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DOR 58 FIGURE 8
05-07-2006, 05:59 PM
Every figure 8 car at the track yesterday was not within the figure 8 BUMPER rules!! :mad: They said that they told everyone at the January meeting, which if they did, don't you think that at least half the division would have done what they asked? Last week, the few who went through tech were NOT told about their rear bumpers until they got to the track yesterday. :mad: And all Walter could say was "I'm Sorry!" He's not the least bit sorry, he doesn't care about the way these cars look, or how much it's going to cost everyone week after week to repair the cars, or the time that needs to be spent making the cars the way "He Wants Them!" Now I know that "ALL FINAL DECISIONS ARE MADE BY THE TRACK OFFICAL IN CHARGE," But come on, all I think is that the officials dreamt this up over the past week. And they will give you 2 weeks to fix a "SAFETY" problem, but for the bumper rule, Walter will not let anyone run next week if they don't have their bumpers changed, ONE WEEK!! HELLO, a safety problem should be fixed within the week and the bumper rule a little longer than a week. With me saying all of this, I know my husband will pay dearly when it comes to getting his motor sealed, oh well! They don't care about us anyway, neither do I! :mad:

DOR 58 FIGURE 8
05-07-2006, 10:06 PM
I would like to also add that I just found 2004 rules and they are THE SAME as the rules Walter and Jim handed to me today. And it does NOT say that you can't have 2 bars for your back bumper anywhere. :mad: It does say (page 4 - BUMPERS) #2 "Rear bumpers may be reinforced to protect the back of the car, using 1 3/4" diameter .095 maximun tubing on OUTSIDE of bumper and quarter panel."

btgoss
05-07-2006, 10:23 PM
Does this last minute rules change have anything to do with the fact that only 11 cars are being credited with having started the feature? Did a bunch of people get sent home because of this bumper thing?

W. J.
05-08-2006, 10:36 AM
No one was sent home, as the rule will not be enforced until next week's (5-13) show, just as they announced at the track.

I don't know exactly what the rule change involves specifically, but it seems to me that a bumper change can be accomplished in a week, considering that if it got torn off the car in a wreck, it would also be fixed in the same time period. Perhaps someone would like to explain why a week is NOT enough time??? :confused:

racerwife
05-08-2006, 12:12 PM
As I understand the bumper rule... no exterior rear bars to be seen except for a bar to lift the car for a tow to the pits. This now means that all of our rear bumper bars must be put under the bumper cover, no small job. Also allowed are a single exterior nerf bar on either rear quarter panel, this one can be seen. The main rear bumper bar must be only 1 piece of metal (maximum 1 3/4",.095 thickness rolled tubing if you wish ), no reinforcement allowed. Stock bumper allowed with no reinforcement. (I believe there were size limits, but don't know them for any type of metal used.)
Front bumpers have also been changed to single piece of metal, no reinforcement allowed here either. Stock front bumper allowed. I agree with taking away the super reinforced front bumpers. It may stop a lot of the pounding and pushing that goes on in this division when you now wreck your radiator because you are hitting and pushing so hard!!
I personally have a serious problem with the rear bumper issue. My husband's car has a 3" clearance inside between the bumper cover and fuel cell. (this is true for many of the cars) He now has to put a bumper in that small a space with no reinforcement, that close to a fuel cell. This sounds like a horrendous accident waiting to happen to me. I looked at Carl Baxters' car Saturday night after our race... with a heavily reinforced rear bumper, the impact his car took put the steel bumper within inches of piercing the fuel cell. He told me it WAS NOT a hard hit either !! This is the protection they want to take away from our drivers??
I am aware that the track officials have last word on all safety issues. However, this is a really bad decision on their part. The written rules for our division have been the same regarding bumpers since 2004, (that's as far back as we kept). I agree the front bumper rule change is a very good one...but when not 1 car in the entire division is found to be "legal" you would need to ask yourself why do they so protect the back of the car??? It's called the fuel cell area!!!
Saturday nights opener was an eyeful of rear end collisions, with major damage to quite a few cars in other divisions with this rule in effect. In case people don't remember, we don't go roundy round...we cross each other at full throttle with impacts being devastating. That extra protection in the rear of our cars may well be what saves someone's life. I know no one ever aims for a driver's door either, but taking the hit to the rear of the car was many times where our impacts occurred. It was built to take a heavy hit to protect the drivers.The front ends just crumble and then you have arrived in the drivers door/compartment area.
I've said my piece. I just pray to GOD that we don't have to send anyone to the hospital or worse with this new ruling.

Oh by the way.. anyone ever read the rules regarding nerf bars??? NO FLAT TUBING allowed! Start walking through the pits and counting cars in violation to that one...in all divisions it's seen and used, except mods. But they are inspected and passed year after year. I don't have flat bar, it's not allowed according to the written rules. My car was inspected and passed with no issue raised till this past Sat. night, now how's that for wondering when these ideas are thought up?!! Enough from me. I'll be quiet, I'm trying.. on this issue now that I've vented.
And Dor...I'll meet you in the officials trailer when they spank our hands and give us hell for caring what happens to our husbands and their racing friends !!

racerwife
05-08-2006, 12:22 PM
WJ.

What I didn't say in my other post is most of these guys have no crews to help them work on the cars. So yes it is a very difficult job to do by yourself. And it means reconfiguring your rear bumper metal, sizing, cutting, fitting, welding....removing the bumper cover at some time, then having to reinstall the rear bumper cover, cutting holes in the appropriate spot for a lift bar, and trying to weld this together through a very small opening. Let's not forget having to repaint what now has been drilled out and cut out, so it has somewhat of a nice look to it again.

I'm no mechanic, or body shop worker... even to me this sounds like a lot of time, work and another expense to incur for all teams.
Let's not forget... they can all use help to work on their cars. Anyone interested just needs to volunteer your sweat and time.

DOR 58 FIGURE 8
05-08-2006, 12:49 PM
Well, where should I start? Help, Help oh yea and Some Time!! :help: Are you offering to help all the guy's who don't have crews? First of all if the cars are welded the right way to start with most of the time the rear bumpers shouldn't come off. Then there's the fact that this was not told to anyone before Saturday!! Our bumper took 10 hours to get done just a week ago and I heard that some took longer. 10 hours of work to just chop it off and start all over again. The rule was changed to only 2 bars on the inside of a bumper cover and 1 on the outside with a tow loop. Everyone's bumper covers now have the holes in it for the bars we were always allowed to run up till this week. They want all the Late Models, Chargers and Figure 8's bars to be the same, for what reason? NO ONE could answer!! :disgusted What kind of damage can you do with your back bumper? :-| Is it going to make you go any faster? :mad: How will this rule make the cars any safer? :mad: The back bumpers are built to protect the back of your car and the fuel cell. This is one of the dumbest rules IMO and many others!!
And btgoss, no, that rule didn't have anyone sitting out this past week, there were 12 cars, but don't be surprised next week to see less because of this rule. Maybe this is their way of saying they don't want the Figure 8's there any more.

W. J.
05-08-2006, 01:31 PM
Okay, now I have a better idea of what this is all about, which is all I was really after. I didn't know what actual changes were mandated, I don't know the reason for them (officially), but it is all a bit clearer now. I thank both of you nice ladies for your input in this matter. Maybe some other people on this forum can give us an idea what the thinking is behind making these changes.

Tower Man
05-08-2006, 05:15 PM
The bumper issue has been a debate for years. This is not new. I remember being told to park my car because of the rear bumper in 1995.

Instead of bantering on this board, get to the track early, meet with Walter and get a better understanding of what is needed, Better yet, invite him to a meeting, buy him a scotch and talk.

On another note...12 cars for Riverhead? How many will go upstate if there are only 12 cars for the home track? Something to think about.

DOR 58 FIGURE 8
05-08-2006, 06:08 PM
Joe, That would be a great plan, only if we have the time! This all has to be done by next week, after nothing was said to anyone before this past Saturday. I drove back out to the track again on Sunday, to talk about this with Both Walter and Jim, but I don't think they heard me!! If this was mentioned at the meeting in Jan. wouldn't you think they would have said something to the guys who were there for tech last Saturday about the bumpers, or that maybe there would have been at least 1 car that were within the bumper rules? I'm telling you, there are NO Changes in the rules from 2004 to 2006, they read the same, word for word, and I'm going by the rules they just handed me on Sunday 5/7. You know, if they were to tell us that the reason for the change was for a safety thing I think I could understand the change, But NO ONE can come up with ANY reason, except Walter said that he wanted to "clean the back bumpers up," Not that we've got any clue what he means by Clean it up!!
:disgusted I'm telling you, Both Walter and Jim dreamt this up last week just to bust everyones chops!! :disgusted

W. J.
05-08-2006, 06:41 PM
I understand why you're upset about this issue, but if it was announced on Saturday night, why wasn't it as aggressively questioned then as it is bein questioned here now. Face to face meetings solve more problems than posting on a board where you know there will not be a response.

Feeling it's all been laid out here, I am closing this thread. Allowing it to turn into a bash fest will accomplish nothing more.