The OP got cornholed.

6.50 index.
let's say racer A red lights.
racer B sees this, and decides to run all out.
racer B goes 5.90.
is that the same as racer B running 6.499?
at what point does breaking out, after your opponent red lights, become the worse infraction?

Never. Any sane race director will give you a warning if you go faster than you are supposed to with your cert, equipment, etc.. Especially in the semis of a money race. He got bent over. Did the person who redlighted get put back in? Who's kid or buddy was it?

first or worst ...red light was first

I agree, the race was decided before the "slow" car left the line.
Otherwise, it's just 2 cars running parallel.

Soooo, if you both went red or broke out would both of you have been tossed?

Nope. Not unless both cars cross a boundary line. First car to red light or if on Trustart, the worst red light is the loser. The rece is over when either car redlights. Both cars go green and breakout, the one farthest under is the loser, regardless who gets there first.

Yep 100% your win, FULL STOP.

Is crossing the line (after the other car RL) a safety violation even with no wall contact? He didn't hit anything, or interfere with the other car.

but what if the track had its own rules per the governing board and it was printed in there “rules section” on their web site?


Pro ET (P)
1. 6.60 to 8.90 seconds
2. Electronics: Prohibited
3. Computers: Prohibited (Unless Stock OEM Equipment)
4. Data Recorders: Prohibited
5. Delay Boxes: Prohibited
6. Transbrake: Permitted
7. Line Lock: Normal 2 Wheel Line Lock Permitted (4 Wheel Line Lock Prohibited)
8. Automated Shifter: Permitted
9. Throttle Control: Throttle must be manually operated by the Drivers and Electronic, Pneumatic, Hydraulics, or any other device may in no way affect the throttle operation. A Dead Stop under the carburetor or gas pedal is Permitted. Throttle timers and counters are Prohibited.
10. Ignition: Stutter Boxes Prohibited, Starting Line or "High Side" Rev Limiters Permitted
11. Switches and Buttons: All Switches and/or Buttons must be std mechanical connection type.

Can’t believe this actually happened. Most tracks run true-start these days, I’ve benefitted from it once so far, winning on a double red-light. But giving someone who redlit the win over a free-pass breakout?!?!?! No way. If it actually happened, OP got hosed. If it were me, I’d have laughed at the official at first, told him the get a clue, and completely lost my cool if he persisted. Probably never go back.

Here’s a question: anyone ever see a double centerline cross? First to cross is out???? What if one car tags the wall, then the other crosses the centerline?

Cross the centerline or hit anything, you're out. Both cross, both out. Red lights don't matter at that point.

Big Dad you got hosed, light that mans house on fire Halloween night
JUST KIDDING about his house
I do hate being cheated by race officials or any on else

Pro ET (P)
1. 6.60 to 8.90 seconds

are we blind? Track put a cutoff on pro class.... with a period!

Is it vague and presumed to be a gray area? Apparently. Should it state in bold print the consequences of breaking this rule? Probably

Is there a chance I would have shown up and totally blind to this even being possible?? Very likely! I would have been super pro duck served up 1st round.

I’d actually hoped to make a stop at this track on my dakota tour last year and had this pointed out to me. Asked them and they were very clear that if you run faster than 6.60, you must run super pro. No ifs, ands, butts. Different rule, but that’s how they want it.

It really gets you when the management is the problem. A few years ago my opponent messed up on the line and I won the pass, they said we had to rerun so I went and talked to the manager and convinced him I rightly won, he agreed. My opponent then took his turn and convinced him we should rerun. I didn't even know it until they called us back up after that round for the rerun. I was seriously ticked. However as unusual for me as it was I kept my cool and went back up and reran him and beat him the second time. Before the night was over I did let the manager know that he was totally wrong and that I didn't appreciate it. Didn't do anything but make me feel better.

When I raced last weekend it was my first race in 2 years. Lucky they had a drivers meeting before the race for all cars running in NSS. They said you all know what True Start is as we use that ? I said what the heck is that and then they told us. Worst redlite looses if both go red and faster driver does not see if slower car goes red. I was like ?????????? never heard of that but what the heck. Ron

With True Start locally, first car to leave gets a green light. It only goes red if that first car's red is worse than the second car.

Watched a mid 12 second car race a 8 second dragster and the first car was well down the track before his red came on.

I don't think it belongs in NSS, but it does even up the chances for someone with a slower car.

I don't know if it's a safety violation, but it's an automatic DQ. I've seen Pro races on TV where they had to go back to the replay because the exhaust has blown over the cones, but tires were running the stripe, so no DQ.

Redlight is the loser.

We have some local track favorites that let's just say get special attention also. Example: This so called track favorite individual had to work & showed up late & missed qualifying. He shows up while going into eliminations. 16 cars have raced to be in the field. He gets to line up as a 17th car and gets a bye run. Next round, still uneven number of cars, he gets another bye run and again all the way up to the finals & guess what he wins the race in the finals!!!! A lot of unhappy people that day.

I haven't raced in the past 2 years so I was unaware of the TruStart implementation. It really warms my heart because I had an extended correspondence with NHRA on this subject in the 90's. I even went as far as having a simulation developed that showed over 1,000,000 runs that the impact was to the slower car. NHRA would not acknowledge our simulation results and their basis for keeping the first redlight rule was that they were not seeing the same result in actual National and Divisional test results. Glad somebody finally got smart!!!!