I mean, we've all seen a guy break on the starting line and his boy goes down flat out and under by a tick...

But the good racers don't usually lose rounds like that

I looked for the example I wanted to use for the slow racer not looking over deal & winning both races. Couldn't find the social media portion to help with my memory. It happened about 5 years ago. So, I'm not going to comment anymore about it.

Now for me not looking over for my chasing opponent. I'll only use it for a specific reason. During eliminations I had a race with this turbo-charged VW powered dragster running 200+ mph. I can't judge a 75+ mph closing speed. It's easier to not look, because if I do. I would be tempted to do something stupid. Now, if that car broke or didn't break. Regardless, once I started looking for whatever reason. I would probably continue to the finish line & do something stupid. Yes, I won that round of racing.

quote:

Originally posted by B KING:
We have a different approach to the heads-up racing. Our drag racing quads are very unique & we use them for bracket, index & heads-up/grudge racing. Sometimes during a weekend event we run all 3 styles of racing. So, you have to be selective on what ET you show or not show.

I'll use one example: We had run brackets & Index all weekend. We had ran a 6.30 Index & chose to dial in the mid 6.30x range. Then we went to heads-up grudge racing afterwards. After beating two quads, we couldn't get any more races. One guy said, "we thought you only had a 6.30 quad".

Here's some 2 crappy videos taken by an unknown spectator at Irwindale, CA. 1/8 mile. This guy had a stretched & lowered Hayabusa with all the mods, including nitrous. He was adamant that he wanted to race me. Even more determined to race me. After I told him, he shouldn't mess with this quad. As with most Racers when they haven't seen our quads run. I will post up some better video, another time. The 1st video, I backed into him pretty good taking the minimum finish line margin (like a true bracket racer). He fell for the Con job on that run & wanted another try. This time he said he was going win, because he was going to use his nitrous. I laughed, because he didn't know I was holding an azzzload on the 1st run. He lost again, with me backing into him again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQlYKXQHPAE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQiJp_yILIM

It's quite simple for me, in my bracket dragster I have it setup to do almost everything I need it to to help me possibly win a race. In top bulb class, there's no reason that you can't be 10-15 thou total every time, and even then (and I know some people here already posted this) some of the best can get inside 10 thou packages all day long. As far as the tree, I don't hit it twice with the cross over stuff but I do utilize a bump down. I set it up so I can take an average hit and bump it once to be .00x or if its worse than 15 I can hit it multiple times. Eventually, I plan on upgrading delay boxes to have the bump up feature along with the bump down so that those moments when you flinch, you aren't going red. Down track, that's the fun part. Change the game plan as much as possible. Dial honest, which means you have to perfect the car to be consistent. Hold a few and drive it to take less than 10 thou. Hold as much as you know you can safely get rid of and make the race look completely different and make your opponent mess up. Then, you can take into account the nitrous override button if you have it setup. This can change the race completely if you can discipline yourself enough to be able to know when and how to use it and really help out in sticky situations.

Its been a while since I posted but if Ed is back then so am I ! Mr nc3x58. You certainly seem to have this all figured out. However, I would like to pick your brain a little more on the use of nitrous. When is it that you decide to use it ? Right off the line when you know your late, mid track when you think your not gonna get there/ he's catching me too quick, or at the mph cone when its needed to take the stripe ? I usually end up screwing myself when I use it. Looking for some advise.

Here's a better video of one of our 1/4 mile quads. When IHRA & NHRA decided to allow quads run at their events. My son kept bugging me to covert our quad over. I finally gave in, but told him. I needed to test the set-up & when & if I felt comfortable with it. He would be able to race it. After a couple years of R & D testing/racing. I turned him loose on it. Both He & I have had great success with it. Many wins 1/4 mile, 1/8 mile, 300' sand/dirt & hill shooting. This was a very versatile combo for head-up, bracket, index & grudge racing.

This is video of one of our slowest set-ups.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kAUaEZA1Os

quote:

Originally posted by SlyFox:

quote:

Originally posted by Big Steve:
Honestly I find it allot easier race 1/4 mile, you have way more time to think about it but then having the extra time to think can bite you in the ass sometimes

I hear that all the time. If your opponent has the same extra time to think, how then is winning any easier?

Also, since you're typically nearing the finish line by the time the race is playing itself out, speeds and closing rates are higher in the 1/4.

The speeds and closing rates are higher, but they are also more of a constant than a variable. The acceleration rate of both cars is much lower by 1100-1200 feet.

As Steve already stated, the decision making and execution are easier, but not necessarily the winning.

I always had the slow car, 10.70's 1/4 6.60's 1/8 so I had a bag of tricks and strategies. racing 1/4 mile at super Chevy at indy the first year any gm powered car could race, driving my Pontiac which already had everybody *****ing because of the Pontiac engine. I won by holding 5 every round, right after I shifted to 2nd gear (t-400) I would lift all the way off and right back to the wood killing my 5 and then run it all out to the stripe. The first 6 rounds I never took the stripe and all 6 opponents broke out. In the final I took the stripe and won.Roger Gustafson(then owner of super Chevy) told me that in 25 years I was the first non Chevy powered car to win super Chevy. I used that method several times with success. I also have my brake lights on a momentary switch mounted on my dash for 1/4 mile night raciing against fast cars say 8.0 and faster give a bunch of brake lights at about 7-8 hudred feet and they start rolling off the throttle/dragging the brake enough they can't get there unless they spray it,if I used that method I dialed more honest. It worked several times, once every track went to 1/8 I never tried it. And I spent 3 test and tune sessions to perfect the fake stage fail,you know when you're opponent accidentally rolls in deep and turns out the top bulb and you are crushing the button or bumping up so to be sure not to red light because you know your opponent most likely will after his sloppy staging procedure. yeah well I used that to coax a 30 something or worse light out of my opponent more than once. there are all kinds of ways to win at bracket racing.

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Insano:
Its been a while since I posted but if Ed is back then so am I ! Mr nc3x58. You certainly seem to have this all figured out. However, I would like to pick your brain a little more on the use of nitrous. When is it that you decide to use it ? Right off the line when you know your late, mid track when you think your not gonna get there/ he's catching me too quick, or at the mph cone when its needed to take the stripe ? I usually end up screwing myself when I use it. Looking for some advise.

Sorry I missed your response. Here's the definite thing I've learned over the years from watching friends and other opponents use it... You have to know what the car will run prior to staging and have a game plan. Now, this game plan can always change, but you have to know what's going to happen when you change it. If you plan on holding 2 for instance, purge the bottle as normal (even if you don't plan on using it, it can be a "scare tactic" Maybe not on everyone, but some people freak out when they're about to pre stage and hear "PSHH"). Say you spin or KNOW you are late, this is where learning to judge your RT as you leave is helpful, if your .020 late, holding 2 can cover that up. If your .040 late, give it a hit to make it look like you'll get there but you have to get rid of it. Rule of thumb, if you use it in the race you will typically have to get rid of what you spray, unless your game plan has already accounted for it.

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Mitchell:
I also have my brake lights on a momentary switch

I used the brake light switch a long time ago, when I was being chased most of the time.

I also used my turn signal with a gradual move to the center line. It didn't go over well with one opponent.

Dang - You guys are a tricky bunch...

quote:

Originally posted by Mopar Traitor:
Dang - You guys are a tricky bunch...

Pretty sure that was a sarcastic comment, doesn't really matter!

Them two last elementary tricks I mentioned, were very early in my racing years. I consider my tricks now as more of strategy from school of hard knocks. While my tricks/strategy is above average, they don't compare to the top racers in the sport. I tend to think I have one trick/strategy that no one has used, but reality sets in. If you think it's unique for tricks/strategy, you have the rude awaking coming. The top racers have butt loads of them tricks/strategies in their arsenal.