HOT ROD DRAG WEEK™ 2025-2027 RULES & PROCEDURES

WHAT IS HOT ROD DRAG WEEK?

HOT ROD Drag Week is the competition where street-legal drag-race cars run quarter-mile time trials every day for five days, driving on public roads between four different drag strips for a road trip of approximately 1,000 miles unassisted by support vehicles. It’s the ultimate test of a street/strip car, with trophies awarded in multiple classes for vehicles with various levels of modifications. The one car with the lowest average elapsed time over the week of racing is named HOT ROD’s Fastest Street Car in America.

HOW WINNERS ARE DETERMINED

•In every class other than Street Machine Eliminator and Stick, the finishing positions are determined by adding up the e.t. slips from each day of racing, then dividing by the number of days of competition (normally five days) to get an average elapsed time. The lowest average e.t. wins each class other than Street Machine Eliminator and Stick. For the Street Machine Eliminator and Stick formats, see the Street Machine Eliminator and Stick sections below.

•In the event of a tie in average e.t., the tiebreaker will be the average mph, with the higher mph number getting the higher ranking position. In the event of a tie in both average mph and average e.t., the tiebreaker will be average e.t. at the 1/8-mile.

•In the event one or more days of racing are rained out or cancelled for any reason, the winners will be determined by the standings based on the number of days that competition was completed.

•Racers will be granted entry to the Drag Week 200 MPH Club the first time they complete Drag Week and run more than 200 mph in the quarter mile on any race day other than the first day. The mph number used for club entry will be the highest 200-plus-mph pass of the week. Subsequent years’ 200+ mph runs do not change the racer’s Drag Week 200 MPH Club entry.

•Drag Week also offers performance awards for Quickest Chevy, Quickest Ford, Quickest Buick, Quickest Olds, Quickest Pontiac, Quickest Mopar, Quickest AMC, Quickest Without a Trailer, Quickest Six-Cylinder, Quickest Four Cylinder, Quickest Stick (Any manual trans/clutch combo), Quickest Hot Rod (1928-1948 vehicles only), Quickest Street Machine Eliminator entry and the Monte Smith Memorial Award for Quickest Nitrous Car. For the brand-specific awards, here’s how it works, using Pontiac as an example: the first choice for the performance awards winner goes to a Pontiac engine in a Pontiac car, the second choice isa Pontiac engine in a non-Pontiac car, and the last choice is a Pontiac car with a non-Pontiac engine (to include Pontiacs delivered from the factory with a Chevy or Olds engine).

•There are two reliability awards: one goes to the car that finishes Drag Week with the quickest average e.t. with a sealed hood, the other with a sealed engine (intake sealed to the block and valve covers sealed to heads). Racers who wish to compete for these awards must request seals from tech officials on registration day.

•The most honored award is Spirit of Drag Week, chosen by the Drag Week staff. It goes to the competitor who most demonstrates a do-or-die attitude while helping others, showing good sportsmanship, and spreading the good will of Drag Week.

DRIVER REQUIREMENTS

•Racers must possess a government issued, current, valid driver’s license.

•All drivers must sign a liability waiver and photo release during registration.

•If the driver is not the car owner, the driver must have all required documents (as stated below), and must attest as stated in the waiver that they have the car owner’s permission to be in possession of and to race the vehicle.

•Racers must be at least 16 years of age to race. If racers are at least 16 years of age, but under 18 years of age, their custodial parent or legal guardian must be in attendance with them during onsite tech and registration, as well as for the duration of Hot Rod Drag Week. Both the custodial parent and child will be required to appear in person during tech and registration in order to sign the releases and waivers onsite. •Any racer intending to run elapsed times and speeds that require an NHRA or IHRA license, per the

guidelines in the NHRA or IHRA rule book, must be qualified and must have obtained the required license by the sanctioning body prior to undergoing tech at Hot Rod Drag Week.

•Drag Week allows multiple drivers for the same car provided that all drivers meet the requirements. Extra drivers require the purchase of an extra driver’s wristband. Details available on registration day. •Cars with multiple drivers are not eligible for more than one finishing position.

CONDUCT

•Any participant found under the influence of alcohol or narcotics is subject to immediate disqualification and removal from the event and the potential for being banned from future events.

•Unsportsmanlike conduct or actions deemed by the race director or other event official to be unsafe may result in disqualification or removal from the event and the potential for being banned from future events.

PRE-REGISTRATION

•Follow MotorTrend.com/events/ to learn the Drag Week dates and locations and the day that Drag Week registration willgo live.

•Drag Week will have a limited number of registrations available, with that number being announced each year. •All Drag Week racer pre-registration will occur online on a first-come, first-served basis.

•The top three winners from each class from the prior year and all past overall winners will be emailed a private invitation to pre-register for Drag Week using a unique online link. This invitation will be sent one week earlier than registration goes live to the general public.

•Registrations are not transferrable or refundable. If you must cancel your pre-registration to Hot Rod Drag Week, please notify event organizers as soon as possible at DragWeek@MotorTrend.com in order to allow a wait-listed racer to participate.

•If Drag Week race class entries sell out and registration is closed, but you’d still like a chance to race, send an email to DragWeek@MotorTrend.com stating your name, contact information, and the fact that you’d like to be on the wait list. We will only accept these emails after pre-registration has sold out. See “Wait List and On-Site Registration” information below.

SIGN-IN AND TECH DAY FOR PRE-REGISTERED ENTRIES

•Competitors are required to sign in and get in the tech inspection line before 1:00 p.m. local time on the registration day immediately prior to the event. This is a firm cutoff time.

•Reminder: registrations are not transferrable or refundable, so you cannot take another person’s entry and use it for yourself.

•During registration and tech, you must have the vehicle registration and proof of insurance for the car that will be racing. All documents must be current and in good standing. No exceptions.

•Each entrant must declare the names of up to three passengers in the car, and they will be wrist-banded. The registered driver and passengers must ride in their registered vehicle during the Drag Week road trip. The driver and up to three wrist-banded passengers are the people who will be allowed to touch the car in Impound; see the Impound section below.

•Each vehicle may only compete in one class. You must state your intended class when registering, and class changes are not allowed after the first day of racing.

•The registration day will include tech inspection for NHRA/IHRA safety and licensing rules and for compliance with Drag Week class rules.

•During on-site registration, each car will be given an e.t. limit based upon the car’s NHRA-legal safety equipment. For example, a 2007-older car with no roll bar cannot run quicker than 11.50. This tech-legal e.t. limit can affect the class that the car may enter; see class descriptions below.

WAIT-LIST AND ON-SITE REGISTRATION

•If you want to race at Drag Week, but you missed registering before the entries sold out, send an email as soon as possible after registration closes to DragWeek@MotorTrend.com. State your name, contact information,class you’d like to enter, and the fact that you want to be on the wait list.

•Wait-list people will be placed on the list in the order in which the emails were received. Wait-list emails timestamped prior to registration closing will be discarded.

•If pre-registered racers email us to let us know they are dropping out before registration day, and if the total

number of registered racers is below the limit, we will allow the wait-list people to sign up on a first-come, first-served basis.

•If Drag Week has fewer than the maximum number of entries when on-site registration is concluded at the drag strip on registration day, we will accept the wait-list entries that are present on site, starting with the first people on the list and working down. Once all wait-list entries are added, if the total entries are still fewer than the maximum, we will accept entries from other people on site who have shown up to try and race.

DAY 1 DRIVER MEETING AND PIT INSTRUCTIONS

•There will be a mandatory driver/passenger meeting held before racing begins. Drag Week competition begins at the close of the meeting.

•The track will have a space where trucks and trailers may be left behind during Drag Week competition. Competitors must secure their trucks and trailers there within 30 minutes of the end of the drivers’ meeting. •Access to the truck-and-trailer area will not be available until after the close of Drag Week racing, with the exception of racers who have forfeited the competition and need to pick up their rigs during normal business hours.

DAILY RACE PROCEDURES

•Competitors may be safety teched at the discretion of each dragstrip before running. All drivers must bepresent.

•The daily racing hours will be announced at the drivers meeting, and scheduleadjustments may be made pending unforeseen circumstances.

•Dragstrip sessions will be divided into four run groups: A is for cars teched to 8.49 or quicker, B is for cars teched to 8.50 to 9.99, C is for cars 10.00 to 11.49, D is for cars 11.50 and slower. Run-group order and duration may change day to day depending onconditions, and are subject to the discretion of the race director. •Competitors will be allowed to make as many passes as possible each day on a first-come, first-served basis until the race director announces that the staging lanes are closed. When the lanes are closed, the cars already in lanes at that time will be allowed to run.

•Cars are required to complete or forfeit their dragstrip passes within 5 minutes of being called into the burnout box by the race director. Cars exceeding this time limit after lanes are closed will not be allowed to run again that day.

•In case of time or weather delays, the number of passes for each competitor may be limited at the discretion of the race director.

•Any schedule change decisions, by the race director, will be made by noon and communicated through text message system and PA announcement. If there is no text or announcement, assume it ends on schedule.

•Every competitor must complete each track day within the times specified by the race director in order to remain in competition. To complete a track day, a competitor’s car must stage under its own power and take the green light. Entries that take the green but are unable to complete a full dragstrip pass will be given an e.t. of 20 seconds for the day.

•If a competitor misses a track day and is out of the running, he or she may be able to make exhibition runs during the remaining days of Drag Week if time allows, and at the race director’s discretion. •Drag Week uses a 0.400 Pro tree.

•It is the competitors’ responsibility to hand in their time slips to the specified Drag Week staffer each day before leaving the track. Once a slip is handed in, no other time slip will be honored that day. The e.t. and mph on the time slip may not be quicker or faster than the car’s tech speed.

•For any time slip handed in, the reaction time must be 1.000 seconds or less to avoid an et penalty. Any time in excess of a 1.000-second reaction time will be added to the competitor’s e.t. for the day. For example, if the reaction time is 1.500, then .500 will be added to the elapsed time.

•Courtesy Staging Required.

•If an entrant needs to drop out of competition at the drag strip, he or she is requested to notify the staff that is collecting time slips.

•Route maps to the next city will be provided once the competitor has handed in his or her time slip.

THE ROUTE, THE CHECKPOINTS

•The on-road drive is part of the Drag Week competition; following the specified route is mandatory. Traffic, potholes, road construction, gravel, and winding roads should be expected.

•In the event that a day of racing is rained out, competitors are still required to drive the entire route and must check in during the specified hours at the dragstrip in order to remain in competition and to receive information about the schedule and driving directions to the next track.

•Each day’s drive has at least one mandatory checkpoint. Each entrant is required to carry a digital camera that must be used to photograph the car at each checkpoint. Each competitor’s camera will be checked eachday as time slips are handed in to verify that participants have passed through all the required checkpoints.

•Host hotels may be posted on MotorTrend.com/events/. Competitors are not required to stay at host hotels and may stopanywhere they wish along the way as long as the entire route is followed.

PROTESTS

•Protesting another racer requires detailing the rule infraction in writing, submitting a $100 fee, and supplying any evidence, including photos or video. If the protest is upheld or negated by forfeiture, the $100 is returned. If it is not upheld, the $100 goes to the racer being protested.

FINALS RAINOUT CONTINGENCY

•In the event the finals are rained out, event officials will determine if the competition will continue on a rain date the following day or if Drag Week winners will be determined by the competition results ending the prior day.

WORKING ON COMPETITION VEHICLES

•Drag Week competitors may borrow or buy parts, tools, supplies, or fuel from each other and may help each other with manpower only on an impromptu basis.

•Vehicles entered with the obvious intent of supporting another competitor with parts, tools, supplies, fuel, or manpower subject both entries to disqualification at the race director’s discretion. It is not our intent to keep friends from helping friends but to prevent entries from acting as support vehicles for other competitors.

•If an entry receives regular, daily assistance from any person who is not a registered passenger in that entry’s car, that person is considered illegal support.

•If an entry uses parts, tools, supplies, or fuel from another competitor or another non-competition vehicle on a daily basis, that is considered illegal support.

•Helpers may not lead or follow in separate vehicles.

•Ordering parts and having them delivered during Drag Week to fix unforeseen problems is allowed.

IMPOUND

•Drag Week officials may, without notice, require competitors to set up their pit spot in the impound area for observation during track days.

•No vehicles may park in impound other than those designated by the race director.

•After Day 1, all cars that are in the top three positions in their class, and that have run quicker than 8.50 during Drag Week competition, are required to report to impound every day of competition.

•Only the wrist-banded drivers and registered, wrist-banded passengers of the cars in impound may work on the cars in impound.

•The only parts, tools, or supplies that can be used in impound are those that were carried in the car or the car’s trailer, or borrowed from other racers in impound. In cases of impromptu repairs, purchasing or borrowing of parts from outside of Impound must be approved by the race director.

•Impounded cars may not be worked on outside of the impound area.

•Broken parts removed from impounded cars may be taken off site to be repaired. Example: a cylinder head taken to a local shop for welding.

NO TRAILERS, NO SUPPORT VEHICLES

•Vehicles in competition may not be led or followed at any distance by support vehicles of any kind. A support vehicle is one used to supply, or with the intent of supplying, any rescue efforts or to carry anything for a

competitor, including luggage, tools, fuel, repair parts or spares, and helpers or crew. Support vehicles towing just-in-case trailers are not allowed.

•Racers may not be followed by motorhomes for overnight accommodations.

•All vehicles must be driven under their own power during the entire Drag Week competition and may not be towed, trailered, pushed, or hauled at any time. The exception is in the event of an emergency in which a vehicle needs to be removed from the roadway or other dangerous situation, in which case assistance may be used to move the car a short distance to a safe area, for example, to the next highway exit.

•Violation of the support-vehicle and crew rules is cause for immediate disqualification at the race director’s discretion.

TRAILERS AND CARGO ON COMPETITION VEHICLES

•Each competition vehicle may tow a single-axle cargo trailer to carry tools, supplies, and spare parts. •Trailers may not contain any components that contribute to cooling, charging, oiling, or fueling the competition vehicle while the trailer is being towed.

VEHICLE RULES FOR ALL CLASSES

•The event is open to four-wheel vehicles of any year, make, or model, except where limited by individual class rules. Motorcycle-based vehicles are not allowed.

•All entries must have current and legal vehicle registration and insurance with paperwork that matches the VIN and license plate on the car. No dealer or manufacturer plates are allowed.

•No rental cars allowed.

•Vehicles in competition must have functional headlights, taillights, brake lights, turn signals, horn, and a rearview mirror.

•Equipment rules apply to both the street and track portions of the event.

•All tire rules apply only on the drag strip and not for the street drive.

•All entries are required to use purpose-built drag-race drive tires on the track, including slicks, DOT-approved slicks, or drag radials. No conventional treaded street tires.

•All vehicles must meet NHRA safety rules for the e.t. and speed they are capable of, and drivers must be IHRA or NHRA licensed if required. Drag Week officials will not accept time slips that are quicker or faster than the car or driver’s tech’d legal e.t. and mph. Running quicker than the safety equipment or driver’s race license allows is cause for disqualification at the discretion of the race director.

•Cars capable of e.ts of 8.99 and quicker are required to have an engine diaper or other oil-retention device. •Swapping engines so that one is used for the dragstrip and another for the on-road drives is not allowed. One long-block is to be used for the entire competition, barring the need for impromptu repairs.

•In the case of engine failure, replacement of long-block (include engine block and cylinder heads) requires race director approval.

•Beam breakers are not allowed. Beam breakers are defined as protrusions from the front of the vehicle that extend past the profile silhouette of the body.

•Lettering or decals with letters more than 1-inch tall must be removed or covered if they are deemed by the race director to be offensive.

•Vehicles in all categories may use any fuel provided the car and the driver have the required safety equipment required by the NHRA for that fuel type.

•In Naturally Aspirated classes, the engine may not use power adders of any kind. •In Power Adder classes, the engine must use a supercharger, turbocharger, nitrous oxide, or somecombination thereof.

•In Small-Block classes, engine displacement must be 430 ci and below, and the engine may not be a Mopar 426-based Hemi, a Chrysler early Hemi, a big-block Mopar, a big-block Chevy, a big-block Ford, or an FE Ford.

•In Big-Block classes, engine displacement must be 431 ci and above. All Mopar 426-based Hemis, Chrysler early Hemis, big-block Mopars, big-block Chevys, big-block Fords, and FE Fords will run in Big-Block classes regardless of displacement.

•Winners’ engines may be pumped to verify displacement.

•It’s the responsibility of the racer to know and comply with the rules; passing tech inspection does not constitute a right to remain in competition if rules violations are discovered later.

•Vehicles must compete in the lowest class for which they are eligible.

•Vehicles with rule variations may be classified at the race director’s discretion.

•Entries that are disqualified from competition are not eligible for a refund of registration fees.

UNLIMITED CATEGORY

Unlimited is Drag Week’s most radical class and has no restrictions on modifications except for those listed in “Vehicle Rules For All Classes” above.

CHASSIS

•Must be NHRA certified to 9.99 seconds or quicker in the quarter mile.

CLASSES WITHIN THE UNLIMITED CATEGORY

•Unlimited: One class includes engines of all displacements and with or without power adders.

ULTIMATE IRON CATEGORY

Ultimate Iron is for tube-chassis cars with a steel production body with unaltered appearance and minimal chassis restrictions.

BODY

•Must use an all-steel, OE body, model year 1938 and newer. OE Corvette bodies are allowed.

•The following are the only non-OE-production exterior body panels that may be made of non-metal materials:

1. bumpers, 2) hoods, 3) deck lids, 4) rear hatches, 5) fenders, 6) doors.

•Hood scoops, rear wings, and front air dams of any material are allowed.

•Any composite windows must appear stock and use stock moldings.

•An OE production grille, or an exact replica, for the body’s year, make, and model must be used and cannot be blocked from the front.

•Stock, reproduction, or replica front and rear bumpers are required. Rear bumpers are not required on pickups.

•The body may not be altered from the stock shape. No chopping, no sectioning, no narrowing, no pinching, no stretching, no sloping of the nose, no relocating the front wheel openings, no quarter-panel moving or reshaping, no wheel tubs protruding outside the stock exterior body lines. Stretched rear wheel openings are allowed.

CHASSIS

•Must be NHRA certified to 9.99 seconds or quicker in the quarter mile. •Conversions from front-wheel-drive to rear-wheel-drive are not allowed

MINIMUM WEIGHT

•Race weight with no cargo must be no less than 3,000 pounds with driver.

CLASSES WITHIN THE ULTIMATE IRON CATEGORY

•Ultimate Iron: One class includes engines of all displacements and with or without power-adders.

PRO STREET CATEGORY

Pro Street is for traditional, back-half, big-tire cars with a non-stock rear suspension configuration.

BODY

•Must use an all-steel, OE body. OE Corvette bodies are allowed.

•The following are the only non-OE-production exterior body panels that may be made of non-metal materials: 1) bumpers, 2) hoods, 3) deck lids, 4) rear hatches.

•Hood scoops, rear wings, and front air dams of any material are allowed.

**•**Any composite windows must appear stock and use stock moldings.

•An OE production grille, or an exact replica, for the body’s year, make, and model must be used and cannot be blocked from the front.

•Stock, reproduction, or replica front and rear bumpers are required. Rear bumpers are not required on pickups.

•The body may not be altered from the stock shape. No chopping, no sectioning, no narrowing, no pinching, no stretching, no sloping of the nose, no relocating the front wheel openings, no quarter-panel moving or reshaping, no wheel tubs protruding outside the stock exterior body lines. Stretched rear wheel openings are allowed.

INTERIOR

•May not have driver set back past the stock location.

CHASSIS

•Must be NHRA certified to 9.99 seconds or quicker in the quarter mile.

•Must use stock framerails forward of the firewall. Aftermarket front-clip kits that replace the stock framerails forward of the firewall are allowed, but they must be commonly available from a recognized manufacturer and must bolt in place on the stock frame or unibody.

•No modifications allowed that would be considered a body drop or channeling; the body cannot be lowered over the stock framerails.

•Engine may not be set back past the stock firewall location.

•Conversions from front-wheel-drive to rear-wheel-drive are not allowed.

REAR SUSPENSION

•The rear suspension must use a non-stock parallel four-link, ladder bars, a conversion from IRS to solid axle, or other significant departure from the stock suspension concept. Exception: Cars that were originally equipped with leaf springs may retain them if they are moved radically inboard to fit extra-wide, traditional Pro Street– style tires.

WHEELS AND TIRES

•Pro Street cars must use tires on the dragstrip that are greater than 11.5 inches wide at the tread, as measured with a go/no-go gauge with the tire carrying the vehicle’s weight and at 20 psi of tire pressure.

MINIMUM WEIGHT

•Race weight with no cargo must be no less than 3,000 pounds with driver.

CLASSES WITHIN THE PRO STREET CATEGORY

• Pro Street Naturally Aspirated: For engines of all displacements with no power adder of any kind.
• Pro Street Power Adder: For engines of all displacements with a power adder of any kind.

MODIFIED

Modified is the class for power-adder, small-tire cars with the most liberal level of modifications and a non-stock rear suspension configuration, including back-half cars. Vehicles in Modified must have modifications that prevent them from running in Super Street.

BODY

•Must use an all-steel, OE body. OE Corvette bodies are allowed.

•The following are the only non-OE-production exterior body panels that may be made of non-metal materials: 1) bumpers, 2) hoods, 3) deck lids, 4) rear hatches, 5) fenders, 6) doors.

•Hood scoops, rear wings, and front air dams of any material are allowed.

•Any composite windows must appear stock and use stock moldings.

•The body may not be altered from the stock shape. No chopping, no sectioning, no narrowing, no pinching, no stretching, no sloping of the nose, no relocating the front wheel openings, no quarter-panel moving or reshaping, no wheel tubs protruding outside the stock exterior body lines. Stretched rear wheel openings are allowed.

INTERIOR

•May not have driver set back past the stock location.

CHASSIS

•Must be NHRA certified to 9.99 seconds or quicker in the quarter mile.

•Must use stock framerails forward of the firewall. Aftermarket front-clip kits that replace the stock framerails forward of the firewall are allowed, but they must be commonly available from a recognized manufacturer and must bolt in place on the stock frame or unibody.

•No modifications allowed that would be considered a body drop or channeling; the body cannot be lowered over the stock framerails.

•Engine may not be set back past the stock firewall location.

REAR SUSPENSION

•The rear suspension may use a non-stock parallel four-link, ladder bars, a conversion from IRS to solid axle, or other significant departure from the stock suspension concept.

WHEELS AND TIRES

•Modified cars must use tires on the dragstrip that are no greater than 11.5 inches wide at the tread, as measured with a go/no-go gauge with the tire carrying the vehicle’s weight and at 20 psi of tire pressure. Tire edges may not be shaved or cut to meet the 11.5-inch maximum.

CLASSES WITHIN THE MODIFIED CATEGORY

• Modified: For engines of all displacements with a power adder of any kind.

SUPER STREET CATEGORY

Super Street is for power-adder, small-tire cars with fewer restrictions than Street Race, but retaining stockconcept rear suspension. Vehicles in Super Street must have modifications that prevent them from running in Street Race.

BODY

•Must use an all-steel, OE body. OE Corvette bodies are allowed.

•The following are the only non-OE-production exterior body panels that may be made of non-metal materials: 1) bumpers, 2) hoods, 3) deck lids, 4) rear hatches, 5) fenders

•Hood scoops, rear wings, and front air dams of any material are allowed.

•Any composite windows must appear stock and use stock moldings.

•An OE production grille, or an exact replica, for the body’s year, make, and model must be used and cannot be blocked from the front.

•Stock, reproduction, or replica front and rear bumpers are required. Rear bumpers are not required on pickups.

•The body may not be altered from the stock shape. No chopping, no sectioning, no narrowing, no pinching, no stretching, no sloping of the nose, no relocating the front wheel openings, no quarter-panel moving or reshaping, no wheel tubs protruding outside the stock exterior body lines. Stretched rear wheel openings are allowed.

•Must use stock floorpans from the firewall to behind the driver seat. Stock floorpans are defined as those with original contours in the original location, made of the original material, and welded to the rocker panels andfirewall in the original location. Flat steel non-OE floors are not allowed. Floorpans may be notched for subframe connectors, rollcage tubes, or transmission clearance. Spare-tire wells may be cut out and filled.

•Widened or fabricated wheel tubs are allowed.

INTERIOR

•May not have driver set back past the stock location.

CHASSIS

**•**Must be NHRA certified to 9.99 seconds or quicker in the quarter mile.

•Must use stock framerails forward of the firewall. Aftermarket front-clip kits that replace the stock framerails forward of the firewall are allowed, but they must be commonly available from a recognized manufacturer and must bolt in place on the stock frame or unibody.

•No modifications allowed that would be considered a body drop or channeling; the body cannot be lowered over the stock framerails.

•Engine may not be set back past the stock firewall location.

•Conversions from front-wheel-drive to rear-wheel-drive are not allowed.

FRONT SUSPENSION

•May not use struts on vehicles not factory equipped with struts.

REAR SUSPENSION

•The rear suspension may use aftermarket components, but they must be commonly available from a recognized manufacturer, and they must bolt in place on the stock frame in the original pickup points. Minor welding as instructed by the parts manufacturer is allowed. Variances may be allowed for homebuilt components if they are deemed by the race director to meet the spirit of the rules; email detailed photos to DragWeek@MotorTrend.com for pre-event verification.

•Bolt-in or weld-in parallel four-links, ladder bars, non-stock watts links, non-stock wishbones, and non-stock track locators are prohibited.

•Panhard bars may only be used on cars factory-equipped with Panhard bars and must be located in the stock brackets.

•The rear suspension must retain the stock concept: OE leaf-spring cars must use leaf springs, OE triangulated four-link cars must use triangulated four-links, OE torque-arm cars must use torque arms, and so on.

•Cars factory-equipped with coil springs may use coilover conversions.

•Relocated shock and coilover mounting points are allowed, and the mounts may be custom fabricated.

• •Typical mini-tub techniques, such as relocating leaf springs inboard, are allowed.
  •Weld-in rear sway-bar kits are allowed.

•IRS-to-solid-axle conversions are not allowed. Exception: Mustang Cobras that came stock with IRS may use solid axles if stock Mustang triangulated-four-link suspension is used.

WHEELS AND TIRES

•Super Street cars must use tires on the dragstrip that are no greater than 11.5 inches wide at the tread, as measured with a go/no-go gauge with the tire carrying the vehicle’s weight and at 20 psi of tire pressure. Tire edges may not be shaved or cut to meet the 11.5-inch maximum.

ENGINE

•Engines must be based upon cylinder-block architecture offered by an OE manufacturer for use in productionline passenger cars. Altered bore spacing is prohibited. Deck height is open. •Billet engine blocks and cylinder heads prohibited.

MINIMUM WEIGHT

•Race weight with no cargo must be no less than 3,000 pounds with driver.

CLASSES WITHIN THE SUPER STREET CATEGORY •Super Street Small-Block •Super Street Big-Block

ALL MOTOR CATEGORY

All Motor is for naturally aspirated, small-tire cars with fewer restrictions than Street Race and with open rear suspension design. Vehicles in All Motor must have modifications that prevent them from running in Street Race.

BODY

•Must use an all-steel, OE body. OE Corvette bodies are allowed.

•The following are the only non-OE-production exterior body panels that may be made of non-metal materials: 1) bumpers, 2) hoods, 3) deck lids, 4) rear hatches, 5) fenders

•Hood scoops, rear wings, and front air dams of any material are allowed.

•Any composite windows must appear stock and use stock moldings.

•An OE production grille, or an exact replica, for the body’s year, make, and model must be used and cannot be blocked from the front.

•Stock, reproduction, or replica front and rear bumpers are required. Rear bumpers are not required on pickups.

•The body may not be altered from the stock shape. No chopping, no sectioning, no narrowing, no pinching, no stretching, no sloping of the nose, no relocating the front wheel openings, no quarter-panel moving or reshaping, no wheel tubs protruding outside the stock exterior body lines. Stretched rear wheel openings are allowed.

INTERIOR

•May not have driver set back past the stock location.

CHASSIS

•Must be NHRA certified to 11.49 seconds or quicker in the quarter mile.

•Must use stock framerails forward of the firewall. Aftermarket front-clip kits that replace the stock framerails forward of the firewall are allowed, but they must be commonly available from a recognized manufacturer and must bolt in place on the stock frame or unibody.

•No modifications allowed that would be considered a body drop or channeling; the body cannot be lowered over the stock framerails.

•Engine may not be set back past the stock firewall location.

WHEELS AND TIRES

•All Motor cars must use tires on the dragstrip that are no greater than 11.5 inches wide at the tread, as measured with a go/no-go gauge with the tire carrying the vehicle’s weight and at 20 psi of tire pressure. Tire edges may not be shaved or cut to meet the 11.5-inch maximum.

CLASSES WITHIN THE ALL MOTOR CATEGORY •All Motor Small-Block •All Motor Big-Block

STREET RACE CATEGORY

Street Race is for cars with OE bodies and frames using bolt-on performance parts and is Drag Week’s most restricted class. Cars in this class may not run an e.t. quicker than 8.50. IMPORTANT: Street Race competitors posting an e.t. quicker than 8.50 at any time are subject to disqualification.

BODY

•Must use an all-steel OE body including doors, fenders, and trunk lid or hatch. OE Corvette bodies are allowed.

•The following are the only non-OE-production exterior body panels that may be made of non-metal materials: 1) bumpers, 2) hoods.

•Hood scoops of any material are allowed.

•All windows must be made of safety glass with the exception of pickup and El Camino/Ranchero rear windows.

•An OE production grille, or an exact replica, for the body’s year, make, and model must be used and cannot be blocked from the front.

•Stock, reproduction, or replica front and rear bumpers are required. Rear bumpers are not required on pickups.

•Deck spoilers must be of OE design for the year/make/model of the body.

•Front air dams or splitters must be of OE design for the year/make/model of the body.

•The body may not be altered from the stock shape. No chopping, no sectioning, no narrowing, no pinching, no stretching, no sloping of the nose, no relocating the front wheel openings, no quarter-panel moving or reshaping, no wheel tubs protruding outside the stock exterior body lines.

•Must use stock floorpans from the firewall to behind the driver seat. Stock floorpans are defined as those with original contours in the original location, made of the original material, and welded to the rocker panels andfirewall in the original location. Flat steel non-OE floors are not allowed. Floorpans may be notched for subframe connectors, rollcage tubes, or transmission clearance. Spare-tire wells may be cut out and filled.

•Widened or fabricated wheel tubs are allowed.

INTERIOR

•Must have driver and passenger seats and a fully upholstered interior. A headliner is optional.

• •Must use the stock dash structure.
  •May not have driver set back past the stock location.

CHASSIS

•Must use the complete stock frame or subframe(s) from bumper to bumper.

•Subframe connectors, tubular transmission crossmembers, and bolt-in tubular front crossmembers are allowed.

•Rear framerails may be notched and boxed for tire clearance but must be in the stock location, must remain structural as intended by the OE manufacturer, and may not be supported or reinforced by non-original methods (though a custom upper- shock crossmember that spans from framerail to framerail is allowed). •May not use a rollcage design that includes the use of a Funny Car–type protective structure around the driver.

•Engine may not be set back past the stock firewall location.

FRONT SUSPENSION

•The front suspension may use aftermarket components, but they must be commonly available from a recognized manufacturer and they must bolt in place on the stock frame. Minor welding as instructed by the parts manufacturer is allowed. Variances may be allowed for homebuilt components if they are deemed by the race director to meet the spirit of the rules; email detailed photos to DragWeek@MotorTrend.com for preevent verification.

•Non-stock strut conversions are prohibited.

•Aftermarket or fabricated front suspensions or front clips that replace the stock framerails forward of the firewall are prohibited.

REAR SUSPENSION

•The rear suspension may use aftermarket components, but they must be commonly available from a recognized manufacturer, and they must bolt in place on the stock frame in the original pickup points. Minor welding as instructed by the parts manufacturer is allowed. Variances may be allowed for homebuilt components if they are deemed by the race director to meet the spirit of the rules; email detailed photos to DragWeek@MotorTrend.com for pre-event verification.

•Bolt-in or weld-in parallel four-links, ladder bars, non-stock watts links, non-stock wishbones, and non- stock track locators are prohibited.

•Panhard bars may only be used on cars factory-equipped with Panhard bars and must be located in the stock brackets.

•The rear suspension must retain the stock concept: OE leaf-spring cars must use leaf springs, OE coil-spring cars must use coil springs in the stock location, OE triangulated four-link cars must use triangulated four-links, OE torque-arm cars must use torque arms, and so on.

•Rear coilover conversions are only allowed on vehicles that were OE equipped with rear coil springs. Coilover conversions must be commonly available from a recognized manufacturer and they must bolt in place on the stock frame.

•Relocated shock mounting points are allowed and the mounts may be custom fabricated.

•Typical mini-tub techniques, such as relocating leaf springs inboard, are allowed.

•Weld-in rear sway-bar kits are allowed.

•IRS-to-solid-axle conversions are not allowed. Exception: Mustang Cobras that came stock with IRS may use solid axles if stock Mustang triangulated-four-link suspension is used.

STEERING

•Rack-and-pinion conversions are allowed.

WHEELS AND TIRES

•Street Race cars must use tires on the dragstrip that are no greater than 11.5 inches wide at the tread, as measured with a go/no-go gauge with the tire carrying the vehicle’s weight and at 20 psi of tire pressure. Tire edges may not be shaved or cut to meet the 11.5-inch maximum.

ENGINE

•Engines must be based upon cylinder-block architecture offered by an OE manufacturer for use in productionline passenger cars. Altered bore spacing is prohibited. Deck height is open. •Billet engine blocks and cylinder heads prohibited.

DRIVETRAIN

•Lenco-type transmission prohibited

MINIMUM WEIGHT

•Race weight with no cargo must be no less than 3,200 pounds with driver.

CLASSES WITHIN THE STREET RACE CATEGORY •Street Race Small-Block Naturally Aspirated •Street Race Big-Block Naturally Aspirated •Street Race Small-Block Power-Adder •Street Race Big-Block Power-Adder

GASSER CATEGORY

Gasser is for ’60s-style doorslammers. The style includes a nose-high stance or solid front axle conversion, a drastically altered wheelbase (early-funny-car or A/FX-style), radiused rear-wheel openings, retro lettering, and period-correct wheels. Muscle-era cars will need more modifications than just stickers and nostalgia wheels to qualify; they can’t just look like Stock or Super Stock cars. For example, a factory ‘68 Hemi Dart would seem to be legal by the rules, but would not pass the subjective criteria unless you converted to a straight axle front suspension. IMPORTANT: The cars that will be allowed in this class must have an appearance that’s approved subjectively by the Drag Week tech committee. We very strongly encourage securing approval prior to the event; send photos of the car to DragWeek@MotorTrend.com.

There are two classes within the Gasser Category, the radical, supercharged A/Gas and the more restricted, naturally aspirated B/Gas.

RULES FOR A/GAS

BODY

•Must be a ‘28 to ‘68 American car or truck or a Fordson, Thames, Anglia, or Austin. •No convertibles or roadsters.

•May be steel or fiberglass. Replicas must be faithful to the original car.

•OE or reproduction fenders must be used in the stock location.

•May not use post-’60s-appearing lettering or paint graphics.

•No wings, spoilers, or air dams allowed.

•Hoodscoops must appear like those used in the early ’60s. No cowl-induction hoods, no snorkel scoops, no Pro Stock scoops.

•Any composite windows must appear stock and use stock exterior moldings.

•The body may not be altered from the stock shape. No chopping, no sectioning, no narrowing, no pinching, no stretching, no sloping of the nose, no quarter-panel moving or reshaping, no wheel tubs protruding outside the stock exterior body lines. Radiused rear wheel openings are allowed and altered-wheelbase cars may have relocated wheel openings.

CHASSIS

•Engine setback is allowed, but the center of the intake manifold (as measured fore and aft) may not be aft of the base of the windshield.

•The frame may not have round-tube main rails.

•May not have a lowered stance. A raised stance is encouraged.

•No center steering.

FRONT SUSPENSION

•May not use struts.

•May not be Mustang II style, including similar aftermarket A-arm conversions.

WHEELS AND TIRES

•Gasser class cars must use tires on the dragstrip that are no greater than 11.5 inches wide at the tread, as measured with a go/no-go gauge with the tire carrying the vehicle’s weight and at 20 psi of tire pressure. Tire edges may not be shaved or cut to meet the 11.5-inch maximum.

•Wheels must be traditionally styled; no billet.

•Wheels may be no more than 16 inches in diameter

ENGINE

•Must use American engine families from ‘68-and-earlier model years (includes 429 Boss).

•Engines must be based upon cylinder-block architecture offered by an OE manufacturer for use in productionline passenger cars. Altered bore spacing is prohibited. Deck height is open.

•Billet engine blocks and cylinder heads prohibited.

•EFI may only be used on traditional stack-type injection manifolds or on traditional-appearing supercharger hats.

•The only power-adder allowed is a non-screw-type roots supercharger up to 8-71. No turbos or nitrous.

•Intercoolers located between the supercharger and the manifold are not allowed.

•Cylinder heads must use the OE port configuration; no symmetrical-port or spread-port heads.

•Engines that were OE designed with inline valves may not use canted-valve heads.

RULES FOR B/GAS

BODY

•Must be a ‘38 to ‘68 American car or truck or a Fordson, Thames, Anglia, or Austin. (Note: the ‘38 model year limit is not a typo. B/Gas is for full-bodied cars, not the smaller and lighter Model As and similar cars that are allowed in A/Gas.)

•No convertibles or roadsters.

•The main body shell and doors must be steel.

•The following are the only non-OE-production exterior body panels that may be made of non-metal materials: 1) bumpers, 2) hoods, 3) deck lids, 4) fenders.

•OE or reproduction fenders must be used in the stock location.

•May not use post-’60s-appearing lettering or paint graphics.

•No wings, spoilers, or air dams allowed.

•Hoodscoops must appear like those used in the early ’60s. No cowl-induction hoods, no snorkel scoops, no Pro Stock scoops.

•Any composite windows must appear stock and use stock exterior moldings.

•The body may not be altered from the stock shape. No chopping, no sectioning, no narrowing, no pinching, no stretching, no sloping of the nose, no quarter-panel moving or reshaping, no wheel tubs protruding outside the stock exterior body lines. Radiused rear wheel openings are allowed and altered-wheelbase cars may have relocated wheel openings.

CHASSIS

•Engine setback is allowed, but the center of the intake manifold (as measured fore and aft) may not be aft of the base of the windshield.

•The frame may not have round-tube main rails.

•May not have a lowered stance. A raised stance is encouraged.

•No center steering.

•May not use a rollcage design that includes the use of a Funny Car–type protective structure around the driver.

FRONT SUSPENSION

•May not use struts.

•May not be Mustang II style, including similar aftermarket A-arm conversions.

WHEELS AND TIRES

•Gasser class cars must use tires on the dragstrip that are no greater than 11.5 inches wide at the tread, as measured with a go/no-go gauge with the tire carrying the vehicle’s weight and at 20 psi of tire pressure. Tire edges may not be shaved or cut to meet the 11.5-inch maximum.

•Wheels must be traditionally styled; no billet.

•Wheels may be no more than 16 inches in diameter

ENGINE

•Must use American engine families from ‘68-and-earlier model years (includes 429 Boss).

•Engines must be based upon cylinder-block architecture offered by an OE manufacturer for use in productionline passenger cars. Altered bore spacing is prohibited. Deck height is open.

•Billet engine blocks and cylinder heads prohibited.

•No EFI allowed. Carbureted or mechanical injection only.

•No power adders allowed.

•Cast intake manifolds only. No fabricated sheetmetal intakes.

•Cylinder heads must use the OE port configuration; no symmetrical-port or spread-port heads.

•Engines that were OE designed with inline valves may not use canted-valve heads.

DRIVETRAIN •Lenco-type transmission prohibited

HOT ROD CLASS HAS BEEN REMOVED

Hot Rod is for ‘28 to ‘48 American cars and trucks. Cars in this class may not appear in the Gasser style or they may be placed in the Gasser/AFX class.

BODY

•Must be a ‘28 to ‘48 American car or truck •May be steel or fiberglass. Replicas must be faithful to the original car. •Fenders, running boards, hoods, and hood sides may be removed. •Traditional ‘50-style chopping and sectioning are allowed; radical alterations and stretching such as those seen on Super Gas/Comp roadsters and Pro-Mod cars are not allowed. •No wings, spoilers, or air dams allowed.

CHASSIS

•The frame must be original or a street-oriented aftermarket replacement. •No round-tube framerails. •Engine may not be set back past the stock windshield location.

FRONT SUSPENSION

•Fenderless cars may not have independent front suspension. •Struts not allowed.

TIRES & WHEELS

•Must use tires on the dragstrip that are no greater than 11.25 inches wide at the tread, as measured installed

and on the ground with a go/no-go gauge. Tire edges may not be shaved or cut to meet the 11.25-inch maximum. Drag radials with a metric width labeling of no greater than 295 mm may be used.

ENGINE

•Must use American engine families from ‘68-and-earlier model years.

•No EFI allowed. Carbureted or mechanical injection only.

•No power adders allowed.

•Cast intake manifolds only. No fabricated sheetmetal intakes.

•Cylinder heads must use the OE port configuration; no symmetrical-port or spread-port heads.

•Engines that were OE designed with inline valves may not use canted-valve heads.

DRIVETRAIN

•Lenco-type transmission prohibited

STICK CATEGORY

The Stick class is for all cars using manual transmissions.

STICK CATEGORY RACE FORMAT

Stick-cars must enter whichever Drag Week category and class they are eligible for, and they may win or podium in those classes. On the last day of Drag Week, all the Stick cars, regardless of class, may participate in a heads-up race with random pairings. The winner of that heads-up race is the Stick winner.

DRIVETRAIN

• •Must use manual transmission
• •Lenco-type planetary transmissions prohibited
• •Shifts must be made manually by the driver with a mechanical lever. No air shifters allowed.
• •A clutch activated by a pedal by the driver must be used. No torque converters allowed.

STREET MACHINE ELIMINATOR

•Street Machine Eliminator has no limitations on drivetrain or body modifications.

•Throttle stops, delay boxes, crossover boxes, stepper throttles, devices that are activated by the Christmas Tree or radio controls, and bracket-racing electronics of any other kind are not allowed.

•Reminder of a rule listed above in “Vehicle Rules for All Classes”: All entries are required to use purpose-built drag-race drive tires on the track, including slicks, DOT-approved slicks, or drag radials.

. No conventional treaded street tires.

•Cars quicker than 10.00 are not allowed in Street Machine Eliminator, and e.t. slips quicker than 10.00 will not be accepted.

STREET MACHINE ELIMINATOR RACE FORMAT

•Street Machine Eliminator is based on an Open Comp format.

•Each car’s five-day average e.t. will be used to determine qualifying position on a 32-car ladder for a bracket race on the final day of Drag Week. At tracks with e.t. slips to four decimals, all four will be included; if only three decimals are on the e.t. slip, the fourth decimal will be zero. The e.t. averages will be taken out as many decimal places as required to determine qualifying. Ties will be broken by average mph.

•The race on the final day will be a 32-car field on a Sportsman ladder (1 races 17, 2 races 18, and so on) and a 0.400-second pro tree.

•Normal breakout and first-or-worst rules apply.

•Each car’s dial-in for every round (the dial-in cannot be changed between rounds) will be the five-day average minus a tenth, so a weekly average of 12.20 gets a dial-in of 12.10; in the event that a car averages 10.09 or quicker, the dial-in will be 10.00. Any run quicker than 10.00 will be considered a “worst” and will lose the round.

•The bracket-race winner will be the overall Street Machine Eliminator Champ unless the bracket race cannot be completed for any reason. In that case, the winner will be determined by best consistency during the week. Best consistency will be determined like this: take the e.t. from each day, put them in order from quickest to slowest, calculate the difference between Day 1 and Day 2, Day 2 and Day 3, and so on, then average the results. The competitor with the lowest average difference in daily e.t. is the rainout winner. In the event of a tie of best consistency, the win will go to the car with the quicker average e.t., and then the fastest average mph.