Racers were warned and had the opportunity to slow down and stay.
The 9.99 /135 barrier is the current standard. I don't know that I'd want to be in a car in a barrel roll at 50, 100, or 135mph. I think the NHRA rules are to reactive and don't properly account for all the proactive safety built into newer cars that can prevent a barrel roll from occurring to begin with. Their rules are a hodge podge of revisions based on 50 year old group think based on cars that had 5 mph crash bumpers and drum brakes. They seem to lack an open-minded appraisal of current automotive technology.
Seriously. Heaven forbid they hire engineers to do the proper evaluation. The three tenants of risk management are as follows:
1. Engineering controls (fix the mouse trap);
2. Administrative controls (put up policies to keep people's fingers out of the mouse trap); and
3. PPE (give people gauntlets to protect their fingers).
PPE (roll cage, fire suit, helmet, pants/long sleeves) is often the first step used despite being the line of last resort once the first two are exhausted. Administrative controls (speed and ET thresholds) are most likely conservative based upon a SWAG/fudge factor relative to existing engineering - but will have to be revisited over time (checks and balances). Finally, engineering controls start with the OEM and well that ain't happening with all cars built to a price point under federal regulations.
Hence why you
will subscribe to the NHRA's rules as it is their insurance and liability at risk; not yours - so fuck you, your car, and your opinion. Want to go faster than 10.00@135mph? Build a race car capable of it, or try to get away with it and end up butthurt.
Source: Army Safety Officer (including motor vehicle safety and hazardous occurence investigations - so yeah, I am a SME)