If you’re not participating in HOT ROD’s Drag Week, one of the best activities for enthusiasts is to pick your favorite class of racecars and follow along to see how they fare day by day. Especially those classes with a friend or family member participating, or for those eyeing a spot for the future, you get closer to the action and can Monday quarterback from your own computer. There are so many classes and subsets for the 350 or so cars participating that we’ll break down each of the classes in the simplest of terms below. Our breakdown basics give you a quickie class overview aided by a sample car or two to give you a visual takeaway. For a concise breakdown of all of the rules governing Drag Week check out the complete rules HERE. Pick your favorite, then watch our live coverage starting September 11, 2016—just don’t get caught.
Unlimited
This is for the big guns where, within certain general Drag Week parameters for all participants, you can truly “run what ya brung.” This is a one class- only with no subsets within the class. You don’t have to worry about compliance, again, as long as your car falls within the general rules governing all participants.
Ultimate Iron
Basically Ultimate Iron is for tube-chassis cars, but with OE-original bodies. Only hoods, bumpers, decklids or trunk lids can be of fiberglass or carbon fiber. No top chops, pinching or sloping front sheetmetal, or altered wheelbases are allowed, to maintain the integrity of how the car looked from the factory. A 3000-pound minimum keeps things from getting too crazy in this one class-only category.
Pro-Street
Pro-Street N/A
Pro Street Power-Adder
The cars in this category are back halved and are also allowed to have a front-clip kit, but must retain most of its OE frame. Stock firewalls, dashes and floors are required, so engine setbacks are not allowed. The only body mods allowed are stretched rear wheel openings for tire clearance. This category also sets a 3000-pound weight limit, and has two classes—one for naturally aspirated, and a second class for power adders that include the use of nitrous, supercharging, turbocharging, or a combo of some or all of these.
Modified
Modified Small Block N/A
Modified Big Block N/A
Modified Small Block Power-Adder
Modified Big Block Power-Adder
Similar to the Pro Street category, Modified gives a little more latitude with modifications, like a more Spartan interior without mandating stock dashboard or rear seats. However, the driver still cannot be set back nor can the combined weight of driver and car dip below the 3000-pound threshold. All of the other rules that govern the Pro Street group can be found in the Modified category, which has both a N/A and power adder class.
Super Street
Super Street Small-Block N/A
Super Street Big-Block N/A
Super Street Small-Block Power-Adder
Super Street Big-Block Power-Adder
For small-tire cars, this is a more open group than the closely related Street Race category. The rules get restrictive at the rear where the stock frame must be intact and rear suspension alterations must use stock pickup points, so no narrowed/tubbed rears are allowed. All non-stock suspensions like four-links and ladder bars are prohibited. Coil-overs can be substituted for stock coil spring rear suspensions. This category contains four classes for both small- and big-blocks, and N/A or power-adder configurations.
Street Race
Street Race Small-Block N/A
Street Race Big-Block N/A
Street Race Small-Block Power-Adder
Many say that Street Race is the most restrictive of the Drag Week classes. ETs are capped at 8.50 in the quarter, with a breakout resulting in disqualification or a bump over to the Super Street category. Only OE body panels are allowed with the exception of hoods and bumpers. Front strut conversions, front clips, rear coilovers, and Lenco-type transmissions are all verboten. Again, the 3000-pound minimum weight limit applies to Street Race.
Gasser
A/Gas
B/Gas
Harkening back to the 1960s, the Gasser category endeavors to retain the flavor and feel of the Gasser wars, with restrictions that limit the style of lettering, hood scoops, and even limiting the use of front A-arms to either stock, or completely replaced by a straight axle—no Mustang II-type front ends allowed. Only 8-71 or smaller superchargers can be used for power adder, but no turbos or nitrous. B/Gas rules are more lenient making for a more affordable class in this fun category.
Hot Rod
Restricted to American cars built between 1928 and 1948, this is a single class-category, which allows for fender and hood removal as one of its unique characteristics. Chopped or sectioned cars are allowed, but wings, spoilers or air dams are not, to help retain the look of street vehicles. Electronic fuel injection is not allowed, nor are power adders, and engine cubic inch displacement must stay below 555ci. However, you can run mechanical injection. Other unique restrictions are allowing only cast intakes—no sheetmetal fab’d units, and no aluminum engine blocks.
Street Machine Eliminator Format
This unique Drag Week category is based on an Open Comp format, so your five-day average elapsed time determines a qualifying position in a 32-car Sportsman ladder bracket on the last day of Drag Week. Your average determines your dial-in, and breakout and first-or-worst rules apply. If you stick around for the final day, it’s possibly the most exciting racing of the week, and worth watching—even for participants.
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