[Alan Roehrich]

I still believe that it is easier to go around 1.0 under with a 396/402 than it is to run that fast with a 350, and possibly cheaper.

What you need to do is look closely at the area you plan to race in. If there are as many or more F,G, and H cars as there are A,B, and C cars, then I'd seriously consider building a 396/402 combination.

You get a heads up race by where you qualify. If you "hold a little" during qualifying and "play the ladder", you can most often avoid heads up runs if you want or need to.

As an example, we've been running A, and more recently AA, since 2005. We've only had a couple of heads up runs, and might have had a couple more if we'd gone more rounds at a couple of races.

If you want to avoid heads up races for a while, and have a lot of fun, consider a stick car. I drove one last year, it's a blast, and there are not that many stick cars, so you won't be likely to get a heads up race. Often you'll be the only car in your class. And the higher class you run, the less likely you are to have a heads up in a stick car. So an A, B, or C stick car is even less likely to draw a heads up race than an F,G, or H stick car.