At Pomona last weekend, I was asked how it felt to run on a track that was sloped down. I said I didn't know, because the track is flat - the apparent "slope" was an optical illusion.

Later, I was informed that I was indeed running on a sloped track - 1% lower at the finish than at the start, to be exact. Meaning the finish line is 13.2' lower in elevation than the start line.

I haven't verified yet whether Bandimere takes advantage of the NHRA 1% max allowed downslope. The shut-down goes up a hill, so you can't trust your eyeballs.

Any idea how many tracks do this?

i heard my track is (or was) a bit sloped uphill!!

it has slight uphill slope at the end or at least it looks that way.

but since they redid it a few years back, i not sure if it still supposively slopes uphill or whatever. LOL

A lot of strips were originally WWII bomber airbases. The surfaces could vary quite a bit. In the mid-80's, I made some runs at Kearney Raceway in Nebraska, one such track. It felt like a roller coaster, and that was in a 17-sec car. They've spent a bunch of money since then to improve it. Most tracks, from what I've heard, have tried to spend the money to get them smoother and flatter.

A couple of years ago, Bandimere did a bunch of resurfacing to correct a 1/2" out-of-flatness. That's why I thought "flat" meant same elevation start line to finish line. Apparently, that's not always the case.

yeah, my track (pittsburgh raceway park....aka Keystone raceway) was redone a few years back. they spent alot of money on it and really expanded the place. its pretty smooth, cuz my iroc picks up bumps well, and i didnt feel any when i ran. Sweet place now, except it cant hold the pro dragster cars. cars that can trap like 275mph and above LOL cuz they run out of room at the end and if a chute fails, its a scarey situation.... a jet car once crashed at the end of the track.. it trapped like 299 or something.

my track, byron, IL looks like it is down hill, and probably is, but the shut down area is up hill

sorta v-shaped. its a good idea. the natural force of gravity and friction going up hill pulls on the car and slows it down. Takes a load off the brakes and cuts stopping time down.

HEY VIC V-8

i raced the pro points races this year at byron, we should hook-up
next summer. i'll be doing it all over again.

i was told that the track does not slope but man it sure looks like it.

gotta love the view from the starting line (ie cooling towers)


i should be a little faster next year

The annual Bandimere awards banquet is tomorrow night. I'll try to get the scoop from one of them on this track then.

Must be a NHRA thing. Our IHRA track is flat, flat 1320-flat shut down. Our NHRA track has the maximum allowable slope which I was told through the grape vine down there is 2% and they have an uphill shut down.

I always run faster at the NHRA track, DA is always the same as well as BP so I chaulk it up to grade.