Anybody else running for points this year. I'm already signed up at Maple Grove for Street and Heavy.

 

I had considered doing it last year but I thought it would be pointless since I have an M6. I'll probably sign up at Quaker City Raceway for street. The first time I ever raced eliminations I made it to semi-finals. Ever since then I only make it as far as second round.........if I buy back. Go figure.

 

Not this year... I wanted to run points at Atco this year but neither me or the car is ready. But this year my new goal is to get me and the car ready to run for next year. And I'll concentrate on practice this year.

 

Grease, I know what you mean about a 6 speed. Fun on the street but hard to bracket race with. After 3 years I'm done with the M6. A nice Turbo 400 will be installed this spring just before opening day. Bracket racing is a skill but there is still the luck factor. Two years ago I won an event with a spun clutch. I lost it in the semi finals and coasted across the line 22.0 something at 49mph and won because the other car broke out. I put the car up back on the line in the finals and won because of a red light.


Brian, get with it. Your a pretty good bracket racer. You need to go against the points runners at ATCO. That's where you will really really learn. I got a bunch of lessons last season at the Grove but I'm even better racer now. I'm really looking forward to this year. There is a world of difference between the F-body events and the points racers. No flames intended on the F-body participants. I remember losing against a red camaro several years ago at a E-town trophy marathon.

 

New England Dragway on Sunday, Street, Modified, and maybe even Top this year if I get a box installed with a quick disconnect.

Oxford Dragway runs a King of the Hill bracket program. All classes compete and when a class runs out of cars they merge into the general population. Quite enlightening. Nothing like running dragsters in a street car.

In regards to the M6... I won Street at Oxford in 1999 for the season with a stick so it can be done.

 

i plan to run real street points and maybe some othe rlocal stuff at e-town or atco this year. i will be runnign my 71 grand prix for that stuff. the camaro won't be ready until mid or late season

later
tim

 

I might make a couple of trips to Atco's Saturday brackets and possibly run the Jeep in street. Time is limited until I finish school, so I won't be running points until 2004 - in heavy, hopefully .

 

WOW running a 94 Jeep in heavy. I know what you meant. Last season I had a better win ratio with the Trailblazer than the Firebird. That one was hard to explain to Linda. I hear for the 2004 season Heavy will change to 9.0 and slower. I think my next mod is a cage. Not because I run that fast but for protection against a 9.0 car loosing it next to me. What is Rick up to this season?

 

I know exactly what you mean Jim... Running in the F-body events is fun but the racers in general are not hard-core and usually are not good. Not that I'm a god by any means but to be honest with you the EFI events is not where you can really learn.

By practice I mean going to Atco a few times this year and running in the brackets... just not earning points. I'm sure I'll have my butt handed to me but you gotta start somewhere right?

BTW, what class do you think I can run in?

 

Brian, the cut off for street is 12.0. Think you can slow your beast a little? Next up is Heavy with a 10.0 cutoff. Of course you need a bar (or cage) if you into the 11's. I believe ATCO calles it Happy Harry's ET Street and runs on Saturday nights. Check ATCO's schedule. Heavy is even harder than street. I'll be at E-town in March to dial the car in. There's a Camaro vs Firebird on 3/22 and I'll stay and run in their real street bracket that night. I think that I'm going to be at Etown every saturday in March. The grove opens on March 31st. You are right...you need to go against hard core racers to get better.

 

Most of the time my car runs 12.0-12.2. It will dip into the 11's as the air gets good but that isn't normally the case June, july August, September...

I am fast enough to run heavy/mod, Super/Top, and slow enough to be in Street.

I like Street the best. I have had some fair success in Mod/Heavy but I like the idea of driving to the track, changing tires and racing. To me that is what Street is all about. Street, at New England Dragway is just as tough as any of the other classes. At Oxford, Street/Mod race together anyway and then we are mixed in with Top (electronics), Bike and Sled in the later rounds. Normally you need to go 7-9 rounds to win. It gets harder as the rounds go on...

To be consistent on w eeekly basis and go rounds requires a decent car and driver. It is that simple. Anyone can get lucky one day out of the year but look at the points leaders at the tracks and you will usually find the same names near the top year after year. That is beause the total package of prep, consistency, driving ability, experience is a good package almost every time. Some of the top points guys don't even win that many races, but they almost always go deep into eliminations.

At New England Dragway you usually need to average between 4-6 rounds each week to have a shot at the top ten.

 

For now it sounds like Street is the class for me. It will run low 12's all day, and if the air is right it can dip into the 11's just like tnthub. No bar for now, but that will be one of my goals this summer along with a major weight reduction and some suspension work to keep the 60's more consistant. Right now I feel I can be somewhat compettitive. But I really have to work on my reaction times. I do know that cutting .575-.600 lights isnt going help me win.

Jim, my car will be officially off the road soon. It will still be driveable and "legal", but I now have my brothers s-10 to drive around while he is over in Iraq. The Garagemahal is going up in less than 3 weeks. I'm going to park it in there and get to work. Hopefully I'll be a little bit lighter in the spring. If I get a decent tax return I'll put a bar in it with some of that money. I'm going to run in a few of the brackets at Atco and see how I do. Next year I'll start running for points. Atleast thats the plan

If for some reason the car does run in the 11's, I can easily slow it down with a few minor shift point changes in the pcm and keep it in the 12's for Street. I'd rather go that route while first starting out.

 

Brian. I didn't drive my car on the street that much last year. I may drop tags and insurance and just race the car. The Grove is tightning up on the street class. They may require inspections, insurance, and tags. I'll just hold off for now and see how thing go. I do need to loose some major weight. The A/C, cruise, sway bars, and rear seat will be removed for this year. The cutoff was 13.0 for the Fall Pontiac Nationals. I added 50lbs to the car for the event and still ran 12.87 in a bye run in the semi finals. I hope to be running 12.50 with the auto and weight reduction (150-200lbs).


TNT at my local track no one really dominates. There are about 25 hard cord racers. Every race is a struggle (even 1st round) . I was able to hold my own with the stick but want to do a lot better......I want to dominate the class.

 

Exactly. It's the same guys that go rounds every week and the same guys that stay at the top of the list every year. There are a few that really dominate too.

I'm not a big fan of staying in the street class years after going to the bracket finals though. I think once you've mastered street you should move on so the new guys aren't so intimidated that they quit. That seems to be common thing at our track. The same guys kick butt in street every year and there are no new guys that stick around - because they can't. I'm a big supporter of the rule that you can't run points in both street and heavy.

Anyway, Rick is doing well. The car isn't quite figured out yet though. I don't even think he's going to run points this year...

 

I run Modified (heavy) at Oxford. Finished 9th for the year and it is a king of the hill track where all classes funnel into one winner/runner up. No class trophies. I made it to three finals and won two of them, both against box dragsters.

I still drive my car to and from the track. I believe that is the essence of Street ET. If you tow it, move up. However, the other guys in the top ten at NED in Street all tow their vehicles. I even drove mine to the bracket finals and back (Maine-Ohio).

I am planning on running Top this year as well (electronics). The top ten and then some in Street at NED are all good enough to win in any eliminator on any given day.

Modified (heavy) has about 130 points vehicles. I finished about 35th... And we one guy who really stands out, covered the field by almost 20 rounds last season. I lost twice to him this last season by about .03 on the two races combined. If I can work up the money for a truck and trailor I plan on running modified and top in the Camaro and Street in the pickup.