87 iroc with a carb supercharged 355. The only track I have acces to is New England Dragway and it is a IHRA track. I want a class that runs heads up but is not full of 8 second cars. I am saying ym car will run anywhere from low 12 to high 10 when it is done. DOT tires, full exhaust, full body etc etc

 

I don't know of any "heads up" classes for slow vehicles unless it's part of some special event. (All F-body, All Mustangs etc)

At least 90% of all drag racing is bracket racing. In IHRA you're going to run in No Box class.

The closest thing you're going to come to as a heads up race is Hot Rod. All cars in the class race heads up however all cars in the class are also trying to run 10.99 without breaking out. It's called class racing. Unlike bracket racing where you change the dial in on the windows to guess if the car is going to pick up or not, in class racing you need to change the performance of the car to constantly run the class index every time.

There is no thrill in a heads up, first one to the finish, race especially for 10 seconds and slower cars. That's just a "whos got the most money to spend" kind of race. There's no drivers skill involved.

 

Right now there isn't any other heads up classes other than Quick Street that run at NED. If you want to compete in a series then other than that class you'd need to run brackets on Sundays. Take a look thru their website to check on what equipment your car has as far as electronics. For your anticipated et range there is either Modified (no box) or Top (box) to pick from.

 

I just did some checking. There is one more class in IHRA. Box is similar to NHRA SuperPro, No Box is similar to Pro. IHRA has a class called Street and it's similar to NHRA's Sportsman for the slower cars usually 13.99 and slower. All 3 classes are dial in bracket ET classes.

If you do find any heads up classes, they'll probably be broken down into specific groups. Things like NA, power adder, tubbed, non tubbed etc. It would be like trying to go into an autocross race with a hopped up car and find out you have too many modifications that you get put into a class where you have no advantage.

To race in a specific specialty class of any sort you don't build a car then try to find out what you can run in. You need to decide what class you want to run in first then build a car to best fit into that class. I'm sure mod313 would like to do all sorts of things to his car but it wouldn't take much to eliminate his car from being a Stocker.

 

Well from what you guys have said and the research I have done it looks to me like heads up is out of the question. I am mainly building my car to be the street car I have always dreamed about. I also want to go to the track and run in some sort of class. But my main goal is the street car part. Blower, small block, no tub but still have traction and go fast!!!!

 

that's your own personal opinion. Heads up racing takes plenty of skill when you're limited in classes and running a manual tranny. Bracket racing is like watching grass grow IMO. Who wants to see a 17 second honda beat a 10 second camaro..not me

 

So where's the driver's skill if he can own a vehicle that's faster than his opponents?

Look at ProStock. Top 16 qualifiers are always a few thousands of a second apart from each other. They've maxed out the vehicles as much as they can within the limitations of the rule book. Any 1 of those top 16 cars can equally win. The main factor comes down to a reaction time and how well the car is set up to get the power to the ground. The cars themselves are basically all the same.

A bracket race gives everyone an equal oppertunity to win reguardless of how much budget they have. Having lots of money to spend doesn't make you a good driver.

 

It's the heads up runs that make Stock and Super Stock so cool. Anytime two cars in the same class meet during eliminations there is no break out. These runs and class runoffs are by far the best part of running these classes. And at least in stock the drivers job is critical whether stick or auto as missing shift points, short shifting, etc will cost et and by more than you might think.

 

Same class runs in S/SS are good to watch. Even the faster car doesn't always win if the driver screws up somehow. It also shows that 2 similar cars are not exactly identical. One driver may have found some way to tweek 5-10 more HP and still stay within the rules.

An F/SA third gen has an aerodynamic advantage over an F/SA first gen even though both have the same power to weight ratio.

 

Bracket Racing vs Heads up racing...

I have done both on a semi pro level (ok REALLY semi) and heads up is 10 times better...

Bracket racing relys mainly on the car. You get it to run fast and then slow it down, there are no real rules, merely a number you have to run.

Heads up class racing takes somone who can build a car within rules, and not just bolt on parts. You have to take the time and make it all work right, and then drive the car better than others. Most bracket cars I ran against were autos, and take not much skill to drive. The heads up I run they are 90% sticks, and in my eyes might be going slower 10s-12s, but have MUCH more talent behind the wheel.

To each their own, but heads up racing is where I will run, bracket racing is boring, and any racing where you have to slow the car down is no fun either!

 

Why do you have to slow your car down in bracket racing. If you do then you don't understand how your car runs. The only time I slow down at the end is if I know I already have a win because my opponent red lit or is way too far behind to catch me. I run flat out every time and run the numbers I dial in at. My wins/losses are all on the tree.

As I mentioned before, heads up racing is for those who have a lot of money to spend. You're never going to win if someone has more money to spend than you do. At least in a bracket race, everyone has an equal opportunity to win reguardless of what they drive.

Go watch a SuperComp race at a national event. 100+ dragsters all running heads up on a 8.90 index. That's got to be the most boring thing to watch.

 

I just dont like watching cars run delay boxes or anything. I see what makes it attractive, but having cars handicapped isnt really my thing. I agree it brings people of unequal money situations closer, but it seems to take more inginuity and skill to build a class car and run heads up. Thats why slower calsses are nice, easier to build into the 12s, then the 8s for heads up.

 

hey now super comp isn't that boring!
bracket racing is the way that most of us will get to race competitively. there is certainly a great deal of money to win in bracket racing (example: the B&M series, the million$ race, the 5 day @ Moroso), once you have the skill and equipment to run these races. this comes with time. i fear many people who bad mouth it have never done it. once you are in the car on the track, all that matters is being in the car, on the track! you will get plenty of thrills running a handicapped race. and there is skill, work and time required to dial a car for any conditions. Steve can vouch for this, many racers can dial a car without ever making a time run. if that knowledge and familiarity with ones car isn't racing, than what is....

 

If you have a "heads up" race where there's nothing limiting what you can do then what fun would it be to have a 12 second car go up against my 10 second car every time. I could sit at the starting line until the light was very green and still win.

The trouble with drag racing is that unless you actually participate on a professional level (race to win money), all the racing you ever see on TV is the Pro ranks (top fuel, pro stock etc). Since those are a heads up race, everyone thinks that's what drag racing is all about. Even Stock/SuperStock is bracket racing unless the 2 cars are in the same class. Comp Eliminator is a wierd class to explain but in a way it's still a bracket race but without break outs. The down side is if you go too fast, your index gets hit and you won't have as much of an advantage the next time.

Even I admit watching bracket racing is boring. Nobody wats to see 12 second cars going down the track. When I'm at the track the only racing I see is the 2 cars in front of me going down the track while I'm in the waterbox. I may wander over and watch some special races like ProMods or Fuel bikes if they're at the track.

Now on the other hand, once you get behind the wheel and start racing competitivly in a bracket race, a 12 or even 14 second car ride is exciting. Although it seams slow and boring from the stands, there's a lot going on in 12 seconds when you're behind the wheel. I hear people say that bracket racing looks easy when they're sitting in the stands. Put them behind a wheel and most can't get past first round no matter how fast their "hot rod" is.

To each his own but don't expect to see many racers running a true heads up race. As I mentioned above, the one with the most money wins and very few can afford it. Even running a top fuel car is over a million dollers a year. I'd say over 90% of all drag racing is bracket racing. Get used to it since that's what you're usually going to watch or race in when you go to the track.

 

I mean two 12 second stick cars is a LOT more fun to watch than a 10 second auto vs a 14 second auto with a 4 second head start. I can see it being exciting behind the wheel but we have opinions, and personally I would rather be running side by side shift for shift heads up then either chasing down or slowing down at the end to win...

I guess its because I dont run or care to run top fuel or pro stock, I will limit it to a 10 second heads up class, as I would rather have a stick car that is streetable and once you start going 9s that just isnt too possible.

Oh well... Heads up in my eyes is more fun and takes more skill (to run fast with limited mods, not just race two cars running completely different times with completely different comboes).

 

None of the guys I know who got started in bracket racing and then tried heads up racing have gone back to bracket racing. I think that says it all right there.

 

they STARTED in bracket racing. how many of us can afford to build a car and go run something like the NSCA/NMCA series right off the start? bracket racing is where to start. hell the real heads up stuff is all single digits now, way out of the reach of many when they start racing.

 

Not always, I race in a heads up high 11 low 12 second class, and there are maybe 2 or 3 other double digit classes that are heads up with this group!!!