![\"Drag](\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/DI_flat_red-e1711481551475.png\")
<\/p>\nThe American Federation of Drivers of Pro Mods (AFDPM) announced today, April 1, 2026, its proposal for a new \u201cFlat Hood Flat Rate\u201d weight penalty of 410 pounds. As the name suggests, any Pro Modified entry with a flat hood shall be subject to a weight penalty of 410 pounds.<\/p>\n
Effective immediately, any Pro Mod entry competing with a flat hood configuration\u2014regardless of whether the vehicle is powered by a centrifugal supercharger (including ProCharger and Harts Charger combinations) or turbochargers\u2014will be assessed a mandatory 410-pound weight penalty.<\/p>\n
AFDPM officials cited an \u201calarming rise in flat-hooded race cars\u201d as the primary motivation behind the ruling.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some point, you have to draw a line,\u201d said an AFDPM spokesperson who requested anonymity but was clearly standing near a stack of spare overdrive pulleys. \u201cFans come to see Pro Mods. They expect blower hats that could barely pass under a railroad bridge. They expect hood scoops that could swallow a bear. Increasingly, they\u2019re seeing\u2026 smooth, uninterrupted hood lines. We felt it was time to act.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization emphasized that the rule is not intended to target any specific power-adder combination, though it acknowledged that the majority of affected entries currently utilize centrifugal superchargers or turbocharger setups.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t about boost,\u201d added another spokesperson, who was evidently shoveling expired pistons into a trash can while the \u201cpssshhh\u201d of a nitrous purge could be heard in the background. \u201cThis is about shape. Silhouette matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under the new guideline, any hood lacking a visible intake opening, scoop, or protrusion meeting minimum \u201caggression standards\u201d will automatically trigger the 410-pound addition. The AFDPM clarified that traditional configurations featuring screw superchargers, roots-style blowers, or nitrous-assisted combinations\u2014many of which naturally incorporate prominent hood openings\u2014are \u201cunlikely to be impacted.\u201d<\/p>\n
To ensure clarity and consistency across all levels of competition, the AFDPM confirmed the penalty will be applied as a true flat rate\u2014no calculations, no scaling, no exceptions.<\/p>\n
If your hood is flat, you add 410 pounds. Period.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t want racers breaking out calculators or calling their crew chief\u2019s cousin who\u2019s good at math,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cThis is simple. Flat hood equals flat rate.\u201d<\/p>\n
AFDPM proposes the policy be applied universally across all major Pro Modified-style competition, including NHRA Pro Mod, PDRA Pro Boost, Drag Illustrated Winter Series competition, FIA European Pro Mod, and Top Doorslammer in Australia, ensuring what the AFDPM describes as \u201cglobal visual continuity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Additionally, the rule would remain in effect regardless of racing distance\u2014whether competing in the eighth-mile, quarter-mile, or \u201cwhatever they\u2019re calling it in meters overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not getting into conversions,\u201d the spokesperson added. \u201cIf it\u2019s 660 feet, 1,320 feet, or 201.168 meters or 402.336 meters\u2014we don\u2019t care. The weight still goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n
The aggressive but reasonable 410-pound number was determined not through a complicated formula, but as a reference to today\u2019s date, April Fool\u2019s Day, April 1st, 2026.<\/p>\n
This story was originally published on April 1, 2026. <\/p>\n
The post American Federation of Drivers of Pro Mods Proposes Flat Hood Flat Rate Weight Penalty<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The American Federation of Drivers of Pro Mods (AFDPM) announced today, April 1, 2026, its proposal for a new \u201cFlat Hood Flat Rate\u201d weight penalty of 410 pounds. As the name suggests, any Pro Modified entry with a flat hood shall be subject to a weight penalty of 410 pounds. Effective immediately, any Pro Mod […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}