Autocross: Hit a cone, it flies up, hits your cutoff switch. That would suck.

Wheel-to-wheel Racing: Bump or get bumped by a car in passing... hit your cutoff switch... immediately lose all traction in the rear spin around and go nose-into a wall at 90 mph. That would really suck.

Those are just a couple possible ways that a push-to-kill cutoff switch could be bad in any scenario other than drag racing.

Maybe that type of switch strictly on the TOP of a fender or inside the car or something would be okay, but definitely not on the side of the car. Losing power at the wrong moment on a road course can be just as dangerous as not being able to cut power when you're upside down and on fire.

 

the more rules i read in depth on the NHRA, the more i think they're stupid

like their racing harness mounting, straight DOWN, totally opposite of FIA rules, and totally opposite of everything i've ever heard

the cutoff switch is fine there, because if it gets turned off pretty much all hell has broken loose and you're in for some shit anyways, and if you trip the switch on top of the fender...you're pretty much past saving it

but like you said, in a rally or roadcourse it could be disasterous, but if its a master cutoff accesible by the driver nowhere where it could be accidentally hit, but also accesible by a worker to shut it down as well