I removed his name. You may find this entertaining if you have an open mind. Enjoy.
This subject does stir up some controversy. It brings up the question- What is fair? Is it fair that a car costing $25,000+ has to race a car that costs $5,000 for the same purse?
Yes!
Is it fair that the $5,000 car gets to leave on a 'clean' tree every time?
Yes!
Is it fair that the faster car has the distraction, at the starting line, of having to
watch the slower car leave?
Yes!
Is it fair that the $25,000 car has to fight
traction problems when the $5,000 car hooks on a marginal track?
Yes!
Is it fair that when the $25,000 car breaks, it costs a lot more to fix?
I give up!
Why does there have to be some kind of incentive to have a fast car? ET handicap racing is based on the bracketing of elapsed time performances in producing categories for handicap-start competition. Because of its opened-ended rules, ET racing ENCOURAGES participation by a wide variety of vehicle types, from street rods to muscle cars, from Novas to Mustangs, from Camaros to Dusters, from door cars to roadsters, from roadsters to dragsters, to the latest offerings from domestic and foreign automakers.
The birth of bracket racing made it possible for all cars to compete on a level playing field. I do agree with your comments about Competition Eliminator. Competition Eliminator is not bracket racing. Eliminations are based on a handicap start using the NHRA Index system and the breakout rule does not apply. I disagree with your comment that the first redlight rule compares to the recent NHRA 'Comp Eliminator' deal with the 'spec' dragster class. I failed to see any connection since Comp Eliminator isn't bracket racing. But if a $70,000 Comp Eliminator vehicle has a 0.495 reaction and the opponent with a $90,000 race car has a 0.485, the worse offender of the redlight should be eliminated.
What does the cost of vehicles have to do with the redlight rule?
I also am a believer in fair racing, but incentives to spend money on your car to make it go faster, (and leave last) is a personal choice. This is not one of those "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" deals.
<<The 'first red-light' rule of racing has been the norm of all Drag Racing since the invention of the 'tree.'>>
The first redlight rule was a NECESSITY with the first Christmas tree in the 1960s. The Starting System couldn't determine the worse foul start so Chrondek had no choice, but disqualify and eliminate the first offender of the redlight. With the advent of reaction timers in recent years, it's a simple matter to deal with effectively by readily available changes in modern starting-line computer programming.
<<There just has to be some positive reasons to have a faster car to go with all the negative (initial cost, maintenance, traction, distraction at the starting line, etc. etc.) reasons. Bottom line: If you don't want to worry about
red-lighting first, dig in your pockets and build faster car. That is the way it should be!>>
My advice here is to build the quickest and most expensive car in your bracket because if you compete in S/P the ET is 7.50 to 11.99 (4.50 to 7.49 eighth-mile). If your "23 T Altered is dialed on a 8.29 and you are 0.497 and your opponent with a $10,000 more expensive vehicle is dialed on a 8.13 and has a 0.477, who wins the round? Should your opponent win because the race car cost $10,000 more or because the dial-in was quicker? I disagree with both reasons. You should win because your reaction was closer to 0.500 which is the perfect reaction time.
<<Heads-up racing is the only place that the 'worst red-light' rule needs to apply.>>
We certainly agree on this.
We are all trying to take the sport of Drag Racing to the next level with the new millennium. Changing a long standing rule such as this would definitely not be going backwards. We need all the participants that we can get to add to
the purse and generate interest in the sport. I am just saying that this will work in todays style of high-dollar bracket racing. You will not
penalize the guys who have been working hard for years and years to make their cars as fast as they are today. The 'first red-light' rule
is a poor incentive to keep the sport going where it needs to be going. Competition is excitement to the fans. I don't want bracket racing to be a throttle stop contest just so you can leave
before your competitor. No, of course not. That is why most tracks have a rule to cover that. It's just not what the fans want.
I suggested the option needs to be tried in classes such as Jr Dragsters, Trophy and Street, high school drags and gambler races. You suggested the Sportsman class so as long as it isn't tested in your class, would the option receive your blessing?
<<If you start messing with the faster classes,
you will open a can of worms that no one will be able to put the lid back on.>>
Do you really think it will upset enough of the 'longtime' racers that they will begin to lose interest?
What does the muffler rule have to do with the worse redlight option?
<<Enough is enough! Let's all quit worrying about
what is 'fair' in a few peoples eyes, and go racing the way it has been for decades. Life does not always seem, and is not always fair to
everybody.>>
Let's pretend we are racing like it was decades ago. You probably don't remember red flags, finish line judges, one-tenth breakout allowances, no 60 foot or other times, ET's handwritten on ET cards, and no win lights. Reactions timers weren't part of the game. Most racers don't remember when you were required to dial on tenths of a second. Most tracks were quarter-mile and if your time was 14.55, you could dial 14.50 or 14.60. You could even dial 14.40 or 14.70. In fact, you could dial any number as long as it was a tenth-second increment. You were allowed to run under your dial by one-tenth and not breakout. The driver who broke out first would lose the round so if both drivers brokeout, the first one to the stripe would lose every time. If you had a better reaction by three-tenths of a seconds (.30) and was under your dial by .01, your opponent could be under the dial by .25 seconds and win the round. Ask some of the older racers at your track and they will confirm this. Our rules were laid out for us and we played by the rules until someone suggested a better way.
I don't think I was whining. What is dirt track racing? Never done that and never will!
I agree Drag Racing has always been very stable and consistent with it's rules. We didn't start here, so what's next? I personally can't wait to find out! Good luck to all racers in 2000.
Steve Taylor
Worse redlight option innovator
PS Should we change the breakout rule so the quicker and/or more expensive car wins the round when there is a dual breakout infraction?
Posted on Aug 5, 2000, 5:34 AM from IP address 152.163.207.199