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.”
NHRA will continue to monitor oil-downs closely during the year and if the new policy results in lengthy clean-up efforts, some form of a penalty will be considered.
| 
|