Affordable NHRA class for heads up racing?

[dieselhead]

I did some drag racing in the early 60's but I got married and couldn't afford to do it anymore. I find bracket racing incedibly boring and pointless. I always liked the old gas and stock classes where you were classed basically by weight and cubic inches. When you raced it was balls to the wall, you were trying to push the gas peddle through the floorboard and whoever got to the end first won. About 10 years ago I had a little extra money and decided to give drag racing another try so I joined the NHRA and got a rule book. I wanted to race super stock so I figured out what class my car would run but the rules for the engine were vague. I tried to get some clarification from the NHRA rep in Texas but never even got a response. I got discouraged with NHRA and the stock market tanked so i didn't have the money to play with anyway. I'm semi retired now and want to give it another shot. I have a lot more time than money. What would be a good class for halfway affordable heads up racing (I don't want to change valve springs after every pass)? I still have the car that would have run Super Stock J 10 years ago. Thanks.

[skullbucket]

You better have some money ready because today its a rich mans sport as with anything.
A good time is at brackets they have "heads up pro tree" and King of the mountain" but still these cars run in the 5s in the 1/8 so good luck.

[SpiderGearsMan]

stock/superstock is no electronics bracket racing - except class eliminations on friday is heads up and ............awesome

[Brian Lohnes]

Sadly, I have to join the chorus of, "there isn't one" at this point. Even a J-stocker is going to run you big coin if you want to be competitive in class elims. That said, Jim is correct on the bracket end of the deal. Tough sledding out there!

[SpiderGearsMan]

http://classracer.com/classforum/showthread.php?t=41195

[MoparBilly]

Technically,
The "Super Classes" are Heads-up...and they are Pro Tree! Just don't have the pesky "No break out" part.

As an NHRA SST racer for 11 years, I loved it...and still do, but "Affordable" is tough. Entry Fees, tow expenses, licsensing is all just as expensive in a lowly 10.90 car as they are in any other class.

Yeah, I know you hate the t-stops and the electronics, and it sucks to watch them launch, then slow, then take off again, but guess what? Those classes are for the participants, not the spectators.

I prefer SST because of the .500 pro tree, vs. .400 in SG. The slower light levels the playing field, and nearly any chassis combo can still cut a competitve light. It's extremely fun, and extremely competitve.

In the 4 or 5 years I chased a Division Championship, I had a half-ton pick-up, and an open trailer. I stayed at the tracks, and showered at truck stops or other racers trailers. I raced 8 Divisionals and 2 Nationals a year and spent an average of 5,200 per year on that schedule despite being as frugal as possible. This was race espenses only, not upkeep on the truck or racecar.

[Deaf Bob]

By "race expenses" you mean entry fees and licensing?
Race fuel included?

Sounds like dumb questions but some of us do want to know..

[MoparBilly]

Entries, Tow fuel, race fuel, showers, also many of the events have an optional t&t day before the event, for a fee. Crew entries, had to take my son for driving help on those 1000 mile tows.

2005 Bandimere Divisional broke down like this:
140 Entry
50 crew
315 Tow fuel
82 Trailer tire
45 Showers
53 Race Gas
685 for the Weekend.

My Dad, Brother, and 2 buddies were all competing in SST...we had like 25 people on the Mountain that weekend with us. I raced my Dad in the 2nd round on Father's Day and put him on the trailer with a dead-on the index run.

Some to think of it, pretty cheap weekend for the memories it created!!

[Thumpin455]

There is always F.A.S.T. and Pure Stock races, they run heads up but on bias ply F70 tires instead of slicks. NHRA heads up is not going to be cheap, there just isnt an affordable class for it. Too many deep pockets lining up against you.

[Caveman Tony]

who are all these 'deep pockets' and what do they do to earn them?

if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I'm willing.

[Deaf Bob]

who are all these 'deep pockets' and what do they do to earn them?

if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I'm willing.

My pockets are DEEP,,, there's just nothing in them....

[moparmaniac07]

I had a pair of jeans once I was able to fit a whole water bottle in the pockets, they were that deep.

[jcharliem]

As with most things in life... if you really want it, then you'll find a way to get it. Want a wild-ass river boat?... sell your home and move into a cheaper condo near the river. Want to race... then change up some things in your life if need be, and go race. The naysayers will always find a reason as to why something can't be accomplished.

[MoparBilly]

As with most things in life... if you really want it, then you'll find a way to get it. Want a wild-ass river boat?... sell your home and move into a cheaper condo near the river. Want to race... then change up some things in your life if need be, and go race. The naysayers will always find a reason as to why something can't be accomplished.

Very true,
The hard part comes, when you've made those sacrifices, made the initial buy-in, done what you really love for a few years, and realize you just can't sustain it!

I bought the proverbial cheap house in a decent neigborhood in 1990 for a mere 54K..we still live there, it pays off early next year. The last and only new car we have ever purchased was in 1993, since then we buy low mileage 10 year old stuff for cash. We rarely eat out, bargain shop for everything, all so I can have as much disposable income as possible to pursue the dream of competing at the Divisional and National event level in the NHRA.

It's frustrating when everythone throws around generic terms like "Affordable, budget, deep pockets, no expense spared, max effort" all are relative to everyone's own situation, and experience.

I'm putting MY numbers out there as an example, trying to give others a clearer picture of what it takes.

For most of this century I've been a local 40 hour CDL driver making 35K a year, my wife is a grocery clerk, who is a workaholic, knocks down big OT and from 00' to 08' averaged 45-50K a year. Her company's knee jerk reaction to the 08' down-turn was to cut all OT and our yearly income took an 11K hit in 09! So, the 5200 a year I was spending to chase a division crown in the NHRA was obviously the first casualty!!

Since then, her company has relaxed, her OT has went back up, 2 children have left the nest, and the 3rd pays the electric bill, water bill and cable bill...yeah, I'm ramping things up for a possible re-enty.

The Challenger in my earlier pics, I bought in '99, turn-key for 10.5K, by the time I had it truly competitive for the class in 2001, I had added a 6K aluminum head, solid cam 440, and 2K in electronics, ignition, and other upgrades. In 05 I added the bogart wheels, a repaint, and upgraded to a funny car cage..by networking and bartering and friends help I was able to do that for only 6K.
The 440 broke in '08, and at the time I had an 11K 516 Stroker on the stand, about 80% done, so I borrowed an all aluminum 512 Stroker from a buddy to finish out the year...that raised my finish line speed from 130mph in SST to 142mph.

After sitting out '09 and '10, I purchased the Aluminum engine from my friend for 10K in early '11. In late '11 I purchased a used enclosed trailer for 5K. In early '12, while still debating all the upgrades I felt the Challenger needed (I really wanted to strut the front, NHRA's diaper/oil containment rules are tough with a stock front-end, but then its still just a ladder bar 8 3/4 back half, so how far do you go??) my brother called and mentioned one of his buddies was getting out of the sport, and his "cosmetically challenged" 67 Barracuda could be had very reasonable. So I spent 7K on a 4 link Dana rear/ strut front roller.


Tony asked about the "Deep pockets" and what they do to earn them...

Even in Lowly SST, 40-50% of the guys chasing the circuit are small to mid size business owners, and this is the crowd NHRA caters to.

For a Friday-Sunday Divisional, they typically have Thursday available for parking, teching, and the track will have T&T for a 60-100$ additional fee. For the working class stiff in SST or Stock, this extra day isn't an option. You already have to have a good relationship with your employer, and are stretching Vacation and off days to the max to make 7-10 races a year. So you drive all thursday night, and camp out at the gate to enter friday morning. The gates open at 6AM, Stock's first hit is 7:30, with SST right behind them. The ladies show up to take your money at 6:10 with cups of coffee in there hands talking and carrying on, completely ignoring the 40 guys with bloodshot eyes standing there shaking to get through the gate like jacked up racehorses. Tick, tick, tick. At 6:40 you are through the gate, and are sitting in line waiting for 2 guys on scooters to take you to your assigned pit spot, use this delay to fill out your tech card. Tick, tick, tick. 6:55 you have a pit! Now unload the car and head to the tech area! Call goes out "Stockers to the lanes". Tick, tick, tick. You pull into the tech lane behind 3 SC dragsters and 4 SG cars, and a Comp entry...all who don't have to run until noon or so. Despite the frustration, the anxiousness, the sleep deprivation, you put on your best smile and are cordial, and pleasant with the tech guys, you ask about thier day, you get to know them, they are your best buddies. Because at the next race, they're going to take your tech card ahead of those others, sign it, and say, "Go get your first hit." Tick, tick, tick. 7:40, the first 2 sets of Stockers have already ran, SST has been called. Now you are supposed to take your signed tech card to the credentials trailer to get your ticket and arm band and be officially entered...since you desparately want that first time run, you drive your car to the back of the lanes, park, then decide if you have time to turn it in, or if you are going to risk expulsion from the event by running first, then turning it in. Truth is I've skipped it many times..truth is, I've made the first hit without teching a few times!!

Back at your pits, after the first run is entered in the log book and all the NHRA stuff is taken care of, you fall asleep in the trailer or truck, until a buddy wakes you up for the second run around 1pm.

Have a discussion/complaint with the NHRA Officials about the need to streamline Friday morning entry for Stock /SST so they can get thier first time run in, and they look at you with sincere, genuine surprise and say, "If you needed the first run so bad, why didn't you get here on Thursday"???

[CDMBill]

MoparBilly that is one best most susinct explanations i've read describing running NHRA Sportsman classes. And it explains the popularity of PSCA, NMCA etc. Their index classes at least give some predictability with some of the bracket race perceived negatives. the heads up classes still require dedication and money. For better or worse bracket racing was invented so that folks could race what they have on an equalized footing. Yes it's incomprehensible to the average fan just like Super Gas, but it can be way less money.

I don'tsee such a thing as a low buck heads up racing deal where there is any money or prestige to be won as being possible.