Stick vs. Auto index

[Evan Smith]

Gary, Joe,

I would like to voice an opinion from the other side of the fence: Over the last few years automatics have really benefited from the advent of the ProTrans (or similar), Radial tires (which don't work on a stick) and improved converter technology. This has amounted to gains in the neighborhood of .2-.3 tenths for the average racer, yet there has been no such advance in technology for stick racers. Clutches are better than they used to be, but not to the tune of .2 tenths.

I can't speak for Top Stock, but in Jr. Stock, Bruce, Ficacci Jr., Henry, Lowell and I all run close. Ficacci gets about a 100-lb. break with the stick (over his old combo) because the combo is factored softer than with the auto. Not a stick deal, more a factor deal. It's also hard to compare an entire class based on a handful of cars. Steve Ficacci Sr. has all but owned Top Stock, but his driving is amazing, as is the performance of his car.

There is no way that stick cars are .10-.20 quicker than their automatic counterparts on average, as the indexes would suggest. Of course this could be argued all day and night, but the numbers don't lie.

Evan

[Fred Popov]

Looking at this year's Indi qualifying, I don't see much of an advantage for the stick stockers. I looked at the classes that have at least three stick cars and compared them to the top three automatics in that class. In some cases the automatics are the faster cars. In D and E the fastest car is the one with the slushbox....

3533 A/S Brett McFarland '68 Camaro 10.159 -1.091**
1441 A/S Richard Adkins '67 Shelby 10.209 -1.041
3602 A/S Jason McCormack '67 Plymouth 10.230 -1.020
1308 A/S Ralph Porpora '69 Camaro 10.285 -0.965
1681 A/S Tom Baird '69 Camaro 10.321 -0.929
10 A/S Troy Henderson '68 Camaro 10.352 -0.898
4455 A/SA Ronnie West '70 GTX 10.205 -1.095**
T700 A/SA Paul Cannan '69 Camaro 10.232 -1.068
1990 A/SA David Barton '65 Coronet 10.262 -1.038


4448 D/S John Duzac '67 Camaro 10.722 -1.078**
162 D/S Tim Abbazia '62 Corvette 10.829 -0.971
751 D/S Ben Wenzel '67 Camaro 10.864 -0.936
5009 D/SA Scott Burton '71 Formula 10.708 -1.142**
11 D/SA Lee Zane '98 Firebird 10.770 -1.080
256 D/SA Amy Faulk '01 Firebird 10.797 -1.053


2217 E/S Brian Rogers '69 Camaro 10.975 -0.975**
1165 E/S Dean Cook '71 Mustang 11.000 -0.950
3272 E/S Martin Jeltema '72 Mustang 11.136 -0.814
31 E/SA Greg Hill '71 Camaro 10.925 -1.075**
2237 E/SA Butch Payne '97 Firebird 10.932 -1.068
7980 E/SA Steve Wann '74 Dart 10.973 -1.027


54 I/S Steve Brack '87 Camaro 11.380 -1.120**
3163 I/S Jim Schaechter '66 Nova 11.449 -1.051
1168 I/S Dean Cook II '95 Mustang 11.582 -0.918
1021 I/SA Gene Monahan '90 Formula 11.454 -1.146**
3277 I/SA Rick Winchester '73 Camaro 11.552 -1.048
3089 I/SA David Morgan '90 Trans Am 11.554 -1.046

[james schaechter]

Originally Posted by Evan Smith

Gary, Joe,

I would like to voice an opinion from the other side of the fence: Over the last few years automatics have really benefited from the advent of the ProTrans (or similar), Radial tires (which don't work on a stick) and improved converter technology. This has amounted to gains in the neighborhood of .2-.3 tenths for the average racer, yet there has been no such advance in technology for stick racers. Clutches are better than they used to be, but not to the tune of .2 tenths.

I can't speak for Top Stock, but in Jr. Stock, Bruce, Ficacci Jr., Henry, Lowell and I all run close. Ficacci gets about a 100-lb. break with the stick (over his old combo) because the combo is factored softer than with the auto. Not a stick deal, more a factor deal. It's also hard to compare an entire class based on a handful of cars. Steve Ficacci Sr. has all but owned Top Stock, but his driving is amazing, as is the performance of his car.

There is no way that stick cars are .10-.20 quicker than their automatic counterparts on average, as the indexes would suggest. Of course this could be argued all day and night, but the numbers don't lie.

Evan

Evan, you know I am a stick guy, but holy crap! Does that mean you would go 1.60 under with an automatic in your car? All you Ford dudes ought to start building one....

[Chuck Beach]

Sorry Jeff, I thought the whole discussion was stick index vs. auto. Seems to me that Evan has a very good combination and I doubt if any automatics can run with him ... great job Evan ...

Sat, 4 Oct 2008, 11:08 AM

Stock Eliminator Qualifying, Final Order

ATCO, N.J. - Final order after 3 rounds of qualifying in Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Northeast Division, LODRS 1-7 presented by PC Richard & Son, GMC and Pontiac:

Psn--Num--Class-Driver, Home Town, Machine-----------------ET---Index---(+/-)

1 1798 H/S Evan Smith, Linden NJ, '93 Cobra 10.903 12.30 -1.397
2 1021 J/SA Gene Monahan, Brockton MA, '90 Formula 11.377 12.75 -1.373
3 1904 BF/S Dennis Chapman, Toms River NJ, '88 Shadow 13.605 14.95 -1.345
4 1137 I/SA Cecil Frazier, Canton MA, '91 Camaro 11.265 12.60 -1.335
5 1002 B/SA Jeffrey Bardekoff, Commack NY, '64 Fury 10.238 11.55 -1.312
6 1773 F/SA Dustan Lowell, Kensington NH, '72 Duster 10.842 12.15 -1.308
7 1534 G/SA Henry Kunz, Farmingdale NY, '69 Nova 10.999 12.30 -1.301
8 1614 B/SA Barry Parker, Southwick MA, '69 Camaro 10.256 11.55 -1.294
9 1239 H/SA Don Quinn, Howell NJ, '78 Nova 11.157 12.45 -1.293
10 198 J/SA Steve Szupka, Willow Grove PA, '85 Camaro 11.461 12.75 -1.289
11 1634 Q/SA Briane Philbrick, Vineland ON, '76 Monza 12.822 14.10 -1.278
12 1134 I/SA Tom Kreeber, Rensselaer NY, '67 Barracuda 11.327 12.60 -1.273
13 1568 K/SA Leo Niedermeier Jr, Monroe CT, '74 Camaro 11.689 12.95 -1.261
14 1109 G/SA John Gray, Hudson MA, '72 Nova 11.044 12.30 -1.256
15 1152 B/S Ed Bednaz, Terryville CT, '69 Nova 10.245 11.50 -1.255
16 1547 E/SA Jack Matyas, Bethlehem PA, '04 GTO 10.748 12.00 -1.252
17 1013 A/SA David Ficacci, E. Hanover NJ, '69 Camaro 10.048 11.30 -1.252
18 1570 B/SA Frank Bialas, Linden NJ, '70 GTX 10.310 11.55 -1.240
19 1499 B/SA Jim Boudreau, Tewksbury MA, '69 Camaro 10.311 11.55 -1.239
20 1150 H/SA Russell Linke, Old Bridge NJ, '85 Camaro 11.214 12.45 -1.236
21 1788 H/SA Bruce Noland, Leesburg VA, '73 Camaro 11.216 12.45 -1.234