I am a bit confused about a pairing rule at E-Town for the Corvette Challenge. In round three of todays event cars were paired up based on a ladder that was created somehow from the tower. My opponent had a carburetor fire and it appeared that he would be unable to make it to the starting line. After waiting a few minutes I asked a raceway park official what I should do. I assumed that I would be given a competition bye since a ladder was created. The official instead stated that I would have to race against the person who already had a bye since there was an odd number of cars in this round. I thought this was incorrect and asked the official to call the tower to confirm. He refused! Ralph Savarase had the bye in this round. Ralph did not even have a dial on his car. Just as Ralph and I were about to pair up my opponent was able to get his car to the line, so there was no harm done. But if he did not make it to the line what should have been the official ruling. I asked Redgar and he said I should have gotten a bye. Redgar did you confirm this? I will call David Napp Tuesday to see what should have been done.

 

Dave, I'm not 100% clear on this, but I would assume as you did that a competition single is in order.

Maybe CFI-EFI can chime in since he has the rule book memorized. Or even if Mackey is reading this, I'm sure he would know the answer.

All I know is that C4's ruled today!!!!!!

 

Dave, no I did not get clarification but will also contact David on the matter as well as a few other things that came up this weekend.

 

Mr Mojo:
I think you are correct in calling it a "competition SINGLE", and not a "competition BYE", and I do believe that, per NHRA rules, once a ladder has been drawn-up, and pairings made, a "competition single" was in-order.

 

That's correct guys, thats what should have happened if your competition was unable to make it to the line. The only think we do is give that person every oppertunity to get the problem fix and that sounds like what happens.
Remember some of these lanes guys running the lanes at the track couldn't run a lane at a bowling alley, most of you racers know more than they do, so hold your ground.

 

Yeah , like my .620 light !

Vic

 

Vic:
Do you remember if the top bulb came on?
Also, what lane?

 

Absolutely! You racers know the rules, too. Like everyone has said, once you're paired, THAT is your race. Even in non-laddered competition, when the head of staging points to you and another car, you two are a pair. If one of the pair doesn't stage, regardless of the reason, the absent car is deemed to have, "failed to make the call". And YES, it is a single, not a bye.

A month or so ago, my competition was DQed for a leak, at or just beyond the burn out box. I was told to wait while they advanced the next car. That was so WRONG. I would have been in the tower in a hot second, had I not won. As it was, I brought it up to the track manager, in an e-mail, the following week. He confirmed that the pairing had occurred as we left the staging lanes, and that I should have been on a single run.

The BIG problem with mistakes like this, is that it has a subtle effect on the final out come that can never be corrected. Had I not eliminated the "substitute" car, he might have won his legitimately paired race. If I had lost, and argued myself into a "reinstatement", either the guy I raced or the guy he SHOULD have raced, shouldn't have advanced, and on down the line.

The track can "make it up" to the wronged party, but the true out come of the event, is at least, "tainted".

RACE ON!!!

 

[QUOTE=CFI-EFIThe track can "make it up" to the wronged party, but the true out come of the event, is at least, "tainted".[/QUOTE]

Boy could I tell you a story... Some already know about it...

 

The track really F'd up my concentration on a pairing mistake Saturday. They lost track of paired cars before my turn and I pointed it out to them. They blew it off, continuing to send mis-paired cars down the track. So I started to do the math against my new opponent. After my burnout, they stopped me and told me to back up and let other cars by. They then match me up against another racer. By then, my concentration is blown. I know, "That's racing". Or is it? That marked my first 1st round loss all season. Dang it, if they're going to write on my car with that paint, they better F'in use the info!

Thanks, I feel better now.

 

Who from the series was watching for this in the lanes??????

If they numbered the cars the track official under the tower is to check for that.

You can't always trust the track to get it right, Guys will alway jump lanes to try to get an advantage.

 

Unfortunately this happened first round and we were all racing.

I will address this with David this week

 

How do these mismatches keep happening? I can understand someone breaking, but if someone sees someone else switching lanes, maybe it's time to play tattletale and let someone know.

 

Please express my feelings as well. All hopes of having a prefect 1st round season are gone now. I can't get that back. I'll never know if I would have beaten my original opponent (who just happened to also be driving a ragtop dialed at 14.0... Now THAT would have been an interesting heads-up race and probably where most of my frustration came from).

And PLEASE get them to adopt the NHRA Stock rules so we can race these cars properly. The inspection tech said he hasn't even heard of the NHRA changes. What's up with that?

 

Frank, I wish I knew how it happened but the only way or us to know or sure is or someone to stand behind the wall but we are all racing first round.


Joe, I have noted your scenario and I am sorry you lost that opportunity. I am not sure where it went bad but I see your supposed oppent went four pair ahead of you so it had to be real bad.

As for the "pure stock", I asked again yesterday and was told again, "not until next year". Sorry. I cannot tell RP how to run their business. I can only make suggestions and I do.

 

The guys working the lanes, put a number on our cars, and always point to me & my opponent so we know who we're racing before we leave the lanes..

Tip:
As I go around the wall and under the bridge, if my opponent is not "paired with me", I tell the official, or point to the car I should be with.... Usually before we get waved on to approach the starting line, the official under the bridge makes sure you are paired with the proper car....So unless a car pulled over, or didn't leave the lanes, that may be why all the confusion??

Anyway, as far as the NHRA Pure Stock rules go,
If you're an NHRA track, and "abide" by their rules, why the delay in implementing a "current" NHRA rule???

 

Wow. The "official's" response to this problem was pathetic. To stop a car after the burnout has been completed is absolute BS.

Obviously neither the track nor the racers can handle the pairings. My vote is to get rid of the pairings and just run whoever is in the other lane. Pairing the cars appears to be too complicated and if a situation like above is the end result then it needs to be avoided at all costs. Pairing the cars was result of people jumping lanes to avoid the heavy hitters. But guess what? You can simply count cars to figure out who your opponent is and move to another lane if you don't like your opponent prior to the pairs being assigned. So what does pairing the cars accomplish?

Also here's a hypothetical question for a track "official". Supposed the left lane car in pair 12 breaks. Does the right lane get a competition single? Or does he run the left lane from pair 13? Ask the "official" and see what kind of response you get...

As I have already stated, pairing the cars is too complicated and a waste of time. Just run whoever is in the other the lane. If it happens to be the points leader than so what, consider it an opportunity to shake things up.

 

In, in my dreams "Pro Stock"

You mean Pure Stock and the rule stipulates that it is up to the track to determine how and when to implement the rule. As a patron of the track and a person affected by the ruling you can make your desire to have the rule implement sooner by contacting the track.

 

Another horrible reponse from an RP "official". Of course you should have got a competition single.

I don't mean this in a negative way, but do these guys that run the lanes get any type of classroom training from RP? If they don't then maybe they should.

 

Dave and Eric, I did get track confirmation you and we are correct in that you were to get a competition single.

As for training, I don't know. I think there is so much going on at the track, that the likely reason that this happened to you Dave, is that the official may not have realized that we were on a ladder.

The competition single should happen only when a ladder is set. I do not believe pairings on the window counts as a ladder so if it had been before the ladder round, he may have been correct.