Best Engineered

[larrylomascolo]

I need for someone to answer this as to why mostly dragsters win this category lately ,and door cars overlooked ??????????????????

[boostedf22c]

I've noticed this as well.

I think it's because it's easier to see everything on them. Door cars you typically have to open the trunk, hood, doors, climb under the car, etc. to see all the detailed work. It's much easier to see all of this on dragster just staring at it.

[Mark Markow]

here's my take on this. most of the time the award is given to a new race car. and there are a whole lot more new dragsters being built than door cars right now. how dragsters seem to win a best engineered award most often, is kind of strange to me also. they are all very similar, and I mean no offence to dragster builders , but how many different ways are there to mount a body on a rolling ladder bar. however there are a few exceptions to this . I have seen some pretty cool ideas in rear suspensions designs in the last few years. but to me with building door cars , the challenges are getting stuff to fit in places it ain't supposed to be. that in most cases I feel takes a bit more engineering. but that's just my opinion.

[tommy d]

^^^^^^You are dead on! I agree with everything you stated.

[Tom Goldman]

Dead on Mark.... Dragsters are just easy to look at.
If you have a door car with a lot of tricks and innovations you have to first get the right people to look at it ,and spend the time to impress on them why it's special and not just shiney !
I've built several cars that were considered at National events and two have won Best Engineered and it took a whole lot of "show&tell to make an impression.

[Dick Butler]

John Stock Cobra Best engineered Sportsnationals.

[Tom Goldman]

Originally Posted by Dick Butler

John Stock Cobra Best engineered Sportsnationals.

And well deserved, even tho the car itself was controversial for SS, the workmanship and detail on the car was outstanding ,regardless of the class.

[Frank Castros]

When in pre-race tech, do you need to ask to be considered for best engineered or appearing?

[Peter Ash]

Originally Posted by Frank Castros

When in pre-race tech, do you need to ask to be considered for best engineered or appearing?

No, but it certainly doesn't hurt to point out some of the ingenuity you used to accomplish your build.

[Wade Mahaffey]

I think that officials look for something that is a little different than what they usually see. Most of the time that is going to be found in the detail of the entry, and normally reflective in the cost. I think that very small percentage points are given for individual effort unless the effort produces something intriguing. I never understood why an entry owner would win an engineering award when he just wrote a check for the car. I think this is the case in 90% of the award winners. To me that's like winning a drivers award, when some else was driving.

Wade Mahaffey