Qualifying with no AHFS

[Darrel Goheen]

Being new to racing stock only starting last year the thing that bothers me the most is a heads up race possibility. I'm sure stock/super stock has always been run this way but I don't like the heads up race with a car in the same class. I'm all for class eliminations to reward those for all the hard work to build a fast car but I could be soured very quick with stock and super stock racing when I spend hundreds of dollars on travel and entries and end up with a heads up race when I'm normally about in the middle of the pack or slower with other D/SA cars and in most cases losing the race because of the quicker car in my class instead of just losing the way I normally do. Am I alone in these thoughts? I don't understand the heads up racing only for same class cars vs dialing in all pairs at their index and whoever crosses finish line first wins.

I was fortunate last year and only had one heads up race and that was in class elims.

[Ed Fernandez]

What's old is new. This is the way things used to be in the golden years. The smartest, shrewdest guys ruled. Of course back then you didn't have the Mickey Mouse cars then and NHRA ran a tighter ship.

[BRINK]

Originally Posted by Darrel Goheen

Being new to racing stock only starting last year the thing that bothers me the most is a heads up race possibility. I'm sure stock/super stock has always been run this way but I don't like the heads up race with a car in the same class. I'm all for class eliminations to reward those for all the hard work to build a fast car but I could be soured very quick with stock and super stock racing when I spend hundreds of dollars on travel and entries and end up with a heads up race when I'm normally about in the middle of the pack or slower with other D/SA cars and in most cases losing the race because of the quicker car in my class instead of just losing the way I normally do. Am I alone in these thoughts? I don't understand the heads up racing only for same class cars vs dialing in all pairs at their index and whoever crosses finish line first wins.

I was fortunate last year and only had one heads up race and that was in class elims.

Welcome to CLASS racing.

[Jim Bailey]

All Out Performance Class Racing the way it was meant to be !!!... Get your entry early, the field will be loaded with AA/S and AA/SA entries ...(sic).

[Sean Cour]

Originally Posted by Darrel Goheen

Being new to racing stock only starting last year the thing that bothers me the most is a heads up race possibility. I'm sure stock/super stock has always been run this way but I don't like the heads up race with a car in the same class. I'm all for class eliminations to reward those for all the hard work to build a fast car but I could be soured very quick with stock and super stock racing when I spend hundreds of dollars on travel and entries and end up with a heads up race when I'm normally about in the middle of the pack or slower with other D/SA cars and in most cases losing the race because of the quicker car in my class instead of just losing the way I normally do. Am I alone in these thoughts? I don't understand the heads up racing only for same class cars vs dialing in all pairs at their index and whoever crosses finish line first wins.

I was fortunate last year and only had one heads up race and that was in class elims.

Welcome to stock and super stock! Where performance DOES matter!

[Ed Wright]

Thinking Darrel like bracket racing.

[Darrel Goheen]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

Thinking Darrel like bracket racing.

That is true. One of the several reasons I like stock is because all the very cool stock appearing cars. I am weird because I've never cared much about how fast my car was. My Chevelle was mid 13's when I got it 16+ years ago and it runs low 12's now so that shows how much value I put into going fast.

[Darrel Goheen]

Originally Posted by Sean Cour

Welcome to stock and super stock! Where performance DOES matter!

But why is it only performance based for qualifying, setting records, class runoff and if you happen to draw someone in your class? Why isn't every round performance based? Example.... like they run the combo class runoff. Why don't they run the entire race based on performance?

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Darrel Goheen

Why isn't every round performance based?

If you think about it for a second, it is. Where you qualify on the sheet(based on your performance) dictates who you will run throughout the eliminator.

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by Darrel Goheen

But why does it only matter for qualifying, setting records, class runoff and if you happen to draw someone in your class? Why isn't every round performance based?

They had to dumb it down for the slow guys. We used to run off national records. Not everybody could run that fast. Bracket racing came along, and the slow guys went there so they had a chance of winning something. Car counts went in the dumper. Bracket racing is easier than learning & working harder.

NHRA then went to these bogus slow indexes so the slow guys would come back. So now many of us use restrictor plates, or throttle stops, or throw a couple hundred lbs in the car, or just shut off at 1000' to slow down. Go too fast, get hateful text messages. Gets tiresome.