Rules Change Requests for 2026 season

It is getting closer to the end of season and it is that time of year to look into any rules changes you would like to be discussed for the 2026 racing season. Below is a note from Bob Denton, our CMC National Director. Please read through this and submit any RCR's you may have by 10/10/25. Please email them to me and I will forward to the director group for review.

If you have any questions or ideas you would like to talk through please feel free to email or call me.


Note from Bob:
As always, the rule submissions are to clarify, reduce cost of operation or building a CMC car, improves safety or enables closer competition or increases the longevity of the car.

Your role as a CMC competitor is twofold:

1, submit Rules Change Requests (RCR) for things you believe make sense

2, to discuss your RCRs and those others submitted with your fellow racers and, most importantly, with your Regional Director.

Feel free to create a thread for your RCR, but please keep these threads limited to one specific topic to make it easier for everyone to follow along. Keep these discussions civil and remember that it's perfectly ok for others to have a different and even conflicting opinion to your own.

To submit an RCR for the CMC Directors for consideration, please submit it to your regional director via email with a cc to me using the format below. Your regional director is your representative at the official discussions, and the two of you discussing your suggestion first will help that greatly.

For those that are new or unfamiliar, the Directors discuss and vote on the RCRs. Usually RCRs are either overwhelmingly supported or overwhelmingly not supported, but if it is a tie then I'm the tie breaker and retain the right to veto. When we're done, we submit the whole thing to NASA HQ for their review, suggestions, and final approval.

I encourage you to do the appropriate due diligence. Provide real evidence and details. Read old RCRs, read the director's cut threads explaining what RCRs were rejected and why. If it's the same RCR and nothing has changed, it's logical to expect the decision to remain unchanged.



RULE CHANGE REQUESTS (RCR) MUST BE SUBMITTED IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT TO BE CONSIDERED (no a post online isn't enough, Send it to your regional director or myself):



---1) Name / Region / Car # / Contact Info (email or phone, etc)

---2) Rule reference # (ex.- Rule 3.2)

---3) Recommended Revised Wording (saying make rule 5.4 clearer isn't enough! How would you word it?)

---4) Reasoning for change MUST include at least 1 of the following:

---------->a) Will decrease the series cost because...

---------->b) Will increase driver safety because...

---------->c) Will promote series growth because...

---------->d) Will improve competition because...

---------->e) Will provide more clarity because...



HINT Requests which score points in all categories will have better chances of being accepted than those which score points in 1 category (or worse yet, go against the reasoning's above.)



As always I am available just about any time if you want to discuss something over the phone or email. I am in the central time zone

Thanks for keeping CMC the best class in NASA!

Here is Josh's submitted RCR for engine blocks.


Aftermarket Engine Block RCR



---1) Josh Sooknanan / Texas/ CMC #50 / [email protected]



---2) 6.11.1



---3) Any 4.6 Ford, 5.0,(302 Ford or 305 GM), 5.7 liter LT1/LS1 GM V8 production engine, in OEM stock configuration unless otherwise stated in these rules, that was originally offered in an eligible model car is legal. Cobra R model engines (Ford) and LT4 (GM/Chevrolet) engines or engine components are prohibited. Additionally, early GM cars may run a late GM LS or LT engine and controlling electronics as long as they are in a configuration allowed within these rules. Aftermarket engine block cores that improve reliability (larger head bolts, main bolts, block webbing, etc) are allowed as long as OEM stock configuration and material is maintained as stated above.



---4) Reasoning for change MUST include at least 1 of the following:



---------->a) Will decrease the series cost because...

The rule change will decrease series cost because the need for engine rebuilds will be reduced. In the case of the Ford 302, the improved strength of the aftermarket block cores will reduce the likelihood of block failure, and reduce the need for internal engine balancing. Utilizing new engine block casting will also increase the availability of these aging platforms.



---------->b) Will increase driver safety because...

Increased engine reliability reduces the risk of oiling the track down, as well as reducing the risk of oil or fuel fires.



---------->c) Will promote series growth because...

Finding parts, cores, and machine shops to work on engines (in a reasonable amount of time, < 6 months) is becoming ever more difficult. The last available year of a Mustang based engine is 1995 while the newest available OEM core is model year 2001 from the Ford Explorer. Mustang blocks are increasingly rare. A junk yard Explorer core typically will have nearly 200kmi on it, and require a rebuild for racing applications. 5.7L aluminum LS1 cores for the CMC application were run from 1998 to 2004 and are new quite rare. Allowing the use of new engine block castings will reduce engine supply risk and keep these aging vintage racecars on the track longer. Increasing parts availability will also make putting together a new CMC racecar easier. The easier it is to build and maintain CMC cars, the more likely the series is to attract new membership.



---------->d) Will improve competition because...

Increased reliability means that there is a higher likelihood of racers showing up to the track.


Thanks,
Josh