Dropping the Droop Rule...

[Wells Racing Photos]

Just noticed that effective with The Leftover next weekend at 411 Motor Speedway that the Iron-Man Championship Series promoted by Chris Tilley has dropped the droop rule. Think any of the other series that follow this rule will follow suit?

[mskdorf]

Wasn’t this a Ray Cook instituted rule for safety (rollover) concerns? Have there been studies to verify effectiveness? If it works we should keep it. Haven’t heard of any others dumping it.

[foxfire2dirtracing]

Interesting- how will this effect his relationship with Ray Cook?

[B_K]

Interesting- how will this effect his relationship with Ray Cook?

Hasn’t that marriage ended already?

[foxfire2dirtracing]

I knew Chris left his position with Ray after a social media blow-up with some fans at the end of the Southernationals at Tazwell. Not sure about their current friendship/relationship as to business?
Some of the same companies sponsor both Ray and Chris’s series. This is what I was referring to about their relationship going forward.

[Josh Bayko]

I don’t think dropping the droop rule is going to bring any extra cars, and almost all the cars he’s going to get have been running a droop rule and are going to bring the same car they’ve been running all year. This seems like chest thumping for the sake of chest thumping.

[hardracer32]

I thought this was a silly thing to do. Don't know what his reasoning is behind this.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Josh Bayko,

Nobody really cares if my team goes to his races or not, but he gained us now.

These races have a small number of full time followers and are filled by largely regional racers. The regional racers may race all season without the need to conform to a Ray Cook or Woo rule.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Mskdorf,

As with anything else DLM related, as it comes to rules, no study has been published, if performed.

[Rajflyboy]

Less rules = better racing

[hardracer32]

Mskdorf- Even though it was pushed as a Safety rule, I don't believe for one minute that was the actual reason for the rule. If it was for safety, it would have made more sense to take the deck height down another 6-8 inches. But, even if it was for safety, the side effect of the rule is that it took away some of the downforce. Whether or not it was enough to level the playing field a little and make the racing any better is definitely debatable.

Rajflyboy- Never in the history of racing has "Less Rules" created better racing. If they opened up the rules even more for late models, they would be so stuck to the track and so fast that passing would be impossible and not even the top dollar teams that are still getting by with ridiculous costs as they are now would be able to afford to keep running. But, just throwing restrictions out for the sake of making limits is not the answer either. There are plenty of easy to tech, cheap to implement rules that could be put in place right now that would drastically change the landscape of late model racing.....for the better.

[foxfire2dirtracing]

Hardracer32

You have to overlook “flyboy”- 2,090 post since February- he’s a lost ball in high weeds that unfortunately for the rest of us: he stumbled upon and joined 4m!

[mskdorf]

Thanks for the info guys

[kazual]

“a lost ball in high weeds”, good one lol

[chupp n bloomer fan]

You have to overlook “flyboy”- 2,090 post since February- he’s a lost ball in high weeds that unfortunately for the rest of us: he stumbled upon and joined 4m!



Could possibly be lost in the high weed?:)

[dirtcrazy4u]

The rule was put into place because if I car did get upside down and the driver had to get out quickly he was in trouble. For me, I like the looks of today's SLM. But, the bodies is what traps a driver, I just think both woo and Lucas could have come up with something better than what is now in place. Even with the droop rule, if a car gets upside down the driver is still in trouble. The wedge noses get into a guy that's sideways, good chance he's going over.

[JabberJaws83]

Noses, width and the whole deck being a glorified spoiler need fixed

[Krooser]

Mskdorf- Even though it was pushed as a Safety rule, I don't believe for one minute that was the actual reason for the rule. If it was for safety, it would have made more sense to take the deck height down another 6-8 inches. But, even if it was for safety, the side effect of the rule is that it took away some of the downforce. Whether or not it was enough to level the playing field a little and make the racing any better is definitely debatable.

Rajflyboy- Never in the history of racing has "Less Rules" created better racing. If they opened up the rules even more for late models, they would be so stuck to the track and so fast that passing would be impossible and not even the top dollar teams that are still getting by with ridiculous costs as they are now would be able to afford to keep running. But, just throwing restrictions out for the sake of making limits is not the answer either. There are plenty of easy to tech, cheap to implement rules that could be put in place right now that would drastically change the landscape of late model racing.....for the better.

Here in NE WI and many other places in the 60's-70's we had just a couple basic rules to follow.

Our area had an 11" tire rule, single 4 bbl. and the body had to be six years or newer to be a "late model"... that's it. No CI rule, any suspension (our group had leaf cars, torsion bar cars and the occasional coil spring chassis). We had ex-NASCAR cars, coupe modifieds with buggy springs and newer sheet metal, '57 Chevies with Camaro tin...the whole shebang.

We also ran six cylinders against 427's. Pavement and dirt tracks.

We ran five to six nights per week and averaged 40-50 cars in each pit.

I doubt any set of rules would have made any of us spend less money.

[Josh Bayko]

Noses, width and the whole deck being a glorified spoiler need fixed

Just making the bodies straight and symmetrical would do a ton.

[JabberJaws83]

Just making the bodies straight and symmetrical would do a ton.

I agree, and I think you can straighten the bodies out without diminishing the “cool” factor look of a late model.

[dirtcrazy4u]

Unfortunately I just don't see it happening until I guy gets trapped because of the bodies. I feel there's enough room to open the interior around the driver so he'd have a way to get out.

[84wedge]

What kind of lap times do you think a modern SLM would register if they ran clockwise instead? 2-3 seconds slower? More?

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Unfortunately I just don't see it happening until I guy gets trapped because of the bodies. I feel there's enough room to open the interior around the driver so he'd have a way to get out.

The seat and HANS is way more of an issue than the body. They actually have a higher roof than they used to. That helps.

[Josh Bayko]

The seat and HANS is way more of an issue than the body. They actually have a higher roof than they used to. That helps.

If they got the decks back down to 36” and flat they’d gave even more room.

[dirtcrazy4u]

MastersBuilt, I agree with these high sided head restraints the seats do pose a problem. As for the Hans device wonce you get the belts off them you pretty much have freedom of movement. The bodies and interiors keep a driver limited to a small window for an escape route. Aero is a huge problem in many different classes today if a driver has to get out quickly.

If you watch any NHRA funny cars they have those roof panels that open. Why the late model and NE modifieds don't use one is beyond me.

[Josh Bayko]

MastersBuilt, I agree with these high sided head restraints the seats do pose a problem. As for the Hans device wonce you get the belts off them you pretty much have freedom of movement. The bodies and interiors keep a driver limited to a small window for an escape route. Aero is a huge problem in many different classes today if a driver has to get out quickly.

If you watch any NHRA funny cars they have those roof panels that open. Why the late model and NE modifieds don't use one is beyond me.

Big block mods have bars that brace the top of the cage. A flap would be useless.