hey guys: Just some wandering questions.
When i got out of this so many, many years ago, there were lots of classes to race in, decent purses and bracket racing was all the rage.
These days there doesn't seem to be much unless you have big money, big sponsors and everyone down here seems to hate bracket racing.
Our Duster build is about done and after two years crewing in Nss im not sure i see anything that looks like much fun other than , as im told all the time "racing just for fun".
I was raised in the age of goals and always raced for a wager or a purse , losing were the lessons one had to go through to get good enough to go home with some money.

So: why do people hate bracket racing? I don't get it.
Secondly : Am i just "looking in all the wrong places"?

What happened to racing to win something and the joy of winning coming from it being so danged hard to do because everyone was " all in" on winning, had rivalries etc.
Maybe im just old and the memories have taken on a life of their own ?
I have enjoyed crewing an index car - love it, but i just want to beat the teeth out of everyone once we get to the water box and, im always gunning for cars that have done better than us.
My mind never shuts off on trying to find an edge, another .01 at the 60 or anywhere else.

Maybe im just trying to capture a past i had to walk away from but, down here, everything just looks like "test and tune " to me other than Nhra big money events.
It "seems" like there is much more going on in the North East competition wise, is that true?

Does everyone hate bracket racing now?

I enjoyed bracket racing.. you dont have to have a big wallet and you can still win money(if you win).. but I'm
older also.. when I started there wasnt much if you didnt have a ton of money

I enjoyed brackets as well Mr P.
I don't need a huge purse to get me "up on the pipe" but its hard for me to think about hammering on the car for a chance at nothing at all.

From a drivers stand point I love index racing. Cutting a light, setting the index in changing weather, driving the stripe. Not to mention foot braking, setting the starting line rpm with your foot, and yes shifting the car yourself. Makes for a fun run. Not afraid to bracket race against electronics either. It's a challenge. Dont get me wrong I'd love to go quicker. But facing reality I'm really lucky to be able to have the truck, trailer, and car I have. That being said, can you win some good money doing it? Yes. Get rich, nope.
Doug

Nothing wrong with bracket racing. A good place to start and hone your skills. Skills that can be used in most other classes of drag racing as well. As you bracket race other classes of racing may become more attractive to you. If so then you can make plans to adapt your car if needed. The important thing is just to race!

Good Luck!

You have to do all those things in bracket racing also but have less into the car.. I raced in box and
no box

Another thing to add about bracket racing is you don't necessarily need a super fast car you just need it consistent

RustyM- What part of Texas are you from? There is quite a bit of bracket racing and index racing, but Texas is a big state.

The northeast is a big deal. Probably at least a dozen tracks within 4 hours of us. And I don't mean cornfield 1/8 miles. NHRA, IHRA, class cars, Stock/Super Stock, .90 classes, Top Sportsman and Dragster, brackets (1/8 & 1/4), footbrake, index, local associations (Pro Stick, Mid Atlantic .90, Tri-State S/SS, Pro Mod, etc), fast street car/radial/no prep/outlaw/heads up stuff, nostalgia, motorcycles, snowmobiles - you name it, they race it here somewhere.

To do well in any of it takes some money, along with commitment, skill and experience. It's all relative. But there's a seat for every butt.

HRP [Baytown] has Friday street racing & LOTS of other events, HMP 1/8 mile has the same, Alamo City Motorplex Has lots of events also. HRP is my home track.

Agree with others, no bias against bracket racing and I even campaign a Super Stock car. In fact I’m keeping an eye out for a bracket car to gain seat time and hone skills. If you don’t see many class cars bracket racing it’s simply because motors are generally much more expensive to build and maintain. In most of the southeast there are many good tracks with a variety of programs, most of which pay better with less entry fees than running a typical NHRA Divisional (go figure). And down here it’s virtually a year-round go. Gainesville starts their bracket program mid January. Orlando is probably before that.

I'd prefer an index with an instant green. 12.5, 11.5, 10.5, 9.50 are easy target to build a car. That instant green make everyone an equal. I tried some instant green races this year. Cutting that type of light is better than counting down.

I love bracket racing. It allows me to competitive while running the car I want, set up like I want it, and I don’t have to measure my wallet against anyone. Mostly, It assures me that each and every round is a huge challenge. If winning money is what you’re interested in, drag racing probably isn’t for you. Although I paid for all of my entry fees last year with winnings (and only won one race), so it can happen if you’re good.

If NSS racing was an option to me where I live (Pacific Northwest) I’d probably get involved in that, but it’s not prevalent here so I don’t have to worry about that. I really don’t understand those that knock bracket racing. I have a theory that most of them do so because they can’t wrap their mind around the numbers game, heads up is easier to understand.... almost boringly easier if you ask me. Most every heads up race I’ve ever seen, I know who’s going to win approx 1 second into the run.

Although I did brkt racing in my time 1980>1991 I enjoyed it as it was all new to me but really all I wanted to do was tune and go quicker and just change the dial. There's no real money over here and most say they do it "for fun" which I can understand but that mentality annoys me as if you are a serious about it and want to win your seen as somewhat of an outcast. Watching brkt racing or index racing with t/stops is even worse for me, over here most build a car and then find a class to race it in which is 98% 1 or the other in sportsman apart from Outlaw Anglia and something called Street Eliminator which are heads up, no brk out. To me, thats racing, but again as there no p/w rules you can get a 10 sec car against a 7 sec car, or 1 that has run 6.98@210.... bit of a waste of time really.

Next year I will be crewing for the first time on a brkt car with a complete new combo, being involved is a different ball game, and I should enjoy it as we got a lot to sort out. SPR has finally seen the light and will be running NHRA legal S/SS classes at a few meets, as a starter, although thats still brkt racing, can't see it catching on as a permanent class but you never know, least we are going in the right direction....rules are a dirty word over here apart from safety of course.

I'm in East Texas, just outside of Tyler.
We go to Extreme, Denton, Lufkin etc.
I love the index racing as well as Brackets- just racing in general .
I guess at this point im just not into the whole: "we just race for fun, no purse, no point thing" - i can do that against someone at "test n tune" or an occasional event like Dirty South , but beating on expensive car/parts for a free series - just not my cup of tea i guess.

I actually enjoy just Crewing a car- can really focus on data/car/driver/track/weather etc.
Its just about as much fun to me as having a car there myself .
I really enjoy trying to get a car on an index or to a really tight window for bracket racing.

Thanks DVR and all: Its good to hear there are still racers out there that want to win,, something, anything and work to do so.

Same here....for me its the "been there and done that" thing as far as having another car. There's still a few racers who remember me from the old days and seem to think I know something about the sport, so prob will help out some on theirs as well to some degree.

I’m in it for the people.... if I go some rounds great. I look over the track schedules and find fun events to go to. I’ve pulled 5hrs for a 2 out of 3 heads up race...... for a trophy and bragging rights. I’ve pulled 22hrs to race at 2 tracks on one weekend just to hang with people I hadn’t seen in 20 years. I’ve had the Duster set up a couple of times to be a very consistent car, heck we finished 3rd in the Hot Rod Heritage Series Hot rod class 3yrs ago..... but then I change stuff in the quest of my own personal time slip chase and screw it up. I guess I prefer camp grounds.... with race tracks!

I’m actually pretty excited for January.... I still have the small motor in the car and my plan is to put my dad back in the seat of his old car over in Phoenix. He hung his helmet up back in 12.

Mr J: I think thats great and the heads up has to be exciting .
Everyone should do what they want to do - thats for sure.
It seems to me this sport is a bit more lively the further north one goes?
We have another track down here "For Sale" and its a good track, one i really like even though its about 3-4 hours away depending on traffic.
We used to have 2 tracks within 15-30 min. of my house and i live. have my shop out in the sticks , another 35-45 min away- they are all gone.

I have asked a few former owners/ staff why we lose so many tracks?
Of course the standard answers are first: insurance, city/county hassles etc, but engauged long enough we get to : not enough cars and not enough competition that pulls in spectators/money etc.

I literally hate going to tracks for grudge nights, but, wow! crowds ( all over the *%%$ track- ughhh, takes forever to move the line , oil downs are frequent but, people are betting, cheering!!!!!, they have their favorite cars/drivers and are loyal /informed etc .
Other than there being , literally, 50-100 people standing in the staging lanes, it kinda/sorta reminds me of being young and going to the track- there are actually spectators at local tracks!

Other than the tv shows that really spawned this, the big deal to people is: they are racing "for something" - money! and, its heads up racing.

It seems to be good for the sport as people are there and , they know many of the cars and drivers again.

Track staffs tell me : The more cars and betting- the bigger the crowds .