What year did NHRA Pro Stock cars change to full carbon fiber bodies?

[crowe-t]

Does anyone know what year the NHRA Pro Stock cars change to carbon fiber bodies?

They seem to resemble Pro Mod cars more now.

Edited September 8, 2016 by crowe-t

[drummerdad]

I looked, and couldnt find anything either. Im glad they are allowing EFI now, but I stopped watching televised NHRA racing years ago. The body can be factory steel, or Carbon fiber by an approved manufacturer. Im not sure if there is an advantage to the CF, since they are still restricted by weight and shape. I did read the CF bodies have smart chips installed so they can scan them, instead of using the templates to insure accuracy. I also read they are working to eliminate the hood scoops, and killing the 500 cid DRCE platform, and going with smaller supercharged engines, closer to what the manufacturers make. IDK, whatever. Maybe someone else knows. Sorry. 

[Rob Hall]

What they call 'Pro Stock' today should be called Funny Cars....cartoonish, deformed lumps with only a slight resemblance to stock.   It's sad, I remember when Pro Stock race cars looked cool..

Edited September 9, 2016 by Rob Hall

[Daddyfink]

They are not using full Carbon Fiber bodies, the main body shell is mostly Ultraglass, a new and improved form of fiberglass. Carbon Fiber is light and strong, but, it is a bit of overkill for cars that change skins so often, it is mostly used for doors, scoops, hoods and other interior parts. 

Top Fuel and Fuel Funny Car mostly use Carbon Fiber  due to the stresses they face vs. a Pro Stock car. 

[Petetrucker07]

What they call 'Pro Stock' today should be called Funny Cars....cartoonish, deformed lumps with only a slight resemblance to stock.   It's sad, I remember when Pro Stock race cars looked cool..

That's why they switched to the cowl induction style hood. So they would "resemble" a factory car.

[crowe-t]

This year the Pro Stocks are now using fuel injection with no hood scoops.  I liked when they ran the 4 barrel carbs. Before the change to the all 'Ultraglass' bodies the roof and quarter panels had to be from a real production car.  The bodies still resembled a real car.  Now they seem to be using the same, or similar, bodies as the Pro Mods.  I actually like the Pro Mods but miss when the Pro Stock bodies had the real quarters and roof and resembled a real car.  

I'm curious when the change took place.  I'm can't seem to find this information. 

 

Edited September 9, 2016 by crowe-t

[Petetrucker07]

This year the Pro Stocks are now using fuel injection with no hood scoops.  I liked when they ran the 4 barrel carbs. Before the change to the all 'Ultraglass' bodies the roof and quarter panels had to be from a real production car.  The bodies still resembled a real car.  Now they seem to be using the same, or similar, bodies as the Pro Mods.  I actually like the Pro Mods but miss when the Pro Stock bodies had the real quarters and roof and resembled a real car.  

I'm curious when the change took place.  I'm can't seem to find this information. 

 

I'd venture to guess early to mid 90s. If I remember right, it was when they stopped running the Cutlass, T-Bird and Mopar (can't remember what model Mopar was used right now) bodies or right around there anyway. 

[crowe-t]

In 1994 they were using the Dodge Daytona in Pro Stock.

[crowe-t]

I did some searching and it almost looks like the change to the more 'Pro Mod' looking all 'Ultraglass' bodies might have been in the mid 2000's.  However I'm still not sure.

Edited September 9, 2016 by crowe-t

[gtx6970]

Pro STOCK died many years ago.

Now its just ProMOD with a different set of rules.

 

Edited September 9, 2016 by gtx6970

[comp1839]

in 2001, nhra accepted, composite bodies were allowed. yes, they are carbon fiber.

[crowe-t]

Thanks Dave for the information!

This video in the link below has Pro Stock footage from when actual production cars were raced.  The good ol' days.

1977 NHRA SUMMERNATS

[comp1839]

no problem michael.  you do know that by 1977 they were only using the quarter panels and roof panel from the body of a production car. the chassis' were all tube (granted many were 2x3 tube main rails, some were all round tube) none were stock suspensions. i'm not seeing where you can call them "actual production cars"? anything even close to "actual production ended in '72-'73 i believe.

[Force]

You are not far off there Dave.
The Pro Stock cars evolved away from the production cars about that time, after that only parts of the body shell was from a production car and today the Pro Stock bodies are very far away from the production cars, they are longer, narrower and lower and the shape is altered so they are completely different from the road going cars they are supposed to be.

Edited September 11, 2016 by Force

[oldcarfan]

I know it makes me sound old, but I gave up on NHRA a long time ago. I grew up reading my dad's old Hot Rod magazines with Dyno Don and Grumpy and the like. I built models of their cars and could identify with them. The few times I have tried to get back into it, well, I just couldn't. The business model is not sustainable.From what I can see, the fan base is shrinking fast. The cars are not cars, they are melted lumps of plastic. They've switched from a sport of and for the fans to enjoy to a bunch of guys standing around waiting to go fast for a couple of seconds. NASCAR has the same issues, but at least they have occasionally tried to address it. I switched my interests to Bonneville, Pro Rally and local beater class dirt track racing. Anything that uses an identifiable production car as its basis.

[crowe-t]

Dave,  I understand that by the late 70's only the quarter panels and roof were used from an actual production car.  At least part of the cars were actual production cars.  The rest of the measurements and fiber glass body panels still represented an actual car.  This is what I was referring to.  Now a days, as Hakan said, the bodies are far away from production cars and don't resemble an actual car at all.  In that video I posted they still looked like cars and had some lineage to an actual car unlike today.

[comp1839]

micheal, i get what you're saying and i agree with you on the body's not looking very stock. i really like the idea of different wheelbased cars and at least as somewhat stock appearing body.

on the other hand. i wonder how "stock" a body can be and go 210+ mph. in 77 they were going an whopping 155. that's a big difference. LOT'S of stuff has changed in pro stock.

gary, i have to disagree with you on something, drag racing was never a sport of and for the fans......it is a sport of and for the drag racers........fans are a happy by product for the suits selling the seats.

 

Edited September 12, 2016 by comp1839

[drummerdad]

I too gave up on professional drag racing a long time ago. Too much sponsor fluffing for me. But, I love drag racing. Its one of those things you have to do to enjoy. I love the Hot Rod drag week stuff, and any form of street legal racing, (and some of the not so legal racing, sadly). You can keep the pro classes. I really want to see one you you pros build the Larson S10 (hint hint Comp1839). I might try one day, but I need to learn a lot still.