There one point that needs to be stressed here..................it does make a difference if you have a car that can run a 10.0 and are racing a car that can only do a 13.0..............................staging and reaction time are what it is all about..................the first 60' of the race track will "tell the tale". I personally would rather run someone down (to me it's more fun) than have someone chase me. The Maverick comes on big time towards the other end and (during bracket racing only) if I can catch someone I can always put the binders on hard and take the win.................assuming I don't break out......................but don't get me wrong, if you can stage exactly the same everyting and leave in the .04 range you will see a lot of win lights.....................unless you have someone like myself next to you. Again, I can't stress enough times how important staging is.............the perfect stage would be roll into the first light...............then inch by inch roll into the next light until is is blinking on and off..........then roll another .125" until it is barely on..................if you can do this everytime the rest will follow....................go to this site and read some of the tutorials..............................this is not a "Free" site, but if you only join for the next 3 months it would be worth it. I had been out of drag racing for some 25+ years.......................and it helped me get back in the swing of things..................this may not be for everyone, but it is the best prep site for drag racing that I have ever seen.............IMHO www.ThisIsBracketRacing.com
I might get blasted for this but I'll say it anyways.....bracket racing is won and lost by the driver 99% of the time. Heads-up is won by the deepest pockets 99% of the time. I have ran in bracket and in a heads-up 6.90 class. Both were alot of fun, but in reality, they were both "bracket" races. It takes loads of money to be competitive in heads-up racing and it would be a lot cheaper and easiest using a FOX body platform as opposed to a maverick.
Here is a link to a Heads up group in my area, I have watched them race several times they are in thier own little world. Fun to watch but not my cup of tea. If I was to run something besides bracket class I would run a 10.90 index class or something similar to that. http://www.headsupnw.com/
I think the only track that does bracket racing out here is irwindale. Fontana is more road coarse orientated. The class i love out here is the pacific street car one, its kinda like the outlaw classes that they have everywhere else.
My reason for the test N tune, TnT usually $10-$15 get many passes, At our track, brackets are $45.00, two time trials and the competition is pretty mean. Learn to cut a light, don't get in the convertor so hard the car creeps out of the beams (a rookie mistake) leaner jetting usually makes it more consistant.
the only class I know that you wuld be competitive in would be bracket racing. most heads up classes are in the 5's in the 1/8
Maverick75, Get out and do some racing, then decide if you like it enough to invest more resources..............................any car hobby is not cheap, but in drag racing you start out with nothing other than a car....................and go from there. I started drag racing in the old SS classes some 30 plus years ago.......................and if I had all the money I spent on drag racing right now I could retire with little or no worries......................but I wouldn't take all that money in place of all the great memories and people I have met along the way.........................................just go out and have fun....................see if you love it enough to take it to the next level..................then the next.....................then the next..............it's a never ending story!!!! How about Fontana this weekend, race from 2/10pm for $20. How about 25/26th at Famoso. How about Pomona How about Barona on the 19th. How about Toyota Drag strip at Irwindale which has Thursday night races until November Just a thought...........................
I always liked heads up the best because you get to always try to go faster instead of trying to go the exact same every time, more like how drag racing was back in the early years. However, the negatives are it costs a ton of money and takes a ton of time, which are both big obstacles for most. Bracket racing can be really fun and is great for budget racing (and smarter too $$$), I did that for years, but I always wanted to test my innovation and engineering skills to go faster. It depends on your personality too. People that love to try and do something the same over and over usually do really well at bracket racing. Guys that are always changing stuff to try and go faster usually do poorly at bracket racing. Test and tune is fun, but it lacks the competition. The racers around here are really experienced and good at bracket racing and it can be hard to just win one round. I'd suggest just going racing as much as possible. Do test and tune and then try brackets to see if you like it. Come out to a PSCA or West Coast Hot Rod race and see how you like that. You can race brackets there and then watch the heads up guys, which can be a ton of fun.
Thank you for that insight. I have thought about it, heck my dream job would a an outlaw 10.5 drag racer. I used to go to fontana every weekend when they used to do the street legal class two years ago. But now they only do it once every two months. At this point in my life being 21 i merely dont have the funds to race. I pay 7k a year for fabrication school, in my job i only make around 13k a year and a huge chunk of that is taken away by taxes because i dont have any dependants. Add the cost of living to that and sometimes i barely even have enough to eat lol. I also have another hobby which is music. I have a solo project and i also produce songs for bands so that takes alot of my free time. But in two years when im done in school i do plan to participate in some form of racing and maybe get a job as a chassis builder. - Alex
Alex, I know what you mean, when I was younger I raced SS/IA with a Camaro I built mostly myself. I had a 72 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup and open trailer and visited tracks all up and down the West Coast, this is while having a full time job and going to night school to get my degree. I would usually sleep in the truck at the race track I was at and would go hungry a lot! I didn't have a lot of money and was married (to my first wife who never came with me) but I made a lot of friends that were in the same boat as I was and we all shared the love of drag racing. Back in the day.............each class was heads up...............part of the reason I love heads up racing today............The Maverick I have now is an old B/SM car, the chassis is old school, but the motor and trans are up to high 9's "on motor only" and just the thrill of getting out there............it really doesn't make any difference to me if it is "headsup" or "bracket"....................to stage the car as shallow as possible and leave as hard as I possibly (with a .0 something reaction time and under 1.5 60' time) is just A Total Rush for this Ole Guy..................the "bug" really bit me hard some 45+ years ago and it's still in my blood. I don't mean to drag on, but just wanted to say that some of the best times in my life were when I didn't have more than a couple of bucks to my name and was at the strip with my extended drag race family......IMHO
They almost need to set up a grudge racing deal. I've been to one or two of them out here and if you get some well matched cars, its a ton of fun. Almost like the old match racing days. The last one I went to featured 8 second cars and it was a blast to watch!
