I haven't watched drag racing in more than a decade now. But holy crankshaft... how technology has changed the look and feel of the sport. I don't remember seeing the nature of the teamwork and technology that's a part of drag racing nowadays. I do remember the changing vehicle setups that went into race planning but now it seems to be so much different. Following each run the telemetry that's captured is analyzed and discussed with the driver in terms of a setup for the next run. They look at the data to consider the changing track temps, changing humidity, air temp and likely a few other variables for their impact on setup. I don't recall them being so exact about the details of a setup in the past. But I suspect it's a matter of how improvements to data acquisition have been changing this sport, as with any other.
I'm sure it's the same with the other classifications of drag racing, but after each run in top fueler and funny car, the engine and clutch are torn down and rebuilt. This is when the telemetry comes back and decisions on setup for the next run are made. I believe the commentator said they had 65 minutes between runs... maybe just the elimination rounds and not the qualifying, but I may stand corrected. But to watch how each team member has a specific role in the teardown and rebuild is quite something to watch. One guy takes the supercharger (blower & intake manifold) off and to a bench to work on that while another takes the clutch assembly out and works on that. Two others are working on their sides of the motor to remove the heads and swap out the pistons and connecting rods. There's one or two others assisting everyone else. I suspect any replaceable part in the motor that can be swapped out is likely swapped out. Then they have to dyno test the thing.
Each teammember seemed to play a very specific role and it all seemed so clockwork. During one of the driver interviews in the telecast the driver being interviewed was in the process of repacking his chutes. Another of the differences I noticed was the apparent gap in resources between the larger and smaller teams. This gap seems to be a lot bigger than what I noticed in the past. During the broadcast one of the smaller teams was needing to do a rebuild for the next run and some of the crewmembers from the other teams who were eliminated from racing came by to lend a hand. It looked pretty crowded in that pit/tent.
There are also little things that look different of course, like the old aluminum blower scoops having been replaced with carbon fibre ones. There's a lot more team activity and fussing about with the engine and tires before the staging line and after the burn out now. A lot of things look quite different to me these days. The nature of it, in terms of team resources, reminds me of the differences in resources among the teams in F1, and how technology can make such an impact on a motorsport. The last time I watched drag racing there was nary a computer in sight. But, I guess with better sponsorship comes greater access to resources. Of all the things that seemed different to me, I think it's the use of telemetry acquisition which sticks out the most for me and how that's impacted things. If you have the data you might as well make optimal use of it I guess. You know,I suspect this particular motorsport will be one of the last bastions for internal combustion engine geeks.
The race I watched was the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol, Tennessee. What an amazing track. I'd have loved to have been there to hear the motors roar through that valley. This is just my thoughts on modern drag racing... amazing what happens when you've got some good sponsorship.
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