I'm new here: Super Comp/Top Comp dragsters

[barracuda]

I recently attended Frank Hawley's Drag Racing school and earned my super comp license. I am NHRA Licensed now. I am extremely new to dragsters as I have raced in other classes in the last 10 years.
I am looking to find someone with one that they no longer want to drive who wouldn't mind me driving for them however, I have had no such success with that. So, now we are thinking about buying or building one but the only problem is, we know pretty close to nothing about dragsters. We know the motors they run but it stops there.
How hard is it to get into this? What would my best bet be as far as wheel base and 4-link, etc? what tracks can we run at? How much would a typical day at the track cost me?

I know some people who want to be a part of my crew if we do this on our own but they are fresh out of school and would be rookies with me.
Anyone have any suggestions? Should we not go forward with the plan to buy or build one?

Oh, I forgot to mention, I have some family members who used to race top dragsters and my father builds cars however, they all live 17 hours away from me so the building would be by them, they do know about them.

[Rick Blake]

Go to the track, make some friends in the class you want to race and enjoy the learning curve, we're all a pretty friendly bunch and enjoy helping. Look for a turnkey ride, there are some great deals out there and most of all have a blast.....!!!!!!!!!

[Carl Juliano]

Oh, I forgot to mention, I have some family members who used to race top dragsters and my father builds cars however, they all live 17 hours away from me so the building would be by them, they do know about them.[/QUOTE]

Well, If my family members raced TD and build cars, I would be on the phone with them getting all the details and advice, but a typical race weekend will cost you a few hundred bucks, travel expenses, fuel, (race fuel), food, entrance fee etc.

[Chris Williams]

Spend a bunch of time at the track. You'll find that almost everyone you meet will be happy to chat and provide their opinion. And ignore them all Seriously, just listen and learn.

You'll find far too many cars available lately, especially with the economy, many are turnkey. Check out racingjunk.com. A turnkey choice is best. Maybe it won't be exactly what you'd want, but you'll never know that until you spend some time with a car and find out what you DO want. And it will get you running right away.

With all the options out there, you'd be silly to build one yourself right out of the box. Simply put, you don't know enough to get it right. And it might be dangerous. A used car will also come at something like a 50% discount. And can include the trailer and all the "what-not" that you can't think of today that you'll need.

In the long run, you'll want a suspended car, but to start, anything will work. Wheelbase is not a huge deal, anything over 225 should be fine. A weekend at the track is not expensive: entry, fuel, and such will be a hundred, maybe two at a big race. For us, the biggest cost is the diesel to get to the track (often a few hundred miles away), we can easily spend $300+ in a weekend on fuel to get there and back.

Having friends to "crew", especially if they have no experience, is more of a pain than an advantage. They'll trip all over things, get in the way, and mess with your process (e.g. your consistency). You maybe could use one helper (many race by themselves), and it's best if it's the same person every time.

Getting involved is not hard, doing it well is. And that's all about learning. That's why I'd spend this summer out at the track, find folks who will chat and soak it up.

[Mountainmotorman]

Just line that junk up and someone will gladly keep schooling ya around DIV1.... LOL Anyone from ATCO will just tattoo that .000 on ya!!!! Link Racer

(I am only kidding around...)

[Bill Baer]

Barraccuda
"How hard is it to get into this? What would my best bet be as far as wheel base and 4-link, etc? what tracks can we run at? How much would a typical day at the track cost me?

I know some people who want to be a part of my crew if we do this on our own but they are fresh out of school and would be rookies with me.
Anyone have any suggestions? Should we not go forward with the plan to buy or build one? "

You will find it easy if you have some money, As far as wheel base goes anything from 200-230" will work. The four link cars definately stop better and may be more consistent on a marginal track but the cost twice as much. Since I don't know where you are located I can't recommend a track to you. I currently budget ~$300 a day (Driver & 2 crew) and most of the tracks I race at are 100 mi. from home.

I would recommend that you get at least one experienced guy to help you out for a while He can help you and a novice crew learn what to look for and what is important and what to expect. I have raced by myself but I don't enjoy it nearly as much.

As far as build it or buy it ? I build my own out of necessity but Chris is right buying a roller or a turnkey in todays economy will save you time and money. But get someone who 's knowledgeable to look at it or you could be sorry.
If you have any more questions you can e-mail me at : Greatbaer@sbcglobal.net and I will try to help you as much as I can.

[Chris Williams]

Originally Posted by Bill Baer

most of the tracks I race at are 100 mi. from home.

The closest track we regularly race at is ~100 miles, we seem to always be going 250 or more. Our divisional races are 120, 255, 260, 460, 530, and 837 miles away. But then the distances out here are a lot further than they are where you are... And we have mountains in the way. Our diesel bill FAR outweighs all our other costs.