Bracket Stock Car Racing?

[OldSchool+]

During the current (!) OSW thread pics were posted showing a boatload of drag cars waiting to get into the track. It was mentioned that it may be due to the "run whatcha brung" nature of the "rules".

Sparked a thought--for Bithlo, or really, anywhere, why not run a form of the same "rules" for stock cars?

That is, determine max and minimum speeds for each "class". Lets call them "novice", "intermediate", and "pro". Actually the speeds and division of classes could be fluid and change with car count, so all classes are approximately evenly filled. Pay close to the same money for all three, including a through-the-field payout.

Bring whatever you have. Qualify and see which class you start in. Like the straight line boys, run a certain % faster in the race and you "break out" and are disqualified.

Think of the racers mindset. Show up, no tech, guaranteed a spot in a lineup. Put a four barrel on your two barrel car? Run 80% left side percentage? No problem! Decent money is waiting regardless of what happens.

The track: No tech, and reasonable, or at least evenly split, classes.

The fans: Will it be mini stocks and hobby stocks running together this weekend or modifieds and late models?

Okay, now time for my meds...

[Matt Albee]

The long lines waiting to get into the dragstrip are identical to the long lines waiting to get into the stock car pits 30 years ago. Even 20 years ago. But along the way, stock car rules became more and more restrictive, and drag race rules have always been wide open. If a drag racer just wants to go to the track and compete, he can take his mother in laws' old Vega station wagon, drop in a 454 from his brothers' old pick up and go racing. All he has to do is pass basic construction and safety checks. There aren't classes per se in bracket racing, only clasifications based on how fast the car is. He can use any brand of any part. He can use any size and width of tires he likes.
I've seen the idea of "bracket racing" for stock cars discussed before on this board. But it's going to take one track owner to step up and try it. You'd likely have to run a separate class for a while instead of just switching everything over.
Any steel or fiberglass body of any year including convertibles, pick up trucks, and imports. No wheelbase minimum or maximum. 460 Cubic inch limit, 8 lbs. per cubic inch , single 4 barrel, any size and width of tire and wheel, any stock based transmission including automatics, and a complete cage with all existing safety equip. rules. Run the class every 2 weeks, or once a month. Find a sponsor or two for the class.

[OldSchool+]

Yep, assumed the safety items were a given, but good point.

Other than that--you mention (gasp, ugh!) a handful of traditional rules, but with the time/breakout rules they really do not seem necessary.

Re: track owners "trying it"--probably too "way out" for most (maybe for all humankind, actually {lol}), but then, Beethlo's event organizers are anything but the "usual" promoter types, they might give it a try.

Hey, as depicted, it seems to work pretty good 100' away...

[Phil Jacques]

There is a little more to bracket racing than you seem to be thinking of here buddy. The idea you have is an interesting one, but just as an example. The difference between Pro ET and Super Pro in bracket racing doesn't have as much to do with the cars speed as it does the use of electronics such as a delay box in the Super Pro class. In Super Pro you have mid to high 10 second door cars going against 8 second rails. There are a number of different factors. I'll see if I can dig out one of my old NHRA rule books from when I was running so I can go over them.

[OldSchool+]

It matters not in the land o make believe.

Further, Speedyworld and/or Circle Track bracket racing can draw from--but certainly is not limited to--what the straightliners are doing.

[ss82]

Look up the Bahama Brackets at Rockford. The rules, or lack of, and race procedures sound a lot like what you are looking for.

[OldSchool+]

And let's say either Bithlo is healthy and a guy can count count on races being held there every week--or at another similar venue that has races every week(Citrus?).

He could build a car to the "class" any way he wanted. That is, a used modified lightened up with the most motor and tire he could afford, for instance, and outrageous bodywork.

Where else is that car legal?

So the track could potentially build a field of dedicated cars that would come back every week. Good for the track.

The driver and/or owner could not race elsewhere at big shows, but they would know that going in.

On the other hand, if a guy had an old tube chassis dirt late model and was not racing it anywhere and was bucks down, he could build a junkyard motor and perhaps run it in the intermediate class--as opposed to not racing at all.

[Matt Albee]

You'll want to have totally inverted starts for crowd appeal. To keep "sandbagging" to a minimum, offer the same points for qualifying results as race results. Along with random lap time checks during the races, that should stop racers from trying to game the system.

[Phil Jacques]

You'll want to have totally inverted starts for crowd appeal. To keep "sandbagging" to a minimum, offer the same points for qualifying results as race results. Along with random lap time checks during the races, that should stop racers from trying to game the system.

We do similar here. We earn points for heat races. Not full, but some points. It absolutely prevents sandbagging and gives the fans extra excitement especially cause the order of the heats is determined by random draw and where you finish in the heat doesn't always determine feature starting position due to handicap system we use.

[Ryan29]

We do similar here. We earn points for heat races. Not full, but some points. It absolutely prevents sandbagging and gives the fans extra excitement especially cause the order of the heats is determined by random draw and where you finish in the heat doesn't always determine feature starting position due to handicap system we use.

That sounds very similar to the format used at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Vermont. And they still to this day, have great car counts and racing!

[OldSchool+]

"You'll want to have totally inverted starts for crowd appeal."--MA

Agreed.

The "breakout" rule will limit sandbagging.

I don't understand the points thing. Are we going to qualify, then invert for the heat, then invert the heat finish for the feature?

If you paid points for both, that would indeed help.

[dd38]

When I raced at Sunshine back in the mid 90's they would do a 4 week average on points then each week the person leading would start 15th. If you earned the most points for the 4 week average then you started 15. Then the next guy 2nd in points for that same week would start 14th and so on. The guy who is the lowest in points would start on the pole. Tha 16th place in points would start 16th. Just the top 15 would only invert.

[Phil Jacques]

When I raced at Sunshine back in the mid 90's they would do a 4 week average on points then each week the person leading would start 15th. If you earned the most points for the 4 week average then you started 15. Then the next guy 2nd in points for that same week would start 14th and so on. The guy who is the lowest in points would start on the pole. Tha 16th place in points would start 16th. Just the top 15 would only invert.

VERY similar to our handicap system. We go by money earned over 3 consecutive race period whoever won the most, starts furthest back to a certain point. I believe we only handicap the top 20 at Thompson, can't remember cause it's changed a few times recently and I didn't race last year but it's about the same general idea. Works very well.

[Phil Jacques]

"You'll want to have totally inverted starts for crowd appeal."--MA

Agreed.

The "breakout" rule will limit sandbagging.

I don't understand the points thing. Are we going to qualify, then invert for the heat, then invert the heat finish for the feature?

If you paid points for both, that would indeed help.

Going to have to disagree with breakout rule limiting sandbagging. My nova use to run 10.20s consistently, I would dial in at a 10.50 and go down to the end and dump the brakes and sandbag like a bastard. Went a lot of rounds doing that.

[Phil Jacques]

What I think you really are looking for OldSchool is something more like INDEX racing. Similar idea, but Index is based solely on ET and really doesn't have much to do with what the car is.