Do you have a question for the Tech Department ? 
Do you need to contact or have a question for the Tech Department ? You can send email to Buddy Scurto, New Endgland Dragway Tech Director at the following email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Please allow at least 24 hours for Buddy to respond.

A few words about Safety...

We all think it won't happen to me... but it can...

A recent incident occurred that should be used as a reminder that racing is serious business. All racers should take a moment every race day to make sure all your safety equipment is in place and in good condition. Required protective clothing, such as jackets, pants, gloves, and/or shoes should be in good shape, with no rips or holes and has the SFI tag on it.

The NED Tech Department will be conducting spot checks during the season looking for unsafe equipment and clothing. If protective clothing is mandatory for your class or ET, make sure you have the proper SFI rating as required. All safety equipment and protective cloting must be on and in place when you cross the line at the top of staging. If any of the required safety equipment is not in place during a qualifying run, you will be turned around and lose the qualifying run. If safety equipment is not in place during elimations you will be a disqualified.

Lastly, do not remove your safety equipment until you have turned off the track and are on the return road. The crew at top end will be monitoring for any infractions.

The following information are notes, advisories, and guidance from the NED Technical Department.  This information is not intended to be a complete set of rules, and is intended to help racers be aware of the latest rules changes, rules interpretations, or technical issues.

Motorcycle racers
All motorcycle racers running faster than 120 mph will be required to have full leathers or SFI Spec 40.1/2 racing suits.  Two-piece suits must be joined together with a zipper at the waist. (Reference Section 4E, subcategory 10 of the NHRA rulebook)

Battery Shut Offs (also known as Master Cutoff)
All race vehicles in Pro and Super Pro that are running 9.99 seconds or quicker, will  require a battery shutoff at the rear of hte vehicle, regardless of where the battery is located.  (Reference Section 4A, subcategory 8 of the NHRA rulebook)

Holes in Firewalls
All holes in the firewall must be filled with steel or aluminum.  No tape, foam, or RTV will be allowed to fill any holes in the firewall.  If the hole is small, it is acceptable to fill the hole with a bolt, nut and large washers.  Larger holes will have to be filled with steel or aluminum patch panels attached with metalic fasteners (bolts, rivets, etc.)  (Reference Section 20, subcategory 7:4 of the NHRA rulebook)

Temp Chassis Certs for 8.50 ET and Quicker Racers
For all racers of vehicles running 8.50 seconds and quicker who have not been able to get a chassis cert, the NED Tech Department has worked an agreement with the NHRA Division 1 Director to be able to issue 90 day temporary certifications.  There are some constraints to these temp certs; 1) you will not be able to get an ETI on a temp cert, 2) you will not be able to extend it beyond the initial 90 days, 3) you must have a full certification to run at any Divisional event (the temp will only be valid at NED).

You will need to remove all your body panels as possible for the inspection to be performed.  There will be a nominal charge for these temporary certifications.

Watch the NED website for further information.

Extended Technical Inspections (ETI)
The Extended Technical Inspection is a program offered by NHRA and New England Dragway that provides an inspection of the driver and race vehicle on an annual basis, instead of requiring the traditional tech inspection for each event.  For more information, see the Bill's Blog entry on this topic.