Pro Racing Association Championship Drag Racing Series

General Rules

Drivers License and PRA membership: All racers must have a valid, current state issued driver's license to compete. Current PRA membership is required for participating in Pro Mod, Super Street, Super Comp., Super Gas and Super Modified. To be eligible for Championship points and purse, Pro Eliminator racers must be PRA members. Racers must hold a current membership to obtain competition number or renew competition number.

Body: All replacement body parts must resemble the stock factory item they are replacing, however, they need not be exact, i.e. fenders may be wider to allow for bigger or wider tires. A stock appearing deck lid is defined as follows. The deck lid shall slope downward and the bottom shall extend furthest rearward. Deck lids where the top extends farther back than the bottom shall not be allowed. A fabricated deck lid should include a break in the rear plane. A deck lid is considered part of the car and must be painted.

Engine: Contestants in weight to cubic inch classes must claim exact cubic inch displacement rounded out to the next largest cubic inch. No allowance for over bore, i.e. 131.6 = 132. If engine is changed during a race the competitor must report to technical department supervisor before a run is attempted.

Fuel Systems: All fuel tanks, lines, pumps etc., must be within the confines of the frame and/or steel body. And must be located outside the drivers compartment. All fuel lines must be metallic or steel braided. A maximum of 12" total, front to rear of nonmetallic or non-steel braided is permitted for connection purposes only. Whenever possible, fuel tanks and fuel lines should be located ahead of engine

Exhaust: All cars must be equipped with an exhaust collector or stacks installed to direct exhaust out of body to rear of car, away from driver and fuel tank.

Alignment: Each car must have sufficient positive front-end caster to ensure proper handling of car at all speeds.

Tires: All tires must be free of defects. All street tires must have minimum of 1/8" tread depth. Farm implements or trailer tires prohibited. Tubeless slicks are required to have steel valve stems.

Parachutes: Any car exceeding 150 M.P.H. will be required to be equipped with a parachute from that run on. IN other words, once a racecar exceeds 150 M.P.H. it must have a parachute installed on it before it will be allowed to make another run. NO EXCEPTIONS! A parachute must be produced by a recognized parachute manufacturer. Tech inspector may inspect the condition for worn or frayed shroud lines, ripped or dirty canopies and worn or ragged pilot chutes. Parachute cable housing must be mounted solidly to the frame or tubes of 1/8" minimum wall thickness, securely mounted as a protection against fuel line rupture. The release cable housing must be attached within 12" of the parachute pack and in a manner that will allow the inner cable release of the chute.

Nitrous Oxide: Nitrous Oxide is permitted in Pro Elim., Super Modified, Super Gas, Super Comp., and Pro Mod. Nitrous Oxide is prohibited in Super Street. All bottles must be securely mounted. Hose clamps and/or tie wraps prohibited. As of 1/06 "Plastic" bottle brackets are prohibited. Bottle must be stamped with a minimum DOT-1800 lbs rating, also with current date stamp. Bottles located in driver's compartment must be equipped with a relief valve and vented outside of compartment. System must be commercially available and installed per manufacturer's recommendation. Commercially available thermostatically controlled blanket-type warmer accepted. Any other external heating of bottles prohibited.

Helmet Expiration Dates: Effective 1/06 where a SNELL-rated helmet is required, the Snell 90 will no longer be legal for use in competition. Must be Snell 95 or higher.

Neck Collar / Helmet Restraint Device: As of 1/06 the use of a
Neck Collar or Helmet restraint device will be mandatory in all classes. Neck Collar must be commercially produced and designed for racing. Two different collars are available: a full 360-degree "Donut" type or a pull-together "Horseshoe" type. Helmet restraint device can be used with or without a neck collar. Modification of the device is prohibited.

Flywheel Shield: All Pro Mod cars are required to have a flywheel shield. Starting 1/07 Super Street will be required also. Must be made from ¼" minimum thickness steel plate, securely mounted to the frame or frame structure and completely surrounding the bell housing 360-degrees. The flywheel shield shall not be bolted to either the bell housing or engine. The flywheel shield must extend forward to a point 1" ahead of the flywheel and 1" to the rear of the rotating further back then 1 inch from the release lever.

Ballast: Any material used for the purpose of adding to a car's weight must be permanently attached to the car's structure and must not extend behind the rear of the car's body or above the rear tires. No liquid or loose ballast permitted, i.e. water, sandbags, rocks, shot bags, metal weights etc. Weight boxes (2 maximum) made of 1/8" material may be constructed to hold small items such as shot bags, lead bars, etc., as long as the box and contents do not weigh over 125 pounds. The box must be securely fastened to cars frame or cross member with at least two ½" diameter steel bolts per 100 pounds. Ballast location and weight cannot be altered during eliminations.

Propylene Oxide and Nitro: The use of propylene oxide and nitro is prohibited in all PRA classes.

Throttle: Regardless of class each car must have a foot throttle incorporating a positive acting return spring directly attached to the carburetor throttle arm. A positive stop or over ride prevention must be used to keep linkage from passing over center and sticking in an open position.

Gasoline: Gasoline as refined is a mixture of hydrocarbons. Gasoline is a good electrical insulator, or dielectric, and is relative effectiveness as an insulator is represented by its Dielectric Constant. The average D.C. for hydrocarbons, which comprise gasoline, is 2.025, this is defined as a reading of 0 with the PRA Fuel Check meter. The addition of compounds containing nitrogen and/or oxygen may produce a mixture with a D.C. recommended that unknown gas be checked before use in competition.

Chassis Certification: As of 1/06, any vehicle that runs faster then 135MPH must meet minimum requirements for 9.99 second vehicles, which includes an NHRA chassis certification, NHRA competition license and updated safety requirements.

Roll Cage: All cage structure must be designed to protect the driver from any angle, 360-degrees. When the driver is in the driving position roll cage must be at least 3" in front of helmet. The side bar must pass the driver at a point midway between the shoulder and elbow. All cage structures must have in their construction a cross bar for seat bracing and as the shoulder harness attachment point and be installed no more then 4" below the driver's shoulders or to the side brace. All chromoly welding must be done by approved heilarc process (TIG welding). Mild steel welding must be approved wire feed process (MIG). Flush grinding welds not permitted. It is recommended that all cage welds be gusted. All cars without the stock floor must have a sill to tie the front and rear of roll cage made of 1 5/8" x .083 CM or 1 5/8" x .120 MS.

Safety: All cars must meet all NHRA safety standards.

Competition Numbers: PRA racers are required to display a permanent drivers number at all PRA VW Drag Racing Series events. Numbers on side windows must be a minimum 6" high and 1 1/2" wide. Front and rear numbers must be a minimum of 3" high and 1" wide.
Class designation letters also must be a minimum of 3" high and 1" wide. Number and class designation must be displayed in a legible manner in a contrasting color to the vehicle color, or white on windows. Chrome Numbers & Letters not recommended. (See Race Procedures for info about Permanent PRA Numbers)

Race Procedures

Permanent Numbers: All contestants in the PRA must have permanent numbers. No points will be awarded to any driver without a permanent number. Permanent numbers are awarded to any driver who finishes in the top ten of each class. Each driver has the option to retain his old permanent number. If he declines to use the number that relates to his finish in the respective class, another driver may not use that number.

Burnouts: All pre-race burnouts are restricted to designate water box area, only. No one may touch the car during a burnout. During eliminations only one burnout across the starting line. A car must be backed up to the starting line after a burnout. A driver cannot turn around on the track and drive back to the starting line after a burnout if they cannot back up under their own power.

Staging: Once a car reaches the front of the staging lanes it must be ready to fire and race. The car must self-start.
A PRA official my request to see self-start. No push starts allowed. Staging must be done under vehicle's own power. Deep staging is only allowed in Pro Eliminator. The "Blue Light" will be used during eliminations. Both pre-stage and stage lights must be lit.

Courtesy staging: Courtesy staging will be enforced during eliminations in Pro Mod, Super Street, Super Comp, and Super Gas. Both drivers must have their pre stage lights lit before either may advance into the stage beams. Once both lights have been lit a driver cannot re-stage for a second time. Doing so will result in disqualification. All decisions of the starter are final.

Protest Procedure: All protests must be made to the proper PRA official. A protest must be filed the day of the event. Protest fee of $250.00 CASH at time of filing.

Tow Vehicles: All tow vehicles must have the number of the car they are towing displayed on the front windshield

Rule Book: If a rule appears unclear or something is specified or not specified as allowed or not allowed in this rulebook you are advised to check with the PRA before you attempt to race at a PRA event.

Competition: Winners in Pro Mod and Super Street are advised that their engines will be checked for displacement prior to being awarded the win. All false claimed engines sizes will result in the driver being disqualified, even if the car is correct weight for the actual size of the engine.

Records: It is the driver's responsibility to report to the PRA the day of the event and have their Lbs/C.I. checked prior to being awarded any record.

Race Officials: The PRA officials have the final authority on any dispute or interpretation of the rules. Any driver or group of drivers attempting to override the PRA will be removed from the PRA program for that race with no refund of entry fee and /or payment to the PRA.

Entry Fees: All entry fees must be paid prior to attempting to qualify. Consult the PRA NEWS for location to pay fees at each race.

Points: All points are awarded to the driver. Drivers must be a current member of the PRA. If there is a driver change during the season the new driver of the car must earn his own points. He does not accumulate the points earned by the previous driver.

Class Sponsor: All cars must have the class sponsor 's sticker displayed in the appropriate location. Ask one of the PRA officials or Chief Tech Inspectors if needed.

Payouts: A driver must compete in at lease five races in a season to receive end of the season payouts.

Assigned Class: No class hopping. Definition: Any driver can move only to P/E if they fail to qualify in their assigned class. You must inform the PRA and track official before attempting to move to P/E. Example: A driver that fails to qualify in Super Street cannot drop in to Super Comp even if there is not a full car field in Super Comp but they are allowed to move in to P/E. This applies to all classes.P/E is the only open class.