What is a holeshot win?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,770
Likes: 3
From: St Louis MO
What is a holeshot win?
I was watching some NHRA action on ESPN2 last nite and saw a "holeshot win". One guy had a faster ET and speed but lost. Now I'm lost...how can this happen?
Brett
Brett
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,172
Likes: 86
From: State of Confusion
The slower car left before the faster car, but not before the Green bulbs illuminated.....
If you and I have dead-nuts identical cars, who gets to the finish-line first?
Answer: the driver who 'left' first, with-out red-lighting.
ET is the time the CAR took to travel the 1/4-mile;
RT is the amount of time after the Green bulbs glow until the car actually MOVES from the beams, OK?
Which pair are you reffering to?????
If you and I have dead-nuts identical cars, who gets to the finish-line first?
Answer: the driver who 'left' first, with-out red-lighting.
ET is the time the CAR took to travel the 1/4-mile;
RT is the amount of time after the Green bulbs glow until the car actually MOVES from the beams, OK?
Which pair are you reffering to?????
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
A hole shot is just leaving before the other guy leaves without redlighting. Seeing that the pro cars are so close in ET the reaction time is critical. A lot of the pro races are won and lost on the starting line. You snooze you lose!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,770
Likes: 3
From: St Louis MO
I can't remember who it was...might have been pro stock.
Lemme see if I have this right. Even though the winner had a slower ET, he arrived at the finish line first because he left the start line first. Right?
Lemme see if I have this right. Even though the winner had a slower ET, he arrived at the finish line first because he left the start line first. Right?
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,172
Likes: 86
From: State of Confusion
Originally Posted by Brettmc
Lemme see if I have this right. Even though the winner had a slower ET, he arrived at the finish line first because he left the start line first. Right?
We stage, the lights come down, and you leave IMMEDIATELY as the Green light glows...
You run (pick an ET, 13.000, OK???)
I wait a half an hour, then leave the starting-line, and I run 13.000, correct?
The 'margin-of-victory' would be 30 minutes (a half-hour), the difference in our REACTION times...
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,172
Likes: 86
From: State of Confusion
Here ya go.....
http://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID={29D0B134-2E21-4247-966C-957AB695D1DE}&Filter=100#indextop
should be 2nd Round Pro Stock Eliminations.....
Check-out the 2nd pair down, Allen Johnson beating Steve Johns...
Johnson cuts an .028-light, and runs a 6.850;
Johns runs .029-seconds quicker (6.821), but got left-on by .050 ( Johns' RT was .078)...
There-fore, Johns lost by .021 (.050 dis-advantage on the Tree less .029 in performance = .021 Margin-of-Victory).
If you saw Saturday's Top Fuel qualifying on TV, a pair of racers ran IDENTICAL ET AND MPH (4.625 @ 324.75), side-by-side!
Whoever left first hit the stripe first, by virtue of his RT.....
http://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID={29D0B134-2E21-4247-966C-957AB695D1DE}&Filter=100#indextop
should be 2nd Round Pro Stock Eliminations.....
Check-out the 2nd pair down, Allen Johnson beating Steve Johns...
Johnson cuts an .028-light, and runs a 6.850;
Johns runs .029-seconds quicker (6.821), but got left-on by .050 ( Johns' RT was .078)...
There-fore, Johns lost by .021 (.050 dis-advantage on the Tree less .029 in performance = .021 Margin-of-Victory).
If you saw Saturday's Top Fuel qualifying on TV, a pair of racers ran IDENTICAL ET AND MPH (4.625 @ 324.75), side-by-side!
Whoever left first hit the stripe first, by virtue of his RT.....
Last edited by Glensgages; Sep 27, 2004 at 06:22 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,172
Likes: 86
From: State of Confusion
Originally Posted by Brettmc
Yeah, it was Allen and Johns I saw do that. Thanks for clearing that up for me!!
In a competitive class like PS, this happens fairly-often;
when you get a driver with better-than-average RT-skills, coupled with superior performance, like Greg Anderson the past few years, you can see where they'd be tough to beat.
Even when GA does get 'left-on', it is rarely by more than .02, and his car is 'usually' .03 quicker than the field, so GA 'drives-around' them anyhow, but, more often-than-not, GA leaves 'with' his opponent.
GA, his team-mate Jason Line, and rookie Dave Connolloy are amongst the best 'leavers' in the class, while Warren "the Professor" Johnson is traditionally one of the slowest-reacting drivers in the class, with WJ preffering to build power and 'drive-around' his opponents if he can.....
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!
Brett Foote
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)
Joe Kucinski
Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!
Michael S. Palmer
5 Reasons Bad Drivers Crash & 5 Ways to Avoid a Costly Mistake!
Joe Kucinski
7 Bolt-On Upgrades From Extreme Online Store to Level Up Your C6 Corvette
Pouria Savadkouei
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,325
Likes: 6
From: FRANKLIN GA
Originally Posted by Glensgages
GA, his team-mate Jason Line, and rookie Dave Connolloy are amongst the best 'leavers' in the class, while Warren "the Professor" Johnson is traditionally one of the slowest-reacting drivers in the class, with WJ preffering to build power and 'drive-around' his opponents if he can.....
If you saw my avarage RT's you'd know why!!
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 180
Likes: 0
From: Oklahoma City OK
I turned a 13.98 in my stock '71 small block with a good holeshot
I was in a stock class even though I had a 350/350 cam in the car. It was at Green Valley in Ft. Worth, Texas at the National Council of Corvette Clubs convention. The national record holder was in the other lane. I got away quicker from the light which probably startled the heck out of him. He turned a 13.5 something as I recall. In my case, however, he caught me and beat me by a length or two. I framed the timing sheet, however. I thought it was pretty good since I only had one practice run before that. Those were the only two trips the car ever made down the track.
Last edited by Nick in OKC; Sep 28, 2004 at 12:17 PM. Reason: Correction
