Another weekend racing with Dany

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motorpirate

serial mopar owner
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So this was Dany's 3rd weekend at the track, and I think she is getting the hang of it!
She started leaving when the 2nd yellow goes out as suggested by 318willrun(thanks dude!!)
and her reaction times really improved!!
We also figured out the car speeding up on Sat VS Fri. On Fri we get there early (when they open at 5:00) and she basically goes straight from the interstate, dumps the tools out of the trunk and over to the tree to stage and make a run. She can then "hot lap" every 6 to 10 min as no one else there is ready to run. sometimes she runs back to back laps for an hour alone.
On Saturday however. we register, then sit for an hour plus while the 1/4 Junior Drag cars have the track, AND THE CAR COOLS OFF!! I mean, it's stock at this point and can hot lap all day at 180 degrees, but after sitting with the hood open for 90 plus min its cool enough to lay your hand on.
We also learned we need to be a little more "tactical" with our dial in.
She ended up with a Mustang in the elimination round she ran a test pass with earlier the same day, so he knew she was slower. When we got in line for the elimination round she took the marker with us. We went to watch the 1/4 Jr finals and before we left the car I wrote the dial in on it. When we came back we saw that "Mustang Boy" had lowered his dial in .50 so all he had to do was chase her down with no fear of breaking out!!
Lesson learned...
All in all we still had a ball in spite of all the tire trouble (Damn Coopers!!) but I'm gonna make a separate thread about that!!
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Cut a decent light and run close to your dial and the opponent can dial up, down, sideways whatever they want, and still lose.
 
Don't worry about sand baggers, Dial the car honest and cut a good tree and that will keep all the pressure on them
 
You having fun, so that's a win right there.

The race with the Mustang was lost at the starting line...she really didn't have a chance with that reaction time (no offence), and it didn't really matter what Mustang guy dialed as long as it was close...he probably caught your driver before the 330' mark.

Keep working on the reaction times (maybe buy a practice tree, or a pocket tree). Seat time and practice will make you more proficient.

On top of getting the RT under control you can have her work on the other end of the track. Being able to judge the stripe on a fast approaching car is essential (since your car will usually be the one being chased). Put good brakes on the car, dial soft (like 17.2)...its good practice for driving the stripe. It is also fun to mess with people making them eat the stripe. If that's not your thing you can just dial it strait up (to each their own). As long as you cut a light AND can make the car run the number you wrote, you're good.

Have fun :)
 
flyfish said:
You having fun, so that's a win right there.

The race with the Mustang was lost at the starting line...she really didn't have a chance with that reaction time (no offence), and it didn't really matter what Mustang guy dialed as long as it was close...he probably caught your driver before the 330' mark.

Keep working on the reaction times (maybe buy a practice tree, or a pocket tree). Seat time and practice will make you more proficient.

On top of getting the RT under control you can have her work on the other end of the track. Being able to judge the stripe on a fast approaching car is essential (since your car will usually be the one being chased). Put good brakes on the car, dial soft (like 17.2)...its good practice for driving the stripe. It is also fun to mess with people making them eat the stripe. If that's not your thing you can just dial it strait up (to each their own). As long as you cut a light AND can make the car run the number you wrote, you're good.

Have fun :)
Click to expand...
Second time I have heard "driving the stripe ".. what it s that??
 
motorpirate said:
Second time I have heard "driving the stripe ".. what it s that??
Click to expand...
Basically, knowing where your opponent is, and not crossing the finish line too far in front of them. On the bottom of the time slip is a MOV (Margin of Victory), I usually like to cross the stripe first (with a few exceptions), but only by couple hundredths of a second (which equates to 1-3 feet ish).

Example 1: You and the other driver both dial 16.5 (heads up race). After you leave the line you notice that you got the jump and are ahead by half a car length. You wisely stay on the gas and watch your opponent as you go down track. If you are still half a car ahead by the 1000' marker, to effectively "drive the stripe" you should slow down a little by either lightly dragging the brake or womping the gas (on and off the gas peddle). When you cross the stripe you only want to have them covered by a fender at most (I like to only have a wheel on them). That is driving the stripe.

On that same note, if you know you can't win at the other guy is going to cross first...tap the brake...the other guy maybe on a brake out pass, so slowing a little will ensure that IF he is, you should win with a smaller breakout (if any).

The terms sandbagging, holding numbers, dialing soft...they all basically mean the same thing. An example would be, if your car can run 16.5 and you dial 16.7...that would be dialing soft give, which would give you 2 tenths of a second to "play with" at the stripe. This is not for everyone, and I would not suggest using this tactic on a regular basis (if at all) until you have mastered cutting a light and are very comfortable driving the stripe....However, if you are able to add this to your "tool kit", you will be able to pull out a few wins that you would not be able win if you dialed the car "honest".

Explaining that last one would take a couple paragraphs....I could type many pages about bracket racing tactics...but I don't have that kind of time on my lunch brake (maybe I should write a book, lol). You really just need to be able to cut a good light and know how to drive the stripe (and set a dial that is achievable).
 
Looking good, she's got it in the 16's now what? are we going to see 15's soon, you might have to start doing a little work on it. A nice 340 would put her in the 12's
 
motorpirate said:
I have 5.9 Magnum in stock.
Its next I think!!!
Click to expand...

Nice Barracuda!

What does she have for an engine and gears now? I hope to get my '65 to the track soon. It would be interesting to compare times (adjusted for 6000' altitude).
 
GreyWizard said:
Nice Barracuda!

What does she have for an engine and gears now? I hope to get my '65 to the track soon. It would be interesting to compare times (adjusted for 6000' altitude).
Click to expand...
Its stock 273 2bbl with a 8 1/4 rear with 3.55's and a SureGrip.
235/60/15's on 7" wheels.
She does not do burnouts and let's the trans shift itself, it shifts at 4000 rpm.
 
motorpirate said:
Its stock 273 2bbl with a 8 1/4 rear with 3.55's and a SureGrip.
235/60/15's on 7" wheels.
She does not do burnouts and let's the trans shift itself, it shifts at 4000 rpm.
Click to expand...

My Barracuda has a fresh, stock 318 with a 600cfm Eddy. The rear gears however, are 2.93 (open). Tire size is 215/60/15. I am 62 years young and have never taken the tree at a drag strip. This will be interesting.
 
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