Hot Rod
By Marty Adler 

You probably would not expect a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society to be a drag racer, but John Rollins was more or less bred into it. His family has been building racecars professionally since 1975, and he grew up in their gas station and high-performance shops. John jokes that he is the black sheep of his family for becoming an actuary. His brother Jason now runs the shop, Rollins Performance Automotive, in Gainesville, FL. His mother and father have recently retired but are still occasionally active in the business.

John started racing when he got his driver’s license in 1986 and has continued on and off ever since, though he did not race much in college and for a few years during the “crunch” from Exams 7 through 10. Now it is his burning passion and relaxation away from work—something that occupies his mind and consumes his energy in a completely different way.

John competes in races sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). There are many classes of competition, depending upon the type of competition or type of vehicle. He races in a class called Super Street, which requires the cars to look somewhat like stock vehicles but allows engine and other modifications. The modifications are taken into account in a complex handicap system. His car is a 1972 Chevy Nova.      

John Rollins poses with is '72 Chevy Nora, a trophy, and a rather large check for winning one of the contests at the Peach State Bracket Nationals in 2006.

The track on which they race is two lanes for side-by-side competition. The first racer to the finish line wins the round, but only if he does not go quicker than his permitted elapsed time. This form of handicapping is called an “index.” Because of the index, sportsman racing is a lot like a quarter-mile rally, with consistency rather than top speed the main goal. Also, this makes quick reaction time to the green light the most critical element of each round, as this is not counted as part of the elapsed time against the index.

The index for a class determines the minimum elapsed time for the quarter-mile      —any run quicker than that is disqualified. Two racers could have different indices, based on how their vehicles are classified and weighed. The racer with a slower index may get a handicap start equal to the difference in elapsed time indices, and the faster racer’s green light comes on that much later. Any launch before the green light is an automatic disqualification as well. The faster vehicle, however, should allow its racer to “catch” the slower racer at the finish line—a theoretical tie. In reality, the ability to “cut the light” or get a quick reaction time to the green, and “drive the stripe,” i.e., beat the other car to the finish line by as little as possible to ensure no disqualification from a “breakout” quicker than the index, determine the round winner. The index system allows cars of different types to race together in one tournament. Before the mid-1970’s technology that allowed this, classification was laborious. Because it had to be meticulously fair, everyone had to race “heads up,” i.e., with no handicap.

Analyzing reaction times, split times to various points on the track (usually 60 feet, 330 feet, 660 feet, and 1,000 feet), and elapsed time—the “response variables”—in relation to weather conditions, engine heat, and other “explanatory variables,” allow good racers to predict their next run and know how much room they have to win within their index. They also allow racers to adjust either their own preparation, or their vehicle attributes (such as weight on the front end) to get a better reaction time without a “red light” or false start.      

The competition occurs during an “elimination day,” also referred to as a “race.” To win a race you have to defeat all your opponents. Each run down the track against an opponent is called a “round.” It’s like tennis, where you win one match at a time and win the tournament only if you win all your matches. Typically there are six to eight rounds in a tournament or elimination day. In order to win several tournaments a year, you need to win about 70% of your rounds. In his best year, John won 11 tournaments, winning about 80% of his rounds. So far John has won 45 elimination days.

NHRA offers championships in every class at various venues and times. Typically the season in the South runs from February to early November. John has won four track championships at a specific facility, plus three big NHRA tournaments.

Maintenance of the racecar is a big part of both consistency and speed. John races in classes that are relatively low-maintenance compared to the professional classes. The use of a handicap index also helps keep costs down. Oil and tire changes along with annual engine and transmission maintenance, plus fixing anything that breaks in the driveline, wiring, or plumbing (fuel and water systems), are part of the routine.

It should be apparent that drag racing requires one’s complete attention. John says that racing is no sport for the scatter-brained actuary. He once launched down the track having forgotten to close his hood latch. When he hit about 50 mph it flew up, forcing him to slow down quickly or risk a crash. That got plenty of laughs from the spectators and was very embarrassing.

John Rollins is vice president of AIR Worldwide Corporation in Tallahassee, FL.