Handicapping????

[jacko241]

Need more than 8 cars... A NSS Sportsman field should have pills up to about #14 with the way they are pulling cars. THAT would work.

Yes, that would be the way to do it in my opinion. Obviously, on the smaller fields you would invert less, percentage-wise.

[scottgarrity07]

Need more than 8 cars... A NSS Sportsman field should have pills up to about #14 with the way they are pulling cars. THAT would work.

Screw that. HANDICAP!!! That way EVERY driver is handi-capable of a chance to win!

[Phil Jacques]

Screw that. HANDICAP!!! That way EVERY driver is handi-capable of a chance to win!

I am not disagreeing with you, just giving an alternative option. I prefer Handicapping 100% over anything else ever.

[scottgarrity07]

Inverting by pill is the lazy way out and is being used in some way, shape or form at most places now anyway. It either makes the heats mean nothing or if it is used to just set the heat lineup, it ends up just putting the fast guys up front for the feature.

[scottgarrity07]

And to be clear....You would need to make this change at the beginning of the points season to be fair to everyone. In no way am I suggesting that it be implemented midstream of the season.

[OldSchool+]

"...nothing would make me quit racing EXCEPT forcing me to 'bracket race'."--Scott Garrity

Wow, such emotion! I thought it sounded like "instant car count" to me.

Not that anyone listens to me (much less "making" or "forcing" anything {lol}), but we don't want an outside chance that Scott will quit (!), so I'll get off that.

(for now, at least...)

[luke81]

Many of the tracks I raced at in the past all did it the same way: Pill draw for heat position, invert by points from position 1-18, and 19 on back were the B main guys. Now since Florida hasn't seen enough cars for a B main since a hundred years ago you just mix that up a little. Say you have 20 cars. 2 ten car heats, lined up by draw. Top 6 in the heat go into the invert for positions 1-12, bottom 4 in heat take spots 13-20 by their heat finish. This makes the heat races mean something and still rewards the fast guys who get to the front of the heat.

[dave41]

invert

points system worked for us years 60s-80s I point for every 10.00 dollars paid . low points start front, high start rear. win,you start rear next race. I used to bitch about it . we never got to start up front. we had good car count. gate ,a-dale and st. pete outlaw mod. did run that way.

[scottgarrity07]

points system worked for us years 60s-80s I point for every 10.00 dollars paid . low points start front, high start rear. win,you start rear next race. I used to bitch about it . we never got to start up front. we had good car count. gate ,a-dale and st. pete outlaw mod. did run that way.

That sounds like a good and simple system, Dave. What did they do with new guys with no points? And was this total points for the year up to that point or just for like 3 or 4 weeks? I don't like pill draw. Fastest guy still has a good chance of starting top 5. In a handicap they never can. I also like that everyone in front of you is rated slower than you (except non transfer cars) which gives you the opportunity to pass cars almost anywhere you start. As a driver, to me, it's all about passing cars....

[dave41]

reply

3 race average ,lay out a week don't count . new start in rear 2 weeks to see if they are not a hazzard

[scottgarrity07]

3 race average ,lay out a week don't count . new start in rear 2 weeks to see if they are not a hazzard

That sounds like the best AND easiest to understand system I've heard of yet. By the third week the "new guy" has enough points to be in the handicap. Genius in its simplicity. As it was before, this still would be the best way to handicap racing the way it is in Florida today too. Thanks for the awesome info!

[ozzy42]

I'm all for inverting according to 4week average from points.
That's how they did it when I raced (long,long time ago lol).
It gave everybody a fighting chance even if they didn't have a hotrod that week.
It was an honor to start in the back. It meant you were doing something right.

And it should be the announcers job to educate the fans to the situation so as to build the excitement.

My .02 worth

[jacko241]

3 race average ,lay out a week don't count . new start in rear 2 weeks to see if they are not a hazzard

Dave, when you say if you lay out a week, it doesn't count, what do you mean? Sorry for being a little thick.

[scottgarrity07]

Dave can correct me if I'm wrong, Joe. What I think that means is that if you miss a week it doesn't count in your average. Miss two and then I feel you need to take some kind of hit in the handicap to encourage loyalty. Up nawth missing a week was really penalized because you were credited with a win and a half that week. Racing season here in FL is waaaaay too long to be that strict and a rule like that would hurt participation, not help. I think giving a guy a mulligan for missing just one week is a good idea. Like I said, the season is long. Family commitments, illness, wrecking, mechanical failure and running out of money are all real possibilities that are likely in a long season. Being a little forgiving would be a better option here in FL.

[jacko241]

Thanks Scott. I agree with you that there needs to be a limit on the punishment. I only intend to run every month or so, and it would kinda be a drag to know every time I come I am in a deep hole.