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2023 Mid America Dragway Handbook

www.midamericadragway.com

Mid America Dragway’s Staff and Management welcomes you! To help you enjoy your participation at Mid America Dragway we have prepared this racer handbook that includes general rules and information covering drag racing events at Mid America Dragway .

Release and Waiver of Liability Agreement Form must be signed when entering the facility by all drivers, participants and crew. A different colored wristband will be issued to drivers and only those with that band will be allowed to drive. Racers must display their wristband on the left arm.. Tampering with or transfer of wristbands = disqualification.

Compliance of Rules

Each participant expressly agrees that by entering a Mid America Dragway event, the participant will be bound by all of the decisions, rules and regulations of Mid America Dragway including all procedures provided for in the Mid America Dragway Handbook and by the decisions, and regulations which are applicable to a particular event, including those of the track and the track’s sanctioning body, NHRA. Mid America Dragway highly recommends you download or purchase a copy of the NHRA rule book.

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 the basis of litigation, and hereby agrees to this waiver from liability and will not bring any action against Mid America Dragway , race directors, track officials, the race track operator, track safety equipment/crew, 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.

NO EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF SAFETY SHALL RESULT FROM SUCH ALTERATION OF

SPECIFICATIONS. Any interpretation or deviation of these rules is left to the discretion of the officials. Their decision is final.

Drag racing is a dangerous sport that can result in serious injury or death. Participation in all aspects of the sport is voluntary. The ultimate responsibility for participant and vehicle lies with the participant, vehicle owner, driver and crew members.

General Rules

Accutime Cross Talk Tree (CCT)

If you DO NOT wish to have the tree Cross Talk to your lane when you are the quicker vehicle, place an “N” with a circle around it behind your DIAL-IN to deactivate.

No reruns, as the final responsibility is that of the racer to make sure that the stager knows you have an N for no cross talk . CCT applies only to ET Motorcycle and Super Pro

Breakage Policy

During a competition event If you break before the first round please see track managers for instructions. If it is a test n tune night please speak with the general manager to see if you qualify for a credit.

Break Rule

There is no break rule for eliminations. If you win a round and cannot return for the next, you will receive money, if any,

as if you appeared in the next round and lost. The racer eliminated by the racer who broke is still eliminated

Buybacks

Buybacks will be paid for in the lanes . When you are called to the lanes for buybacks come prepared to pay . Unless otherwise listed on the race specific flyer The 1st round losers may buy back into competition.During the 2nd round of competition buybacks will race buybacks and winners will race winners.

Exception will be if there is an odd number of buybacks . Then the last buyback will race the first winner as directed by a Mid America Employee

Buybacks will be in specific lanes to themselves and winners to their own specific lanes Please listen for the call .

Any participant that makes a pass (accepts the tree) without having purchased the buyback run, will be disqualified immediately from the event and possibly have 25 points deducted from season points totals if applicable.

Deep Staging

Deep Staging is allowed with the courtesy word “DEEP” written on the vehicle window so that the competition and the starter can see it.

It is the responsibility of the driver to get in deep without holding up the other competitors.

Deep Stage car will have two bulbs on as courtesy . Then after the other driver lights his top bulb the deep stage car may move forward to unlight his top bulb to complete the deep stage process. Once the deep stage car has his top bulb unlit and the other car has both bulbs lit the staging process will be considered complete

Dial-In

Dial-in must be located on the passenger side of the windshield and passenger side window. This includes digital dial in boards. At Least one digital dial in board must be visible on “passenger” side window.

Digital Dial in boards must be turned on before leaving staging lanes and can not be turned off until after you have staged . If you are caught changing your dial in between the staging lanes and burnout box you will be disqualified.

Your dial-in can be changed after each round.

Do not stage your vehicle until you check the dial-in boxes and scoreboard for your correct dial-in.

If you stage on an incorrect dial-in or Cross Talk, you accept the error, and the race will not be re-run. By staging, you indicate your dial-in is correct and backing out after both vehicles are staged is not allowed.

Dial-in boxes are located between the burnout box and starting line. They must be viewed to ensure your dial-in is correct before approaching the starting line.

Once a pair of cars cross the staging lane ready line going to the burnout box, they can NO longer change the dial-in on their vehicle, unless the normal flow of racing is halted for more than 5 minutes due to rain, track clean up or an incident.

The track manager/race director will communicate with the affected competitors that their dial-in may be changed. Competitors may be subject to disqualification if dial-in changes are made without permission. In the event of a rerun, dial-ins may be changed between runs.

Diapers

Any car running 6.40 or quicker in the ⅛ mile, or 10.00 or quicker in the ¼ mile must be equipped with an engine diaper.

Disqualification

Disqualifications are made on the first or worse basis. Example: Crossing the centerline is considered worse than a red light. Since we cannot possibly cover all situations that may arise during eliminations, it is the Race Directors/Track Managers responsibility to make a judgment on disputed calls. If it is necessary to settle a dispute, the race director will speak with the drivers only. NOT the crews, wives and/or husbands.

Double Entry

Double entries in the same category are not allowed during NHRA Summit Racing Series points races

Double entry is allowed during NHRA Summit Racing Series race if you enter two different categories.

Double Entries are allowed in non points race events if you enter two different categories . Please communicate to staging that you are double entered.It is your responsibility to be prepared for a short turn around time .

Drinking by Driver

Any driver observed by track officials to be consuming any amount of alcohol while still in competition will be disqualified from the event and BANNED PERMANENTLY.

Eliminations

Go to your assigned lanes when called by the P.A. System.

Only winners or buybacks return when called.

We try to run eliminations on a “round-robin” basis after the third round, which means winning racers must return immediately to the lanes when called to be laddered or directly to staging for the next round of competition.

Elimination Round – Bye Criteria

First round elimination bye is determined by the Racemaster randomly choosing a chip, dice, cards or by using the best reaction time from a previous round.

Racers will be eligible for only one bye in a race. If all remaining racers have received a bye, the criteria to select the next bye will be the best reaction time in the previous round of eliminations.

Exception to the bye rule is a laddered race where a racer may have received a bye in a previous round and the ladder has determined an additional bye.The additional bye will be honored on the ladder.

Glass Bottles

ABSOLUTELY NO GLASS BOTTLES ALLOWED ON MID AMERICA DRAGWAY PROPERTY!

Ladder

All ladders will be sportsman ladders unless otherwise indicated on the flyer. Please also see rules for Bye run

Lane Choice

During Time Trials and Eliminations (before laddered rounds). No one is guaranteed lane choice. Odd numbered lanes 1, 3, 5 are left lane

Even numbered lanes 2, 4, 6 will be right lane.

When called to the lanes we will fill lanes 1 and 2 first. When filled, we will cone them off and fill lanes 3 and 4, then moving to lanes 5 and 6.

Once we start pulling cars, if we get to the end of lanes 1 and 2 and there are cars left in a single lane, we will pull out of the next set of lanes to create pairs. For example 2 cars are left in lane 1, staging will pull from lane 4 to create pairs. This also applies to finishing pairing for lanes 3 and 4. When pulling lanes 5 and 6, these two lanes will be pulled until there are no longer any pairs.

At that time, if there are cars left in a single lane the first car gets lane choice.

A ladder will be created at the round of 8 cars and will be determined by reaction time. This ladder will be followed until the completion of the event. Lane choice will go to the better reaction time from previous round .

Reserved Pit Spots

All numbered parking spots will be rented. If you are parked in a numbered parking spot that doesn’t belong to you, you will be asked to move. These spots will also be identified by cones with the same corresponding numbers.

Pairings

All classes unless advertised differently will have random pairings in the first round

Track manager/race director reserves the right to use a deck of cards, poker chips, dice or other means to set pairings in any round.

When pulling into the staging lanes you were called to and you have committed to a lane ,do not change lanes unless directed by a Mid America Dragway Employee. Jumping lanes is prohibited.

All classes will be laddered starting when there are 8 cars or less except jr dragsters. Ladder will be based off reaction time from previous round . Each round the racer with best reaction time from previous round will have lane choice . Ladder pairings will be followed until complete.

Jr Dragsters pairings will be by chip draw for 1st and 2nd round . After the buyback round a ladder will be set based off reaction time of round 2. The ladder will then be followed until race is complete. Once the ladder is set , lane choice will belong to the racer with the best reaction time from the previous round.laddered pairings will be followed until complete.

Pets

Animals must be kept on a leash at all times and in the owner’s pit area.Leashes should not exceed 6 feet in length

Rain Policy Competitors

Friday Events/ Weekend Test & Tune:

If event is more than half complete the event will be considered complete and no refunds will be given . If the event is less than half complete a pro rated tech credit will be given

Weekend Events:

If rain or other occurrence halts racing ANY time before the completion of the first round of eliminations for your class, racers will receive 100% credit of entry fee and there will be no payout. This race may or may not be rescheduled.

If rainout occurs after the first round has been completed then the race will be considered complete. Payout will be based on the last completed round per class .

Specialty Events

If over 50% of the days activities are completed, the event will be considered completed and no credit will be given. If rain or other occurrence happens the race may or may not be rescheduled for completion.

Reserved Pit Spots

Re-runs

The general manager will decide if a re-run will happen.

Refusal of the re-run is a forfeit.

Restricted Area

No spectators under the age of 16 are allowed in the following areas:

○ Area past the head of staging lanes

○ Burnout and adjacent areas

○ Dragstrip and shutdown area

○ Trackside areas between the retaining walls and primary spectator fencing

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted near the starting line or in bleacher seating.

Starters Authority

The official starter has the final starting line control of each race as it is being conducted.

After proper staging and receiving the starter signal to go, it is not allowable to restage .

Failure to stage upon the starters instructions is grounds for disqualification.

Any driver leaving the starting line before the start system is activated, or is instructed by the official starter will have his/her time voided from the run.

If both vehicles leave the starting line before the system is activated, then both vehicles will be disqualified.

A racer will have 15 seconds to pre-stage after the opponent has pre-staged, if not, it is grounds for disqualification at the discretion of the starter.

Tech Card/ Entry Fee

Non points races will be ran as Box / No box /Jrs

Please see specific flyer on website or on the event page for Mid America Dragway Facebook page for specifics per event.For specialty events payouts and entries will be listed on flyer . Summit Racing Series points races See Summit Racing Series Information

Tech Inspection

Tech cards MUST be filled out completely and signed . Must be legible.

After filling out the tech car please come to the tech inspection area

Time Trials

Time Trials are at the discretion of the track . If for any reason a time trial must be canceled it will apply to all classes for that event.

Racer is responsible to present (if required) run card/punch card at the back of staging prior to each time trial. Each class and group will receive a minimum of one time trial each day of competition unless otherwise listed for the specific event

Time period for time trials will be communicated on race day by the race director/announcer with considerations for weather or incidents, etc.

Trophies / Payout

Trophies will be handed out in the Tower or winners circle.

Every intention will be made to present payout checks immediately after the event is completed. ( generally the office in concessions building)

Racers will be required to fill out a W9 before receiving payout. For minors receiving payouts the W9 can be in a parent or guardian’s name . We will send 1099 forms to those winning $600 or more per year. Reporting amounts below $600 is the responsibility of the racer.