It was too fast for the track.
Drag racing is not just about power. There are many other factors that go into making a drag racer a success. Safety is a major concern. Track officials are strict in enforcing rules. These rules are what led to the world’s fastest Chevy corvette C8 being removed from LS Fest because the tuned coupe was a little too fast.
After undergoing a major rebuild, the Corvette was named Phoenix. It can handle up to 1,200 horsepower (894kilowatts). The record breaking 9.41 second quarter-mile time was set earlier in the year at 144.94 mph (233.5 km/h). Although the car didn’t beat those numbers in its latest outing, it did break track rules. Street legal, the car posted a sub-10 second quarter-mile time. This was unacceptable.
LS Fest followed NHRA speed and safety regulations. This means that sub-10 second cars must have a variety of safety features to ensure safety for the driver and others. Emelia Hartford and her crew were told to hurry by track officials after the Corvette ran 9.71 seconds at 144.83 MPH (233.08 KPH) (at 9:50 in the video). They weren’t happy with the Corvette’s performance or lack of safety features.
Although the Corvette was only able to complete one lap before it was stopped, it wasn’t all bad news. Hartford and her team de-tuned their Corvette in an effort to keep it above the 10-second limit. However, the car still produced impressive performance numbers. Hartford hopes to see the car reach the 8.0-second mark in the future. It should be possible to crank the power back up. Hartford stated that “We arrived with running vehicles, and we will leave with running vehicles,” which is a big win for any racer.