So in response to the big money topic, something I've been wondering for sometime is what is the best et/mph for local Saturday night racing. Talking dragsters primarily.
4.60 and 70 combos are the most popular and get recommendations all the time on this site for new builds, but I don't think most tracks can consistently hold that power late into a local Saturday night race.
What do you think?

For local stuff only, I would say mid 4.70's to mid 4.80's is a good goal.. Gives you more mph than the 4.90-5.10 stuff (which locally I see a lot of around the smaller tracks in N.E. Ohio)

Love my SBC 5.50 door car, chase most door cars and slows up the finish line view against most dragsters.

Just be.00 take .00 game over..

Around here 4.70's pretty common and rarely see track be issue even in late rounds. Have seen some 4.20's go rounds running dead on, but get bitten in late rounds.

IMO 4.60 to 4.80 range is good for both local and big money deals.

I have a couple of thoughts on it...
One is, have a car that run in more than one class, to give you the most chances to race, if your budget allows. Dragsters are limited to 1 class.
Second is, be at one end or the other in the ET break. As in, if Mod/Pro minimum ET in the 1/8th is 9.09, have a high 8s, low 9s car. If quickest ET is 5.00, have a 5.teens car. With my '69 Cutlass, footbraking in Top, I was the slowest car, 7.80s-90s. Dragster guys hated running me, and I picked up a few round wins giving them the stripe as they broke out.

With my '81, I'm in the slower middle pack ET wise for Modified, and lower end for sure in Top, 7.teens-20s.