Entry level class?

[sst7250]

As a couple others have pointed out I believe the entry level for the sport is the local weekly bracket races, where you can take you daily driver and run it down the strip. I guess the argument could be made for both S/St and Stock as entry level. In stock as stated if you don't want to be fast you can put a car together for a smaller amount of money, same can be said for a S/St car. 2800 lbs and 10.90 is all that is required. Will either be competitive, IMO that depends on the driver behind the wheel. Is it ideal, I think most would say no.

[Lenny5160_v2]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

Super Comp is mostly populated with $50K+ 4 link dragsters, with $30K+ 598 big block Chevy engines, $4K PowerGlides, and $5K of electronics and throttle stops. Hardly "entry level".

These cars are certainly out there, but if you showed up in the Super Comp staging lanes with $30K in your pocket you could probably pick from at least half the cars there.

There are reasonable ways to get into just about any class if you don't mind being on the slow end. Everyone keeps going faster and faster, but it isn't necessary to be competitive.*

*applies more to Super-classes; there are actual competitive advantages to being fast in S/SS.

[Keith 944]

Originally Posted by Jim Caughlin

I'm a little confused as to why no one here is discussing that most of us started out bracket racing before advancing into either the Stock/SS route or the Super class route. In both cases, you can slowly build a bracket car chassis that meet those types of scenarios and then later build an engine to advance into actual class racing. If your budget doesn't allow advancing into class racing, there is nothing to be ashamed about if you just stick with bracket racing for your entire racing career. Quite honestly, I sometimes think I had more fun back in my flatbed trailer and half ton pickup days.

Yes, I think we all can agree on that, only issue is the question was entry-level class for NHRA, divisionals and nationals I believe

[1320racer]

Originally Posted by Lenny5160_v2

if you showed up in the Super Comp staging lanes with $30K in your pocket you could probably pick from at least half the cars there.

Everyone keeps going faster and faster, but it isn't necessary to be competitive.*

I disagree on both points. $30k super comp turnkey cars are few, everything old and mostly junk and competitive is not winning a round or 2 but being a threat to win any race and the championship!

[Keith 944]

Originally Posted by 1320racer

I disagree on both points. $30k super comp cars are few and junk and l competitive is no winking s round or 2 but being a threat to win any race and the championship!

Chris Garrison?

[1320racer]

As I said, not competitive and junk

[Keith 944]

Originally Posted by 1320racer

As I said, not competitive and junk

Ouch

[1320racer]

Keith, that’s my opinion, maybe I’m wrong and there is a line of old guys with $30k burning a hole in their pocket that want an old 1995 quay car with a 468, case mufflers and golf cart tires upfront

[Jim Caughlin]

Originally Posted by Keith 944

Yes, I think we all can agree on that, only issue is the question was entry-level class for NHRA, divisionals and nationals I believe

My point is build or buy the car, it might not be competitive (as in not under the index) but totally viable for bracket racing until it is. My car was not sub index when I first built it but I bracket raced it and thrashed on it until it was. If you think this isn't a viable way to get into class racing, maybe talk to Jody Lang, that's how he started out with his car and it seems like it worked out pretty good for him?

[Keith 944]

I get it, and agree.
At my local track there were no stock or super stock cars running so I really had no idea whatsoever about the class or how to begin it as an entry level into nhra racing but my bracket car could run 10.70s flat out and fit the s/st rules so that’s where I started. Now if we had people like Billy Nees racing at that same track weekly maybe things would have been different. But again like you said I think almost all started at the bracket level