Somebody please educate this newbie on s/c and throttle stop
 

I searched this forum but couldnt find info.Last weekend I was in Las Vegas at the big-o nationals.I came up from the concessions and some dragsters were running .It was loud and I couldnt hear what class they were.They were launching hard and then coasting to about the 330' mark and stomping on it again.I was in another area of this website yesterday and was told this is Super Comp and they are using throttle stops.They directed me to this forum area.I am not new to racing.I have watched drag racing for 30 yrs,have a 70 camaro I race in the 8th,bracket racing for the last 5 years,etc.I have heard of throttle stops,but didnt know what they were for,and didnt think they applied to me, so never asked.
So my questions;What is the game? if it is not normal dial in,heads up etc?
Is it just dragsters?What is the purpose of the throttle stop?Any info or a explanation would be greatly appreciated.................Thanks

Re: Somebody please educate this newbie on s/c and throttle
 

Throttle stop racing is heads up index racing sometimes referred to as .90 racing and there are 3 classes in both sanctioning bodies 8.90, 9.90 and 10.90. In NHRA they are super comp super rod and super street. In IHRA they are quick rod super rod and hot rod. 8.90 and 9.90 run on 4 tenths pro tree where as 10.90 runs 5 tenths tree. Dragsters are only allowed in the 8.90 categori es and 10.90 is allocated to full bodied door cars. Throttle stops are used to slow the cars down as m any are much faster than the indexes and are slowed a predetermined amount as early in the run as possible to allow the car as much mph as possible on top end. Not everyone uses the stops there are a few who still use ballast to get the desired et. Hope this helps.

Re: Somebody please educate this newbie on s/c and throttle
 

A simplified explanation is that they are like a vehicle with a governer used to limit speed ,or in this case ET.
Since most cars running Super classes are capable of running anywhere from 1 to 2 seconds faster than the class index ,running the car at a predetermined RPM controlled by a timer ,set by the racer is a "simple" way to acomplish slowing the car to the desired ET .
By doing this early in the run ,greater trap speeds are realized,while running a disproportantly slower ET.
Horsepower is a lot cheaper to come by now than when the classes and their ET's were established ,so racers have to slow the cars way more now than years ago ,when many had to struggle to run the ET for the class.
There is a great deal of math and science involved in running these cars, some people love them ,others hate or simply dont understand them.

Re: Somebody please educate this newbie on s/c and throttle
 

Super comp is a .4 tenths pro tree with an index of 8.90
Super gas is a .4 tenths pro tree with an index of 9.90
Super street is a .5 tenths pro tree with an index of 10.90

If you run one of those classes, you need to be able to run your index no matter what the conditions are. You need to have enough power to be able to run under your index, and how you slow it down to reach your index is with the use of throttle stops and timer's. That type of racing produces some of the closest races of any given event. Stand at the finish line and watch.
Over the years, people have gone to bigger and bigger engines, and because of that, they are on the throttle stop for longer periods of time.
The reason they have done that, is so the entire race is in front of them, the other car and the finish line. Its easier to make decisions on what to do at the finish line if you have everything in front of you, instead of looking over your shoulder to find the other car and loosing sight of the finish line.
You can run door cars in super comp. You just can't run dragsters in the other two classes.
I hope this explains it for you
Chuck

Re: Somebody please educate this newbie on s/c and throttle
 

"So my questions;What is the game? if it is not normal dial in,heads up etc?
Is it just dragsters?What is the purpose of the throttle stop?Any info or a explanation would be greatly appreciated."

Super classes are running on a common index or dial in and any car can compete except that dragsters are not allowed in the super street or super gas classes. The trottle stop is controlled by a timer closes the throttle to slow the car down to the index (i.e dial in).

Like Chuck said it's best to view this racing at the finish line.

Re: Somebody please educate this newbie on s/c and throttle
 

The nice thing about throttle stops is that they don't require any hand tools to make the car slow down or speed up. They just push buttons on they control panel in the car, and a lot of the racers have telemetry with the trailer to help them know the latest weather conditions and can read that information after they do there burn out and set there throttle stop in a up to the last second fashion. Also, they watch other racers in front of them and if they are all running slow and they know what there fellow racer (friend) has, sometimes, I am sure of they will make adjustment to what every one else is doing. Of course I don't know any of this for fact, because I don't have one. But the race is at the finish line after a good start.

Re: Somebody please educate this newbie on s/c and throttle
 

Another way to look at it:

Bracket racing: you call the number you're going to run. A full tree is used to allow for the handicapping at the tree. The delay timer is in the tower.

Index racing: everyone runs the same number. This allows for a pro tree, and the handicapping happens on the track. The delay timer is in the car.

In both forms of racing, there are only two parts of the race that are interesting: the tree, and the finish line. You can't tell who's winning mid-track.

Hope this helps,
Chris

Re: Somebody please educate this newbie on s/c and throttle
 

Wow,thanks to everyone.learn something new everyday!

Re: Somebody please educate this newbie on s/c and throttle
 

I'm going to be running Super Comp for the first time at Citrus Nationals. I'm going tomorrow night again to practice. Been watching Super Comp for years before I owned a dragster always wanted to go out and try it. Looking forward to it, I race for fun!