I can't seem to find any information on what it takes to actually qualify for the NHRA beginner's class 12 race season.

I've spent the past year rebuilding the entire drivetrain on my 88 IROC and hope to have it ready for Wed night weekly runs at my local Sears Point/Infinion Raceway. While waiting for my Camaro to be 1320 ready, I took my wife's 6 cylinder rear drive car out to my local track 20 seperate times. Out of that 20 Wednesday's I took home 6 trophies for my troubles.... and got hooked!

Next weekend is the first race of the track's official NHRA season and I'm looking for info on what it's going to take to qualify for either the trophy or sportsman class. I took care of the NHRA paperwork, am fairly consistant but don't know how they choose the car's that qualify for a particular class. Do they pick 36 cars randomly or some sort of amount, will I have to run at a certain time/speed? The vehicle runs a consistant 14.9 seconds at approx 95mph, and as I mentioned is a six cylinder.

My IROC won't be dialed in till probably half way thru the season, with a ZZ4 based motor/ 9.6 compression/ stage 3 700r4 @ 2200 stall/ 3.27 posi Borg Warner/ expected power figures to be: 360ish hp & 380ish torque/ 3800 pounds.

could one of you educate me on what's going to be needed to run the entry level class this coming weekend please??? Thank-You, Nitro

 

My suggestion would be to call the D7 office tomorrow and ask them. Always best to get the answers directly from those in charge.

 

NHRA Sportsman ET class is basically ET bracket racing with a slower car. Technically 14.00 and slower but track rules may allow quicker cars to run in Sportsman. Moving into the 12.00 to 13.99 range puts you into Pro ET. Not a lot different but there will be a lot more "race" type cars in that class.

About the only thing you need to do to "qualify" is to have a safe car. The slower cars need the very basics. Good tires, proper battery hold down, dual throttle springs on the carb etc. The majority of street cars have no problem passing tech in Sportsman class.

Where do you get 36 cars from? If they're limiting Sportsman to a 36 car field, there's 2 ways they can pick 36 cars. Since the quickest ET you're allowed to run is 14.00, then the 36 quickest cars that run 14.00 and slower. The other way would be to pick 36 cars with the best reaction time. Since it's a bracket race, speed means nothing and reaction time will determine who is a better racer. At regional and divisional events, there should be no limit to the number of cars in a field. Normally the maximum allowed is 128 making it 9 rounds of eliminations.

My guess is if you use your car to bracket race, you'll be moved into Pro ET because you'll be quicker than 14.00. Nothing else really changes except the ET break. You'll need a few other safety items such as a helmet and probably a driveshaft loop.

 

I just pulled the number out of the air- I figure they must have some sort of cut off number. In the sports street class that I raced in last season we could have as much as 200 cars show up on a Wed night and it would take two hours of sitting between initial runs.

Since this will now be NHRA classes, I don't know if a track is limited to a specific number of qualifyers, or there's a set number of dial in practice runs? Or how much NHRA get's involved, other than their set point system. I'll definitely call the track this week, but thought I should know what questions to actually ask. Thanks for taking the time to shoot off a quick reply, Stephen. I just did the Driveshaft loop on the IROC this month- Do they check helmet SNELL ratings closely in the slower classes? Nitro

 

If it's just local bracket racing, there's no limits to the number in a class. Time trials are usually limited to car counts and delays due to problems on the track or weather. Normally tracks will try to give you 3 time trial runs to figure out a dial in. If car counts are low you may get 4. If there's delays, you get 2. I've raced where we got one time trial run before eliminations started.

The Pro and SuperPro classes will need a valid Snell rated helmet. Sportsman will depend on the local track rules. Some say no helmet is required at 14.00 and slower. Others say you need a helmet but it doesn't need a current Snell rating. Other's don't care as long as you have a helmet. Contact your local track to ask. I need to purchase a new M2005 helmet myself this year. My old M95 is now expired.

Sounds like you're just racing at your local track's point series but following NHRA rules. As a bracket car, you have very little to worry about. Spend the money on a rule book. The rules change very little over the years so unless you're racing in the faster top classes, there's very little rules that will change for you so you don't need to buy a new rulebook every year. Make sure your car has the proper safety equipment for the speed you're running and go bracket racing.

The hardest part will be figuring out your dial in. The more time trial runs you get, the easier it is. Ignore everyone in the other lane and run your own race. You don't care what kind of car is in the other lane. All you really need to know is if he's dialed in faster or slower than you so you'll know who launches first. Since you've taken home 6 trophies, I figure you should know all that by now.

If you go into Pro class, the cars will be faster and noisier but the basics stays the same. The slower cars can be just as hard to beat as the faster cars are. It's always nice to go faster but speed means nothing in a bracket race.

I'm now running the speeds I want to run. I go racing just for the fun on it now although every year I change something else.

During a typical bracket race, I usually wait about an hour between runs in the early rounds. Depends on car counts and breakages.

 

oh man, did this ever turn out to be addicting!!! I've been going stir crazy for the new season to start. Hopefully my IROC will be ready for start dialing in the suspension & launch techniques it likes by summer. Our weekly program starts March 5th, but the new engine isn't in yet (just finished up the rear end, trans & suspension redo). I'm hoping that I'll be able to dial in the needed consistancy by Fall. I'm hoping to run the 6 cylinder (14.9 sec) for the 12 NHRA events and see how close I can come to making the track team for this first year.
I've always been a circle and road race fan, but it gets way to expensive now. As soon as I took home that first trophy I became an instant turncoat. It amazes me how much luck can be involved and is facinating when I win or loose by a couple thousandths of a second!!!

Again, thanks for sharing what you could- having no idea or information was getting to me!!! Nitro-Nicky (interesting how NHRA is limiting Nitrous to just the faster classes; glad I hadn't invested in that yet....)

 

I have lots of time. If I'm lucky, I can get on track near the end of May. Our first points race is Father's day in June and the season ends in the first week of October. It's been a while but a few years ago, for 3 years in a row, we were snowed out for our first race in mid May. Track doesn't start getting any heat in it until June.

Bracket racing is a motorsport that anyone can participate in. It's a poor spectator sport but anything and everything can be seen going down the track. Since it's a bracket race, everyone has an equal chance of winning. High dollar race cars don't always win.

There is a lot of luck involved. If I'm in a good race where we both cut a good light and both run close to our dial ins, I'm not embarrassed to lose such a race and will eagerly congratulate the winner for beating me. I hate giving away a race by getting a poor reaction time, red lighting or breaking out. Winning such a race is a hollow victory although it does get you into another round. Winning a close race is a greater feeling. I've beaten faster cars and lost to much slower ones but I still go back to try again.

The first time I went racing was back in 1996 with my daily driver 91 454SS. I went out in the end of fall for the last street legal Friday night race. I enjoyed it but wanted to get into bracket racing. I had to wait until the spring of 97 for the first race. I ran in Sportsman class and won the race beating out the previous years track champion. I was hooked at that moment and have been racing ever since. In the spring of 1999 I bought my Camaro to make into a race car. It was a street legal car when I bought it and I never drove it on the street once. I gutted it the day I took possession and it's been a race car ever since. The first year I raced it, I got into the low 14's (at altitude). I'm now in the mid 9's.

 

I am learning that I have to only race just myself and all that matters is that I keep improving...

You have a great season and thanks again for your imput! Nitro

 

I misread what you were asking, thought you meant your div had a special program for local bracket racers from area tracks. Like Steven said, you don't have to join the sanctioning body that your local track belongs to to join that tracks bracket program. Just meet the safety standards for your e.t. and go have fun.

 

As far as I know, it should just be local bracket racing. I have no idea what this is supposed to be.

 

It's all good.
I was finally able to reach someone at my race tracks 1320 office (Infinion is one of the road coarses that NASCAR runs and hosts one of the 'Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals in July) and have them explain how the sanctioned events are run there. With all the heavy winter storms and flooding, the track has been closed for the first two official point's meets of the 2008 season. Now with the steady sunshine, it's having to push through the first points races on Monday.

Fortunately, they take 'all comers' to the SPORTSMAN class, without any maximum number of entrants. I was just worried that with only a 14.9 second car I wouldn't be able to compete. Don't know if the rules are the same at your local track, but the top 10 points finalists in each class ends up moving on to the regionals (Fallon, Nevada for Infinion Raceway, California).

Thanks-again guys. Nitro

 

well sacramento for sportsman is 12.0 or slower faster then 12.0 u have to run pro but u can run slower and run pro but in that class u gota be on ure A game to go rounds even in sportsman full slicks damn drag radials lol but its all fun 2 hour wait damn u should try sac sometime im out there all the time twice a week on good weeks usually 30 min wait but shoot at times ive done 3 or 4 even 5 runs in 30 min before dial in 1 day i had 10 runs in an hour or so i dont do it to often worry about the 700r4 ill be out there a couple times this year at sears infeneon get some time out there before the pinks all out in september but im usually at sac

 

Sounds like the Summit ET series.

There are 7 NHRA divisions, each has its own rules for how they run it. Typically, each track is allowed to send 40 racers to the divisional race, and it's up to the track how they want to split up the number of cars for each class. The classes are Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, and Pro Bike/Snowmobile - although some divisions have different class designations (Street, No Electronics, etc.). Plus a High School class.

Each division is allowed to send 1 representative from each class (except High School) to a national race at the last race of the year in Pomona. The class rules are defined in the NHRA rulebook. This past year, Sportsman was allowed to run 12.00 to 19.99 (previously 13.00 to 19.99) - mufflers required (don't ask me why, the Top Fuel cars don't have mufflers), no electronics, no tranny brake, no line lock on the drive wheels, single stage rev limiter only.

In Division V (5), the class representatives are decided by the Sunday race at the divisional event (to be held at Bandimere in 2008). Other divisions, Div VII (7) being one of them, I believe, have a weird run-off format between track champions or something. You'll have to check with your track about that.

I took it out of my sig, but I was the 2004 Div V Sportsman champ, and runner-up at Pomona.

 

This is valuable information that should have been posted at this particular highly rated track. I didn't find ANY of this info posted on their website; or else I'm just not looking at the right spot. Now I'm actually glad I hadn't gotten around to installing line-locks and electronic tuning aids yet; it would have been a waste. I would like to eventually find an NHRA legal way to tune each individual cylinder on my new engine when it's done. I'm sure I'll need to run exhaust temp probes in each of the header exhaust runs when I do my initial dyno tuneing.
Thanks for including this extra explaination of the NHRA divisions. Being so new to this type of racing, I absolutely don't need to be worrying about last minute rules and such when I'm supposed to be focusing on my run consistancy. This was an important bit of info- thanx a bunch! Nitro

 

Legal, That's the key work. This is what you want but this ignition box is considered illegal in national and divisional events. It's a little overkill for a Sportsman or even a Pro ET racer.

http://www.msdignition.com/ignition_23_7531.htm

They're only $900
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...10002_90406_-1

I run an old Holley Annihilator ignition system. Until it fails (not made any more), I have no reason to upgrade to something like a MSD 7

 

Following the trail from the NHRA site, to the division site, to the track site, then "Schedule", "Drag Strip", and "Bracket Drags", I found this http://www.infineonraceway.com/docum...ketRules06.pdf

Looks like you missed one race, and the next one is Monday.

 

...... Just thought I should update and let you know how well your suggestions worked for me.

In my Division 7 NHRA track, I went to the opening points race. It was MUCH easier to concentrate on getting the results I needed now that I had a better understanding of the process. I ended up in 22nd place when I red-lit with a: 0.013 R/T.

This week was the 2008 season opener for our weekly Wed night 'run whatcha brung' serries and I took home the first place trophy for my class after 6 rounds of eliminations.

Thanks again guys for your helpful input. As you can see, you did a good job by me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sincerely, Nitro-Nicky