I doubt a car leaving off a footbrake and stabbing the throttle could ever compete. 520/530 lights are pretty darn good with a footbrake car. Now, transbrake with delay boxes and delay switches are knocking down 500-515 lights all day.
"Back in the day", when I raced my Charger in the late 80's/early 90's, I was that guy that was right around 530 average light. Car would usually run within +/- .01 all day. Back then, the last season I raced that car averaged 4-1/2 rounds in eliminations. Twas a very good year $$'s!!
But then I parked mine for 28 years and while I slept, tbrakes and delay boxes and 1/8th mile came along and to me, took a lot of the fun out of the "sport." The sport of competition was not only the reaction of the driver, but also the car, it's consistency, and the "cat and mouse" game as you neared the stripe. The 1/8 mile shortened the game considerably and the footbrake cars are fodder for the tbrakes and delay box cars. To be competitive, I need to run in one of the Sportsman bracket classes where they run the 1/4 and state no tbrakes/boxes (and they enforce it!). If that means slowing it down, then so be it. I know it hardly pays but it's the thrill of competition to me more than the money. I'm sure not going to get rich racing my junk!!
