Willing To Hold...Again

[1700camaro]

Originally Posted by jmcarter

Might start a poll on how much people are willing to hold when they dial?

The above was in the Jammin Jerry thread. While I waited for a poll, it did not start. So, here it is.

This is my view on holding when I dial (I'm a bracket racer). When the subject comes up, I'm always willing to share that I always try to hold. Most racers can't understand why I share that.

I hold anywhere from .01-.06 on a consistent basis & have held more on some occasions. I primarily use the throttle to get rid of what I'm holding & very rarely use the brakes.

Below is a recent time slip where we both were holding. The right lane is an accomplished Stock Eliminator racer & a very accomplished bracket racer in his bracket car.

I had gotten rid of most of what I was holding using the throttle around the 1000'. I was planning for him to spot drop hard using his brakes. I ended up using my brakes slightly. No wiggles or smoke from neither car.

[JP1738]

Depends on the class I'm running and car I'm driving. I'm usually dialed close to honest when bracket racing as my finish line driving is more compromised being a slow door car. I'll hold a smidge in Stock cause I'm trash at hitting the tree, holding gives me the ability to at least make the race look right for longer. If I'm running outlaw index stuff locally I'll hold more as the racing is normally side by side where I can get a really good look at the finish line. In that kind of racing I'll hold anywhere from honest to 5. I try not to make the same run twice in a row.

[Mike Pearson]

I have a good weather station and my car is predictable. I dial my car what I think I can run and I don't hold. I rely on a better tree and running closer to my dial. I will lift if I have room. The competition in Super Stock is really tight so I rarely lift. I can tell you a .049 bulb and 1 over with a 4 wont get you many wins in SS.

[James Perrone]

You will figure it out when we race.

[L.Fite]

For me it depends on the race... sometimes hold, sometimes dial hard and wing it out...
Sometimes it works...
Sometimes it don't...

BUT... I think Harvey invented sandbagging, and the "Boys" have been doing it as long as they've been racing, and they are very good at it!...
Even back in the Datsun days...

[1700camaro]

Originally Posted by Mike Pearson

I have a good weather station and my car is predictable. I dial my car what I think I can run and I don't hold. I rely on a better tree and running closer to my dial. I will lift if I have room. The competition in Super Stock is really tight so I rarely lift. I can tell you a .049 bulb and 1 over with a 4 wont get you many wins in SS.

That slip was a perfect example of why I hold. We both had crappy lights, very unusual especially for my opponent. I'm almost 100% sure, if I dialed what the car would have run. I would have lost that round! My car would have run a 9.034 @ around 150 mph on that pass. My opponent came by after & we had a nice chat with some chuckles.

As for what you think about Super Stock. I picked a random race from Divisional Live Timing & took a look at your claim. I saw a good many winning with a similar light & also seen a good many winning with .050+ lights & worse (not heads-up races). Most of that was in the 1st 3 rounds & they started tightening up as the rounds went along.

I'm not pushing holding on anyone. I'm sharing what I do with my program. Many moons ago I used to dial honest/what I thought it would run. I started practicing holding & I will never go back to dialing honest. It's so much easier for me to race while holding.

[JP1738]

1700, I found your research on SS to be true in practice as well. I believe you have to be very very talented to win an NHRA stock/SS race, but I don't think you have to be incredible to win a couple rounds. That's just my experience. I have not and do not make stellar laps all the time, but I have won a few rounds here and there this year with 50-70 bulbs. I've won a few with sub 30 bulbs as well. But I was quickly dispatched 2nd or 3rd round at every event by a more talented driver. That's on me, if I wanna compete at a high level, my consistency will have to match it.

A good car goes a long way too, and as long as I had all my ducks in a row, my car was really good this year. Thanks to all the advice, parts, and expertise by those that frequent this forum, I built a really good, competitive car. If I just had a driver...

[goinbroke2]

Must be because I was running slower bracket classes with less experienced drivers but..I run my time trials to figure my dial for first round, but when racing starts, most of the time I tap the brakes before the stripe so my dial is never right in the first few rounds. When it tightens up in the later rounds I dial soft (.02) and decide just before the stripe depending on where the other car is. If he will make the strip first I dump at the line, if it's a toss up or a fast car that I can't judge I run it out the back door. If I break out then there's a good chance he did too..unless I missed the tree in which everything changes, lol!!

[KennyAnderson]

I NEVER hold..........unless I'm holdin!!!

Occasionally I'll miss the tree... and my kids/buds are all over me!! LOL! I tell them when YOU can be 100 and still light up the scoreboard come see me! LMAO!!

[curtis reed]

Originally Posted by Mike Pearson

I can tell you a .049 bulb and 1 over with a 4 wont get you many wins in SS.

Not a hero run but would/could have won a great number of rounds looking at Ennis.