Grade 4 lives matter

[Sean Cour]

Originally Posted by MikeMoller

That would sure limit national Event entries. If you can't run .8 under why even go? So only the fast (high dollar) cars would get to compete (or even enter), no room for the little guy/ low buck racer. Grade points would become irrelevant as many racers that are slower than .6 under would not want to enter a national event, and therefore would not even bother to get grade points.

I understand the other side of the fence. Hence my statement of "performance" category. Maybe more vendors would participate in contingency if more cars had to be faster to race for the "bigger" money with NHRA? Don't know until its tried. If categories are going to be limited to such low numbers, why not make it about performance again, and make it more fun?

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by Sean Cour

I understand the other side of the fence. Hence my statement of "performance" category. Maybe more vendors would participate in contingency if more cars had to be faster to race for the "bigger" money with NHRA? Don't know until its tried. If categories are going to be limited to such low numbers, why not make it about performance again, and make it more fun?

I agree. If I could not run .8 under, I wouldn't feel like I was fast enough to run a national event. "Back in the day" we ran off national records. Didn't see slower cars at national events. Most went bracket racing when that stuff came along. Now they have us all bracket racing off these ridiculous soft indexes. We ran off the records, no dialing. We could run one tenth under, eleven under you break out. Around here, there was almost zero break outs. Only if we traveled to one coast or the other. Being fast meant something then. The Good Old Days. :-)
I like Sean's idea.

[GarysZ24]

I remember how I felt last year when I couldn't race the Winternational's because I had a grade three, and just missed out on it....I wasn't happy! However, I was bound and determined to make certain I wasn't denied entering that race this year, so I did two things and I believe Charlie touched on this one: I participated in five D7 pts races last year, so as to build my grade point count up, and most importantly (as I think Charlie also mentioned), I made a mental note of the very first day (Christmas Eve 2015), that grade 5's could enter the Winternationals, and when I entered, there was less than 10 (possibly less than 5) entered, so I made damn sure I wasn't going to miss it this year, and I did that for the Phoenix and Denver events I entered. Having a grade 5 was the main thing, but entering A.S.A.P. on the first available day with those grade points matters too.....If I recall correctly grade 4's and even some grade 3's made the Winternats this year....I will do my best to not have less than a grade 5 from now on, and that's the primary reason I moved from Colorado, to Arizona....I'm closer to more tracks, and can now run more points races for also around $500 bucks!