Heads-Up Runs

[mopar jeff]

Originally Posted by Mike Carr

Jeff, check some of my previous posts about the -1.15. The rules may have been changed from what I wrote. It used to be you had to run -1.15 at two different events, or you plus another with your combination had to each go -1.15 at that, or any event, in either the first or second half of the season, to trigger a review. Data (from Final Qualifying sheets at National Events only) was only accumulated for each half. So if you went -1.20 at the Winter Nat'ls and -1.20 at the World Finals, you were safe. If you were to go -1.20 at the Winters, and someone else with your combo also ran -1.20 at the Winters (or if you at the Winters and another racer with your combo at the Gators), the combo was "flagged". Then all runs by that combo were evaluated, and if that combo averaged one second under, it received HP on a sliding scale. However, this year, a V/SA combo qualified #1, and ran more than -1.15 twice at Topeka. It was the only Nat'l he, or anyone else with that combo, competed, and he got HP. There was quite an uproar on here over a few combinations that received HP. Any run, at any time, at any NHRA event of more than -1.40 causes that combo to receive a 3.25% HP penalty effective the Monday following said event (or an Index adjustment for SS/AM, SS/AS, etc). The whole Horsepower System is explained online, but I believe the rules were changed since it was written, and apparently, there was not a publicly mentioned notice of any change(s). http://www.nhra.com/competition/automatichp.aspx

Thanks for the nice detailed explanation. That helps alot, and the link solidified everything.

[Jim Wahl]

Mike has hit the nail on the head. That is the way it currently is. Notice I wrote "currently". Jim

[Mike Carr]

I should have also added that HP is not added for a car that runs -1.40 at an altitude adjusted track*. Unless the car runs, on the scoreboard, -1.40 under it's sea level Index. Example: GT/AA, sea level Index is 10.40. Meaning any run quicker than 9.000 would get HP. The Index at Las Vegas for GT/AA is 10.66, since the track is at 2100' elevation. So even though a run at Vegas of 9.001 would be -1.659, the car would not get HP unless it runs 9.000 or quicker. Frank Grossi, who has THE baddest GT/AA in the world, ran 8.99 at Vegas this past January and received HP for it. But, no matter how far under the CORRECTED Index you may run, you only get HP for running -1.40 under the Sea Level Index. One could conceivably run more than -1.80 under the Corrected Index and receive no penalty. As an example, my old Class (EF/S) has a sea level Index of 17.75. At Las Vegas, it would be a 18.26. A run at sea level of 16.350 is -1.40 and gets me HP. At Vegas, I can run 16.351, which is -1.909 under the Adjusted Index, with no penalty since I was only -1.399 under my sea level Index. Why this is the case, I don't know if anyone really knows.