five7kid

iTrader: (14)

2005 Super Chevy Denver, August 19-21. I didn’t go to the Friday extra-entry-fee time trials, had to work. Showed up Saturday, first thing I did was run out of gas getting up to the gate (but I had 5 gal with me). Two time trials and then a “Bonus” jackpot race if you wanted to spend another $35. I have never gotten more than a round or two in these things, certainly never close to the money, but being a glutton for punishment, I put my $35 down. They separate the box and non-box cars for the first few rounds to give us poor footbrakers a chance, 210 cars total entered. My 1st round was an easy win, .2-sec advantage at the tree. Then half-way through the box class, it started to rain and they called it a day. They’d pick it up Sunday.

Sunday morning no TT's, I’m entered in the DOT class (mufflers & DOT tires required, no boxes or tranny brakes allowed). We run first; I have another .2-sec advantage at the tree, another easy win. 2nd round is called, I’m paired with a 11.6 sec 2nd gen Camaro, I see the last yellow, take off and my first thought was “I took too much light,” then my red light came on: -0.018. Grrrr. Oh, well, he had a .001 sec RT behind me. But, I’m still in the Bonus Race running.

After the nitro coupes, jet cars, and wheel-standers, they finally call us for the 2nd round of Bonus. I’m fed two 11- and one 12-second cars, and manage to come out on top. 4th round was my worst light in competition (other than the red, of course), 0.057 (how apropos) but the other guy bulbs and I move on. 5th round I get pulled over to the left lane because everybody was in the right, I cut a .005 light and take another win light. In that round, the wind shifted from a weak cross-head wind to a strong tail wind with cooler temp, so a lot of people broke out (the .050 advantage I had off the line helped keep me from that). They put us with the box cars and laddered the next round, based on 5th round RT – 7 cars left; I get the bye into the semis based on best 5th round RT. I go ahead and run it, 13.731 @ 98.55 MPH, the quickest and fastest it’s run at altitude (but wind-assisted).

Semis, I’m paired with a mid-10-sec Chevelle who has been tearing up the track; no box, but he entered the Bracket I race and went rounds in it against the box cars, and took out a box car in the Bonus Race quarter final. We do the lane choice thing, he wants right, I give it to him. Roll down, check the wind, dial .001 slower than my bye run because I also had to add gas again and I didn’t want to dial quicker than it could run if the wind died down. They got my dial-in wrong, we sit after our burn-out waiting for them to correct it, stage, and I take off. He’s not catching up; I brake in the traps, run .002-over and get the win light. He treed me .010 to .051, but could only run a 10.50 on his 10.43 dial. I’m in the finals against an 8-sec delay box rail – the first time I remember running a rail, certainly a car with a box.

After a brief cool-down, he wants right lane, I give it to him. I dial 13.72, 0.01 slower than I figured I would have run in the semis, not knowing what the wind was doing and what the car would do in this round-robin situation. He dials 8.78, enters the data in his box (he’s using cross-talk), we do our burn-outs and stage. I take off. I’m almost half-track before he takes off. 1000’, he’s barely to half track. I keep watching him in my right side mirror, I can still see him a ways back at the traps - I brake, go across the stripe, my win light doesn’t come on. I figured I broke out because I didn’t see him beside me until after I crossed the line.

Get the timeslip, here’s what it said:
He ran an 8.80 on his 8.78 dial.
I ran a 13.80 on my 13.72 dial.
He took 0.03 stripe (that’s about 4 feet; he was doing 153 mph to my 90.25).
I figure I would have run a 13.73 if I had run it out.
The real kicker: His RT, .047, my RT, .014.

Rats! $750 less payout because I couldn’t keep my stupid foot off the brake...

Still, my best outing at Bandimere in a couple of years. Too bad it wasn't an ET Finals-qualifying series.

cp87GTA

YEA, those fast cars do catch you in a hurry. Good job though. We have had a few all run races this year also. And no box cars win at our track most of the time. Don't know why. I did the same thing earlier this year, only didn't brake. Got nipped at the stripe by .007, and he went on to win the big money that day.

AlkyIROC

First rule in racing a car that's going to run that much faster than you.

Run your own race.

There's no way you can judge where he is or what he's going to do within the last couple of hundred feet. He'll come up on you so fast, you have no time to react to anything.

Run it flat out and don't hit the brakes. There's always a possibility of breaking out but it's better than slowing down and giving away the win. He's coming up on you so fast there's nothing he can do either except run it out and hope he doesn't break out. At those speeds, he has no way of slowing down before the finish line except by pulling the chute early.

Years ago my 15 second truck beat an 8 second dragster the same way. The truck slowed down slightly and the dragster broke out but I couldn't tell at the finish line it was so close.

You need to update your sig again

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I don't know about taking credit for a wind-assisted run.

Yes, I know I should have stayed off the brake. But, I thought I may have dialed too soft.

My 1st Super Chevy in 2002, first round I was up against a '57 in DOT class that dialed 9.70 to my 14.5. I told myself to keep in it, regardless of how far back he seemed to be. But, that time, I dialed quicker than I'd ever run, so I felt more comfortable running it out. I beat him by the difference in our lights.

irocbirdbuilder

hey five-seven do you have any pics of your car, i was showing the rs up there on sunday andkept ditching my car to watch the racing, i was looking out for the thirdgens, btw i was parked across from the red and white show tent on the end where the road from the end of the track back to the pits/staging lanes right on the end, wish i would have known you were gonna be up there so i could have met up and checked your toys oout

IHI

iTrader: (1)

Good run

Secrets that should'nt be posted, but will. Easier to bag one, typical Mod or Box cars are normally bagging .01-.04 nowadays, that's why the whoomp whoomp is usually the last thing you hear before their win light comes on.

Dont max out your motor, save about 5-1000rpm of power by short shifting. ex I go faster shifting at 7K, but I shift at 6 instead. this give you room to play if you 1. feel your car spin you can ccatch back up and race, 2. know you cut a crudy light you can catch back up and race....this saved my azz Sat. and allowed me to get the stripe .003, close enough for a win even though i got owned on the tree.

Faster cars have just as hard a time judging you as you do them. If you running a lot faster car, I like to try and dial tight and run it out nomatter what, or depeind on the driver of the fast car, I check their dial on me vs what they've been running and sometimes keep one i the bag and pull them through the back door on a double break out run sine they'll break out worse trying to get there, 3 races this year won with that one

Also, to make it harder for the bagging faster car to judge you, drive away from him and start drifting towrds the wall. Either lane dont mattter, the fact your still ahead of him while they're closing, the added angle factor really throws off the wheel racing. Check out the guys with the stripe on the window, if they're good they'll get you every time, but sine your driving away from them it changes the perspective of the line they had you pinned with at the starting line and throws them a fast one since the angle is now different....just enough to suck them out the back door for a break out.

If your in the finals, talk with your opponent about lane choice, find out what he wants. Just like poker he's showing his hand, if he says he dont care, but will take right lane....if your ahead of him in the lanes, jump in the right lane....mentally you just frazzled him. This is done quite often in box/no box run offs, the box guys have been around and will use whatever means necessary to win the pot. Sportsmanship or not, at the endd of the day who's cashing the $2K check and whos's getting the $1K....

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I stopped by to look over your car, but you weren't around then. I did see you when I was heading for the staging lanes, but couldn't stop then.

There's a picture of the car in one of my earlier posts in the Engine Swap forum. The "Fire in the Hole" thread has links.

I didn't have the Camaro out there this year.

Looks like you did okay yourself.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

IHI, I've decided to stop playing the lane game. I normally go to the right lane, prefer running there especially when I'm being chased. But, I always take at least one TT in the left lane, and ran the bye in the left because I wanted to be ready to run there.

There wasn't any "whoomp whoomp" as he went by. With his "poor" light and .02 off, he (or the car) probably didn't like the long wait. I played with them enough by not putting on my dial until I got down to the tower and had to have it on (can't change dial once you go under the tower per track rules) - I normally do that just so I can get a look at the flags on the score boards at the finish line. I do wipe off my last dial before I go to the staging lanes, though.

I'd rather lose clean than win dirty. And, they weren't messing with me.

84Grn

iTrader: (1)

Good job on getting that far I've only managed to make it to 5th round in DOT class with stupid .251 light Then I lost in 3rd round of bonus class to break out. So you did good job.