Don't know if it was me, the car or the track.

First time run I figured I would be about 30 on the tree with what I had in the box. I was .033 so just about what I assumed. Next run I pushed it a little bit, I was running a friend and didn't want to look bad and I'm .005 so all good. Didn't change anything. Time for eliminations.

First round my opponent forgot to put his car in low gear and rolls the lights and I get distracted and I'm late. No big deal. Next round he buys back and I have to run him again. Switch lanes and I'm dead late with an .088 for the loss.

We have first or second round buybacks so I buyback and this round I'm pretty sure I hit the tree but I'm .289 and luckily for me my opponent goes red.

I rolled a hundredth out since I still don't think I was that late but this time I'm .219 on the tree and my opponent is .017 and dead six and I'm done.

I looked the car over slightly, checked the trans brake solenoid and everything looks okay. I'll do a more detailed inspection today. Normally I blame myself 99.9% of the time if I lose but I just can't believe I was that late twice in a row.

Anyone have any thoughts? Delay box problems? Track timing problems? Just didn't seem right but like I said it's probably just me. Next race is Topeka and I dang sure don't want to drive that far and get my butt handed to me because of something I overlooked.

Any thoughts?

Do you have grid or any type of logging to compare to?

Those are rediculous late hits if you usually don't have them in your program. Leading me to believe something is wrong.

Tough to say though....

Other thing is you sure your concentration just wasn't there. You should not be seeing or caring about anything your saying in the previous comments.

I don't even see when I go red on bottom bulb if I'm concentrating, nor do I notice other car leaving when chasing. Don't even hear anything anymore...or it's not registering.

were you crossing over? had issue with late light, track put handicap in on dial-in boards but system dropped tree like it was a time run. So I have opponents dial added to my box, subtract that from your actual reaction time and that's what you would have been...if that was the issue

I don’t know how a racer figures he will go .03x on the tree with a delay box in time trials or how you push it a little. I know if I go .03x I missed it and am always trying for a .000 in time trials but almost never change my box until I have repeated a certain range to where I feel good changing it. I have been racing long enough to know real close to what I need to run so I would say you got an issue with your car. I would start by checking all your settings to be sure you didn’t bump a setting in the box.

If you are using Grid 7730, it has the ability to check the delay box for delay consistency.

quote:

Originally posted by markemark:
If you are using Grid 7730, it has the ability to check the delay box for delay consistency.

Really how can i find this. So much to learn from these boxes.

I've fixed a similar problem more than once by swapping out the transbrake solenoid.

quote:

Originally posted by 23taltered:
I've fixed a similar problem more than once by swapping out the transbrake solenoid.

I agree with this.

I have had the red mushroom button go bad and give erratic reaction times.

Problems like this make me glad that I footbrake without any gizmos.

Trans brakes,buttons,and boxes can cause all sorts of problems I guess.

Vern - email me the worst run and a good/normal run from your Racepak.

how to email a Racepak log

quote:

Originally posted by RacerVX54:

quote:

Originally posted by markemark:
If you are using Grid 7730, it has the ability to check the delay box for delay consistency.

Really how can i find this. So much to learn from these boxes.

I used to have a link to the DRR Posting on “Grid checking delay box” but it no longer works. If someone still has this link please post it.

Here’s how Grid can be used to check the delay box accuracy and consistency.

Take the Pink Step 1 wire and run it to your TB button input on your delay box. In Grid Data Acquisition / Start Recording tabs program Engine RPM above to a value slightly less than engine idle and program the AND to be Step1.

This is what happens. When you push the TB button after you stage, Grid will start recording.

Here’s what you’re going to be looking at in your Data Acquisition after the run. From the time Step1 input “de-energizes” or goes low to the time the Launch Input goes low, should be “very close” to the same amount of time that you have programmed into your delay box.

What you want to do is get several acquisitions, zero to Step1 release, and then overlay them. Knowing the programmed delay for each run the differences in release should be the same time period from Step1 release to Launch release. You’re looking for any inconsistency in this time period.

You also need to expand the DA to the very largest possible to set the cursors for an accurate reading of the difference between Step 1 and Launch release. The value in the Time Difference box should be very close to the delay setting and should repeat almost exactly in multiple DA Reviews.

pulling the wheels out of beam,broke pipe?

X3 on the trans-brake solinoid, had a similar problem this weekend went from teens to .1xx in the later rds, gonna pull the solinoid and even if it looks ok replace it, it's a wearable part that we forget about.

Alright, here we go. Might be a little lengthy so I apologize in advance.

I glanced at the transbrake solenoid on Sunday but that was it, just looked at it. Today I unloaded the car and put it up on stands. I looked everything over pretty well. I could find nothing wrong suspension wise, no broken tubes, no cracks, nothing.

The solenoid is the pancake style. Since we have a lot of rocks around here I have a cover on the solenoid that a friend built for me. Anyway, I was worried that maybe a rock had gotten between the cover and the plunger and was dragging or something of that nature.

The cover had actually slid forward and wasn't even covering the plunger. So much for the rock protection. It is held on the solenoid with a hose clamp. I took the cover off but I didn't like the way the solenoid looked and it has been on there awhile so I went ahead and changed it.

Anyway, hopefully that has the problem fixed.

Now, Mr. Green. What can I say, I guess my powers of concentration are severely lacking. I'll have to work on that. At lunch we discussed this but everyone there agreed with me that someone rolling the lights is distracting.

I don't know how it could not be for you but I'll take you at your word. I staged first and as soon as he turned on his stage light his car lunged forward. I just don't see how you could not see that.

Unless you're running a blinder and once you see his prestage light you go in and block everything else in the other lane.

As for me guessing what my reaction time was going to be I've actually gotten pretty good at it over the years. I don't try to "murder" the tree in the time trials. I also don't change my box till eliminations.

Last race at this same track (our home track) I had the same numbers in the box for the first time trial as I did this race, I was .033 and next time run I was .045. I then took out what I thought I needed to and was .001 first round. Not saying that I'm super duper on the tree because I'm definitely not but I think I pretty well have a handle on it.

There is always room to improve so I'll do some more thinking on it and maybe even try running a blinder. I know several that do, maybe I need to try it.

I am not saying the rolling the beams won’t distract anybody but we aren’t talking going from a .030 to say a .080. I don’t know that I ever had a .2xx light even when I let go before bulb even came on then got back on the button I was only .1xx at worse so I think you got something going on with car not driver to be that late.
The point about trying to kill the light on time runs is to try keeping concentration the same all the time.

quote:

Originally posted by Cashflow:
There is always room to improve so I'll do some more thinking on it and maybe even try running a blinder. I know several that do, maybe I need to try it.

I used to see people rolling in deep or doing odd stuff all the time. I started taping my shield so I only have a very small window to look through. I flip it down after prestaging, and flip it up when my front wheels are still in the air.

That's in my door car. In the dragster, I need my shield down during the run and don't want to narrow my field of vision at the finish line so I've never done anything with that.

I think you'd know if you let go .2xx. Good call on the solenoid change; I used to change them every year but I've switched to the larger sealed solenoids that I think should have a better life span by not being exposed to all the dirt.

Cash, dont let these knuckleheads make you start second guessin yourself. If you where that late you would have known it. Somethin done broke. Check and make sure you didnt have somethin come loose up front thats hangin down in the beams behind the tires. Did the car sit there when it should have been leavin or did it feel normal?

Yep, don't change anything about your routine, even for time runs. Otherwise you may mess yourself up and further confuse the issue instead of figuring out if the solenoid change fixed it or not. Just like the old rule about tuning a carb or anything else, only change 1 thing at a time, (in this case the trans brake solenoid). Any additional inspecting you can perform may find other potential gremlins, but as for the ****pit motions you go through, stick to what you do. Good luck in T-Town.