It's Time to combine

[Jeff Lee]

As I suggested a few posts down, Personally I wouldn't care if they took the slower or quicker or meet in the middle.

[Jeff Lee]

According to Nitro Joe's Stats (from 6/13/12 issue)

Stock / Stick racers: 115
Stock / Auto racers: 836
(RWD classes counted)
Only 13.76% of NHRA racers are Stock / Stick RWD

Super Stock / Stick racers in SS/A through SS/O: 29
Super Stock / Auto in SS/AA through SS/PA racers: 221
Only 13.12% of NHRA racers are Super Stock / Stick RWD

Super Stock / Stick racers in GT/A through GT/M: 31
Super Stock / Auto racers in GT/AA through GT/MA: 260
Only 11.92% of NHRA racers are Super Stock GT / Stick RWD

RWD classes that differentiate between transmissions counted; i.e., not showing SS/AH or Modified. I also didn't show SS/AAA or SSA/A or the truck classes because I don't even know what transmissions are allowed in these classes.

Also realize these numbers are higher because many racers, both stick & auto bounce up or down a class.

Bottom line, less than 14% of all Stock or Super Stock racers use a manual transmission.

[Ernie Neal]

Originally Posted by rx dealer

It's time for NHRA to combine the index for Auto and Stick classes in both stock and super stock. I'm running a stick car in super stock and i ran against an auto car in time trials, we both run in GTE. my index is 10.50 and his is 10.65 !! fair? Hell no and i have seen worse!

1. combine both auto and stick index
2. no weight breaks or penalty for auto or stick
3. keep it simple and fair

Thanks...Luke SS 311

Luke,
I somewhat agree with this. My son mentioned this at indy when he said we run about the same as the GT/CA cars but qualify much lower. I told him, the only way we could run with them now is the difference in the horsepower factor. It seems like 3 years ago they stopped hitting the horsepower on the sticks when an automatic car triggered it. I'm glad for that. With torque multiplication, trans brakes and radials, autos have taken the lead.
If you look at indy qualifing sheets this year, we are near the top in GT stick. The same guy built all the engines in my cars and the class winner in GT/CA
I say back off the GT stick indexes .1 and see if we stack up any better. Joining stick and autos will do away with sticks.
Why do you think a regular superstock runs GT? Answer: GT index helps them protect their horsepower factor, because it's lower.

Ernie Neal
SS 354

[Mart Jeltema]

./,

[Dyno]

SS/AH is a combined auto/stick class and the sticks have the auto's covered.

[Jeff Lee]

Splitting cars up according to transmission type in a "factory Built" environment is not drag racing. It's like listening to a pair of players on "Pinks" fighting over a car lengths because one guy has a Dominator carb and the other guy has a NOS shot.

[Ed Carpenter]

Originally Posted by Ernie Neal

Luke,
I somewhat agree with this. My son mentioned this at indy when he said we run about the same as the GT/CA cars but qualify much lower. I told him, the only way we could run with them now is the difference in the horsepower factor. It seems like 3 years ago they stopped hitting the horsepower on the sticks when an automatic car triggered it. I'm glad for that. With torque multiplication, trans brakes and radials, autos have taken the lead.
If you look at indy qualifing sheets this year, we are near the top in GT stick. The same guy built all the engines in my cars and the class winner in GT/CA
I say back off the GT stick indexes .1 and see if we stack up any better. Joining stick and autos will do away with sticks.
Why do you think a regular superstock runs GT? Answer: GT index helps them protect their horsepower factor, because it's lower.

Ernie Neal
SS 354

That's why everyone running the 283/220 in a Chevy II runs GT/I,J instead of SS/J,K etc because the GT hp is 230 vs SS at 237.

[7423]

This post has some great comments, both pro and con. After reading, I do have one question...............How much of this really matters on Sunday for the real race, for the little gold man that says "Stock Winner", the purse and the decal money and the points (if you care about points)??

The class winner will be the racer who drives the softest combo or who has the most money in his car. Thats not a race, thats a tax bracket.

[Mart Jeltema]

As I remember the stick AH cars now are the same

[Mart Jeltema]

My bad. They must have changed it, as I just looked on the NHRA site and both are 505 @ 5.98