NHRA New England Nationals Update
March 26, 2020
To Our Loyal New England Dragway Fans:
All of us at New England Dragway understand the COVID-19 outbreak is currently disrupting your lives. We are sensitive to the concerns and uncertainty felt by individuals and businesses as our nation combats what we all hope to be a short-term outbreak. We are closely monitoring the situation, as well as guidance available from state and local officials. We remain confident life will return to normal and we remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for racers and race fans alike.
We recognize NHRA’s decision to cancel the 2020 New England Nationals is a huge disappointment to our loyal fans. It's a significant disappointment for New England Dragway as well. We were initially approached by NHRA to consider the possibility of postponing the event. During a special meeting of the Board of Directors, representatives of the NHRA outlined their concerns and expressed that the issue was a time sensitive matter. With the event being five months away, the Board intended to gather more information, allow the situation to develop, and make an informed decision closer to the time of the event. The Board felt a decision to postpone was premature and notified NHRA that it wished to hold off on making a decision for 30 days. Obviously, that did not happen. We want to stress the decision to cancel the event was made entirely by NHRA and against the wishes of New England Dragway.
Even though this was not a New England Dragway decision, we apologize to those who have supported us over the years. We put significant effort into our events to provide an unmatched experience. Your passion and loyalty have helped us provide the best motor sports entertainment possible. You can be assured we will continue to work hard to ensure that tradition continues here at New England Dragway.
We also want to thank our brave first responders, exceptional medical professionals, and the resolve of each and every one of you as we overcome this challenge and work to restore normalcy to our lives.
Sincerely,
Joe Lombardo
General Manager,
New England Dragway, Inc.
Wednesday & Friday Street Nights
We race most Wednesday & Friday nights April through October.
New England Dragway’s Street Night program is geared toward letting beginners enjoy the thrill of drag racing. It is also the perfect setting for the more experienced enthusiast who would like to test performance modifications. Newcomers should refer to the chapter about Drag Racing Basics on page 53 of the Racer Handbook for more detailed information about the structure of the quarter mile and preparing for that first run. Snowmobiles and Junior Dragsters may compete on Friday Street Night. Street Nights are open to both cars and motorcycles excluding dragsters, altered, and roadsters.
The following are basic rules, which must be adhered to. Additional information regarding safety requirement is contained in the Racer Handbook, as well as the current NHRA Rulebook.
Cars & Trucks:
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On Friday Street Night events slick tires are permitted.
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No bald tires allowed
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Open exhaust is not allowed
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Co-drivers are allowed in all vehicles running 14.00 seconds or slower
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Seat belts are required
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Overflow can for radiator required
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Battery hold down bracket required
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.500 Full Tree using manual start
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Vehicles must comply with safety and equipment requirements as outlined by the current NHRA Rulebook.
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Vehicles must be street legal and able to pass state safety inspection
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Nitrous oxide is permitted and must be installed according to the provisions outlined in the current NHRA Rulebook.
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Valid state driver’s license required. Learner’s permits are not acceptable. Junior Street drivers must be accompanied by a licensed guardian.
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Helmets (Snell 2015 or newer) are required for all vehicles running 13.99 or quicker
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Fire Jacket meeting SFI Spec 3.2A/1 mandatory for cars running 10.00 (*6.40) to 13.99 (*8.59) with non-OEM supercharged, non-OEM turbocharged, or nitrous-equipped cars with an OEM or .024-inch steel firewall.
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Drivers and co-drivers are required to wear long pants, a shirt, socks, and shoes
Motorcycles:
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No slicks allowed. Street tires required (DOT Approved racing tires acceptable)
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No bald tires allowed
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Open exhaust is not allowed
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.500 Full Tree using manual start
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Vehicles must comply with safety and equipment requirements as outlined by the current NHRA Rulebook.
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Motorcycles must be street legal and able to pass state safety inspection
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Nitrous oxide is permitted and must be installed according to the provisions outlined in the current NHRA Rulebook.
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All nitrous assisted motorcycles, regardless of elapsed time, shall be required to install an approved Engine Containment System on their vehicle
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Valid state motorcycle operator’s license is required. Learner’s permits are not acceptable
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Full face Snell M2015 helmet required
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Leather jacket and gloves are required
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Over the ankle leather shoes or boots are required
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Leather pants are required on all motorcycles running either 10.99 or quicker or 120 MPH or faster
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All motorcycles must have a permanent style competition number plate attached to the right side of the vehicle
Drag Racing Basics
This section is for newcomers to New England Dragway and serves as a refresher for our regular racers. All racers should refer to the General Race Day Procedures and General Safety Procedures sections of the racer handbook for additional clarification.
Street Night: After paying your race fee at the pit gate, proceed to the Credentials Building for your wristband and tech inspection card. A New England Dragway representative at the Credentials Building will ask to see your driver’s/operator’s license. After receiving these items proceed to the tech area located behind the concession building for inspection.
Wristband must be placed on the driver’s wrist when issued. Wristbands are required for all drivers. Additionally, all crew members wishing to ride as a co-driver (where allowed) must obtain a wristband. Under State of New Hampshire law swapping wristbands is considered a theft of services and punishable as a criminal offense. New England Dragway, Inc., has adopted a Zero Tolerance policy for this act. Anyone caught swapping wristbands (this includes, but is not limited to wearing a wristband not issued to them, cutting and taping a wristband) shall be arrested, immediately removed from the premises, prosecuted and prohibited from participating at any New England Dragway event.
Fill out the appropriate portions of your tech card and wait for the next available tech inspector. This New England Dragway representative will ask to see your driver’s/operator’s license, wristband and ask for you tech card. Vehicles successfully passing tech inspection process will be assigned a number and directed into the staging lanes.
When your lane is pulled, you must be ready to race. Being race ready means seat belts are fastened, windows closed (including sunroof) and lights on (when applicable). The Staging Director will guide you toward the burnout area. If you choose to do a burnout, follow the directions of the Water Box Technician. After completing your burnout, proceed immediately to the starting line.
Approach the starting line until your tire activates the pre-stage light. From there, inch your way forward until your tire causes the stage light to come on. This signals the starter that you are ready to race.
Time your start so that your vehicle is leaving just as the green light comes on. A perfect reaction time is .500 seconds. Continue accelerating until you cross the finish line.
If you believe that your vehicle is leaking fluids on the racing surface, or there is a malfunction, pull over immediately and wait for track personnel to assist.
Begin to decelerate as soon as you cross the finish line and continue down track until the third turn. Watch for Top End personnel at this turn for guidance in exiting the track. Remember, the vehicle in the right lane has the right of way. Proceed immediately to the time slip booth, obeying the posted speed limit of 10 MPH en route.
Your time slip is a detailed record of your run. It provides you with your reaction time, and elapsed time readings at the 60′, 330′, 1/8th mile and 1/4 mile mark. In addition, it provides you with MPH reading at the 1/8th and 1/4 mile. This data will help you evaluate your run.
After reading the data, you may choose to cool down your vehicle in the pit area r proceed back to the staging lanes for another run. Do not cool down your vehicle in the staging lanes.
All racers are responsible for being familiar and in compliance with current New England Dragway, Inc., and NHRA rules. Depending upon the severity of the infraction, one warning will be given to a driver found in violation of the rules. A second violation during the same event may subject the offender to immediate disqualification and eviction. This includes, but is not limited to; inoperable tail lights, and not having a fire jacket or suit when running an elapsed time of 11.49 seconds or quicker.
The following infractions shall result in immediate disqualification and competitors shall not be permitted to race until the discrepancy is corrected:
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Convertible running 13.49 or quicker without a roll bar
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Motorcycle or snowmobile riders running 10.99 or quicker without leather pants and/or a lanyard
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Hardtop vehicles running 11.49 or quicker without a roll bar
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Drivers/riders running 9.99 seconds or quicker without a valid NHRA credential
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Drivers running 13.99 seconds or quicker without a helmet meeting Snell 2015 or SFI specifications
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Drivers/riders running 13.99 seconds or quicker with a co-driver