event was one of theirs at Bucks track, the OBX shootout way back in 10 or 9. That was a great time! I met a lot of guys I'm still in contact with out there, I hope someone fills the empty shoes...