GENERAL REGULATIONS & ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

INTRODUCTION

The general regulations in this document are effective January 1, 2018, and supersede all previous versions.

 

COMPETITION

In the interest of keeping competition close, fair and safe. ADRL reserves the right to make adjustments to the rules of any class at any time. Hopefully, this  will not  be necessary,  but with  the wide variety of engine and body combinations presented, it is critical to have a process available to be able to keep competition safe, fair and close, and for all racers to be aware that this process is one that will be fair to all.

 

OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION

All changes, additions, deletions, clarifications, or other items of information pertaining to the rules will be published on the ADRL’s official website .

 

REQUIRED DECALS

Special ADRL Event decals and Sponsor decals may be required for all participating vehicles.  Any non-approved decals or signage may be prohibited. No vehicle will be permitted in the staging lanes if there is non-compliance of these requirements.  In the event that a vehicle not in compliance with these requirements makes a qualifying run, that run may be invalidated. ADRL, at its discretion, reserves the right to reject any decals, signs, names, advertising, promotion or graphics that it feels is inappropriate or unacceptable, at any ADRL events.

 

RF SHTUDOWN RECEIVER: Properly functioning Electrimotion shutoff device (part numbers SB001 and RF001) recommended.

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CONTINGENCY DECALS

Contingency decals must be the official size, design, and color supplied by the contingency sponsor for that purpose and must be applied so that they are visible from the SIDES of the vehicle. Magnetic decals of any kind applied  to the  vehicle body  are not permitted. It will be the participant’s responsibility to acquire the decals from the sponsors.

 

CONTINGENCIES

At the conclusion of the event, the winning vehicles and runner-up vehicles will be inspected for contingency verification. This will include having the correct decals iN the approved locations  and having the appropriate part on the vehicle and in use.   Any attempt by the participant to use fraud or deceit in any way, or to list parts not actually on the vehicle, will result in severe penalties, which may include the forfeiture of all contingencies, points, and payouts.

 

RACING FORMAT

Unless otherwise specified, all competition will be heading up, no breakout, utilizing a Professional (.400) ‘Tree’ starting device and at a distance of one-eighth (1/8th) of a mile or one-quarter  (1/4) mile track.

 

QUALIFYING

During an event, there will be specific time scheduled for qualifying attempts, with announcements made accordingly.  However,  due to weather or other circumstances,  ADRL  officials may alter the schedule. During  qualifying,  any  competitor  at  the  head  of  the  staging  lanes  or  the  designated ready  line preparing to make a run must obey all signals or commands from the starting line or staging personnel. Competitors must fire and move forward within a reasonable amount of time. If they cannot fire, they will be allowed to move to the end of the qualifying session.  Final decisions regarding staging will be up to the Starter and/or the Competition Director.   Once a driver/rider enters the water box with the engine running it is considered a qualifying attempt, unless shut off by an ADRL official. Any problems regarding engine starting, burnout procedure, pre-staging, staging and/or any problems or malfunctions with the starting line system will be handled or addressed by the starting line personnel and/or the Competition Director, whose decision will be final.  Any questions pertaining to a potential infraction during a run, such as crossing the center line, etc., will be handled or addressed by the starting line personnel and/or the Competition Director. In  the  unlikely  event  of  a  starting  line malfunction,  specifically  one  that  may  require  a  rerun,  the decision of the Competition Director will be final.

To constitute an official qualifying attempt, all cars must self-start, self pre-stage, self-stage under its own power  and  take  the  start  signal  for  at  least  one  of  the qualification  sessions. Under no circumstances will a push start be allowed.

 

LADDERS

Once qualifying has concluded and a ladder has been established, pairings will not be changed, unless otherwise directed by the Competition Director.  All qualified cars will be listed on the ladder, regardless of their potential difficulty or ability in making the first round of eliminations. In all classes lane choice will be determined by elapsed time. The driver/rider with the better qualifying elapsed time will get first-round lane choice, and in subsequent rounds, lane choice goes to the driver with the lower elapsed time in the previous round.  In the event that a qualified car is unable to make the first round call for eliminations, for any reason, alternates will be inserted into the broken vehicles qualified position and the competitor in the opposite lane will have lane choice.

Any errors noted by a competitor as to his position on the ladder must be brought to the attention of the Competition Director in a timely manner after the ladder has been posted.

All classes will be run on a 16 car ladder with 13 or more entries and on an 8 car ladder with 12 or less entries. Top Dragster and Top Sportsman will be run on a 32 car ladder with 26 or more entries and on a 16 car ladder with 25 or less entries.

 

 

QUALIFYING/ELIMINATIONS

Competitors must fire and move forward within a reasonable amount of time.  Any problems regarding engine starting, burnout procedure, pre-staging, staging and/or any problems or malfunctions with the starting line system will be handled or addressed by the starting line personnel and/or the Competition Director, whose decision will be final.  Any questions pertaining to a potential infraction during a run, such as crossing the center line, etc., will be handled or addressed by the starting line personnel and/or the Competition Director. In  the  unlikely  event  of  a  starting  line malfunction,  specifically  one  that  may  require  a  rerun,  the decision of the Competition Director will be final.

In the unlikely event of a malfunction of the starting line or finish line clocks, or an anomaly of the race vehicle, resulting in a non-legitimate or questionable elapsed time, top speed or lane winner signal, the Competition Director at his sole discretion may discount that run for the purposes of qualifying position, elimination round winner, lane choice or record run. If a competitor makes contact with a finish line timing  block  (et  or  mph)  during  qualifying,  both  runs  will  be  thrown  out. Crossing the center line is grounds for disqualification.

 

BURNOUTS

All pre-race burnouts are restricted to designated areas, using water only. After the burnout is completed, the vehicle must back up under its own power to the pre-staging area. If the vehicle is still running and unable to back up, crew members may push it back one time behind the starting line. Under no circumstance can a vehicle be restarted after the burnout. Vehicles are not permitted to turn around on the track and drive back to the starting line. Crossing the center line at any time during a burnout is a disqualification. No person is permitted to hold or touch the car during burnouts. No person is permitted to stand in front of the vehicle during the burnout unless he is behind the guard rail.

 

STAGING

Once a vehicle reaches the front of the staging lanes for a run, it must be prepared to fire and race. All vehicles must self start and self pre-stage and self stage under their own power. This rule also applies to single runs. Push starting or push staging is not permitted. Plug in electric starters permitted for motorcycles and super charged vehicles unless otherwise noted. A reasonable amount of time will be permitted for drivers to stage. The time limit will be determined at the discretion of the starter. Failure to stage upon the starter’s instruction is grounds for disqualification. After proper staging and receiving the starters signal to go, restaging for a second time is prohibited. Any driver leaving the starting line before the start system is activated; including a driver on a single run will have their run disqualified. If both cars leave before the starting system is activated the vehicle leaving first will be declared the loser. The decision will be made by the starter or from video if possible. If first to leave cannot determined both vehicles will be disqualified.

 

ELIMINATIONS

In order to be a legitimate race winner of a particular round, a competitor’s car must self start and self stage under its own power and take the start signal.  Any vehicle unable to self-start and self-stage under its own power  to  take  the  start  signal,  for  any  reason,  will  be  declared  the  loser  of  that  particular  round  of competition. Crossing the center line is grounds for disqualification.

 

LANE CHOICE

Lane choice will be determined by elapsed times (ET).  The driver/rider with the better (quicker) qualifying ET will be rewarded with first round lane choice, and in subsequent rounds, the lane choice will go to the driver with the lower ET from the previous round. Pro Jr Dragster lane choice is determined by ET closest to the index without exceeding the number in the above described manor. Top Jr Dragster lane choice is determined by ET closest to the dial-in without exceeding the number in the above described manor.

 

RACE CLASSES

All drag race participants must enter an ADRL competition class of their choice.  It will be the participant’s responsibility to know, understand and abide by the rules, regulations, requirements and restrictions of the ADRL class he/she chooses to run.  This includes knowledge of the safety rules and requirements contained in the host tracks sanctioning body rulebook. If a participant chooses an ADRL class in which his/her specific vehicle combination is not in compliance with the  rules,  regulations,  requirements  and  restrictions  for  that particular  class,  the  participant  will  not  be permitted to compete in that class.  Failure of the participant to know, understand and abide by the rules, regulations, requirements and restrictions of his/her selected ADRL class, or of the safety rules, will constitute an acceptable reason for ADRL to disqualify the participant.

At its sole discretion, ADRL reserves the right to add, delete, merge or change classes at any time. The rules, regulations, requirements, and restrictions of all ADRL classes are contained on the ADRL website ().

 

REPLACEMENT VEHICLES

The Competition Director has the option of allowing a driver to utilize a replacement vehicle under the following conditions, and at his sole discretion.

1.   The original vehicle is withdrawn from competition and cannot be reinstated in any class.

2.   The  replacement  vehicle  must  be  fully  certified  for  the  same  class  and  pass  the  technical inspection.

3.   Check out runs for replacement vehicles are not permitted.

 

ASSUMPTION OF RISK

The participant agrees that by entering an event, the participant acknowledges that the event site is safe and suitable for racing and the participant acknowledges that by participating in the event the participant  may  suffer  bodily  injury,  death,  or  loss  or damage  to  property.    The  participant  has voluntarily assumed the risk of such losses and waives any claims for such losses against ADRL, its officials,  the  event  sponsors,  the race  track  operators  and  other  participants  and  discharges  such persons from responsibility for such losses and agrees not to sue such persons for such losses.  All participants shall be required as a condition of participation to sign all required entry forms, including such releases as shall be required by ADRL and their insurance policies.  For purposes of clarification, the term “participant” shall include any person directly or indirectly associated with any vehicle which has been permitted to enter an event site, including, but not limited to owners, drivers, and crew members, guests of participants, spectators or commercial vendors.

 

TECHNICAL INSPECTION

Prior to competition, all cars and drivers must pass an initial technical and safety inspection.  After a competitor’s car has been inspected and classified, no changes of class are permitted, unless authorized by an ADRL Official. During the event and at any time, the technical and safety inspectors may re- inspect the car or driver to insure compliance with the class and safety rules.  If during this inspection it is  determined  that  any  non compliance  of  the  rules  or  regulations  exist,  the  participant  may  be disqualified.    ADRL  reserves  the  right  at  any  time  during  the  event  to  inspect  any  vehicle  for compliance. From time to time, deviations or exceptions to the rules may be permitted, if in the opinion of ADRL officials,   said deviations or exceptions do not constitute a competitive advantage.

 

COMPETITORS

Each competitor in any event conducted by the ADRL must have a valid state driver’s license, a valid ADRL Competition License and a current permanent number (as required). All of the above are subject to inspection by ADRL officials at any time.

Each competitor, as well as participant crewmembers, must be properly (as determined by ADRL officials) attired when present in the staging lanes, starting line area and/or competition areas of the race track. All ADRL starting line crew members are required to wear matching collared shirts.

 

COMPETITION NUMBERS

All participants must have a competition number and class designation (PAD, PAFC, XPS, PXM, TS, TD, PJD, TJD)  clearly  visible  in  a  legible  manner  displayed  on  their windshield,  side  windows  and  rear window at all times during competition.  Under no circumstances will numbers applied with shoe polish be acceptable.   Minimum size of letters and numbers is four (4) inches high and one (1) inch wide (three inches for motorcycles, displayed on both sides).  WHITE numbers only. Failure to properly display assigned   numbers   and   class   designations   may   be   grounds   for   disqualification or point’s loss. Competition numbers are assigned to the driver, not the car. If a driver changes vehicle, the previous driver’s number must be removed and new number applied in the appropriate manner.

 

 

POINTS – GENERAL

All points are awarded to the driver and cannot be transferred under any circumstances. Points are not transferable from one class to another.  If the event is disrupted after eliminations of that category are in progress, those contestants unable to return will be awarded points up to the round completed before postponement.

 

Points are awarded as follows:

Winner

500

Runner-up

400

Third round loser

300

Second round loser

200

First round loser

100

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Qualifying position earns points as follows:

# 1    16 Points

# 2    15 Points

# 3    14 Points

# 4    13 Points

# 5    12 Points

# 6    11 Points

# 7    10 Points

# 8    9 Points

# 9    8 Points

#10   7 Points

#11   6 Points

#12   5 Points

#13   4 Points

#14   3 Points

#15   2 Points

#16   1 Points

 

Additional points are awarded as follows:

25 Points for Tech Card ( Registration) 

25 points for E.T. Record (1% backup required)

All points will be awarded on the 16 point scale regardless of the size of the ladder. If a non-qualifier is inserted into the spot of a racer who is unable to answer the first round call, the non-qualifier will be awarded points according the rounds won. The qualified car will receive their qualifying points including the bonus points. Points and/or monetary awards may be withheld from any contestant who is in non-compliance with the rules of their particular class, General Regulations or ADRL’s mandatory decal requirement.

 

Tie Breaker

In the unlikely event, a tie should occur, the following procedure would be used to determine a winner.

1)     Most event wins.

2)     Most event runner-ups.

3)     Most number of events entered.

4)     Most event round wins.

Should a tie still exist after the above procedures are implemented, the tied competitors will be declared co-champions and all awards (where possible) will be shared equally between the co-champions.

 

 

OILDOWN PENALTIES

In an effort to eliminate downtime due to clean-up, penalties may be imposed for teams depositing fluids on the racing surface or shutdown area during qualifying or elimination rounds. Flagrant disregard or repeated violation will be subject to disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by the Competition Director.  Such  action  may  involve  points and/or monetary  fines, denial of participation,  and/or suspension of competition privileges. The Competition Director’s decision is final in determining oil down violations.

 

 

DISQUALIFICATION

Any contestant disqualified for non-compliance with any of the ADRL rules, regulations, requirements or restrictions is subject to forfeiture of all or a portion of any points earned or accumulated, including points from previous events and any monetary awards, at the discretion of the Competition Director.

 

 

RECORD CERTIFICATION

Record and back up runs will be permitted during qualifying and/or eliminations.  Only the driver holding the record at the conclusion of the event will be credited with the record and awarded the bonus points.   All records must be backed up with an elapsed time or mile per hour that is within one percent (1%) of the tentative record time prior to the conclusion of the event.  It will be the driver’s responsibility to have the record verified immediately after the run.   Time slips (record and back-up) must be verified by an ADRL official at the conclusion of the record-setting and back-up run.

 

 

USE OF LIKENESS

In consideration of being allowed to enter and by being issued credentials to an ADRL event, the vehicle owner, vehicle driver, all crewmembers, and other holders of event credentials agree as follows:  All rights to the use of their likeness and their vehicles entered in the event as well as their activities at the site of the event, before, during and after the event and reasonably related to the event in regards to advertising, promotion, filming, recording, exhibition and other exploitations of the event.

 

 

RAIN OUT POLICY

The ADRL will make every effort to complete the all events as scheduled. However, if an event cannot be started or completed due to inclement weather or unexpected conditions, it will be postponed, rescheduled, or cancelled at the discretion of the Competition director.  All factors of all parties concerned will be taken into consideration including those of participants, track operators, as well as the ADRL Competition director. No refunds will be issued when an event is rescheduled, postponed or considered complete by the Competition Director. Regardless of the situation or circumstances, the decision of the Competition Director will be final. Participants who have qualified and are on the ladder for a particular class, but are unable to return to a rescheduled event on the rescheduled date, will be awarded points and payouts earned as the loser or no show of the following round of competition.

 

 

PAYOUT POLICY

Payouts  will  be  determined  by  ADRL  and  will  be  made  upon  completion  of  each event.    Any payout, contingency, gift certificate or other awards presented by any sponsor is not the responsibility of ADRL. The ADRL will not, under any circumstances, be responsible for any sponsor non-payment or bad checks.  Should this occur, any action legal or otherwise shall be between the participant and the sponsor.   Due to sponsor contingencies and contracts, it may be necessary to mandate sponsor decal location placement on vehicles prior to participation.  It is the driver’s responsibility to procure and place all contingency decals on his/her vehicle.  Decals must be in place for the entire event. This includes time runs, qualifying and eliminations. Any paperwork or information required by ADRL or any sponsor must be properly submitted prior to the issuance of any payouts or awards. All payouts will be made directly to drivers unless alternate arrangements with ADRL officials are made prior to eliminations. Any participant experiencing irreparable damage and is unable to make the next round call will be paid (if applicable) only through the last round of competition won. If Under 8 Cars, Purse will be adjusted accordingly

 

 

COMPLIANCE OF RULES

Each participant expressly agrees that by entering an ADRL event, the participant will be bound by all of the decisions, rules and regulations of ADRL, including all procedures provided for in the ADRL rules and by the decisions, rules and regulations which are applicable to a particular event, including those of the host track and the host track’s sanctioning body.  The participant agrees to be bound by and abide by the decisions of the Competition Director, its designee and all other ADRL officials at all events.  The participant also agrees that all decisions made before, during or after an event are final and may not be appealed or  made  part  of,  or  the  basis  of,  litigation and  hereby  agrees to  release  and waive  from liability and not to bring any action against the Competition Director, their designees, ADRL, the race track operator, track safety equipment, event sponsors and all other event officials for any loss, damage or injury caused by malfunctioning electronic or mechanical equipment whether caused by negligence or otherwise. The participant further agrees that any dispute concerning any event, the rules, and regulations of ADRL or any decisions rendered by  ADRL or  ADRL officials,  shall be resolved pursuant to the procedures provided for in this General Regulations and Administration Procedures section.

The participant agrees to indemnify and to hold ADRL harmless for any costs or loss incurred as a result of  the  failure  of  the  participant  to  comply  with  the  rules, regulations  and  procedures  provided  for herein.

Upon the discovery of any irregular component not specifically addressed by ADRL, it will be considered non-allowable, unless otherwise authorized by an ADRL official.  In some instances, a “one-race waiver” for a specific rule infraction may be given to a participant by an ADRL official, if in his judgment, the infraction does not create a competitive advantage in the participant’s category. Any competitor found not to be in compliance with the rules, regulations, restrictions and procedures as set forth by the ADRL will be or could be disqualified.  Disqualification may lead to forfeiture of all or a portion of points and monetary awards – to be determined at the discretion of the Competition Director.

 

 

SFI SPECIFICATIONS

SFI Specification numbers, whether so stated or not, are the minimum mandatory specifications for the item discussed.  All competitors are required to pay meticulous attention to the SFI Specs including (re)certification periods, as rigorous adherence will be compulsory. Click Here For A Complete list of specifications and (re)certification periods.

 

 

TOW VEHICLES AND PIT SAFETY

Any misuse, reckless driving, speeding or unacceptable behavior in the pit area or anywhere on the racetrack facility, by anyone operating a 2, 3 or 4-wheeled motorized or non-motorized vehicle is strictly prohibited and are grounds for disqualification and may lead to confiscation of vehicles and ejection of the owner and operator from the facility. COMPETITORS WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE AND MAY BE DISQUALIFIED IF ANYONE ON THEIR TEAM MISUSES A SUPPORT VEHICLE.  Minors under the age of 16 are prohibited from operating any type of self-powered vehicle on the race facility. All tow vehicles must be secured no later than two (2) hours after the completion of the day’s activities.  Failure to do so could result in the loss of the use of the vehicle until completion of the entire event and/or disqualification of the associated race vehicle.

 

NITROUS OXIDE

All nitrous oxide systems used must be commercially available.    Nitrous  bottle(s)  in driver’s compartment must be equipped with a relief valve and vented outside of driver’s compartment. Bottle(s)  must  be  stamped  with  a  DOT-1800  pound  rating  and  be  permanently  mounted  (no  hose clamps or tie wraps permitted). All bottles in use must be pressure certified and marked/dated by the manufacturer or test facility. Bottles need to be recertified at a minimum every 5 years. Hoses used to connect bottle(s) to solenoid must be high pressure steel braided hoses. ADRL accepted, commercially available, thermostatically controlled bottle warmers are permitted.  All other external heating methods or ignitable heating sources are prohibited and may be grounds for disqualification. All high pressure bottles must remain secured in the race vehicle or hauler during the entire event.

 

 

FUEL AND WEIGHT CHECK

ADRL reserves the right to conduct random fuel and/or weight checks at any time and without prior notice.   Failure to provide a fuel sample or scale the vehicle and/or driver when requested is grounds for disqualification.

 

 

TAIL LIGHTS

Working tail lights are required on all vehicles competing in ADRL events. Tail lights must be on anytime the track lights are operating. Tail lights must be on prior to entering the staging beams and must remain on until the vehicle exits the shut down area. Tail lights must be visible from race control for the full length of the racing surface. Tail lights must be controlled from inside the driver’s compartment.

 

 

CHASSIS CERTIFICATION

All vehicles competing must have a chassis that meets the guidelines set by the ADRL and/or S.F.I. specifications for their respective class before being allowed to compete. Chassis certification must be performed by an ADRL certified chassis inspector and will be good for a period of two (2) years. The signing of the Tech Card at each event acknowledges that the chassis still meets the standards that were set to receive the Chassis Certification and have not been altered. Any alterations or repairs that are performed to the chassis in an area of the chassis that is covered by the ADRL guidelines and/or S.F.I.  Will require the chassis to be re-certified. Please direct any questions concerning Chassis Certification to ADRL’s Technical Services Department.

 

 

GENERAL GUIDELINES

ADRL,  at  its  discretion,  reserves  the  right  to  change,  modify,  add,  or  eliminate  specific  class  rules, specific race classes, regulations, procedures, restrictions, payouts, awards or entry fees at any time and without advance notice and at the discretion of the Competition Director. ADRL, at its discretion, reserves the right to prohibit or deny participation at any ADRL event to anyone, in any capacity, at any time and for any reason. Remember, you are responsible for following the Rules and Regulations set forth by ADRL as they pertain to you, your crew, as well as your vehicles.

 

 

RESTRICTED AREA ACCESS

Each driver, as well as participant crew members, must be properly (as determined by ADRL officials) attired when present in the staging lanes, starting line area and/or competition areas of the race track. Drivers, crew members and sponsors may receive non-transferable, restricted-area arm bands.  A MAXIMUM of five (5) crewmembers will be allowed starting line access. All starting line crew members are REQUIRED to wear matching collared shirts.  Any additional crew members and/or sponsors with restricted area arm bands will have access to a dedicated viewing area adjacent to the track.   Only crew members of the vehicles that are signaled to fire by the race master will be permitted to cross the ready line and proceed to the starting line area. After their car has made its run the crew must exit the starting line area  immediately.  Nobody  is  allowed  access  to the  starters  box  at  any  time  or  for  any  reason. Anytime the red lights on the tree are flashing EVERYONE must exit the starting line area and return to the designated viewing area or behind the ready line.

 

 

LEAVING THE EVENT

Race rigs and/or motorhomes are prohibited from leaving their pit spot until 1 hour after the completion of qualifying on Saturday unless otherwise approved by the Competition Director.