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Mike Delahanty · 08-08-2017, 09:55 PM

This has to be one of the most interesting topics in Drag Racing today. I think we all agree that Factory Showdown is at an important juncture and could turn into something really good for drag racing. But there are plenty of ideas and opinions of how to make that happen. To be cynical, the most certain aspect is its' uncertain direction.

It looks like everyone agrees the fields should be bigger – 16 cars. No argument there. And more races – with a wider geographic coverage. The ideas of what to do with the non-qualifiers spark a wide difference of opinion. It seems like most agree that the FS/XX index needs to be fixed – I suggest lowering it by 3-4 tenths.

But to grow into its own standalone eliminator, FS needs to eventually cut its tie to Stock Eliminator and all of the intricacies of the rules in Stock Eliminator. I’ll use an easy example, towing cars to and from the lanes. Competitive FS cars approach the sophistication of COMP Cars and run best when they don’t have to drive through the pits to the staging lanes. There are a number of other hard and fast Stock rules that just won’t work all that well in a standalone category. Once that tie to Stock Eliminator is broken, that cuts off the escape route back to Stock Eliminator for the non-qualifiers. And a number of the current FS racers like the heads up racing and really don’t want to get thrown back into the “bracket race”.

Tire size is a point of contention. It’s my opinion that a 9” tire needs to stay. Making the car go down the track on a small tire is one of the key elements that make FS so exciting to watch. Like watching TF or FC, fans need to be glued to the starting line when FS rolls out because those small tires will create some exciting racing. And we know that small tire formula works well in 275 and 10.5 extreme classes.

I’d like to see some of the larger LODRS races add a FS eliminator – much like Division 1 has done in the past. This will help build the car count and fan interest in the category. Perhaps these event points would count towards the National Championship.

I think we will begin to see the direction for 2018 begin to come into focus as we get past Indy and the 2018 program get firmed up.

And finally – to David Barton – very well said above. You truly are a multitalented guy that can wrench, tune, drive and write.

08-08-2017, 09:55 PM	#10
Mike Delahanty VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,180 Likes: 0 Liked 226 Times in 37 Posts	Re: The future of Factory Stock Showdown This has to be one of the most interesting topics in Drag Racing today. I think we all agree that Factory Showdown is at an important juncture and could turn into something really good for drag racing. But there are plenty of ideas and opinions of how to make that happen. To be cynical, the most certain aspect is its' uncertain direction. It looks like everyone agrees the fields should be bigger – 16 cars. No argument there. And more races – with a wider geographic coverage. The ideas of what to do with the non-qualifiers spark a wide difference of opinion. It seems like most agree that the FS/XX index needs to be fixed – I suggest lowering it by 3-4 tenths. But to grow into its own standalone eliminator, FS needs to eventually cut its tie to Stock Eliminator and all of the intricacies of the rules in Stock Eliminator. I’ll use an easy example, towing cars to and from the lanes. Competitive FS cars approach the sophistication of COMP Cars and run best when they don’t have to drive through the pits to the staging lanes. There are a number of other hard and fast Stock rules that just won’t work all that well in a standalone category. Once that tie to Stock Eliminator is broken, that cuts off the escape route back to Stock Eliminator for the non-qualifiers. And a number of the current FS racers like the heads up racing and really don’t want to get thrown back into the “bracket race”. Tire size is a point of contention. It’s my opinion that a 9” tire needs to stay. Making the car go down the track on a small tire is one of the key elements that make FS so exciting to watch. Like watching TF or FC, fans need to be glued to the starting line when FS rolls out because those small tires will create some exciting racing. And we know that small tire formula works well in 275 and 10.5 extreme classes. I’d like to see some of the larger LODRS races add a FS eliminator – much like Division 1 has done in the past. This will help build the car count and fan interest in the category. Perhaps these event points would count towards the National Championship. I think we will begin to see the direction for 2018 begin to come into focus as we get past Indy and the 2018 program get firmed up. And finally – to David Barton – very well said above. You truly are a multitalented guy that can wrench, tune, drive and write. __________________ Been racing Stock and S/S cars since 1973.