HOT ROD Pump Gas Drags(TM) invitational is on again at Comp Cams and Memphis Motorsports Park on Saturday, May 12, 2007.

In 2004, HOT ROD fired up the Pump Gas Drags(TM), a shootout of real street cars hand-selected by the magazine staff to compete in this one-of-a-kind event where every car gets loaded with Rockett Brand street gasoline, makes the drive from Comp Cams to the dragstrip, and shoots it out. For the first two years, the winner was the car with the lowest average e.t. over three dragstrip passes. Last year was the first time the PGD(TM) went heads-up, real drag-race style, and it was a riot. After a lot of discussion about how to tune the event for 2007, we decided to pretty much leave the format alone but tweak the program to make it easier to get invited, to let more racers get track time, to provide a better experience for the fans in the stands, and to cinch the belt just a bit to keep the cars as street-appearing as possible.
First, we're going to invite 75 cars instead of 50, and unlike the last two years, there will be no alternates. That means every car that shows up on race day has a chance to run. All the cars that pass tech at Comp Cams will get to attempt the street drive to the dragstrip, and every one that survives that test will have a chance to qualify for the exclusive 32-car field. In past years, cars that failed the street drive or that didn't qualify were done for the day, but this year, we're going to have exhibition grudge racing between the rounds of official PGD(TM) eliminations so that ousted racers have more chances to make runs down the track and so there are no big gaps in the program for the fans.

Racing on Saturday also means easing up on the formerly brutal rush-hour cruise from Comp to MMP. As a result, we've kicked it back up to around 30 miles instead of 20, and after last year's debacle, we discovered it was too difficult to police the rule about not shutting off engines in traffic. Instead, we'll seal hoods during tech so they may not be opened until after arrival at the dragstrip.

Competitors will be held to a minimum weight: 3,300 pounds with driver. We've officially outlawed full-tube-chassis cars; nonstock, forward-facing hoodscoops; and fixed side windows. Last year's rule requiring tires with sidewall designations of 30x12.50 or less has been reformatted so that DOT slicks must have a tread width of 111/4 or fewer inches as measured with a go/no-go gauge. You can still run any size drag radial you want.

The only racer who is automatically invited back is last year's winner, Donohue Hogan, but even he has to meet all the new rules.
* Upon arrival at Memphis Motorsports Park, competitors will be directed into the staging lanes and held there for a cool-down period of no less than 30 minutes from when the lead vehicle arrives. During this time, toolboxes and parts must be unloaded from the vehicles.

* After the cool-down period, each competitor will make a single qualifying pass. Qualifying passes will be bye runs, and lane choice is open unless overridden by the race director. The e.t. for the qualifying passes will not be posted on the scoreboards and will not be announced over the P.A. system. After qualifying, cars will return to a specified area in the pits where no other vehicles are allowed.

* The quickest 32 cars will be placed into a ladder (1 races 17, 2 races 18, and so on) and will compete on a 0.400-second pro Tree through five rounds of heads-up competition. Lane choice goes to the top qualifier.

* Competitors who do not appear in lanes or at the Rockett Brand refueling station when called may be disqualified.

* Entrants who do not legally complete the drive, who do not qualify for the 32-car field, or who have been eliminated may be allowed to make exhibition passes between rounds of Pump Gas Drags(TM) competition and after the final round before the award ceremony. There will be lanes designated for exhibition passes, and they will be run on a first-come, first-served basis. Racers still active in PGD(TM) eliminations may not make exhibition passes. Cars that have demonstrated poor handling or fluid leaks may not be allowed exhibition passes at the race director's discretion.

* During qualifying, eliminations, and exhibition passes, crew members and others may not help stage the car and must remain behind the burnout box.

* After the first two rounds of eliminations, the cars proceeding into the third round will be topped off with up to 5 gallons of Rockett Brand spec fuel.

* HOT ROD's Top 10 will be based on the overall winner plus the seven cars eliminated in rounds three, four, and five, plus the two quickest and fastest cars eliminated in the second round. This will be adjusted pending bye runs during eliminations.



It's all for the bragging rights and the ink in HOT ROD magazine and maybe a shot on HOT ROD TV. The winner will be named HOT ROD's Pump Gas Drags(TM) Top Eliminator, and every driver in the Top 10 will get a commemorative jacket. To give glory to some of the little guys, even if they don't win, we'll award HOT ROD Editor's Picks for the Most Legit 8- 9-, and 10- Second Streeters, plus for Quickest Single Pass and Best 60-Foot.

Congrats dude, don't go for broke down there.

100 octane isn't exactly pump gas though. I'd love to see them make you guys run 91.