[oldskool]

"...how does the ladder dodging work?..."

I assume it means you purposely run a slower or quicker qualifying time, to put yourself on the same side of the ladder with the faster guys in your class. That way, some of 'em will get beat before the late rounds, therefore lessening your chances of having a heads up race, with a quicker car.

In the Pro classes, for round 1, I think #1 runs #16, #2 runs #15, #3 runs #14, and so on.

But I've never bothered to see how they set the Stock & SS ladders, at div & National events. So, I too am interested in seeing it explained here.