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Today at the local track was the "Top Performers Invitational". The top season points earners were invited to a National Dragster Challenge event to run it off.
I qualified in 3 classes based on final season standings - 3rd in Pro ET (top 32 invited), 2nd in Street ET (top 16 invited), and 1st in Run Tuff (similar to NHRA Sportsman ET, top 32 invited). We got two time trials per class, then on to eliminations. They used a sportsman's ladder based on season points position (#1 ran #17 in the 32 car field, #2 ran #10 in a 16 car field, etc.). The results pretty much mirrored my season standings - I went out 2nd round of Pro, semi-finals (3rd round) of Street, and won the Run Tuff finals.
They also had a "King of the Track" run-off between the Super Pro, Pro, Run Tuff, and Street champions. They drew pairings out of a hat, and I got paired with the Super Pro champ, an 8-second dragster (with a box, of course). He broke out by 0.004 against me, the Pro racer won between the two in the other first round. Then the Pro champ, against whom I have been 0-3 this year, bulbed -0.002 against me in the final.
So, 4 "classes", one semi-final, two Wally's for the day.
I was going to say if you were in 3 classes and didn't get at least 1 Wally, someone should knock you upside the head. Getting 2 out of 4 is fantastic.
While we were waiting for the first round, I started contemplating what it would feel like to go out first round in all three. It didn't seem like something to look forward to.
I was paired up with the same guy in the 2nd round of Run Tuff that I ran in the first round of Pro. Although the way we got there wasn't quite the same both times, the results were. I do know what it feels like to lose to the same person twice in a row, as it happened to me a couple of years ago in back-to-back jackpot races.
The car also ran another new best-at-altitude today, even though DA was in the 8500-9000' range most of the day with a slight head wind.
Over 3 days of racing this weekend, 31 round wins, 5 finals, 4 wins.
Not everyone, but I hear many do. I don't understand it, though. My loses this past weekend:
- Got tree'd
- Anticipated the light and red lit by -0.042
- Car slowed down after I dialed down, I had the tree but not enough to make up for the dial-in error
- Had a 0.003 light but the car picked back up after three slow rounds starting with the loss above, I didn't back off enough and broke out
From the weekend before:
- Had the better light, gave back the stripe by 0.0047 seconds with a 0.043 package
I lose just like everyone else. What's really telling is the next-round win record of those to whom I lose - it's not even close to 50%. More like 10%.
I think so. Might still be one step too rich, but it isn't having the issues it had been having all summer. It's a bunch crisper, and it shows up in every interval down the track.
It still did a 0.08 ET swing round-to-round during the day. But, I wasn't the only one having those issues. In the Run Tuff semi-final, I was paired with a gal running a "Junior Comp" dragster. We were 1-1 during the season against each other (she won the first time, I won the 2nd). Other than putting a 0.001 to 0.029 light on her, she broke out by 0.034. Since I had just broken out in Street ET, I dialed down for this round.
Kind of sweet to stage the car you drove to the track, while in the other lane is a purpose-built car with Dad, Mom, brother and boy friend helping them, with a weather station in hand (I leave mine in the pits), and you spank 'em good. I even gave them lane choice.
__________________ 86 Camaro tired 305 low output only heaven knows how many miles on it. Lunati cam, Edelbrock torquer intake, Holley 670 Street Avenger Carb, Hei distributor, Headman headers, 373 gears, lock rite locker, shift kit, 2500 rmp stall converter. Best 1/8 mile time so far: 8.89
Hmmm, I remember being double bulbed, but don't remember an older 'Bird. I thought it was the diesel truck that DB'd me, but don't remember that for sure, either. No matter, when it happens, I just take my time lighting my top bulb, and do what's normal to light the bottom one.
A few years back there was a guy at Bandimere who won two Wallys in one day. But, in that case, if I'm remembering this correctly, one of the races was a make-up for a previous rain-out. Regardless, it's still rare.
This being a tournament between the top points earners, you would expect some good performances. When you run your dial-in to the thousandth with a zero and win the round, the track gives you a personalized "track record" plaque. On Sunday, there were 7 winning track records, two by one racer, and two others who ran their number but lost (one on a red light, the other due to a worse light and the other racer, the one with two that day, also ran the number that round).
I suppose I shouldn't complain too much about this weekend. They had a special race sponsored by the track fuel supplier, names of track customers drawn from a hat for a field of 16, most of them Super Pro cars. I was paired with a 7-sec rail first round, tree'd him, he broke out. 2nd round I was paired with a 9-time track champion running a high-9 sec Chevelle, didn't get the light on him but he broke out worse than the rail. 3rd round I changed my dial to what the car had been running, paired up with an 8-sec 4th gen, didn't have a very good light but the car picked up, tried backing off at the stripe but broke out by 0.002.
