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

I feel that Friday nights pill draw results should be reversed for Saturday night. That way no driver starts in the front or back two night in a row. The midweek show stands alone. Any driver who shows up Saturday and did not race on Friday should be allowed to draw from the pills that are left.

Since the draw is for the heats and you also have the qualifier (which is lined up with an invert of heat points?) added to the mix,  does it really matter?   

Ask the drivers if it matters.

IMO pill draw means a lot more at a time trial show, however I could be wrong.  Did you bring it up with the racetrack and with the promoters?   They seem to be a pretty responsive bunch overall, and would at least entertain the conversation.   SInce you are the one making the suggestion, I would think providing evidence that it matters to the drivers would be up to the person who thinks the change is in order.

I have run it by Greg & Tommy. If you read the drivers tweets, the first thing they memtion is whether the got a good or bad pill draw. Nobody wants all high numbers, go ask Saldana.

You don't ever hear the best drivers complain about pill draw. 

Drivers opinions really don't matter to me.   Heck, a pit area full of happy drivers usually makes for a boring race!  

The point is that the qualifiers (offering the same points opportunities as the heat) should negate any complaint about a "bad" draw.   If a driver thinks he drew poorly it is more of an excuse really.     Possibly it is force of habit from a time trial system where there is really such thing as a "good" or "bad" draw

same thing happens in time trial show to....you still draw a pill and could go out last on a track that gets slower with every car and be buried in a heat race.

The best answer is for good track prep that allows passing when you are faster than the car in front of you.

It's time for a new crowd pleasing,  driver fair format... Gone are the days of lucky pill draws and time trials... 

Heats are 12 laps split into 2 segments. Line up by pill draw.  (6 laps each -  90% of the racing action happens in the first 6 laps anyway) 

After the first 6 laps,  the chequers is flown,  cars then do not stop,  but rather reform in reverse order.. And race the 2nd segment. 

Both segments are scored with passing points. The combined total lines up the features. 

Quick,  easy,  full of action... And above all... Fair.. 

If the track is one lane, it won't matter what format you use.

Ding ding.  In my years of observation too many tracks try to get enough water down before racing starts to last all night.  The ONLY way that can provide a racy track for the feature is if its one lane muddy in the heats.  I've neve figured out why tracks don't start with less water early and build in some track maintenance time later in the show.  I suppose that might be time constrained for half miles but smaller tracks could certainly do it.  

Cobra, almost like the way they do things in the World Series in Australia (or at least used to).  Always thought that was the best format I had ever seen and as well the heat race action I saw over there was equally the best I have ever seen.  I remember our many nights of talking about this and other things Aussie, those were the days.  Nice to see you posting hope life is treating you right, all the best!!!!!

I like

To try to give each "heat" a equal track.... I like your idea of inverting the heat and run again... but maybe go 1-4 to begin with then reverse the heats and run again so 4,3,2,1? Obviously then the guys in heat 4 will complain about not having time to adjust like the others... so put in a 5 minute time frame for that.

  Haubstadt does a complete rework of the track before the features and usually takes about 20 minutes. Some people complain about the "John Deere Tractor Show" but you have a certain number of idiots wherever you go. Nobody complains about the racing, though, and anybody that goes there more than once knows beforehand that there will be a rework. Tom and Loris Helfrich do a heck of a job running the whole place.

I like time trials and would hate to see them go. I'll still show up, whatever format they choose, but to me times trials are part of the show. If I miss them (which pretty much never happens) I feel like I didn't see a complete show.

I like your attitude.  I too will continue to show up no matter the format.  I am okay with the time trials but would love to see extra heat racing replace them.  Either way, I know that whatever is done is done to attempt to improve the show and the sport.  I don't think change is big and scary.  It usually takes place because it is needed.  That being said-I agree with you.  I will be there to see the races!

Watching last year and this year on video track needs more banking up by the wall. Compound banking 5 to 10 degrees and 20 to 25 degrees by the wall.

Time trial do it as you pill draw figure out how many cars. Say 8 car per heat. Time them first 8 cars they run heat one. fastimer out of this group lines up fourth in heat one, next 8 do the same for heat two, etc

Pill draw run heats 1 to 4 then rerun heats 1 to 4 fully inverted. Add together much like they do in motocross. If tie higher running in second heat gets spot.

Maybe they should run 150 laps with pit stops...

do it in the dirt