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Those who are fans of drag racing should try road courses and track days. It's three times as much fun to use the gas, brake, and the steering wheel than just the gas.
Also much more expensive, including a much higher risk of banging up your car. I had a great time at Spring Mountain, partly because they supplied the cars, the consumables, and maintenance, and there was only about a $10,000 deductible. If I run my own car on a track, my deductible is more like 80K.
I tracked my motorcycle, it was crazy fun and I'm sure same can be said for 4 wheels. That said. The associated cost and lack of local road courses. It's much easier to hit the drag strip. If you think its as simple as adding massive power and mashing the big pedal to be successful or fast.... You couldn't be more wrong.
I think that some of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's still drag race because that's what we did back then. We'd go out on weekends and cruise looking for races until the early hours of the morning. I don't remember any of my buddies back then being into any other type of racing. I'm sure people would cringe if I told them how much street racing I did in those days. You also have to keep in mind that back in the day many of the muscle cars were designed for straight line performance. It was a very special time and I have some great memories and stories from the "good old days."
Those were the days, brother. The 50's and 60's...buy something right out of the showroom and start laying down rubber on the local streets against anything you thought you could beat. We grew up in a special time.
You can actually 'make' money at the strip! Mommy, I want to be a Bracket Warrior.
If you bracket race like I do you can turn $50 into $1000, or $75 into $3000, or $100 into $5000 or more. Not bad for a fun day (day's work) at the local track kicking a$$. Reminds me of the old west movies where two face off and only one moves on to the next show down. Now (KA) is that fun or what? And instead of always costing you money there is a possibility if your good at cutting a light (quick draw) and your car runs the number of bringing the 'big' check home, and being its "Bracket Racing" you don't have to have the fastest car there to do it, you just need to be 'real' good/lucky too.
Just running down the track is one thing but actually competing against others for "Money" is something else. Usually all the regular gun slingers, killers, terminators, etc. try to stay away from one another till it gets down to the last rounds i.e. show downs/gun fights in old west terminology.
Last edited by C7/Z06 Man; 08-01-2018 at 12:48 AM.
Like C7/ZO6 Man I am also a bracket racer. There is no right or wrong kind of racing and in the end we are all car enthusiasts. We chose to participate in the area of the sport that appeals to each one of us and we shouldn't be putting down choices that others choose to make just because they may be different from what we happen to like. Each sport whether road racing or drag racing had it's own appeal. For those of you who think drag racing is just hammering the throttle when you see green, try to cut a .000 light and beating your opponent by thousandths at the stripe. It take skill to consistently go rounds and occasionally take home the cash or trophy. Sure there is a lot of downtime, but that is time used to grill the burgers and chew the fat. As they say, to each his own.
it's fun. only way i'd do course is if i was the only one on the track. i can pay for my mistakes, some others wont be willing to
I understand your point, but would argue against it. I've done photography for Track Night in America for 3 years now and out of the 4-5 accidents (3 of which were totaled cars and the others were simply a bumper being destroyed) none of them involved another driver. Keep in mind TNiA has people who have never driven on a road course before and people who have years of experience.
Every track day has rules and measures to avoid you and another driver crashing into each other. Obviously there are accidents that will happen between 2 drivers, but it's not as often as you would think.
Why does anyone respond to obvious troll topics like this? Look at the 3rd grade English, 1st post, etc.
well you found a reason
Originally Posted by four0nefive
I understand your point, but would argue against it. I've done photography for Track Night in America for 3 years now and out of the 4-5 accidents (3 of which were totaled cars and the others were simply a bumper being destroyed) none of them involved another driver. Keep in mind TNiA has people who have never driven on a road course before and people who have years of experience.
Every track day has rules and measures to avoid you and another driver crashing into each other. Obviously there are accidents that will happen between 2 drivers, but it's not as often as you would think.
Those who are fans of drag racing should try road courses and track days. It's three times as much fun to use the gas, brake, and the steering wheel than just the gas.
Obviously someone who knows nothing about drag racing. What a ignorant post.
I've been drag racing for 40 years. I guess it's in my blood and I'm pretty good at it. I also learned very quickly that drag racing isn't as near hard on the car as autoX and road course. JMHO
It just so happens I do both.
Last edited by Thomasmoto; 08-01-2018 at 09:56 AM.
Drag racing is so boring! Get on a road course,also I’ve never found insurance for drag racing but I can get insurance for the race track for a couple days for $450. 4 to 5 20 minute sessions beats whatever you can do drag racing in terms of stimulus for your mind and it isn’t a money race. Drag racing is mostly about who can spend the most money and have a car that’s useless for anything else. Road racing is about driving skill and less about the car.
Sure 650 horse power is plenty and 650 pounds of torque are good numbers. But the cam timing is all wrong for quarter-mile racing. If you have a traction problem like you let on you want to try a set a drag radials, will take your clutch out in half a dozen passes . I have ran 60 foot times in less than 1.2, and 5.4 in 1/8 mile.
Done both, do both...road racing is funner. Drag is safer and is easier in general.
It has its place, dragging it out can be fun too I guess. If I was going to buy a car for straight line performance I would not buy a corvette...that said it does a good job, lightweight, good power, slippery...
Sure 650 horse power is plenty and 650 pounds of torque are good numbers. But the cam timing is all wrong for quarter-mile racing. If you have a traction problem like you let on you want to try a set a drag radials, will take your clutch out in half a dozen passes .
So what's the bottom line, for those who want to keep their cars emission legal and warranty compliant? Sure, we can all go faster if we throw all that stuff out the window.
How many people actually do any racing?. Time trials at the strip or road course aren't really racing. Racing involves winners and losers in addition to some prize for winning.
In either case they have about the same relationship to actual racing as going to the driving range has to playing golf.
That's because crashes are so few and far between, that there is no real market for it. Drag racing isn't really about going as fast as you can without crashing. The challenges are elsewhere.
07-31-2018, 04:58 PM
Now (KA) is that fun or what? And instead of always costing you money there is a possibility if your good at cutting a light (quick draw) and your car runs the number of bringing the 'big' check home, and being its "Bracket Racing" you don't have to have the fastest car there to do it, you just need to be 'real' good/lucky too. 
