[lilred86]

I'm thinking of running my '86 LX 5.0 T-5 at the Muscle Car event at Atlanta Dragway on 9/5/09. I would run in the Sportsman/Street bracket which is 13.00 and above. I have gone to the strip only once which was earlier this summer at a test and tune night. My best time was a 15.89 (I accidentally shut off at the first timing light) and my reaction times were all in the .4 range. I treed everyone I ran but we were all novices. My car wouldn't hook up after that. My cluthces in the Trac-Loc are 23 years old and worn out. Any advice for launching my 'Stang to cut down on the wheel hop/spin? I have the original 2.73s and the original Trac-loc. I have replaced the shocks and quad shocks with original replacement Monroes. I had launced at 3000 but I think that is way too high. I was really getting a kick out of hearing that 5.0 rev though Any advice will be appreciated.

[kazman]

Seem like the right class to start out. I've never been to the Atlanta track and don't know the skill level of the competetion. It is part of the Summit bracket series and pays money. My gut feeling is that the competetion may be tuff. The stick shift just makes bracket racing much more diffulcute. We have a street class which goes 19.99 to 11.50. Competetion here is very tuff. A .060 or greater light is considered bad and better be able to run dead on your dial. Rule of thumb it takes 4-5 full seasons of running points to reach a point of being able to hold your own. When I first started out I had only 1 round win in 21 races. I do a little bit better now 9 years later. I'm still learning every time I go out.

I would recomend that you read the how to stickey on the top of this thead. BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN are the key works. Try to get to as many T&T as you can to get seat time. The bracket events are burtal and you may only get one time shot and go right into eliminations (2 runs for the day and done unless you spend $$$ for a buy back. Then if you lose the buy back round your done).

Most here don't bracket race because it is brutal on the ego. Hope you keep at it. If you have any questions post here or shoot me an IM. Let us know how you make out. Good luck.

FYI: the skill level of the competetion is less when racing at "fun" events rather than the "points" series. Events like street wars, street legal, imports vs domestics. ford day, ford vs world, chevy vs world, muscle car day, etc. Usually these races attracts beginners like your self. Again good luck be safe and have fun.

[RLG34750]

Originally Posted by kazman

Most here don't bracket race because it is brutal on the ego. Hope you keep at it. If you have any questions post here or shoot me an IM. Let us know how you make out. Good luck.

Ego has nothing to do with it.....

The majority here are not afraid to run "all" they brung......

My brake pedal is inoperative until 1350 feet pass the start line.....

[kazman]

Originally Posted by RLG34750

Ego has nothing to do with it.....

The majority here are not afraid to run "all" they brung......

My brake pedal is inoperative until 1350 feet pass the start line.....

Reg, the Ego I'm refering to is the fact that one loses a lot in brackets. For some it can get old real fast especially when you lose to a slower car. It takes a lot longer to build braket racing skill levels as opposed on learning how to launch and run it out the back door. As far as run what your brung and hope you brung enought comes down to how much $$$ you have. How fast you can go directly depends on much $$$ you have in your pocket. I normally run all out durning time shots and my hold only .02 on my dial. Knowing how to tap the breaks in the box (last 60') to scrup a few hundreds is part of bracket racing. IMO most here don't know how to bracket race nor want to spend the required time to learn. Instead they make excuses of how they hate the brackets. That not intended to anyone here personally just how I see things (on other sites too). On this site if I posted that I had an .008 light and ran a 14.157 on a 14.15 dial no big deal. On the other hand if I posted that I have a new PB taking my nearly stock '07 into the 12's...well I would get an overwelming good job. Yes it's hard on the Ego but I choose to bracket race. We do have one thing in common.... we do things on the track on not the street.

FYI: I do at the end of the season play the go fast game. My PB on the 'stang is 13.14 @ 104.68. Hope to better that in the great MD October air.

[RLG34750]

i don't ever recall the mention of .oox light

no matter how slow the car is that either takes luck , skill combination of both but certainly is worthy of compliments.....

IMO most here don't know how to bracket race nor want to spend the required time to learn. Instead they make excuses of how they hate the brackets.

i think most of here know how to bracket race which IMO is entry level racing.......

I start bracket racing before many of the ones here were even born......

so far as afraid to learn i don't think so.......

i have taken the game to another level......

It takes a lot longer to build braket racing skill levels as opposed on learning how to launch and run it out the back door.

if i didn't care about the car i'd let you drive it to totslly disprove the lack of skills required to launch and run a 9 sec car out the back door......

just from my experience takes much more skill than tapping the brakes when you are 3 car lenghts ahead......

There is nothing wrong with bracket racing but to compare it to skills needed to compete heads up is like comparing apples to oranges......

again just my opinon & nothing personal your type of racer is a gloried sand bagger

[kazman]

Originally Posted by RLG34750

i don't ever recall the mention of .oox light
That's my bad. T&T "racers" don't worry about RT.


no matter how slow the car is that either takes luck , skill combination of both but certainly is worthy of compliments.....

Luck is where skill and preparation meet.



i think most of here know how to bracket race which IMO is entry level racing.......

Ok bracket racing is putting a dial on you car. Light is stagared to give the slower car a head start equal to the dial. Cut a light and run your number. That is the limit of what most people here know. Lot more to it that that. Do you know how to change the car to cut a .040 better light? What's the strategic advantage of having a car run 12.0 at 118 as opposed to 11.30 at the same mph? Advantages of having the faster car, disadvantages. What about a slower car advantages? Advantages of deep staging? How to deep stage with autostart? Autostart...exactly how does that work? Cutting a light in full sunlight as opposed to twilight or night? Why would I stage at an angle? How to head to the (inside/outside) corner of the finish line to pick up or scrub ET? I haven't scratched the bracket racing surface.


I start bracket racing before many of the ones here were even born......

so far as afraid to learn i don't think so.......

i have taken the game to another level......

It's a lot easier for me to shoot for a personal best as opposed to put together a winning package to get another round win. Bracket racing has become a lot more competive in the new century.

if i didn't care about the car i'd let you drive it to totslly disprove the lack of skills required to launch and run a 9 sec car out the back door......

14 second Mustang was fun this year and last. My low 11 second Firebird (sandbag setup to run a 12.0 index) is on the trailer. After 2 years my knee is finally well enought to climb over the roll bar again without pain. High 9 second shoe box Nova is once again available to me next season as is a 7.90 dragster (if I choose to licence to 7.0). Nova is a handful from the 1000' marker. When it's really running good the 60' increases....due to the rear tires braking the beam. Personally I perfer to run in a foot brake class but can adapt to top bulb racing with the box.

just from my experience takes much more skill than tapping the brakes when you are 3 car lenghts ahead......

Fun events yea you get 3 cars. Div1 most MOV's are no greater that .04. Try making a decision to tap the brakes or not against a 9 second car in the other lane coming by at 135mph vs 99mph when your in the box (last 60' in front of the finish line). By the way I ran out that .008 and dead on with a 7 and lost to a better package. Winning MOV was .000x which was a about an inch.

There is nothing wrong with bracket racing but to compare it to skills needed to compete heads up is like comparing apples to oranges......

Comparing cents to dollars. Actually thousands of dollars vs ten thousand of dollars. See the tree flash, let go of the transbrake. Hope your checking account is big enought to allow you go fast and straight.


again just my opinon & nothing personal your type of racer is a gloried sand bagger

I race on the entire track including the top end. I have an ex-wife and have been called a lot worst than sandbagger. Humm never seen them spell sandbagger on my track checks.

[RLG34750]

Simply amazing......

I'm sorry me nor my spell check understands the concept of sandbagging......


trust me i do a lot more racing that T&T
also when have a enough car under you R/T is not as critical....

But have had my share of .00x lights......

[mmb617]

How on earth did this thread turn into a debate about which is harder, brackets or heads up?

You guys both have good points, but it is two entirely different things in my eyes, requiring different skills. How can anyone say one is harder than the other?

You guys are talking about high level racing in either case, while I think the OP is more interested in grass roots type racing. Even in bracket racing when it's for money things get more serious, and the level of competition rises.

A couple of observations to the OP if I may. This year is the first time I bracket raced in any type of points competition. Mind you I'm talking about a small local track, nothing big time about it. We race not for money, but for trophies and bragging rights. At the end of the year the top 5 in each class get a jacket at the awards banquet. So this is for fun only. Not to say we don't take the competition seriously, but we do recognize that losing isn't the end of the world either.

I only hope you can find a place to race and have as much fun as I'm having this year. The other "regulars" in my class are all good guys and we hang out together in the pits between rounds. The two guys who have been trading the points lead back and forth this year have both been racing at this track for 5+ years. I understand the comment about "hard on the ego". New guys with little racing experience (kids mostly) will sometimes get very upset because they lose a lot. Some of them quickly give up, but the ones who keep coming back soon start losing less, and before long they're the ones sending the newbies home. There is no substitute for experience, and no way to get it but to keep coming back.

I guess what I'm trying to say is even though winning is way better than losing, racing and losing is still better than not racing at all. At least at the level I'm talking about it's all for fun. If it ever stops being fun, then I'll stop doing it.

Don't get me wrong, I want to win every time I go to the line. I just try to keep some perspective if it doesn't work out that way.

[RLG34750]

I didn't start it......

I guess my 9 sec ego got in the way.....