Stock Class Eliminations Indy 2016

Round One of Class Eliminations at the 62nd Annual Chevrolet Performance US Nationals. Thursday Sept. 1, 2016

[@allanmcelroy9840]

Interesting how the title says stock class elimination....no way these-original and true-muscle cars are factory stock. Or are they pro-street some how?

[@robzneed4speed]

Believe it or not, these are run within the NHRA guidelines. Of course they are allowed minimal performance upgrades. These guys will spend $40,000 on an engine to gain a tenth of a second.

[@allanmcelroy9840]

@@robzneed4speed a tenth?

[@MaximRecoil]

If this is stock class, how are many of these cars running in the 10s, and even 9s and 8s in the quarter-mile? With the exception of factory drag cars, like the '64 Ford Thunderbolt and '68 Hemi Dart/Barracuda, no production cars from the '60s through the '90s could even come close to running 10s stock, let alone 9s or 8s. Most muscle cars ran 14s or 13s, with the fastest ones breaking into the 12s (like the '69½ A12-package Road Runners / Super Bees): "Stock cars are similar to Super Stockers, but the rules regarding everything from engine modifications to body alterations are much stricter. Virtually any car is eligible to compete, and entries are classified using a system that divides factory shipping weight by NHRA-factored horsepower. Bodies must be unaltered and retain a full factory interior. Tires are limited to a maximum 9-inch-wide rear slick. Engines must be correct for the make and model vehicle and must retain stock cylinder heads, intake manifold, and carburetor. Modifications are limited to a basic balancing and rebuild with only a few performance enhancements." www.nhra.com/nhra-101/drag-racing-classes "Cars must not exceed factory specs. Camshafts must retain factory lift numbers, though any duration is allowed. Crankshafts can be balanced, but not lightened beyond OEM specs. Cylinder heads may not be ported, neither can intake manifolds. Rod and/or piston assembly can not be lighter than factory specs. Valves can not be larger than OEM. Carburetors and fuel injection throttle bodies can not exceed factory specs either. Certain aftermarket and replacement parts are allowed, but must meet the weight, volume, and other dimensions of OEM parts." www.dragzine.com/features/understanding-class-racing-stock-eliminator/ So how do you drop ~4 seconds off your quarter-mile time without being able to shave weight from the car because "bodies must be unaltered and retain a full factory interior," and with modifications being "limited to a basic balancing and rebuild with only a few performance enhancements"? Stock heads that can't even be ported, stock size valves, stock carburetor and intake manifold, stock camshaft lift numbers... where are they making all that extra power?

[@me77you]

MaximRecoil I often wonder the same thing when I watch some of these videos. I ran SS/EA when I came home from Vietnam in 1968 and NEVER seen stock or SS classes running even close to some of these times. Hell in some of the videos like this the SS cars have chutes and wheelie bars on them. The cars we raced back then could be and were used on the street as often as not other than the dealer sponsored cars and they too ran no where near a lot of these times. What did I miss over the years.

[@anoldsman]

MaximumRecoil I could never list all of the improvemnts availible to get those 4 seconds but here are a few. NHRA Minimum weight is sometimes 100+ lbs lighter than what a "daily driver" right off the lot was. Thank the manufactures for that as NHRA goes off of the specifications that the manufacures supply them. Most V8 engines can make 100+ more HP by blueprinting, obtaining the maxium compression ratio, using very large duration / aggressive profile / tight lobe separation camshafts and a lot of attention to details. That, with the allowed suspension modifications and slicks, will get you to at least the class minimum for many combinations. Beyond that requires low friction bearings, low grab brakes, very trick transmissions and gears that just can't handle the mileage of street use. The cars may look very lightly modified but there is a ton of work to get them to run competitivley. How much extra work depends on how "flogged" the combination is already. Also, remember that the 1/4 mile test runs from "back in the day" were run on the very narrow bias ply tires of the day. So it was very difficulty, to impossible, to use all of the power availible without traction loss / ET loss.

[@theministersal702]

yes......corvetts & novas...i have one of each and enjoy watching them race...also a rare 1999 lincoln im standing in front of...the only FWD 99 Continental with over 600 hp & a roll cage that I know of.........ENJOY ALL !

[@lw216316]

these " stock " classes are running times like the famous guys like Landy, Sox's and Martin, etc ran in what was it called back then ? - super stock or pro stock?

[@robzneed4speed]

That would be the original Pro Stock.

[@lw216316]

I remember as a kid reading a hot rod magazine back in those days and they were testing a hemi vs a 440 - true stock and the 1/4 mile times were right around 14 sec and the mph were in the 103-105 range as I recall - but they were in the big cars not the cuda,dart,etc. In their test the 426 (2 4bL) beat the 440 (3 2bL ) to half track but the 440 caught up and crossed the 1/4 mile first. my dad's family car was a 64 Polara (318-2bL) and my first car was a 66 Dart 273-4 bL, bucket seats, 4 speed (later considered a Pony car in a group that included the Mustang.)

[@65bu57]

It was super stock, all door classes originated from super stock. Except for the .90 bracket classes. Comp., modified, even pro stock. Super stock rules in the sixties where similar to that of stock eliminator today. The amazing thing to see, is that stockers are running similar MPH to what they did in the seventies, but their E.T.'s are a lot lower. Most of the advances due to low drag drive line parts(ei. GM 200c metric transmission, and the use of 7.5" differentials) some advances in power due to loosening restrictions on engine parts we can use, but in my opinion none of that would matter without the tire technology. The tires on my street car are better than the slicks that my dad used to set J/SA records in the late seventies.

[@lw216316]

@@MaximRecoil yes, I qualified my statement with "as I recall" just in case I had that backwards - as you mention. It was 50 years ago and my memory ain't what it used to be ! The times and mph were by the Magazine drivers and not professionals and were stock , off the show room floor cars - I think (to the best of my questionable memory). So they had times around 14 sec - not as good as the low 13s by better drivers, conditions, set up -etc.

[@recrdholdr]

Did you get my engine explosion in comp on film?

[@robzneed4speed]

Steve Polhill I'm not sure. When did that happen?

[@recrdholdr]

second qualifier I was in the left lane

[@eda8877]

A lot of really good looking cars. Interesting to note from a quick informal count, 172 cars (sounds a bit high) 2 Olds, 6 Buick, 16 Pont., 29 Ford, 29 Mopar and 90 Chev. (60 Camaros ! Included).

[@ProjectReefBlue]

Badass video! Top Notch. Thank you!

[@chrisnizer1885]

This is drag racing at its best IMO. Pro classes (Top fuel, Funny car, Pro stock) are too homogenised.

[@JohnW1711stock]

Here's all the heads up runs everyone is whining about, and yet only 143 views? Lots of comments on videos complaining about breakout racing, and nobody watches the head up rounds.

[@fredgrove4220]

Can someone tell me, is the guy on the PA, the same guy that does Drag Week with Freiberger ? "cos it certainly sounds like him.

[@818bulldog4]

stock??????

[@robzneed4speed]

Peyton Bradford Stock according to the NHRA rulebook

[@818bulldog4]

robzneed4speed I'm being funny. I run with my buddy Jimmy DeFrank

[@robzneed4speed]

+Peyton “Bulldog” Bradford lol Cool. I like Jimmy and his dad, talk to them whenever I see them. Shocked he was concentrating on just the SS, that's contradicting everyone else's strategy for success.

[@818bulldog4]

robzneed4speed I'm at Pomona with them and they're running two cars. the Camaro is in the stock class

[@robzneed4speed]

+Peyton “Bulldog” Bradford that's good. When I spoke to him at Indy he said they were only running the one car. Guess they're going back. Wish I was there. My first will be The Gators in five weeks

[@65bu57]

Thanks Mr. Need for speed for recording these categories that our own sanctioning body could care less about. Hats off to you. My only critique, the score board is way more important to get in the frame than the tight shot of the hot rods. Otherwise keep it up! Let us know how we can support your efforts.