The XR Super Series announced on Tuesday that it would be doing away with the so-called ‘Droop Rule’ for the remainder of the 2022 season. The change will go into effect immediately when the tour travels to the Kokomo(IN) Speedway for a pair of races on September 19 & 20. Those features will pay out $20,000 and $40,000 respectively.
The Droop Rule calls for Dirt Late Model cars to have a chain attached from a collar or bearing type mount on the left rear axle tube between the birdcage and the edge of the left rear bell of the axle housing to the left rear frame directly above the chain mount on the rear axle. This measure was designed to limit the vertical travel of the cars as they raced in the turns with the end result being that the left rear would not be lifted so high in the air.
The rule is checked by jacking the car up until the rear tires are off the ground. At that point a measurement is taken from the rear deck to the ground with that measurement not exceed 51 inches.
Ray Cook first instituted the Droop Rule in 2018 across his Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals family of racing series for the purpose of making the racing safer by preventing rollover crashes. Many national and regional touring series have since adopted the rule.
A number of disqualifications have occurred as cars have been found to be out of compliance. Most recently, Ricky Weiss had his supposed win in a World 100 preliminary race taken away when his car failed post-race tech with the droop rule cited as the reason.
The XR Super Series has used the rule this season with perhaps the most noteworthy issue coming back in April at the Bristol Motor Speedway when Chris Madden was docked two positions following a heat race win. The result was that he had to line up in mid-pack at the start of the feature. However, he went on to claim the $50,000 victory anyway.
The XR Super Series announced the change on social media. Here is the text of that announcement:
???? ???????????????????? ????????????????????????????????: After detailed research and discussion, we will no longer enforce the droop rule in 2022. We hope this adjustment will lead to a competitive and entertaining product for the fans and racers. pic.twitter.com/70AATSNpey
— XR Events (@raceXR) September 13, 2022
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