2136 mile round trip, no guaranteed pay-out. Funds tight, gas prices - well, you know about gas prices.

So, do I tow the '57 to Brainerd, MN, getting about 8 mpg, to race a car I'm going to have to slow down to stay above the minimum dial-in? Also need to do some work to the tow vehicle before departure.

Or, do I drive the Camaro there, 20-22 mpg, and attempt to race it for the first time in 5 years? I'd have to do something with tires if I do that. I could probably get some practice with it next weekend here, and time trials in Brainerd when I arrive. But it should be just above the minimum allowed dial-in at Brainerd.

If I tow, I'll have someplace to sleep at the track. If I drive the Camaro, it's either a tent or the bucks for a motel. A fellow racer has offered a bunk in their motor home, but they are getting there a day later and leaving a day earlier than I want to.

If I tow, I'll have a way to get the car home if I break something racing. Unless the tow vehicle breaks, of course.

Or, should I just stay home, forget about defending my Division championship, spend the money on cam & intake to get the '57 to run under 13.80 here, and race in the Fall series (have to run faster than 13.80 to be in a money-paying series in the Fall).

Try to set your 3rd gen biases aside and let me know what you think.

 

Aside from the mishaps of my motor, I already told them I would not be atending ET finals this year due to fuel prices and I'm only 2.5hr out from track.

Talking from a honest bracket racer standpoint, the only racing they have Fri and Sat are top heavy gamblers you have to go 15-20 rounds to win and only pay back a few spots....unlesss your car is a deadly race only vehicle, chances of winning those purses are VERY slim, you might get lucky, but realistically slim to noe walking away with the big prize. Then Sunday we race the other tracks to see which track is king....at $3/gallon I could give a shiit which track is king since the track is'nt putting bread on the table and gazz in my trucks. I spent just over $1K last weekend at the world series when all the dust was settled, going back to same track for ET finals it will cost a minimum of $700 to get there and back with gaz, food, motel, etc and that's not entering the gamblers they have, then it'd be close to $1k again....even if you won one of the payouts, by the time you get back home, you may break even.

My lesson learned this year: will forever avoid extreme top heavy events with no round money paid back...7 rounds, $75 and I'm still not happy about that!!

 

So does this mean you had a good showing at the last race? Or did a lot of people pass? Or a combination or both?

 

With the high cost of everything, I doubt I'm going to belong to any sanctioning body next year. There isn't enough incentive to travel for any points series. As long as the local track stays open, I can afford to race there and I'm only about a 10 minute drive to the track.

Unless you have a good shot at winning, I'd stay home and put the money towards better interests.

 

Same here, even if I stepped down to a street/sportsman class again to get back into the "fun" of racing, the payout just is'nt there even with lower entry fees...you figure teh average weekend for any bracket program runs the racers $300 minimum after all is said and done, say you win the $300 payout your still going in the hold since your tearing up your equipment.

Been looking into rails/altered to get a better tool for the job, but even at that with inital investment your in the hole, your pretty much stuck traveling to the big money races so program cost just went up ALOT, then if you dont win or runner up in these now top heavey payout races, your still going in the hole...

We're supposed to do this as fun or a hobby, but the average joe that is on the outside looking in is usually the guy making that statement, from our stand point as much time/money we have to invest to be competative, this sport is no longer a "fun hobby", it's for blood when you stage otherwise your literally taking your money and throwing it to the wind.

 

Door #2.

I had 7 wins over the weekend, but 4 loses as well, those wins spread over 4 different races. The best showing was in a jackpot race, probably got my entry fee back on that one.

In the class where I was doing best, I got lined up with the points leader in the 1st round - just like I had been 3 races ago, and the race before that got lined up with him in the 2nd round. I've never beaten that guy. Until now. Treed him, put a 7 on my dial, took him out of 1st place (not sure where he ended up). For the 2nd round, we got a very stiff and gusty tail wind, everybody was breaking out. I dialed lower than I ever have before, still broke out by .042, which is what the other guy broke out by. I've never had that happen before, but he had the better light so he got the win. Season over.

They've been announcing for the 2 previous races that if you were considering going, to sign up. I said I would go back when gas was $2.50 a gallon. By yesterday they were saying if you're registered, come let us know if you want to go. By the end of the day, they had about 25 signed up for a 36 opening team. One family is borrowing a 3-car trailer and a dually 5th wheel, some guys are using frequent flyer miles to fly up there, rent a car, and race. Which probably means the Sportsman class will be a little larger ratio of the whole this year. And probably easier pickings.

I'm sure attendance will be light except for the home and nearby tracks. This one has the added attraction of a shot at Pomona, which does pay to show up.

I still haven't decided what to do. The Camaro option seems to look better and better. Brainerd has a campground attached.

But, it sure would be nice to have that cam and intake...

 

To my knowledge, they won't let you race a rental car. Depends on who's working in tech I guess.

 

You're teched by your home track for the Division finals.

One of the Sportsman finalist in 2004 raced a rented Explorer, teched by NHRA in that case.

 

Well, the spouse was thinking along the same lines as you guys.

I decided to forego Brainerd. I'm not going to do the cam/intake yet, either, and just do what I can in the Fall series. I'll take a few things off the '57 like the front bumper and front passenger seat, that'll add up to about 150 lbs, should enable me to run below 13.80. Or, just do the intake manifold and see if that gets me there.

Run in 8 more races this fall instead of one. 12 miles round trip to the track rather than 2200 miles.

 

I grew up just over an hour southwest of there and never saw the place until I was on vacation a month ago.

I do not think there are any other nearby tracks- Spent my whole first 18 years there and listened to a lot of bench racing bs from my friend's older brothers (with the "3/4" race cams...) but nobody actually DROVE there and ran down the track.

Well it sounds like you made the right decision, though the campground sure is nice there.