Why does a track need prep between rounds?

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Dees:
Why does a track need prep between rounds?

Because racers love / expect to see it.

Otherwise, it's not necessary, a cognizant person on the starting line, to touch up with a hand sprayer and some Gold Dust, is all you need, until it's time to scrape.

Exactly. The most time wasted at big races is the dead time between rounds when they are running tractors instead of racecars.

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Dees:
Exactly. The most time wasted at big races is the dead time between rounds when they are running tractors instead of racecars.

I do not consider track prep a waste of time. The big problem at a few tracks is they only run a pair of cars down track maybe every 2 or 3 minutes and that ends up taking a very long time to get a race in.

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Dees:
Exactly. The most time wasted at big races is the dead time between rounds when they are running tractors instead of racecars.

I think the expectation grew from expecting racers to plunk down thousands in entry fees to run with no time shots over several days duration.

So having the prestigious track prep service on the property has become another expectation / entitlement.

I held back but since Phil mentioned it, WHY? If a car is set up right it will hook in a mud hole. After all, we are bracket racing here.

Fern,

I agree with you, tracks are over prepped. Our home track is that way on our normal points races. I run mid 5's on a small radial. With the technology now or the old fashion way. It's easy to pull power to get down the track.

2BKING

Amen! I use the opposite approach--low power & big tire with same result. my 60s are in the 1.30s about every where. I was told by a touring real fast car driver long ago to find the worst track possible make it work there and forget it. I did and have forgot.

quote:

Originally posted by Curly1:

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Dees:
Exactly. The most time wasted at big races is the dead time between rounds when they are running tractors instead of racecars.

I do not consider track prep a waste of time. The big problem at a few tracks is they only run a pair of cars down track maybe every 2 or 3 minutes and that ends up taking a very long time to get a race in.

This.
Not every racer has the goal to go slow. We have a lot of local bracket cars that are low 7's and even some 6 second quarter cars. We can prep the tracks so that only four cylinder soccar mom cars can get down the track.

quote:

Originally posted by ferndaleflyer:
Amen! I use the opposite approach--low power & big tire with same result. my 60s are in the 1.30s about every where. I was told by a touring real fast car driver long ago to find the worst track possible make it work there and forget it. I did and have forgot.

I have always tried to make my car work on any track any time.

With that said we are racers and most want to go faster. When you go faster you are pushing limits of traction, track, weather conditions and life of your motor.

I have a friend with a 55 Chevy and he asked all of us what to do when he built it. We all told him backhalf it and go with 14 x 32 tire. He asked everyone until someone told him what he wanted to hear, 9 inch tire and Caltracks. So he went with 9 inch tire. Well when it worked, when tires were new, when track prep was good it worked. But the sidewalls did not last long with small tire and heavy car and if track prep was not great he would spin and cry about terrible track prep. Whos fault is that? We all told him go to big tire. Then he is complaining about the track and asking me to help fix his chassis to get down track better. He kept telling me that NHRA Super Stockers are running same tire and they go fast and do big wheelies, so the tire is not the problem. Yes they and they also run on National event prepped tracks. Not all local bracket tracks are prepped the same.
There is a point on all cars where you are getting fast enough for that combination or track that you are on the edge and it will not be as consistent. In my series we sometimes race on tracks that are not as good or prepped as good as I would like. I try to set up so I can run the number on those tracks.

"Some will probably not like this; what I saw in the start/beginning of buyback rounds. When you bought back you went right to the 2nd round. Then somebody(s) decided, you have to win against the 1st round losers to advance to the 2nd."

I recall someone posting a white board time comparison between buying back directly into the second round versus a re=entry round...hard to believe but the time difference was almost nothing for the total event...the math does not lie...it had something to do with the time you save by cutting the field faster using a re-entry round and how it affected the rest of the event...I did not believe it until I saw it myself...

quote:

Originally posted by fuzzy dice:
"Some will probably not like this; what I saw in the start/beginning of buyback rounds. When you bought back you went right to the 2nd round. Then somebody(s) decided, you have to win against the 1st round losers to advance to the 2nd."

I recall someone posting a white board time comparison between buying back directly into the second round versus a re=entry round...hard to believe but the time difference was almost nothing for the total event...the math does not lie...it had something to do with the time you save by cutting the field faster using a re-entry round and how it affected the rest of the event...I did not believe it until I saw it myself...

Thinking through it in my head...
Re entry round potentially runs half of first round in a seperate "round" and advances half of them....or a quarter of first round, to the second round.

Buying into the second round potentially runs half of first round in the second round.

So the difference in my mind, is the second round being 25% larger than the first round winners alone. That would be the additional time if I am thinkng correcly, for running a re entry round.

Is that what you are thinking as well?

In my neck of the woods, local races are exclusively putting buy backs in the second round.

The person affected the most is the one that won first round. Think about it.

The buyback into 2nd round vs re-entry means nothing to me and will not be deciding factor for me going to race.

That said, I prefer not needing to wait because won 1st round, it actually feels like a penalty. I think that what Fern inferring above.

All this fuss over seemingly not much of anything. If people are playing staginv games, I do not care, car set up to not get hot and I just do not care. Every race is a little different and provides differing challenges. Good car coints usually mean long day.

Same with "agressive racer" thread. I do my best to hammer any car I go against with best possible package. I appreciate the priviledge and oppertunity of still being able to compete.

quote:

Originally posted by muggs:
The buyback into 2nd round vs re-entry means nothing to me and will not be deciding factor for me going to race.

That said, I prefer not needing to wait because won 1st round, it actually feels like a penalty. I think that what Fern inferring above.

All this fuss over seemingly not much of anything. If people are playing staginv games, I do not care, car set up to not get hot and I just do not care. Every race is a little different and provides differing challenges. Good car coints usually mean long day.

Same with "agressive racer" thread. I do my best to hammer any car I go against with best possible package. I appreciate the priviledge and oppertunity of still being able to compete.

Agree
But frankly now we race mostly local