Re: 2015 AA/S and AA/SA Could Be Very Exciting
 

dave and ken I agree with both of you , I think the aa index should stay 10.60 maybe 10.65 but no softer. I will be racing aa this year with the 64 hemi and have no problem with the present index. on my third pass with this new combo I went 133.00 mph already. still have rear gears ,transmission and converter to sort out . if I go to indy or any national event I will be bringing the modified s/s car not the stocker . I do not care to race national events with a stock eliminator car. its too much darn work.

Re: 2015 AA/S and AA/SA Could Be Very Exciting
 

Alot of good points here, the most important thing to me is that there seems to be renewed interest in these classes with the change NHRA has made. It will be interesting for sure.

I stated that I thought the indexes should be raised, but it seems those that have posted and run the class are fine with it as it is. It is nice as Ken and Mike stated to be able run your car hard and not worry about HP hits. It really only matters in qualifying at Indy. I don't think NHRA is considering changing those 2 indexes, it was just a point that was brought up in this thread.

Re: 2015 AA/S and AA/SA Could Be Very Exciting
 

I can't believe that you guys want this index left alone so you can have a place to play without risk of getting HP.. Talk about a personal agenda. Guess some of you believe it's real nice to have a quiet practice class of your own with no regard to the interest of a fair and level playing field for racers that may want to have an EQUAL chance of qualifying now that the new cars are out of the picture. Yeah sure. Great idea....

This index should be 10.75 to 10.80 in order to be fair. You all know it, I know it, and so does anyone serious about racing this class for other than a test basin. Dave was being honest when he said 200 pounds was only .18 and he was right on the money! Now that's settled- so where does a 10.60 index find any level of support?

Yo Ken...for the record. NOBODY running 9.80's will qualify at Indy next year in AA. If you recall the the bump at Indy this year was .88.2 under. My math says your 9.80 shot on a 10.60 index would be just good enough to tie with Corda for the NUMBER 157 slot. How's that for going deep in the DNQ dept?

Let's put it this way. There isn't one, not one, traditional Stock Eliminator car in the entire country that even at sea level could possibly trigger a Tuesday morning HP hit. In fact 9.55 to 9.60 ( @ sea level) would be a killer lick in one of these A cars with 200-225 pounds of weight removed from it.

Sorry for the rant guys but your rationale for wanting to leave an unfair index in place so you don't have to worry about the possibility of getting HP is just plain ridiculous.

Re: 2015 AA/S and AA/SA Could Be Very Exciting
 

Mike, I respect your opinion, as I thought you might respect mine without using the agenda card. We all have agenda's, you may feel yours is rational and just, as I feel mine is.

You misread my post about 9.80's in AA. I said, if you can run 9.80's in AA, you should be able to qualify in A at Indy. My combo only looses or gains 15 hundreds when I switch classes. Even in bad air at Indy I can run .95 under or better in A. My best run at Indy in AA in 2010 was 9.88 at 3500 feet. If you ad .15 to my .88 you get 10.03.

I agree it would be almost impossible to qualify in AA at Indy. I understand why you want the index raised and respect it, but for me, one race is no big deal as long as I have options.

Dave F, now you see why I try to keep my opinions to myself.

Re: 2015 AA/S and AA/SA Could Be Very Exciting
 

Mike I totally agree with you we have a a/sa firebird that we would love to run AA but need a fair index. You guys that want a10:60 index must need some hp if you can run that fast. I went to vegas to watch and was amazed how many people were trying to slow their cars down. It was a very boring race to watch with all the guys running so slow. John

Re: 2015 AA/S and AA/SA Could Be Very Exciting
 

Isn't that what every racer in Stock and Super Stock wants??? A place to play without worry of horsepower?? That's why racers love the National Opens.

What's not fair about it? NHRA has an AA class and an A class. Pick one and race in it. If you think AA index is too stiff, don't put AA on the window.

No Mike, many of us don't know it as you can tell from this thread. Fact of the matter is I'd like to 2 tenths dropped off the indexes in every other class so that we can run without worry of HP just like the luxury you are afforded in AA!

Imagine that....Finally a class you can run 100% wide open ALL THE TIME and you of all people want to change it.

Says you.

Re: 2015 AA/S and AA/SA Could Be Very Exciting
 

John you are talking out of both sides of your mouth. You state how boring it was to watch racers slowing their cars down which is something you don't have to do today in AA BECAUSE OF THE INDEX, and then in the next breath you say to raise the AA index so the AA cars have to play the same sandbagging game as well?? Makes no sense. If your LS1 wont compete in AA call Wilkes or Mattingly and they'll show you the way.

Re: 2015 AA/S and AA/SA Could Be Very Exciting
 

Mike,
Let's say you get the index softened up to 10.80. Let's say you can run 10.00 in A at Indy if you decide to run A at Indy. You instead decide to run AA, you take out 200lbs. and now run 9.80 in AA...what's changed, you're still 1.00 under? How does softening the index change anything for you? You should have just stayed in A if qualifying is what you're after. Now, I don't want the 10.80 because I can run 9.60 and do so on a regular basis. (I'm not alone: Pond, Sorenson, McClanahan have and can anytime they wish out here in div. 7...I'm sure you know that, don't you?!?)
Why should those of us that actually run or have run in the 9.60's already have to go backwards just so a few A cars can qualify at Indy when and if they decide to run AA instead of A?
I may or may not qualify this year at Indy in AA...I can't run in A, I'm stuck in AA...will this keep me from going to Indy...nope. I go to Indy to run class and visit with old friends.
AA isn't for everyone. You better be prepared to do a lot of sorting thru convertor/gear stack/suspension components and power management in the first 100 ft. if you're running an automatic.
AA really isn't broken at this point as far as I can see and I haven't heard any chatter from the active players in the class that leads me to think it needs "fixed".
The least you could do for us that actually run in AA before you go off on a tangent is field a car in AA a few times in class eliminations running off a 10.60 index so we can see what you have up your sleeve. It's going to be a hard sell to NHRA to lower the index especially with all the 9.60 and one 9.58 pass in the books over the past several years. What facts can you come up with to support your request....a bunch of what ifs and maybe's isn't going to get very far.
I think the index is right where it should be in AA. I also think that running my car backed off all year long just so I'm guaranteed to qualify at Indy is lame.

Re: 2015 AA/S and AA/SA Could Be Very Exciting
 

Its all about 'horsepower'...keeping your finger off the trigger

Re: 2015 AA/S and AA/SA Could Be Very Exciting
 

Thank You NHRA for giving us our class back ! Yes it's gonna be exciting. Look at all the renewed interest "already". .... any reasonable index, including 10.60, works for me ! - JB -