Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Does anybody like to watch time trials?

ha, altman changed his handle...

Ascot was the greatest of all time..

West Capital wasn't half bad either..

Life is good...

It is what it is...putting the cars in "flights" seems pretty fair...

why penalize a guy for doing his job and being fast? 

I like to watch time trials when I watch wingless because the guys run different lines...the winged cars are normally locked on the same line.

+1

 I don't think when the regular weekend racers are already strapped for finances that you should gain an advantage for having a stronger fresher engine.  At the outlaw level who cares but the outlaws also need the weekend racers to play along. Quick times are 90% engine. Timing 360s and 305s makes even less sense. That said now that most races don't even have enough cars for a B main it's a little too late to fix things.

Is the main reason that teams are spending 40,000+ on engines?

I agree there is too much emphasis on time trials! I don’t know if it’s a good reason to get rid of them all together but there is too much emphasis on them. That’s why I like two rounds of heats and time trials with even points given for time trails and heats like the Dirt Classic format or Australian format.   

A. Drivers prefer time trials for lining up heats. They feel it is better than a draw.

B. It's not a good idea to start too slow of a car at the front of a race on the bigger high speed tracks.

C. Lining heats up by point standings keeps any outsiders from dropping in to race a night or 2 during the season because they have to start in back all night.

Personally I enjoy watching time trials. 

Yes I watch time trials. Much rather them time trial than draw.

The only thing I like about time trials is that its a chance to familiarize yourself with drivers & car numbers, if you don't already know them. I like the Aussie suggestion, random draw, dual reversed heats.

Or old style "run whatcha brung", points leaders start in the back.... spend as much as you want on cars, but face a handicap

Lot of time the time trial is base on the pill draw when you go out anyways

I like time trials, they set the line ups. But I would get rid of heats with wing cars and add 10 laps to the mains. So the time trial lines up for the main. Heats 8 to 10 laps, dash 4 to 8 laps, so at your saturday night race track most run 10 lap heats on 1/4 to 3/8 mile and 8 laps on 1/2 mile. So running 10 more laps in a main is not adding any more laps a night. So the mains with a comp yellow 40 lap main, after 20 laps go into the pits, the other class(es) come out and run there other half of the main. Also you can fix your car no bring out a back up car though. When you come back out for the second half of the main you line up where you were running in the first part of the main and race the second 20 laps...

First the drivers, tracks and sanctioning groups like them and think it is the fairest way to line up . I don't mind them just they take most of the time to long to complete . I think they should time through warmups , alot more tracks are doing that .

To AussiePosse fan, I've watched the dual heat format on my visits to Australia and generally there's a whole bunch of crashing. When they run the single heat format, everyone knows they won't get a second chance and race a whole lot cleaner. Do like it as a way to determine line ups, I don't like giving the guy who timed second but finished in the last transfer spot his time trial back in the heat. I kind of like the ASCS passing point format.

To doublenuthin I like two rounds of heats as the fast guys start up front in the first round of heats and in the second round they start from the back making them try and pass cars. The reason I like that format is you get to see more racing for your money and yes sometimes you do see more crashes but that can be the exciting part. I don’t want to see anybody hurt but crashes can make it exciting especially for the kids. What I have heard and seen of the ASCS format it’s an improvement over most formats.

I enjoy time trials. 

There has to be a fair and equitable way to line up heat and feature races.  How many of the "top" sprint car sanctioning bodies have time trials...?  There must be something to it if they all think it's the best way to do it.  ASCS lines up heats by draw, but lines up the feature by looking at a spreadsheet that assigns points based on positions started and finished in the heats.  That rewards cars for moving forward and rewards cars that start up front for staying up front.  Both of these methods give everyone a pretty equal chance at the feature.  In other words, the driver has all of the input in how the night goes.  It is in no way fair or equitable for a track or organization to do everything by random draw.  The driver gets zero fair or equitable chance at the night.  Random draw starting 10th in the heat and take top 4?  Good luck with that.  Straight to the back of the B you go.  Good luck with that too.  So as long as there is a fair way, I think it's fine.  Personally, I think time trials are the best.  "Passing points" are ok. Never seen double heats, but that sounds cool.  Random draw and take the top so many is damn near criminal. 

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i don't like time trials, adds expense to car owners, laps to the track surface and time to the program. Draw for heat starting position and race for a feature transfer spot.

That's all well and good until you're the poor unfortunate son of a bitch who gets stuck behind some windshield wiper and can't get a decent time because you were consumed with that task for your entire 2 laps. Group time trials suck. Every time Port Royal does it, someone ends up getting screwed by a slower car. It's every single time. 2 lap time trials, 1 car at a time. No need to reinvent the wheel. Those who don't like them are free to go do something else while time trials are going on. Me personally, I don't mind them. It's fun to watch.

Please list which tracks are currently time trialing 410 cars during hot laps  (warm ups)?

This has been said numeress times, but at Knoxville 305 are timed in hot laps usually 6 cars at a time.  The 360 and 410s are timed with 3 cars at a time.  I am not sure, but when WOO come to town they will be timed 1 at a time the 410s