A couple of years ago the Showroom Stock (SS) cage rules were changed to
allow NASCAR style door bars and forward footwell braces as well as a couple
of other things. The SS cage rules are now the same as the IT cage rules.
They allow fully welded 8-point cages and any number of extra support bars
within the cage. So you can have the already mentioned NASCAR door bars and
also a dash bar, petty bar, and whatever other bars you want to add in both
SS and IT.
I don't think that it's a good idea to require a Solo2 rollbar to meet Solo1
requirements. My Miata has the strongest, safest bolt-in rollbar that you
can buy (HardDog Hardcore with double diagonal braces), and it is supposedly
Solo1 legal. I plan to do track days with the car, and that's why I wanted
this bar, but there are some who want something a bit less for their daily
driver. Maybe they don't like the way the diagonal braces can be seen in
their rear view mirror, or don't want the extra weight of 1.75" tubing. A
lesser rollbar will still provide protection in a street or autox rollover
(I've seen photos of Miatas that rolled with the HardDog Sport bar, and it
did a great job at protecting the driver). So I don't see any need to
restrict the type of bar that goes into an autox car if rollbars aren't even
required in the first place. Even if someone just wants a cosmetic "style
bar" it's okay with me. After all, it just adds weight.
If you want a dual purpose Showroom Stock road racer and Stock class
autoxer, then you can put a full SS cage in your car and be allowed to run
in stock class, as long as you keep the car fully SS legal. Same goes for
IT and SP.
Brad Burns
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