Once you get to the track you can do a few things that I believe will help you turn on more win lights.

2. 1. Before you leave for the track or during the trip there go over with your crew person or in your mind how things went the last time you raced. Analyze if it was the car that let you down or if it worked good. Did the driver make the mistake that caused the loss or did the driver look stellar? Honestly analyzing this will help your race program.

   2. When you get to the track do everything you can to keep stress out of the day. Don’t let the little things upset you. Know what could go wrong or cause delays, be ready for them.

   3. The more consistent your emotions are the more consistent you will be as the day goes on. I have found that if I can stay relaxed when it looks like everyone is chaos I have a great chance to race well. Negative thoughts and complaining at the track will NOT HELP you win but it WILL help your opponent.

   4. Are your reaction times consistent? If not, this is probably the most important thing you can improve for your racing efforts. It isn’t complicated to get consistent but it does take discipline and the desire to work at it.

   5. I have four major ideas I have shared with a lot of racers running with no delay box that might help them get better.

• Do the same thing on every run. From time trials through eliminations make every effort to make it look like a robot is driving the car. Don’t let what the other driver does distract you. Focus on what YOU are doing.

• If you red light often but consistently (red light reaction times are the same) you might benefit from “blocking the middle bulb”. I did this on a car that I just couldn’t consistently get green with. I made a “blinder” that came down with the visor and blocked the middle amber on my side of the tree. I feel it takes “anticipation” out of the deal and you can just “react” to the last amber.

• Front and rear tire pressures also have a part in reaction time fine-tuning. To slow the way the car reacts down a hundredth or two you can lower front tire pressure. On our 26” fronts we found going from 35 lbs to 25 lbs was worth about .01-.02. Lowering rear tire pressures a pound or two can make it wad up more and can add .01 or a little more to the cars reaction time. Do the opposite to make the car react faster if you are stuck in the .050 reaction time range.

6. The next problem area I see a lot of racers struggle with is their finish line driving. You can have a great car, have a great .01 reaction time and if you allow yourself to be too far ahead at the finish line (take too much stripe) you are decreasing your chance to turn on the win light.

   • Several things can go wrong with taking too much stripe. First, if you had a great light (and your opponent did not) you will probably be ahead at the MPH reflector. Don’t let a .001 breakout cause you a round win that you could have one by simply taking less “stripe”.

   • I DO NOT recommend using much, if any brake pressure to control the margin of win. I prefer, use and suggest, “using the throttle” to control that distance as I feel it is much safer than jamming on the brakes at high speeds.

   • What is a good “First Finish” amount? When I ran Stock Eliminator I tried to never win by more than 3 to 5 feet, (about .02-.03). Now that I run my dragster at higher speeds against more consistent cars I try to keep the distance to 18” or less (.007 to .012). It takes practice so if you run someone in time trials and it’s close at the stripe take note of where that car is out your side window, look at the ET slip and it will tell you exactly how much you or they crossed the finish line first.

   I know a lot of this is “old news” to some of you but to a lot of readers it will get them to thinking about their race program. That is a good thing. I always try to “think outside the box” when it comes to racing. It is never a bad idea to watch your track champions make runs and learn from them. The plan should be to improve every race, mechanically and personally.

“Winning is the result of Proper Preparation, Practice, Skill and a bit of Luck”.

More on turning on win lights in next month’s MoparMax.

Good luck at the races, be safe and enjoy. 

 

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