NHRA Official Qualifying Changes

[skidaddy]

I never have been able to hit a curve ball. This off-season/pre-season is gonna make me strike out!

i feel sick. NASCAR is starting to make sense to me.
RUN THE 16 FASTEST CARS... or 12 if it rains or whatever

 

[Kelly]

Terry....check your PM's, my friend.

 

[lmhb oyf]

I suppose. Drag racing is no where near as simple as the uninitiated would think. DO think. But where is this huge dangerous scoreboard going to go?

I think the complexity of it makes it all the more interesting.

All they have to do is add a second portable TV screen or use the existing one that they already use on the top end. They could have the times up when not running replays and change it to each respective class when they're running. Not hard at all and in no way massive or dangerous.

 

[yoda]

Yeah - what T said. I just don't understand why there can't be a Saturday night session. If you have a problem on Friday, this should even things out...

Because, as we have seen too much of in recent years, the weather can be a mutha****in *****...and it can put good cars and drivers on the sidelines.. This actually may be a good idea out of Glendora...

 

[John Lindsay]

Why don't they just let murf mckinney pick the field and assign each car a spot as he sees fit ?????

 

[Sid]

I still haven't read anything that takes the pressure off of performing well on Friday night. Although Mike Kern's Indy observations were very interesting....

 

[D]

this is a discussion board about the NHRA and we are discussing a change the NHRA is proposing about how racers are going to qualify for a race. Several of us aren't exactly happy with what is proposed and are voicing our opinions about it (freedom of speech and all that). There have been postings on this thread that are positive about the changes as well.

If you aren't happy with the content that is posted here, then start your own message board where you can sing praises to the NHRA all day long.

Well put

S/F
D

 

[PJ]

We all know how well the petition worked.

ahh but there were changes made to your precious countdown weren't there

 

[PJ]

My thinking was take for instance Chicago last year where the bump was a 4.59 now the crew chiefs won't have to go for a mid 50 when there's no way the track will hold that kind of number. I'm not thrilled with this format (I would have preferred a late afternoon/early evening Saturday session) but it's better than giving provisionals to the top 10 or averaging the four qualifying runs together. The other point I was making was that at least there was a problem with the qualifying format that they are trying to address, whereas there was nothing wrong with the points system. I guess when it comes to Glendora I've adopted the theory expect the worse and when you get anything less it seems better than it really is.

Ok that makes sense if they are in the show then they wouldn't need to press as hard and it could lead to less smokefest. The ones not in don't have to worry about hitting a mid 50 when all they need is a 70 to get in. I'm not sure if thats how it will play out but on paper it seems reasonable in that matter

 

[PJ]

so nothing is really locked in on Friday. If the weather does suck on a friday and everybody runs great on Sat then they could bump all of the 12 Friday time slots?



Seems like it would have been easier to either move Friday's session up 30-60 minutes and move Saturdays last session back 30-60 minutes.
It wouldn't have made them the same time but at least closer. Either that or just say the top X amount from each day will make the field.

on the surface I'm not liking the way this reads but I'm willing to ride it out.

 

[Paul]

ahh but there were changes made to your precious countdown weren't there

Just like I said there probably would be changes to the system, but the Countdown is still here like I said it would be.

http://www.nitromater.com/nhra/11439-countdown-poll.html#post106359

 

[Nitrohelper]

Lets call it the Litton-Zizzo rule. .

Here's a philosophy for ya if you are a "budget" team; sit out Friday and take your shot in 2 attempts on Saturday for 4 remaining spots.
Great idea if there are only 12-13 "good" cars

I was calling it the "Rich Guys" rule yesterday, but you raise a good point. If the track gets hot on Saturday,I think we could call it the "Paul Smith Party" because tuners used to going down less than perfect tracks, (match racers,or IHRA), would be smiling at two runs to get in without killing your parts on Friday night.
Of course NHRA will cut your number of pit passes,but you don't need as many crew members to lose first round on Sunday. Just like the last three "filler" cars at NASCAR that run the first few laps ,and go home.

 

[Toejam]

About 10 years ago at Phoenix the Friday sessions got rained out, thus leaving just the 2 sessions on Saturday. That was some of the best qualifying sessions I've ever seen! Even when racers did smoke the tires they would peddle whatever they could out of it! Maybe reducing the weekend to 3 sessions might help all of this?

 

[Rajunz]

..............there was nothing wrong with the old format, it made you bring your A game to all sessions................

Wrong, at a lot of races last season it made you bring your A game to ONE session. Don't believe me, go to NHRA.com and read through last summer's qualifying results.

Wouldn't it have been simpler to have moved the 4th session to Saturday evening?

The problem with moving Saturday to a night session is you would also have to move Sunday's start time up to allow the teams to prepare and rest up for game day.

 

[Sully]

I think this will mainly affect Pro Stock. How many times have we seen two sessions on Saturday where the quickest car in each session was slower than the bump time that was set Friday evening? It's not going to do much to reduce the tire-smoking problems that have plagued us the past couple years in the fuel cars - the current Goodyear spec tire just does not like hot race tracks and there is precious little margin between a good run and tire smoke, especially early in the run, where the current tire shakes even on good runs.

 

[Rajunz]

so nothing is really locked in on Friday. If the weather does suck on a friday and everybody runs great on Sat then they could bump all of the 12 Friday time slots?

So what, that most likely would have happened anyways without this change.

Seems like it would have been easier to either move Friday's session up 30-60 minutes and move Saturdays last session back 30-60 minutes.
It wouldn't have made them the same time but at least closer. Either that or just say the top X amount from each day will make the field.

on the surface I'm not liking the way this reads but I'm willing to ride it out.

Moving Friday's to an earlier time slot? If that's what I'm hearing, that would be horrible for the fans. The only reason that they run Friday Nights is for the fans. Who wants the show to end before the sun goes down.

 

[PJ]

So what, that most likely would have happened anyways without this change..

relax dude, not meant to argue just trying to make sure I understand it. Friday isn't really locked in at all then

Moving Friday's to an earlier time slot? If that's what I'm hearing, that would be horrible for the fans. The only reason that they run Friday Nights is for the fans. Who wants the show to end before the sun goes down.

I'm not saying run it at 4 in the afternoon. I don't know what time they run it now but lets say they start at 7, move it to 6 and if saturdays last sessions starts at 4 than back it up to 5.

 

[Rajunz]

relax dude, not meant to argue just trying to make sure I understand it. Friday isn't really locked in at all then..........

Sorry PJ, you just took that out of context, perhaps I should have added this.......

I think the main issue with moving Saturday is it becomes another wasted run as far as data for Sunday's eliminations. I've heard alot of teams complain about running Friday nights, but it's there for the fans.

 

[Johnny Mopar]

I think the main issue with moving Saturday is it becomes another wasted run as far as data for Sunday's eliminations. I've heard alot of teams complain about running Friday nights, but it's there for the fans.

The fans would love a prime time, Saturday evening session. That would have been the easiest and simplest change.

 

[PJ]

The fans would love a prime time, Saturday evening session. That would have been the easiest and simplest change.

Fans would love it but the teams do not. By the time they do the normal after run work, then pack up the car for the night it would make for a very late night. and thats if all goes well and nothing breaks. That would lead into an early Sunday am for eliminations.