The race survived and I am sure The Million promoters will demand better next year from the host track. I would think for a couple thousand bucks you could put fresh starting line and finish line infra-reds in (at the very least take them apart and clean the lenses and connections) and check the wiring connections. It operates on 5V and has a couple thousand feet of wiring that has to be flawless. I am pretty sure you can now get fiberoptic cable for better reliability.
Our race cars are getting accurate to the thousandth through innovation and attention to detail, it is time to make sure the tracks you give $2000-$5000 in entry fees to does the same for their timing equipment.
Jok

^^^^ this

I agree with Toad1, but do they have someone with knowledge of the system and ability to determine it is working / calibrated properly.

When NHRA arrives at a track for a major event how do they determine the timing system is working properly? Do they have someone from Compulink or Accutime verify this?

I was at an Ohio track in 2019 for a big $$ race that had starting line timing problems that was in question during the event. Different promoters of the big money race that followed a month afterwards paid the timing company to come out to fix and certify that the timing system was working properly at that track in question. And it was fixed.

If you watch the first rerun in slow motion, it's easiest to see out of all of them, but the Gary is leaving the line and the pre-stage and stage bulbs are staying on. I had something happen like that to me 5-6 years ago at vmp. It said I was 170 on the tree, and ran just about 17 faster than I should have to the 60, 330 and 1/8th. I crossed just behind my opponent who had red lit. Oddly enough it said I was over a tenth behind him. Next round it was all normal.

Compulink has had a fiber-optic solution out there for a long time now, I think most of the major and newer tracks have probably gone to it by now. In my very short tenure at VMP I attempted to get it installed and even had Brockmeyer lined up to come in, go over the current setup and give us a date for installation. Upper management killed the idea within 48 hours.
I don't know what the plans are for Compulink after Bob retires - I'm afraid to ask.

what was your role at VMP?

Great facility, no issues with the timing system or track prep anytime we've been there including 3 weeks ago for the LODRS Divisional.

quote:

Originally posted by top189h:
If you watch the first rerun in slow motion, it's easiest to see out of all of them, but the Gary is leaving the line and the pre-stage and stage bulbs are staying on. I had something happen like that to me 5-6 years ago at vmp. It said I was 170 on the tree, and ran just about 17 faster than I should have to the 60, 330 and 1/8th. I crossed just behind my opponent who had red lit. Oddly enough it said I was over a tenth behind him. Next round it was all normal.

It's called Lazy Eye, basically the car leaves the line but the system doesn't pick that up and still thinks it's still there so reaction time and 60' are pretty closing impacted by the same amount plus or minus. Sometimes it's the sensor and other times it's in the system.

quote:

Originally posted by TOP38:

quote:

Originally posted by top189h:
If you watch the first rerun in slow motion, it's easiest to see out of all of them, but the Gary is leaving the line and the pre-stage and stage bulbs are staying on. I had something happen like that to me 5-6 years ago at vmp. It said I was 170 on the tree, and ran just about 17 faster than I should have to the 60, 330 and 1/8th. I crossed just behind my opponent who had red lit. Oddly enough it said I was over a tenth behind him. Next round it was all normal.

It's called Lazy Eye, basically the car leaves the line but the system doesn't pick that up and still thinks it's still there so reaction time and 60' are pretty closing impacted by the same amount plus or minus. Sometimes it's the sensor and other times it's in the system.

It’s easy to see when it’s 17 hundredths, or even 5 hundredths.

How often is it .005 or .01 and nobody knows, yet it swings the outcome of the race?

chasracer -

A fiber optic solution would have not helped in this situation. And no most tracks are staying away from fiber optics as its very very expensive and is really not needed. One of the main reasons it was being pushed is tracks who refused to unplug downtrack sensors and lighting would strike would feed that voltage back upstream and burn up something in the computer and the sensors. Simple fix unplug racetrack when not being used. seems simple but happens
Most track can hardly fix a bathroom issue so imagine someone hitting a fiber optic line from a wreck or cutting grass or whatever, your not going out with cutters and electrical tape and fixing it.

A timing system is only as good as the maintenance being performed on it. Same as a car, you can spend a $1000 at a repair shop and have another item causing you to break down a few days later go bad. In this case a bad sensor, no way to predict that going bad. But after the 2nd rerun they should have been looking into why so that falls on the the track.

To the other person asking there is no calibration spec from NHRA or IHRA on timing systems. The timing systems do that themselves internally as the main 2 are on completely different levels technologies. The only specs are like downtrack sensor heights and starting line roll out, tree settings.

Lenny , i agree totally , in the early days it didnt matter , but with races constantly being decided by under 1 hundredth , it should be on everyone's mind

Mark is spot on. As good as most cars are and the very visable LED lights if a few racers say boy where did these numbers come from,they are probably right.
Mark I remember being at a race,you were there and Ike also. Ike was questioning the system as he said do I tear apart my car and look for the .04 and trust the timming system,naw I think I will just trust my car instead.

in the 90s if someone red lighted by more than a hundredth , we sorta laughed at him . Now you got top name drivers going 2 or more red quite often .