Bracket Racing vrs Heads Up Racing

I didn't like the idea of running someone in the final round who had lost in the first round.
An interesting twist to this was the Mulligan,buy back before the first round and you could use it in any round,seen a final round that was acually run twice.
Also heard of a double tech card buyer who had to run himself in the final.

Tim

 

I have bought back and "split to the top" and refused first round bye runs AND staged my broke car knowing I couldn't run and watched the other side go red! Littleman sums it up pretty good. Larryt, I had to race one guy running 3 cars one night, also ran his wife , daughter and son in law! Most of the bracket racers here have started draggin slot cars. peace

 

Sounds good, but buyback would let Casey make more passes, I aint saying buybacks are cool by no means, but I have had to exercise the buy back a time or two

 

Keep in mind were at a Nostalgia event, were having fun, you just missed third gear, and you know you can go faster, would you still not want a buy back????

I love drag racing!!!!

 

I hate to say it but everyone who is trying to make heads up racing work better and make the cars more even is basicly REinventing modern bracket racing. You guys want side by side racing at the far end, (dial ins) you talk about car lengths (dial ins) you want fair and even races for the slow cars, the fast cars, the little guy who is there for the first time, and the 30 year vet with the blown alcohal yada yada. (bracket racing bracket racing bracket racing). some of you say you get frustrated when you get beat first round, that is not because of bracket racing that is because of you and your car, you had a fair shot at beating that other guy, it doesnt matter if he had a dragster or a pinto, you could have won!!! Now how frustrated are you gonna be when your in your flat head ford whatever and they pull you and the guy with the blown hemi thing heads up!!!! first guy to the end loses!!!! I can see how some spectators would like watching heads up, but after a while, even the guy in the stands can tell whos gonna win a race before it even starts, but not at a bracket race!!!! Hear about the guy who was build a kustom??? He wanted something different about his car so he made square wheels and had custom tires made, looked cool but didn't work worth a $&%#, so he had the 4 corners cut down, better but rode like hell, finaly he had them turned in a lathe, worked GREAT!!!! Turns out he invented the WHEEL!!!!

 

first round buy backs are a good thing and it raises the pot by ten bucks or what ever it is
and keeps it going longer and gives the first round mishaps a second chance

 

I don't like the "handicap" start much myself. I think it's because it gets abused....too much time between the time the 2 cars launch. If they put a limit on it, like a couple tenths or something. This way, it just kinda appears like one driver "slept' a tiny bit. I really hate when one car goes out a hundred feet or more before the other "chases", and the 2 are only near eachother for a very brief time, very near the end.. Chases are NOT races.

 

At our events we run on indexes.......10.00, 10.50, 11.00 etc.........from 8.75 to 14.00............gives everyone a chance to be competetive within thier budget........no throtle stops, no electronics.............run under your index, u lose. Most races are decided by thousanths..........

At the Thaw, if it's gonna be heads up, we won't bring the 9.75/10.00 index Galaxie, but something that will have a chance of out running everyone.........in my opinion, for a nostalgia race and to put everyone on a level playing field, run time trials, put a dial in on yer car and race. Yes, we are coming just for the fun of it, but folks we don't go racing to lose.

The Galaxie in the 1/8 mile....3200 pounds, 10.5 tires , 4 speed and more than likely around 6.40 et........or so..........

Mark

 

I really don't think this post has any thing to do do with the hamb drags.

 

It doesnt have anything to do with the Hamb Drags specificly.It just has to do Nostalgia Racing period ...

 

I guess heads up/handicap depends on whether you want the cars close at the start or the finish of the race. If you want both, indexes are the easiest way to put the cars that run the same together. Nothing wrong with grudge racing either.
Pick your poison.
Larry T

 

I have been studying the posts here, as well as the original post. I still stand by my original way to level the field is a few classes with financial and claimer limitations.

How about this as an alternative to figuring how to make the above idea work. Racers pay a minimum enrty fee....... get to race all day, no prize money, no classes or brackets, no rules, no winners or losers. The racers get to pound on their car all day, nothing to gain, nothing to lose...... you just have fun pounding on your car. Sort of something like time runs all day. If two racers want to settle a grudge run..... fine.....what ever they set between themselves, bragging rights or money, it is between them only.

If you want to get creative, you can offer nice trophies for Best Appearing Car/Crew, Biggest Wheelstand, Longest Burnout, Fastest Pass of the Day, the Racer That Traveled the Longest Distance, maybe a Hard Luck Trophy.

If there is a need for a winner and loser, set up and pay 2 or 4 top cars and promote a match race between them alone. For the fans that need to see a winner and a loser....that should cover that aspect. Everyone else races just for fun.

 

I like Big Block Bill's idea. I go to these events because I like seeing old stuff getting driven down the track. I don't care if it's a 17 second Flathead T or a 9 second Hemi powered A, it's fun just to watch or participate. How often do you get a full day at the track of only nostalgia vehicles? It's cool just to see them all run. That way, I don't have to lose interest in the racing when it comes down to a guy in a '73 Pinto racing someone in a '75 Camaro. I also don't get the need for a winner; all the ego/competition bs...that's half the reason I can't stand sports.

 

My experience has shown me this.

You want people in the stands? Heads up.

You want people in the staging lanes? Brackets.

I've had fun doing both. All good stuff to me. Any time I can go as fast as I possibly can is a good time.

I dig the index idea. Everyone should be able to play, and the spectators won't get bored.

 

My experience has shown me this.

You want people in the stands? Heads up.

You want people in the staging lanes? Brackets.

I've had fun doing both. All good stuff to me. Any time I can go as fast as I possibly can is a good time.

I dig the index idea. Everyone should be able to play, and the spectators won't get bored.

 

Except for that gawd awful Super Comp. It's heads-up, but when the 1st car's spotted in the staging lanes, the crowd runs like roaches when the lites R turned on.

 

I like your idea the best so far.No classes ,no winners ,no losers ,just grudge matches and bragging rights .I freaking love this concept .as casey pointed out earlier ,"it costs more to get your car to these events ,than you could ever hope to win "..

 

Big Block Bill's Idea is like test and tune nights last time I went we got 3 runs in too many cars no spectators.
I still think that index is the way to go

 

I love you. (In a macho manly way)


I have the HAMB Drags on my to do list but have not made it yet, but I am going to put it higher on my list now.

 

Very true on the normal import vrs late model Stang test n tune thing ,but if it were 64 and older hotrods only racing ,it would be packed in the stands,test n tune style or not ...

 

Big Block bill has the right idea!! I just want to race, don't care about money, trophies, just wanna go fast! The Shocker is right on 64 and older. But brackets are like watching paint dry!!

Clyde

 

drag racing rules!!!!!

 

But brackets are like watching paint dry!!
Or like watching a snow man melt ...

 

People who say they dont like bracket racing have either never done it, or have done it, lost right away, and say "Stupid bracket racing". When the only person to blame is you!!!!! I go bracket racing and so do alot of my friends. It would be pointless to race some of my friends heads up cause I know how fast they run and they know ho fast I run. If my friend runs 11.50s and I run 12.00s, mmmmmmmm wonder whose gonna win that one??? on the other hand I can race my friend in eliminations (which I have a few times) and its anyones game!!! Win or loose, THATS FUN!!!

 

Let me share a story with you.Back when i was 16 around 1989 -1990 ,i used to race a 67 Malibu i had at the Strip in Ardmore Oklahoma.It was my race car ,driver ,only car,so i had to try and roll everything into one with it.It ran respectable 13's for what it had and the little bit of bread i had to put into.It was bracket racing at this track mind you ,so i either had to take part in it or not race.I tried to make the best of it and bracket with them.The regular winners at that time always came down to two guys .One guy had 69 Camaro with a delay box ,shutter box ,and more $ in the car than i had even heard of at that time in my life (proly $30,000 then)and it ran low 10's if i remember right.The other guy had a 85 or so Cadilac Fleetwood 4 door that ran a blazing 21 or 22 in the 1/4 .They would run handicaped and usually the guy with the Caddy would win .I on the other hand was doing good to have the money for gas to get to the track at 16 yearsold and got wasted in the eleminations by a guy that had a 65 Dodge constantly(who would sand bag his way to the semi finals every week).After a while i kinda got discusted with the whole scenerio that was going on there and realised this isnt what racing is all about.Its about going as fast as you can with what you can afford ,not playing games with a time clock and your oponet ,to get a win .It sure was my idea of fun .The point is i have tried it ,lost at it because i didnt have the money for the gagetry to make my car consistant at my speed level at that time,so gave up on racing until the Nostalgia events started getting big again in my area.When i saw that it was a heads up type format , igot into racing again.The whole reason i started this thread was because i had heard that sum were pushing for Brackets at the Nostalgia events .Now i see that its not gunna happen ,and i see that the majority like the heads up deal like i do.As far as im concerned this thread was a success...

 

I love your input. wanna race ! their's a handful of Flatheads in texas that will not even bother racing me just because they think I will win and don`t think giving car lengths is racing so they just don't race at all
what fun is that

 

Well said Scotch, I would just like to add, they don't put grand stands at the finish line....

look at nostalgia drag racing as a car show, that moves fast....I don't go drag racing to nostalgia events to win money, trophy etc...I go to have fun. Run my car as fast as it will go. I really don't give a shit if I win or lose the race....best place I have ever seen a FED was in the lane next to me as he was blowing my doors off...What I do care about is the car lined up next to me...if it is a nostalgia event, the car should at least look the part...I don't enjoy racing a tubbed out chassis, bracket machine....I can do that at the weekend bracket races.

 

I think, as far as filling the stands goes, first, if it is a NOSTALGIA EVENT, that is the draw. Car show, swap meet and drag racing, if it is NOSTALGIA DRAGS, it would be an addition to the regular racing activities. Either way, the stands would have their respective following.

 

You got it Gus.....I just focus my hate on the possum play'n puke's in the super classes....

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys ,although i figured there would be more opinions than this...