"The only "computer" allowed on the strip is a pneumatically controlled difference engine that governs how much fuel is routed to the cylinders and how much horsepower is applied to the rear tires. A timer starts when the driver stomps on the throttle, and blasts of compressed air course through a configurable series of mechanical logic gates that vary the fuel/air ratio, spark plug timing, and clutch grip according to a fixed sequence tailored to race conditions. It's binary logic worthy of the Big Bad Wolf: A puff of air is 1, no air is 0."

Is that a carburator he's describing there... ...

"1973 is the year drag racing stopped evolving, technologically if not aesthetically. The sport staggers on, zombie-like, but henceforth on a Galápagos of automotive innovation, the island that OPEC forgot."

This is just totally fucking rediculous. Restrictive rules encourage engineering innovation to get that extra percent volumetric efficiency that will give you victory over the next guy. The fact is, most restrictions in NHRA classes are aimed at limiting costs.

I just find that the whole article is poorly researched and written. The fact is, nitrous is not high tech, or cheating. It is employed by proponents of domestic V8's and imported inline 4's. And on the street, your average hopped up honda is not any higher tech than your average hopped up late model ford or chevy. Computers in cars are nothing new. The fact is, your average "ricer" just rolls back the ignition timing when he hits the red button... something that V8's have been doing for years.

And as far as modifying or replacing ECU/ECM's in cars... domestics have also been doing that since ECU/ECM's were put in cars.

They miss the whole point. There is a tradition in the NHRA, of big bad mean machines. People love V8's. They're mean as hell. Young people like them too... but they find themselves settling for an imported econobox because they can afford one and they are reliable. Once they decide to go fast, they stick with what they've got. An obsession with Japan has come along with that, and there are cultural differences between the old and new schools, but thats the driving force behind the import "racing" culture.

The bottom line is that the new school isn't any more hi tech than the old school. In fact, the opposite is usually true. The guy with the Hemi understands his engine and builds and tunes it himself. The guy with the "go fast chip" and the bolt on nitrous kit just hits the button and prays. Thats hardly hi-tech.

RE: War of the Wheels