Since racing for the year is done ..Not much to talk about

How would you feel about this

You are racing a basic small NHRA track and its for the smaller version of a gold man.

Not a huge amount of cars, something like 60 or something like that

and its index bracket racing 1/8 mile

the mark is set for 6.50

You take a couple time trials , adjust your throttle , car works well, driver does his part . things go well ..


You find yourself in the Semi finals

Your opponent goes red at the hit, you think well .. lets run it out an see how close I am to 6.50 now

car goes 6.49 with a 9 ..and you get slip, says win , you think

well, this might be fun

on the loudspeaker you are called to tower and told you went past index and are out, opponent is back in ..



How does the court of Moparts rule on that one ?

It's always been first or worst ...red light was first, and worst in my opinion!

he went red,but you did breakout,other driver must of went up there and cried,different tracks have different rules,when he went red your win light came on,on the slip it said your won

Never assume you have won until you see the slip. Run the race as if your opponent was right next to you. It's like in an old western movie shootout, when the guy who has been laying there, presumed shot dead, lifts his gun for one more shot.

Sounds to me that the guy that lost cried and must be a track favorite, so they gave in. In a bracket race if you go red you lose even if the other guy brakes out. Index racing could be different, but its the same concept, other than you have to adjust the car instead of changing the dial.

A lot of tracks are switching to that now. Its worst not first. Norwalk has been doing it for over a year now.

The rule at every track I’ve ever run at, is the first to redlight is out and the win light goes on immediately for the opponent. Unless there is a dispute, in which case - I’ve seen the pair being allowed to run again based on the race director’s discretion. Sounds like a bunch of rookies running the show at the event.

Anywhere I've ever been a red light by my opponent has always been a free pass to run it all out.

I wonder if you had a bye and ran under the index if they would DQ you. Sounds like some home cooking to me.

When your opponent red lighted you won the race. I have done exactly like you and run it out, and broke out. NEVER have the track officials tried to say I lost.

If there was no track event handout about that rule, i cry foul. Simply on the basis of past practice at bracket events. Was it worst package, like .01 red + .01 under equals a negative .02 package? Doubtful here, since you only went .001 under. At any case, i say foul.

If they were going to stray from what the traditional well established practices have been for years, it should have made clear to the drivers before eliminations started.

First I have ever heard of this. Red light always loses unless opponent has a worse infraction such as crossing the centerline. I have personally broke out but won races when my opponent had a red light. I have also won on race when I had a red light but my opponent crossed the centerline.

From the NHRA Rulebook "Basics of Drag Racing"

"Another form of disqualification is a foul start, or “red-light.”
This happens when the driver reacts to the Tree too quickly and
drives away from the starting line before the green go signal.
Should dual infractions occur — a red-light and a breakout,
for example — the driver who red-lights would be classified as
committing the worse infraction and lose."

I think the is spelled out in more detail in other places in the rule book but this was the first thing I found.

I think you got a raw deal.

First / worst. Per NHRA.
Unless now it's like kids' "sports", a trophy for everyone...

With true-start option that many tracks now use - as far as redlights go - its the worst red that gets the looser slip - this makes the advantage equal from a bracket standpoint - meaning the faster car no longer has the advantage of letting the slower car make the first mistake.

You got screwed, period. NHRA track? They run NHRA rules? It's in the rule book, Section 2, page 7, breakout rules. I would want to see it in writing if it's some kind of track rule. But it has always been, when one car redlights, the race is over at that point. That's about as basic as it gets. The only exception is if you would have crossed a boundary line.

The only other thing that's recent is the Trustart or whatever they call it where the driver with the worst red - in the event both drivers are early - is the loser, regardless who has the handicap. But even with that, the race is over when someone's red light comes on.

Even the safety rules - bars vs cages, license, certs, etc - don't apply until you go 6.39, so they couldn't use that for a reason.

What Norwalk( thankfully) went to, along with lots of other tracks, has nothing to do with what the OP had happen.
In his case he broke out after the opponent red lit.
Never seen losing for doing that anywhere.

Love trustart.
Its nice to take the wallet out of racing to some degree.
Wallet has been more destructive to this sport than anything

You got hosed, unless you hit a barrier or cone along the way The red light takes precedent over all but those situations. Red lights area free time shot for you. Only way you can not get the win is hit a cone, cross the center line, or hit a barrier PERIOD. ESPECIALLY at an NHRA sanctioned track

Truestart has ZERO to do with this situation. It is only in play when both go red and the worst red gets the loss. Takes the advantage of being the faster car automatically winning if the slower cars goes red. Great addition to the sport IMO, much more level playing field. After all rule is first or worst. Slower car goes .005- red so he is first, faster car goes .010- red, he has the WORST of the two lights and should be the one who is done. The only instance where the first or worst rule doesn't mean squat is red lights with NO trustart

Big Al .. the kone killa !!