It seems to be different in each area what is popular. NO spectators showed up for the local small tire deal that ran heads up for a number of years here locally. Plus they wanted track prep endlessly, so no room for other events in the same day. It was really no different than a track rental.
The index stuff seems to work well here. Not that it brings in spectators if that is what one is looking for.

As far as O.P., my local joint does quite a bit of heads up w/ their bracket program. They typically don't open the gates without some kind of class that brings a crowd of some sort. Sometimes it's a fast door car index like outlaw 4.80 or something of that nature, sometimes it's a N/T small tire class or two, sometimes they even have Pro Mods show up. And on top of those attractions they will hold a points race along with a slower index or two. I am perfectly fine with a weekend like that. Some people get frustrated with the downtime waiting on the other classes to run, but if it's what keeps butts in seats and the gates open, I'll happily wait an extra half hour between rounds. Might even go spectate and buy a hot dog

Also, I think the index stuff at XRP is great and have long thought door cars are superior drag cars thanks to their versatility. What can you do with a dragster? Bracket race, super comp, O/L 4.50, TD. That's literally it. Door slammer? Any index under the sun (SST, SG, SC, 8.0, 7.0, 6.0, 5.80, 5.0 and faster), open comp, bracket race, FB, sportsman, TS, no prep, ..... the list goes on. If you have a door car and want to go race, the only thing stopping you is you. There will always be some kind of race you can enter if you have one. I can't say the same about a dragster.

Outlaw index races that disallow T-Stops is dumb. I have one but am not allowed to use it if I want to run index at local tracks. It's dumb. Sure it gives me an advantage of a few extra mph (like maybe 5 mph in a 7.0 race), but it doesn't make my car any more consistent with or without it. People just fear them because the people who took the time to figure them out and make them work are usually just better at racing so people think the T-Stop is the common denominator.

Also I too think it's retarded that left hand steer roadsters run with door cars while center steer altered are considered a dragster and run with them. It's ridiculous. Roadsters should be considered open body cars period. They run with dragsters. Keep them out of the door car side of bracket races and S/G.

TL/DR: roadster=gay, t-stops=not the end-all-be-all, heads-up stuff pairs well with bracket races, door cars>dragsters

The index racing they are doing around here is fun and a challenge because down track throttle stops are not allowed. It at least gives the appearance of a heads up all out race even though it is still basically a bracket race.
I think no down track throttle stops makes it better for spectators to.
They are not promoting to the spectators like they did years ago. SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! BE THERE! BE THERE! BE THERE! We remember those ads on the radio. They simply are not promoting to the spectators and not sure how much of a difference it would make anyway. How to get people in the seats?
We do know if you get a lot of people in the stands it is good for everyone. The tracks and the racers.
Tracks are closing down and they saying that gas may be $10 a gallon next year. If that is the case we may not have as much opportunity to race as in the past.
I think much of the debate about left hand steer, door cars, dragsters etc is a big to do about nothing. Make the car work and it can compete. I like to see different cars and set ups running.

quote:

Originally posted by Nim Rod:

TL/DR: roadster=gay, t-stops=not the end-all-be-all, heads-up stuff pairs well with bracket races, door cars>dragsters

Could you post up about when a roadster hurt your feelers? LOL

Roadsters are left hand steer just like your door car. Serious question, what if it is a tube chassis convertible? Would you feel the same?

Barona has been running the Summit Events and their Renegade Series for several years. Now there are looking to develop a couple of Index Classes, one will be a 5.80 heads up .400 tree no throttle stop class. Several other Index Classes are being considered so based on interest this may be expanded. I'm going to work on OPM sponsorship to increase the purse.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by Curly1:
The index racing they are doing around here is fun and a challenge because down track throttle stops are not allowed. It at least gives the appearance of a heads up all out race even though it is still basically a bracket race.
I think no down track throttle stops makes it better for spectators to.
...
I think much of the debate about left hand steer, door cars, dragsters etc is a big to do about nothing. Make the car work and it can compete. I like to see different cars and set ups running.

A few comments:
1.) I get the idea of making it more interesting for the spectators, but they still don't give a **** about slower index classes. A good 4.50-4.90 index could be intriguing I suppose but t-stops or not, spectators don't care about 6.0-8.0 so I feel that argument is a waste of breath.
2.) what makes it more or less challenging with or without a t-stop? sounds to me like you've never tried to set one up. It took me a year of tuning and settings to get one dialed in and it's still not perfect. You're nuts if you think a bolt on your pedal is harder.
3.) About the roadster rebuttal, I would agree if this was simply a weekend bracket race/points race. I love seeing roadsters, altereds, dragsters, and door cars compete against one another. The variety is what makes bracket racing so cool for us sportsman guys. However, you'd have to be willfully ignorant to say that open bodied cars like tube chassis left hand steer roadsters, that weigh no more than a dragster, have a distinct advantage over a door car with even the best visibility.

quote:

Originally posted by RPROGAS:
Barona has been running the Summit Events and their Renegade Series for several years. Now there are looking to develop a couple of Index Classes, one will be a 5.80 heads up .400 tree no throttle stop class. Several other Index Classes are being considered so based on interest this may be expanded. I'm going to work on OPM sponsorship to increase the purse.

Bob

Awesome, the more index racing, the better. It's really fun.

quote:

Could you post up about when a roadster hurt your feelers? LOL

It's typically the other way around. Even still, it seems completely unfair. the only difference between a dragster/altered and a left hand steer roadster is your butt is mover 20 inches to the left. You think that negates the advantage of having no doors, roof, A-pillars etc. That's ridiculous. Not to mention how much lighter they are allowed to be.

Also, I have literally never seen a tube chassis convertible, but thanks for picking the one exception there could possibly be to justify your none existent argument. If a car was a factory convertible and has been caged to make it NHRA legal, I have no issue with that. I've seen a handful of them run in SST over the years and knowing it was a factory option, I can live with that. But those cars are back halfed with steel quarters and the whole 9, not a tube chassis pipe rack with a one piece fiberglass body that lifts off like a funny car (and also does not have DOORS). It's just a cleverly disguised dragster.

quote:

Originally posted by Nim Rod:

3.) About the roadster rebuttal, I would agree if this was simply a weekend bracket race/points race. I love seeing roadsters, altereds, dragsters, and door cars compete against one another. The variety is what makes bracket racing so cool for us sportsman guys. However, you'd have to be willfully ignorant to say that open bodied cars like tube chassis left hand steer roadsters, that weigh no more than a dragster, have a distinct advantage over a door car with even the best visibility.

I don't disagree, that's why I love mine. Now it does give you a different view from lane to lane differently than an altered but I get your point. Your throttle stop does the same by giving you an advantage putting you behind though. We all want to give ourselves the best chance to win. I do think that the biggest advantage of my car is cutting a light easier, rather than down track.

I wish we had more index racing at my home track. So many people here though will whine about wanting an index that matches their ET rather than working on their car. I have to slow my car for 6.0 index class.

Our last two points bracket races we have had spectators in the stands. Not a large amount but still it's something that I haven's seen in years.

quote:

I don't disagree, that's why I love mine. Now it does give you a different view from lane to lane differently than an altered but I get your point. Your throttle stop does the same by giving you an advantage putting you behind though. We all want to give ourselves the best chance to win. I do think that the biggest advantage of my car is cutting a light easier, rather than down track.

I wish we had more index racing at my home track. So many people here though will whine about wanting an index that matches their ET rather than working on their car. I have to slow my car for 6.0 index class.

Our last two points bracket races we have had spectators in the stands. Not a large amount but still it's something that I haven's seen in years.

The bulb is another aspect I didn't mention, being able to weigh so little allows roadsters the ability to hit the tree much easier.

And yeah, I try to get friends and other racers to join in on the index fun, but they are absolutely unwilling to make changes to their car. It's infuriating. I have set-ups for all the different indexes both with and without a t-stop. That said, my **** is slow so the t-stop doesn't really come into play as an option much anyway.

I have a friend with a SB Vega that runs about 6.00 wide open, he sprays about 100 shot for a couple of seconds to get to the 5.80 and does very well. This car is most always double entered in the 7.0 index also. Turns the bottle off and uses his foot as a throttle stop wheel racing the slower car and wins a lot doing this, again putting the race back in the drivers seat

quote:

Originally posted by Big Steve:
I have a friend with a SB Vega that runs about 6.00 wide open, he sprays about 100 shot for a couple of seconds to get to the 5.80 and does very well. This car is most always double entered in the 7.0 index also. Turns the bottle off and uses his foot as a throttle stop wheel racing the slower car and wins a lot doing this, again putting the race back in the drivers seat

He'd be the easiest guy on the property to beat in 7.0 lol.

Respect for the NOS to get to 5.80, that's working hard and making your **** versatile. Racers should be more like him.

No sir, he has won 3 times this year so far in 7.0, he is a wheel racing, stripe driving, throttle womping SOB

They do it all around here including backwards drags with the starting line in the shutdown area. Last weekend 3 local tracks all ran brackets with good crowds. The small low buck track ran 2 bracket races for all classes in 1 day.
Personally I will never go to a track that has a combined show, it never works out. I've been at a bracket, index, pro mod combined race, not enough hours in a day to get it in.
As for dragsters they have run index races for just dragsters. One track gave up on them, too much whining.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Steve:
No sir, he has won 3 times this year so far in 7.0, he is a wheel racing, stripe driving, throttle womping SOB

I dont care what those NDMFs allow that clown to do in butt-fukk egypt, that shmuck cannot and will not beat me like that. That's the easiest race to win if you have a room temperature IQ.

quote:

As for dragsters they have run index races for just dragsters. One track gave up on them, too much whining.

That sounds like a dragster owner to me. And I included an index in my list of possible classes for dragsters, but there are very few.

I guess I'm just stupid....I've always thought all you need to have fun drag-racing was to cut a light and run you dial/index....Doesn't matter to me if I open the door to get out or climb up and out out like a monkey...

We aren’t really adding some conversation about spectators and most bracket racing are we?
I will say our local show/spectator race of the year did have a quick 8 that was really fun to watch. Top dragster events are few and far between here. Most don’t really realize how fast the fastest bracket cars are.

quote:

Originally posted by imakehp:
I guess I'm just stupid....I've always thought all you need to have fun drag-racing was to cut a light and run you dial/index....Doesn't matter to me if I open the door to get out or climb up and out out like a monkey...

Agreed. If you wanna drive a roadster, fine by me. But:
1.) it’s not a door car
2.) don’t pretend it is
3.) it doesn’t belong in a door slammer class

Bracket race it all you want tho, if that’s what tickles your pickle.

It is a BRACKET RACE, as long as you put a dial on it I do not care what color the car is, Big block or small block, if it is a door car, altered, roadster or dragster. Really does not matter much ET as long as you put that dial on there.

Back to original subject I think the Index racing is better for spectators so if you can run one of those on a bracket racing night could bring in more spectators. Which lets be honest we need more spectators.

1. Heads up all out racing Top Fuel or No Prep what ever will bring in more spectators.
2. Index racing is somewhat spectator friendly.
3. Bracket racing is not that great a spectator sport.
4. Throttle stop racing, watching paint dry and grass grow is a better spectator sport. Quickest way to empty 90% of the people in the stands and get them to go to concession stand.

I do not mean that as an insult I know some of best racers in the Country throttle stop race, they have killer reaction times and drive the finish line tough. What I am saying is from spectator side of it.