Like Nascar.....a "Stock" car isn't always "Stock"!!

Musclecar Review and High Performance Pontiac both had articles on the recent Pure Stock drags. They commented that the cars are going so fast that pretty soon they'll have to have 8-point cages and driveshaft safety loops-NHRA rules require it for any car running faster than 11.50. There was a woman with an L88 Corvette than ran an 11.69, and there was a guy with a 440 / Six-Pack Super Bee that ran 11.97 and there was a guy with a Ram Air IV Firebird that ran 11.88. These are blistering times, that you'd never be able to duplicate with a stock car in street trim. Their race cars built to be race cars, and this is why the NHRA is cracking down. In fact the roll cage and driveshaft safety loop rule used to be for any car running under 12 flat. With Z06 / ZR1 Corvettes, Shelby Mustangs, Dodge Vipers, and Nissan GT-R's breaking into the 11s right off the showroom floor, and 400 hp Camaros, Mustangs and Challengers doing it with a tiny shot of nitrous, or maybe drag radials and a few minor mods, The NHRA agreed that you shopuldn't have to cut up the interior to install a cage and ruin the drivability and value of your $50,000 new car because of a rule that was enacted 40+ years ago. That's why they lowered it to 11.50. Some of the faster "Pure Stock" guys are griping, but I have to agree with the NHRA. These cars are not stock show cars, their race cars with licence plates. Here's why. The 11 second Firebird for example-I read a detailed article about it. Yes, it's within the rules, but the rules are pretty broad. For example the rules say cylinder head combustion chamber volume has to be at least 62cc. That's great-except for the fact that 400 Pontiac RAIV engines in 1969-70 had 10.5:1 compression with flat top pistons and 72cc combustion chambers. With 62 cc chambers the compression ratio is bumped to 12:1!!  The cam has to be the original type-I.E.-that means it has to be a flat-tappet hydraulic grind-not a solid lifter design, or a hydraulic roller, or a solid roller design. But there's no limit on lift or duration. The guy was running a cam with 256 degrees duration ( at .050 lift ) and .632 lift. The intake was ported and extrude-honed and the carb-a custom rebuilt Q-jet- ( original "type" remember? ) that flows nearly 1000 cfm. The front sway bar is disconnected, he's running 90 / 10 front shocks, and 5.14:1 gears. He launches it at 4,500 rpm, shifts it at 6,800 and passes through nthe traps between 6,800-7000 rpm. Think this car with 12:1 compression, a .632 lift cam, a 1000 cfm carb, 90 / 10 shocks, a disconnected sway bar and 5.14:1 gears will run just a tad faster than a concours-level original with 10:1 compression, a .520 lift cam, a 750 cfm carb, a stock suspension and 3.90:1 gears??  You think?  The Super Bee had 12.5:1 compression, a .650 lift cam, a ported and extrude-honed intake, 3 holley 500 cfm 2 bbls, a manual shift only valve body in the 727 automatic, a converter of undisclosed stall speed, and 4.90:1 gears!!  Think that'll run a bit faster than a stocker with 10:1 compression, the stock 440 Magnum cam, 350 cfm carbs, a stock tranny and 3.23:1 or 3.54:1 gears??  The L88 'Vette wasn't much modified-they had 12.25:1 compression and a solid lifter cam with .580 lift stock-and they ran high 11s back in the '60's. But you can see how the average joe's average car could never approach those blistering times. So quit griping-the cars are not "Stock" in any way shape or form. Mastermind