CLASS RACER FORUM - View Single Post - How important is qualifying in Stock and Super Stock II

Bill Ringer · 10-02-2020, 03:54 PM

Not a bracket race, sure there are lots of parallels but the strategies can play into this as well. For qualifying 1,2 or 3 you may be getting a bye at some point but this can be taken further. Qualifying in the middle of the field can give you a shot at a top qualifier and taking their position for a possible bye. Alternately you might get one of the last qualifiers. In my day there were always a few who had difficulty running the index and usually those were easier wins. There are many scenarios for strategy- if you are in a position to improve your qualifying position for the last session and that puts you in a spot on the ladder where it's likely you will be paired up with someone you really don't want first round- you can choose whether you really want to improve or not.
Qualifying positions are one of the ways our classes are unique and different from ET racing. If you are a top qualifier, you have earned the respect of the other racers and maybe a bye from your hard work to be a top qualifier. Similarly if you can take out a top qualifier you have earned it that way too. Many times a bye run is viewed as a 'freebie' and it was nothing of the sort, we can earn that bye run. Few others can do that. Racing with no qualifying positions- the bye run is a freebie 100% of the time. Sure, there may be times when it's unimportant but qualifying positions are important more times than many would think.
Plus... many outsiders are just not up to the challenge to get something like an F/SA car that has no compression, tiny cam, OEM carb & manifold and get it to run 10.80's to be competitive in Class Eliminations and competitive for the heads up runs during final eliminations. Those that view S&SS class racing as just a bracket race need to be better informed as to all the complexities that make Class Racing the type of racing it is.

10-02-2020, 03:54 PM	#3
Bill Ringer Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 108 Likes: 34 Liked 145 Times in 26 Posts	Re: How important is qualifying in Stock and Super Stock II Not a bracket race, sure there are lots of parallels but the strategies can play into this as well. For qualifying 1,2 or 3 you may be getting a bye at some point but this can be taken further. Qualifying in the middle of the field can give you a shot at a top qualifier and taking their position for a possible bye. Alternately you might get one of the last qualifiers. In my day there were always a few who had difficulty running the index and usually those were easier wins. There are many scenarios for strategy- if you are in a position to improve your qualifying position for the last session and that puts you in a spot on the ladder where it's likely you will be paired up with someone you really don't want first round- you can choose whether you really want to improve or not. Qualifying positions are one of the ways our classes are unique and different from ET racing. If you are a top qualifier, you have earned the respect of the other racers and maybe a bye from your hard work to be a top qualifier. Similarly if you can take out a top qualifier you have earned it that way too. Many times a bye run is viewed as a 'freebie' and it was nothing of the sort, we can earn that bye run. Few others can do that. Racing with no qualifying positions- the bye run is a freebie 100% of the time. Sure, there may be times when it's unimportant but qualifying positions are important more times than many would think. Plus... many outsiders are just not up to the challenge to get something like an F/SA car that has no compression, tiny cam, OEM carb & manifold and get it to run 10.80's to be competitive in Class Eliminations and competitive for the heads up runs during final eliminations. Those that view S&SS class racing as just a bracket race need to be better informed as to all the complexities that make Class Racing the type of racing it is.