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New Trophy Cup Format For 2014 by Ron Rodda
Phoenix, AZ…The phrase goes something like, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This year’s Trophy Cup showed it was a little bit broke when the track deteriorated during qualifying, making it nearly impossible for the last half of the field to score a competitive time. Additionally, after two years of racing nonwing 360s on Thursday, the car count did not justify the much larger than normal purse for that division. As a result, the 21st Trophy Cup to be held at Tulare Thunderbowl on October 16, 17, and 18 of 2014 will offer three nights of winged 360 sprint car action.
A modified format from past years will greet the huge sprint car field, but the deep inversions that the event is known for will be maintained. On Thursday, all cars will pill draw as usual, but the top half of the resulting qualifying order will be labeled group A will the 2nd half of the order becomes group B.
On Thursday, group A qualifies 1st with the fastest qualifier earning 150 points with a one point drop per position. Then group B qualifies with that group’s fastest qualifier earning 150 points also with the same point drop. Each group then races five heats, inverting six by time, with the top 2 moving to the group’s A main. Heat finishers 3 and 4 go to a B main, finish 5 or 6 means a C main, and so on.
Group B follows the identical plan with their 5 heats and same transfer plan. That puts 20 cars into each main with half coming from each qualifying group. After separate heats for each group, one set of mains use heat race results from each group to seed the field. The Thursday A main will continue the prior plan and invert 12 by points. Heats, B, and A mains will award points just as in prior years.
On Friday group B will qualify first with the qualifying order within that group reversed. Then group A qualifies 2nd with their order also reversed from Thursday. The teams in groups A and B do not change, just the order is reversed.
All cars must race both Thursday and Friday to be eligible for the point fund portion of the purse. Drivers must take the green flag for each of their races if able to compete and it will be officials decision enforce this rule. The Friday racing format is identical to Thursday. Saturday’s lineups are based on points and the driver’s better of the two nights point total will be used.
The top 48 in points will run six fully inverted heats on Saturday with drivers ranked 49 and lower in points going to preliminary mains. No changes were made to the Saturday portion of the format. These qualifying night changes will address the issue of making qualifying fair plus the huge benefit to drivers of being able to count their better of the two preliminary nights.
Teams that participated in the winged portion of this year’s Trophy Cup will have 2014 entry forms mailed to them on May 1 on next year. By meeting the May 31 deadline, those teams are guaranteed a spot in the 2014 Trophy Cup.
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