Originally Posted by Michael Beard
The amount of misconceptions here is staggering.
First and foremost, NHRA wanted deep staging gone because of controversy. Too many people didn't understand how the system worked, or you had people trying to take advantage of the system (both deep and shallow drivers), people racing to the starting line, etc. It was convenient for NHRA to have a show vote.
No. It is about reaction time. If you are deep staging, your ET will be slower. If you are deep staging, you cannot magically decide to run your shallow-staged ET in the middle of a run. Obviously if a deep car shallow stages, it will pick up ET, but the driver better be able to hit the tree. There's a bazillion ways to hide ET. Deep staging isn't "hiding" anything. It is completely transparent, predictable, and out in the open.
This isn't Comp Eliminator. Except in heads-up runs, S/SS cars have dial-ins on them, in which case any car can be able to break out. Deep staging is completely irrelevant.
There is a MASSIVE amount of difference in potential rollout when you consider the difference in human reaction time, vehicle reaction time, and timing systems. Some people have a preferred "spot" .03-.04 different than other drivers. Drivers can also make slight adjustments in how they look at the tree, whether it be closing one eye, sunglasses, or blocking the tree (which is worth .03 just by itself). Vehicles can have a huge difference in rollout depending on tires, rpm, ignition timing, gear, converter, shocks, and other suspension, in addition to whether the car drives through the beams or snaps the tire up out of the beam. Additionally, there can be as much as .06 difference between a fiber optic Compulink and a TSI with a certain style of LED bulbs.
I have driven two different cars that had the same 60', ET, and MPH that reacted over a tenth different. I have raced at two different tracks on the same day whose rollouts were .050 different. I have made adjustments to the car that have slowed the rollout .030, other adjustments worth .02, and others worth .012, all of which could be compounded.
The Just-N-Time button has a solid .100 or more available in it, in addition to the wide variety of variables noted above.
You need to define "hitting the tree". I "can" hit the tree shallow in the Turismo leaving off the second bulb going out, BUT my window of variance is *much* tighter when deep staging, and I'm much more consistent. With today's level of competition, .030's is no longer considered "hitting the tree". If I'm in the .020's, I'm making adjustments to tighten it up. That's what it takes to be truly competitive these days. While a slow car "may" be able to hit the tree, it's like moving the target further away at a gun range. The accuracy and consistency suffers. It's bad enough that slower cars aren't as consistent or as easy to drive the finish line with. If you continually add handicaps... well, it's no wonder there are so few in competition now.
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