Footbrake racing

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I'm going to foot brake, really don't care either way though, however I didn't build a t brake transmission because the car is untested, the parts in my transmission are good so if I think I want to t brake I will.
 
Demonx2 said:
I've said itvefore in other posts but I'm just an old foot-brakin' fool. To me, that's what drag racing is/was. It was stoplight action that went to a track. Bracket racing/handicaps came in (as did all the various classes) to make it easier for anyone to compete.

And fun it is! Nothing like fender racing at the big end to see whose gonna get the win light! Still a hoot for me. I grew up watching the "big dogs" with their 10 and 11 second cars (I raced a roughly 14 sec car at that time) running the 1/4 mile and always dreamed of having one. The white "Casper" Barracuda, the black "Skunk" notchback, etc, etc. All those great Quaker City racers!!

I don't care for transbrakes or delay switches/boxes and 1/8 mile or any of that other stuff. But sadly (for me anyway), my view of what drag racing is and should be has mostly passed by and been replaced by all of this transbrake/delay box/index racing. They're just a different form of racing that I don't care for. But if others do, so be it.

At least for now, we still have the Sportsman class that is 1/4 mile footbrake racing so I'm happy to coexist with others that prefer these other forms. It's clear that my time has passed and if the Sportsman class goes away, I'll be on the outside wondering how the heck this happened and I got so old!! Fortunately for me, the tracks I go to don't adhere to the strict Sportsman limit of 11.50 or 12 sec or slower cut-off. My low 11 sec avatar car wouldn't have a place to race!

(Interestingly enough, my wife says to put a brake in the car and have at it. I just can't make myself do it. We also enjoy the car on the streets too much. Heck, I hardly get to drive it anymore as any cruise or show we go to, she insists on driving it. 408's are FUN!!)
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The black skunk notch back Denny Breckinridge raced him at Thompson a couple times!
 
pittsburghracer said:
I don’t know if it’s your picture or if that poster is so crooked but I had to screenshot it so i hopefully can read it. I couldn’t even find the entry fees.
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I've got a 7 year old Samsung phone. Sorry. $200 for the 40k races and $2000 for the 500k. But they capped entries at 385.
 
bballfan1 said:
The black skunk notch back Denny Breckinridge raced him at Thompson a couple times!
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That was him. Thompson and Quaker City! Bet you recall the Casper white car as well.

And one of them had this on the back of the car: "Don't worry - I'm probably .001 under!"
 
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tvt59 said:
I've got a 7 year old Samsung phone. Sorry. $200 for the 40k races and $2000 for the 500k. But they capped entries at 385.
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Only part of the problem is your phone. When you try to fit 3 pages of info on 1 page this happens. Then sometimes something as simple as the background color makes it even worse. I hated Norwalks Mopar brochure this year.
 
Demonx2 said:
That was him. Thompson and Quaker City! Bet you recall the Casper white car as well.

And one of them had this on the back of the car: "Don't worry - I'm probably .001 under!"
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Yes Casper too. Good times back then!
 
Charrlie_S said:
Yes, I understand that. It looks totally stupid to someone that is not really familiar with drag racing. And the drivers are not really driving, they are just steering, the "computer" is doing the driving. Take the computer out of the car and show me what the driver can do.
PS: over the years I have competed in quite a few different vehicles. From a Z/SA- bracket racer 65 Valiant, a 65 Valiant with a 273, a altered wheelbase 68 Cougar with a 440 Chrys., Front motor dragster with SBC. I ran all four of those cars at 5 different races in the same week. ET's ranged from high 16's to mid 9's and I did well. I have held record's in three different stock eliminator classes with a Ford, a Chevy and a Mopar. I was runnerup at the "bracket Nationals" at Byron Ill. in 1976, also runnerup at the division one Bracket finals. Over the years I have raced at over 50 different dragstrips (even ran at Pittsburg) and I can't even say how many cars. And I never ran electronics, except for ign box. Fact is I never even had a "line lock" until 5 years ago. Back "in the day" I was very good, But I parked my car in 1985, because footbrake and box cars ran together, and foot breakers did not have a very good chance of making it to the "money" rounds at a big payout race. I resurrected my slant six car in 2000 to run the slant six series. I'm not so good any more, as I don't run many races or TnT's, and I have slowed down some at 82 years old.
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Here in north florida, our local big NHRA Track runs the local footbrakers against the box Cars in the finals now. Not at the Div 2 NHRA based bracket races, but at all specialty races put on by them. I make sure to avoid these races.
Pairing box vs no box in the finals is a way for the track to make more money, since they dont hafta pay a purse for no box. Orlando and Bradenton tracks do not do this generally, but there are exceptions, like the King of the Track Event, where one King is crowned.
The box cars have a big advantage against the no box cars...aka EZ MONEY.
The big NHRA Track will tell you that it moves the cars along faster, which is just another excuse.
This is a cheesy, low class move that insults the Racers. :mob:
 
Charrlie_S said:
Exactly. I remember the days when you went to the track on race day and could get almost as many time shots you wanted before eliminations. Gates opened at about 8 am, hot track about 9 am, eliminations about 1 or 2 pm, finish racing about mid night. You could actually work on the tune up on race day, or even try some different parts to test back to back.
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The best kept secret in Test & Tune is weds nights at Orlando Speedworld.
No crowds, plenty of time to race. It's even worth tow, if you are out of town...just make sure it is a no rain night.
But everybody still shows up for Sunday Funday, then beyotches how they only got one time run in due to all the Ricers and street racers showing up and dirtying down the track with sand. :mad:
 
I always love it when automatic racers try and shame someone for not liking some shitty form of bracket racing.

Or that someone is “afraid” of something they don’t know.

I can say the same thing to all of you for not running a stick.

You don’t do it because you can’t. Because it’s hard. Because you have to tune.

And why do guys run powerglides? I know the answer and so do all of you if you are honest.

The biggest reason for a power glide is you can’t make three shifts, or even two shifts during a pass remotely consistent.

I know because I ask them. And then (get this ****) a lot of the PG guys use an automatic shifter!

They let go of a button, grab the wheel with both hands and just wait for the finish line. BORING ****.

A 12 second stick car is far more fun than a 9 second automatic that shifts itself.

So while some of you are sitting in your glass houses thinking you are the cats ***, maybe you should consider that what you are driving is pretty milquetoast in its own right.
 
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Some people don't even like pushing the lever down on their pop up toaster, that doesn't sound like fun, sounds like an automated machine stamping out the same thing.
I would have ran a stick, but I just didn't know enough about them to build one. Plus it maybe more expensive and I suffer from clinical poverty.
 
If I'm afraid of a transbrake , does that mean I'm transphobic???
 
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