GLENDORA, Calif. — NHRA announced on Wednesday it will suspend oil down penalties for the 2009 season in both the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. The move is designed to save teams money and is possible given the success in recent years to minimize oil downs during national events to enhance the fan experience.
The oil down policy, which was first enacted in 2000 in the professional class and later in the sportsman categories, was created to improve the quality of the show for fans attending NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events. The policy has been effective in reducing the amount of down time caused by oil downs in the professional and sportsman classes at national events.
“This move is designed to ease the financial burden on the race teams, given we have experienced cooperation among the racing community to minimize oil downs at national events with much success,” said Graham Light, senior vice president of racing operations, NHRA. “We are confident that the fans will continue to see a great show come the start of the season at the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals.”
With that said, NHRA will monitor the situation closely during the course of the year. If the new policy results in lengthy clean-up efforts due to excessive oil downs, some form of a penalty will be considered.
In 2008, NHRA removed the monetary fines associated with oil downs at national events midway through the year but kept the points penalties in place for the professional categories. This year, both monetary and points penalties have been eliminated in both the professional and sportsman ranks.
Teams, at all levels, experiencing chronic problems with oil downs at national events will continue to be reviewed by NHRA and further action may be taken.
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