Points for Qualifying and Records

[MikeFicacci]

After talking to many people in the pits, I'm hard pressed to find people who disagree that points should be awarded for qualifying position and records. Stock and Super Stock are performance-based classes after all. How about some incentive to "let it all hang out"? How about some incentive to set a record and have it torn apart?

I'm not talking about someone winning a division because they have a fast car but how about 10 points for #1 qualifier, 5 for #2, and 3 for #3. How about we set the record "minimum" to .75 under and award 10 points per record? I'm sure some rules would have to be in the place like you can't reset your own record within the year. Ultimately, I think giving people an incentive to be #1 or #2 qualifier will help the AHFS do it job more efficiently.

I don't think either is unrealistic and they give people a real reason to put the car on kill and see if they can put it on the top spot. Also, I'm sure the record books would start to fill up again.

Any thoughts? Suggestions?

[james schaechter]

I think any real recognition for setting records is a positive. Heck, they could cough up a wally for it right? There is not much incentive for it now. I like having at least some points consideration for this as well.

[joe176]

Originally Posted by MikeFicacci

After talking to many people in the pits, I'm hard pressed to find people who disagree that points should be awarded for qualifying position and records. Stock and Super Stock are performance-based classes after all. How about some incentive to "let it all hang out"? How about some incentive to set a record and have it torn apart?

I'm not talking about someone winning a division because they have a fast car but how about 10 points for #1 qualifier, 5 for #2, and 3 for #3. How about we set the record "minimum" to .75 under and award 10 points per record? I'm sure some rules would have to be in the place like you can't reset your own record within the year. Ultimately, I think giving people an incentive to be #1 or #2 qualifier will help the AHFS do it job more efficiently.

I don't think either is unrealistic and they give people a real reason to put the car on kill and see if they can put it on the top spot. Also, I'm sure the record books would start to fill up again.

Any thoughts? Suggestions?

I like your idea Mike......class racing is becoming stale.....the AHFS turned it into a joke .something like this would spice it up...tired of the bracket race end of it....shutting off at the 1000' during qualifying......just plain boring to watch.....friend of mine who races 10.5 tire cars had a good idea for the bracket end of it...make everyone have working brake lights...if you hit the brakes during elims your out.

[Ed Carpenter]

I just posted a little earlier today on another thread that almost all ideas on here never go anywhere. This is because you can't get two people must less a group of people to agree on anything related to class racing. Well I actually think this is one that could get some traction. Everyone(not 5 or 10 racers) but everyone needs to express this to NHRA by calling,emailing,writing etc. Our division reps could bring this up also and see what help they could offer with this. I'm not fast but I still think this is a great idea. Hope it gets some traction and goes somewhere. I just looked and the records page is dwindling as we speak GT/B through GT/J is empty.

[Alan Roehrich]

Mike, I posted several times a while back on the same subject. My suggestions were for qualifying 20 points for number one, subtract two points per position through 5th, and one for each down to tenth. Pay 20 points for setting the record, but you can't rest your own record for points. I think they should contest class everywhere and pay 20 per round where you beat an opponent in your class, and 5 per round if you run in the combo.

You'd still have to go plenty of rounds in the eliminations to win a championship but it would make performance more important.

[Michael Beard]

IHRA used to award (5) points for a Record up to twice per year. It was a deciding factor in one or more championships. It was eventually dropped. We used to set our two records every year for the points and the press. Enough people did it that it made sure that many had gone through teardown at some point or another through the season. I'm not sure where records are listed currently.

[David Barton]

I see points for records being too complicated. I can see it working with qualifying, I think it's a great idea. Points chasing would be a little more interesting. It would be cool to see some of the better drivers in quicker cars.

I'd like to hear some of the points chasers point of view. As much as I'd like to be in that position, I'm not one of them.

[Jeff Lee]

Just like Alan, I've been sayin' this for some time. Points for records (why should there be a limit? If I want to set a record in 3 classes, so what?), points for qualifying with #1 qualifying weighed a little more heavily than the other positions.
Absolutely, I would love to see a championship determined by these points. It's a performance class!
Not only would it possibly encourage less throttle stops, it just might encourage more event participation. Somebody with a top qualifier / record setter that might not normally travel may be encouraged with his points to gain more by hitting more races.
And no to records being .75 under. Keep it as is, .50 under. Enough people start chasing records and you wont see too many records at minimum anyways.
Record in D/S is 10.35. It takes 1.16 under and AHFS to take it. I'm game.
Waiting on new tooling for AMC tool steel lifters so we can final assemble the engine....

[The Hawk]

If I`m not mistaken,points did used to be awarded for National Records in NHRA. I do recall this was in the 80`s at least. Nothing since I got into Stock in `92..

[Alan Roehrich]

I don't think points for records would be too complicated. You'd need about 4 rules. (Feel free to point out anything you think I may have overlooked)

20 points for setting a national record.
No points for re-setting your own record.
Maximum of records in 3 classes per driver per year.
Records in only one car/engine combination per year.

With those rules, you get points for records, but you can't "game" the system by continually bumping the record by small amounts. You also can't switch cars/combinations and set a lot of records.

So it would work like this:

Driver X has a 1969 xxxx with a xxx/xxx engine, and an automatic transmission, for Stock Eliminator in 2013. It is a natural "A" car, so it can run "B" and "CC". So, driver X can set the record in CC/SA, A/SA, and B/SA, in the same car with the same combination. That lets driver X earn 60 points. If no one else sets any of those three records, driver X can only collect 60 points for setting records. If driver Y takes the A/SA record from driver X, then driver X can try to set the A/SA record again, if he succeeds, he earns another 20 points. Now, even if driver X sells his 1969 xxxx, and gets another car, or gets a ride in another car, he can only set records in CC/SA, A/SA, and B/SA. And he cannot reset his own records in the new car. So driver X can't get out of the 1969 xxxx, or swap engines or transmissions, then go set records in F/SA, G/SA, and H/SA, or any other class to gain points. That prevents anyone from spending money to buy more cars or get rides in more cars to set records.

And really, 20 points is not a lot of points for the effort and expense of setting a record, it is about the same as winning a round. Honestly, a record should be worth more than 20 points. But you have to be careful that 2-3 guys don't get in a little contest, since in theory those 2-3 guys could earn a lot of points bumping the record 0.05 taking it from each other, and making a record worth a lot of points could do that. In theory, if a record started out at 0.8 under, between 100 and 160 points could be paid for records before anyone even got instant HP. You'd get the record set 6-8 times in that scenario, at 20 points each time. Even making it pay 40-50 points to set the record, if two guys set it 6 times, that's 240-300 points each.

As much as I'd like to see it pay 40 points for a record, 40 points for #1 qualifier, and 40 points a round to win class, that's probably swinging the pendulum too far the other way.