Time to hit the Track.

[Fran Blacker]

----
The day was great today. Air was not good though, by mid afternoon it was up to 4200' The 64 worked great, consistent 135, 136 60's @ 10.09's. Only got 2 test runs and into eliminations, met up with Wookie and that was it. I cut a .020 red and he went on for the win. Actually, on this run against Wooks, my time slip said that I ran a 9.66! And no MPH! What the hell. Regardless, I lost the race before it started.

Tomorrow is a new day, will keep at it and things will turn around at some point.

On the 9.66 did the front tires hop over start light?

 

[malex]

On the 9.66 did the front tires hop over start light?

----
Wooks and I figure that something had to have broke the beam, it sure wasn't me. Lol.
And I have found 2 new ways to lose this weekend too!
1: The Just-N-Time Trans brake button used with a lighter spring can rebound back in once it pops out, and a guy sits there for ummm, .261
2: Crossing the stripe, tire breaks the beam for the win, not the fender.

Some pretty crappy air this morning.

 

[dvw]

[QUOTE="malex,
And I have found 2 new ways to lose this weekend
2: Crossing the stripe, tire breaks the beam for the win, not the fender. [/QUOTE]
Depends on the car. The finish beams are taller. If the car has a low nose (not our stuff) it will trip the beam with the body. Read here;
1 5/8" is correct for the starting line beam height, (measured at the 1/4" beam emitter hole) but ONLY if that results in the correct rollout using the correct wheel measuring device to ensure that track crown or non-level starting lines don't deviate the specified rollout......the rollout is all that matters. (NHRA spec 11 1/2" to 12" as even lane to lane as physically possible)
2 3/16" to the top of the emitter beam housing, but all that counts is the 1/4" hole in the cap.

Rollout is measured with a 22 inch O.D. wheel with a "trailer" on the track surface to ensure the correct rollout is achieved lane to lane.
We measure ours in both "wheel tracks" in both lanes....we can achieve within 1/4" rollout lane to lane.

Downtrack blocks seem to vary quite a bit.
For NHRA National events:
The 60' beam is spec'd to be 10" to 10 1/2", all other downtrack beams at 5" to 6", but that is measured at the center of the track, not at the beam emitter/receiver location, again, track crown or non-level surfaces affect the true height.

*NOTE*
All interval time beams, speed trap beams, and ET stop beams are measured from the guard beam. (Typical distance between stage beam and guard beam: 12 3/4")
I've never seen a guard beam used at any event other than Nationals or Divisionals.

Source: Section 5: Timing and Recording, of the 2006 NHRA Competition Policies and Procedures Manual.

This manual is specific to the Compulink Startrak Systems.....

This is why some tracks might show slightly quicker intervals on an identical finish ET. (TSI Systems)

The IHRA website used to contain some specifications for their system setups, seems it was the same as NHRA mostly. (Compulink Startrak systems)

 

[malex]

[QUOTE="malex,
And I have found 2 new ways to lose this weekend
2: Crossing the stripe, tire breaks the beam for the win, not the fender.

Depends on the car. The finish beams are taller. If the car has a low nose (not our stuff) it will trip the beam with the body. Read here;
1 5/8" is correct for the starting line beam height, (measured at the 1/4" beam emitter hole) but ONLY if that results in the correct rollout using the correct wheel measuring device to ensure that track crown or non-level starting lines don't deviate the specified rollout......the rollout is all that matters. (NHRA spec 11 1/2" to 12" as even lane to lane as physically possible)
2 3/16" to the top of the emitter beam housing, but all that counts is the 1/4" hole in the cap.

Rollout is measured with a 22 inch O.D. wheel with a "trailer" on the track surface to ensure the correct rollout is achieved lane to lane.
We measure ours in both "wheel tracks" in both lanes....we can achieve within 1/4" rollout lane to lane.

Downtrack blocks seem to vary quite a bit.
For NHRA National events:
The 60' beam is spec'd to be 10" to 10 1/2", all other downtrack beams at 5" to 6", but that is measured at the center of the track, not at the beam emitter/receiver location, again, track crown or non-level surfaces affect the true height.

*NOTE*
All interval time beams, speed trap beams, and ET stop beams are measured from the guard beam. (Typical distance between stage beam and guard beam: 12 3/4")
I've never seen a guard beam used at any event other than Nationals or Divisionals.

Source: Section 5: Timing and Recording, of the 2006 NHRA Competition Policies and Procedures Manual.

This manual is specific to the Compulink Startrak Systems.....

This is why some tracks might show slightly quicker intervals on an identical finish ET. (TSI Systems)

The IHRA website used to contain some specifications for their system setups, seems it was the same as NHRA mostly. (Compulink Startrak systems)[/QUOTE]
---
Doug I'm going to have to read that several times. Lots of info.
My opponent was a fox body mustang. I caught him by the 1/8 mile and had him covered by what I figured was about a foot. I didn't want to break out. His win light came on and I figured that I ran too fast. But that wasnt the case. The opponent came over afterwards and told me after the race that I had him. I was puzzled how I lost that, thought maybe time difference comes into play. Not sure why that went that way I went to the tower to ask how I lost that race. They told me that his tire broke the beam before me, nose doesn't matter, period. Ok whatever I thought, lesson learned.

 

[64SF]

The info you guys provide on this thread is amazing....

 

[33 IMP]

The guy in the tower lied to you.


But i think you already knew that.

 

[33 IMP]

I read somewhere, i think it may have been dragzine, an explanation of how tapping the brakes in the lights can CAUSE a breakout.
Lets say you have a car with a long, low, nose, maybe the last gen firebird. Your car is dialed dead nuts to a pass where you ran out the back door, say 12.00. Your nose is right at the legal height, so on a full pass you break the finish line with a tire. First round , you're running your opponent down, so to tap the brakes. The nose of your car drops, you break the beam with your four foot front overhang, the sixty foot speed trap becomes 56 feet, and you run 11.98, instead of the 12.00 if you break the beam with a tire. Far fetched? Yes but possible.
Also possible that a finish line beam can be broken by bodywork on one car, and a tire on the other. That has definitely happened to me and many others. My tina (cortina) has a rediculously small front overhang, got beat by a late model firebird that i KNEW i had covered by two feet. Wrong again.

 

[dvw]

Let me see the time slip.
Doug

 

[malex]

The guy in the tower lied to you.


But i think you already knew that.

—-
The thing I know for sure is that if I had it to do over I would have covered him better than I did. All in all, I’m having fun and learning each pass.

 

[malex]

Let me see the time slip.
Doug

—-
Checked my book, not there. Need to retrieve the slip from the trailer tool box. I recall on the bottom though it said 0076 difference.
Will post once I retrieve.

Sunday was a crazy day though. Air was 4800-4900 from
Mid morning on.
On my second test pass, right lane: 1.400 60’ @ 10.32.
Third test pass, no changes, left lane: 1.340 60’ @ 10.10. 10.10 is back to where it normally would run.
Come first round I wanted the left lane but lost the flip, opponent took left lane, that left me wondering what the H to dial at, which added to me not wanting to break out. Anyways,
In my short time racing I’ve never experienced such a change in lanes. The fun of racing.

 

[33 IMP]

If the tire was the only thing that breaks the finish line beam.... explain the "pecker extensions" some guys have on the front of their cars. There is even an NHRA rule about how far in front it can be, and how high. If it isn't used for breaking a beam, then what?

 

[dvw]

If the tire was the only thing that breaks the finish line beam.... explain the "pecker extensions" some guys have on the tront of their cars. There is even an NHRA rule about how far in front it can be, and how high. If it isn't used for breaking a beam, then what?

This rule started back in Pro Stock with the 92 Firebirds having the long nose. Now there is a standard length 30"in front of the spindle? It will make the ET quicker as you're tripping the beam approximately 2 ft earlier. The trick in bracket racing is to first look at your opponents car to see if it has an extension. Then judge the stripe accordingly. That's assuming you're trying to take less than .02 MOV.
Doug

 

[33 IMP]

That was one of my problems with my cortina, judging the finish line. My tina has maybe eight inches of front overhang. If my door was even with my opponents door, if it was, for example a chevelle or 65 Plymouth, the other guy was ahead by two or three feet.

 

[Fran Blacker]

This is bugging me. Did you get a 60ft time on your time slip on that 9.66 run? Was it close to your normal 60ft time or much quicker.
Just curious.

 

[malex]

This is bugging me. Did you get a 60ft time on your time slip on that 9.66 run? Was it close to your normal 60ft time or much quicker.
Just curious.

——
Yes. Got that one. Check it out.

 

[33 IMP]

It looks like something else broke the finish line beam, and then your tire broke the first speed trap beam. Out of sequence like that will confuse the computer, and you won't get a mph readout, as shown on your slip. Just guessing, but it seems logical.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Well that answers whether you hopped the light, that's in your normal 60ft time range. Went back and looked at 330ft and 1/8 mile times normal. 33 imp's idea sounds good. Could the nose down from being on the brakes.

 

[malex]

It looks like something else broke the finish line beam, and then your tire broke the first speed trap beam. Out of sequence like that will confuse the computer, and you won't get a mph readout, as shown on your slip. Just guessing, but it seems logical.

—-
Agreed. I broke the first beam though. Lol. (red).

 

[malex]

The guy in the tower lied to you.


But i think you already knew that.

---
33, I will tell you. I've only been in that tower once before, But the person that I dealt with will never win any Ms Congeniality awards, that is for sure. I asked for a second opinion from a fellow in the tower and then she went stupid bitch on me. Lol. Told me I'm not listening and then got a list of credentials and more.... I kid you not. Lol.

 

[33 IMP]

Malex, it sounds like she just told you "2 and 2 is 5" . Any long time racer knows that is not true. Otherwise, why is there a minimum height spec? My guess is that she knew she was fibbing and just didn't like getting called on it.
Btw, wooks didn't exactly ease up on you did he? .032 package would win 95 out of a 100 rounds were i race.