[68Chevele]

This weekend at the local track it was 1st NHRA Sportsman Nationals for the Div 5 guys. Now here's what I did not like to see, the class call Super Street which is a 10.90 index is bombed by all these S/G and S/C guys trying to turn the wick down for the slow class. WTF? something wrong with the other classes? or are them guys just that sheety drivers? I think I will get the car ready for next year, foot braking and all as my little 406 only runs 10.90's to go out and have some fun My stocker friend says you need big mph to win those races and my thing is THE ET ALWAYS WINS THE RACE PALLY, but he says I'll get killed out there. If I need more mph I can always use the bottle. Never understood why guys want to ruin a class for us less fortunate guys.

 

[Bob Tiley]

More mph allows the driver to leave soft on a throttle stop and catch up to the opposing car and just get slightly ahead to beat it without breaking out. Once they pass you they can let up so as not to break out. It is a big advantage in bracket racing. A lot of those cars can run 150 to 160 mph or better in the quarter and they just adjust the throttle stop timer to get the desired ET. You could still win if you can run a 10.90 every round but that usually doesn't happen. With a faster car you can make up for a mistake and just hunt down the opposing car and just get slightly ahead of it to steal the win.

 

[Geo71]

I don’t know about that index class, but alot of them around here are on a Protree. I have only raced protree a few times and I foot brake. My car reacts too slow to cut a good light, so I just guess at it. The index classes that allow the throttle stops/ delay boxes and trans brakes I don’t understand them. There is usually a 8.0 index that doesn’t allow any of that, I am not experienced enough to slow the car down that much.

 

[396325]

Theses classes are just a different form of bracket racing, difference being NHRA gives you the number you have to run. It’s BS that you have to have big MPH to win. If you’re a bracket racer you will see the same games some guys try to push you under with big MPH slow guys add a few hundredths to the box and brake others set to run the number. At the end of the day the best Package wins. If you can keep your car around the 10.90 mark go for it. We had a local Div 1 guy go to the semi finals with no throttle stop and foot braking it, not easy but possible.

 

[Alex_NY]

Several advantages come to mind when slowing down an 8:90 or 9:90 car to the 10:90 class

1) You leave soft (as mentioned by Bob Tiley), so you have less issues with hooking the car.

2) less wear /tear on the engine

3) The electronics + throttle stop allow total fine tunning of the race, something a footbraker can not duplicate over and over.

I personally like flat out races and do not like "slowing it down" by seconds - as a true drag race, it is more like a video game

A

 

[RICH1965]

More mph allows the driver to leave soft on a throttle stop and catch up to the opposing car and just get slightly ahead to beat it without breaking out. Once they pass you they can let up so as not to break out. It is a big advantage in bracket racing. A lot of those cars can run 150 to 160 mph or better in the quarter and they just adjust the throttle stop timer to get the desired ET. You could still win if you can run a 10.90 every round but that usually doesn't happen. With a faster car you can make up for a mistake and just hunt down the opposing car and just get slightly ahead of it to steal the win.

Honestly that sounds like fun.

 

[VORTECPRO]

This weekend at the local track it was 1st NHRA Sportsman Nationals for the Div 5 guys. Now here's what I did not like to see, the class call Super Street which is a 10.90 index is bombed by all these S/G and S/C guys trying to turn the wick down for the slow class. WTF? something wrong with the other classes? or are them guys just that sheety drivers? I think I will get the car ready for next year, foot braking and all as my little 406 only runs 10.90's to go out and have some fun My stocker friend says you need big mph to win those races and my thing is THE ET ALWAYS WINS THE RACE PALLY, but he says I'll get killed out there. If I need more mph I can always use the bottle. Never understood why guys want to ruin a class for us less fortunate guys.

They run on a pro tree 4 tenths light, that will be your problem.

 

[Steve69SS396]

They run on a pro tree 4 tenths light, that will be your problem.

Why would that be a problem? I've always preferred a pro tree. I hate waiting for all the ambers on a sportsman tree.

 

[mrpaticular]

I think foot braking on either tree is the easiest. Trans brake on a sportsmans tree you would need to be first on the second amber just to set up. Then you are waiting on the tb for the other car to light their second amber. They might be foot braking and while you wait on the brake your trans is heating up.

 

[427L88]

PS on a unrelated note - i truly dislike watching those index races. Sure , its another skill set, but to me its akin to watching unmanned MACHINES race one another. Not entertaining in the least unless they crash and burn at the end.

ON a related note, the pro tree seems easier to get a handle on than the rolling downhill bracket tree, from a purely novice POV.

 

[ET4636Alleycat]

Just to clear up some things. Super street competes on a 5 tenths pro tree now and nitrous is not legal for the class.

I’m actually getting my 65 chevelle ready for this class next year. Current combo runs 10.50s with 467 big block 990 heads and solid flat tappecam running on a 93/110 fuel mix
3400 lbs with me in it.

minimum weight for the class is 2800 lbs

 

[VORTECPRO]

Why would that be a problem? I've always preferred a pro tree. I hate waiting for all the ambers on a sportsman tree.

Its hard if not impossible to be competitive on a pro tree with no trans brake and a heavy car, it just can't react fast enough, same goes for my cars as well.

 

[ET4636Alleycat]

Its hard if not impossible to be competitive on a pro tree with no trans brake and a heavy car, it just can't react fast enough, same goes for my cars as well.

That is 100% correct and you are not allowed to deep stage either.

honestly if someone knows you are foot braking they will play starting line games such as immediately full staging by rolling in just to rush you and make a mistake.

 

[68Chevele]

That is 100% correct and you are not allowed to deep stage either.

honestly if someone knows you are foot braking they will play starting line games such as immediately full staging by rolling in just to rush you and make a mistake.

I love messing around with guys heads when they do that crap. My car will never overheat and I can idle it all day to play games and other things to get in their heads. Hell, one time I was eating a burger on the line and the guy looked over at me and I got him off the tree as he red lighted. I used to use a sec. throttle stop on my car at the local 1/8 years ago and everyone always misjudged the car and as soon as I left the line my car looked like a wet blanket coming out of the hole. As soon as I hit 3rd gear I hit the button and then they would chase me down but it was too late, almost all broke out. I think it would be fun to go and have some fun out there. Also the Super Street class there was 3 amber .5 tenths tree, not a pro tree and NHRA was running the show this past weekend.

 

[BillK]

I was just telling someone the other day that I would love to build a "natural" 9.90 car that would run right on the dial every time. If you could cut a good light I think you could do very well with it. The big mph guys wouldnt know what to do coming up on you.

 

[novaX522]

They run on a pro tree 4 tenths light, that will be your problem.

I thought super street was a 5 tenths pro tree

 

[p40]

i think they need to get rid of the throttle stops delay boxes and trans breaks and go back to good ol seat of the pants drag racing , hell if u take away all the electronics in drag racing most of the drivers would suck at foot breaking just my opion

 

[ET4636Alleycat]

I was just telling someone the other day that I would love to build a "natural" 9.90 car that would run right on the dial every time. If you could cut a good light I think you could do very well with it. The big mph guys wouldnt know what to do coming up on you.

I actually think that’s what these classes were intended to be for. Throttle stops really killed the spirit of the class in my opinion.

Im hoping this new combination we are putting together will be close to a true 10.90 car but I know I’m bringing a knife to a gunfight here

the problem with not running a throttle stop is when weather conditions drastically change the following day

you never want to be in a position to where you can only run a 10.92 that leaves your opponents a ton of room to work with if they know what they are doing

 

[BillK]

I actually think that’s what these classes were intended to be for. Throttle stops really killed the spirit of the class in my opinion.

Im hoping this new combination we are putting together will be close to a true 10.90 car but I know I’m bringing a knife to a gunfight here

the problem with not running a throttle stop is when weather conditions drastically change the following day

you never want to be in a position to where you can only run a 10.92 that leaves your opponents a ton of room to work with if they know what they are doing

You could always run the old school throttle stop that you set manually.

 

[ET4636Alleycat]

You could always run the old school throttle stop that you set manually.

I’m running one now with the current combo and the problem is that big changes will effect your reaction times

normally that wouldn’t be an issue but NHRA has you run time trials and eliminations on different days