The death of bracket racing........

[krugracing12]

Mongo
I am certainly glad your not bashing your home track. You dont want to be on the "naughty" list in the tower. In the end, those that could afford to, would race for trophies against who or whatever stages in the other lane. However with the cost of everything out of control, the only way you can justify spending the $ to go is to race for something thats worth it. I have seen a fair amount of race cars get parked or sold in the last 25 years and the reason was always the same. The "aggravation/cost" factor got to outweigh the"Fun" factor. If you have 60 points racers and only 20 points races, everyone doesn't get a win every year. Throw in a couple of sketchy management decisions that went against or screwed a racer, you can see why people move on.


Most tracks would benefit from a well written rule book and management that can apply them properly. Bracket racing will never die, but tracks need to find a way to put the fun back in to it. Racing on a safe, well prepped track for a decent purse is a good start. Weeding out people using illegal equipment irregardless of class is also essential. Why some one does not think using a "Davis" traction control box or the "Matty" ignition is wrong escapes me, but they are out there along with many other "innovative" cheating devises. People that are using these things are screwing everybody. As racers we need to police ourselves when something is not right say something, and T/M has follow up and do the right thing.

Bill Krug

[Mongo]

Merrry X mas to Mr. Krug and family! did Santa get ya anything good? I have second kid (another girl)on the way(due in early May). Hope to see ya along the road somewhere in '08 and good luck in the New Year.

[Dave Goob Cook]

Why some one does not think using a "Davis" traction control box or the "Matty" ignition is wrong escapes me,

You've only demonstrated your total lack of understanding of those devices and bracket racing if you think they are of any benefit to a bracket racer these days.....15 years ago, the Matty RTDC was very useful, those days are long gone.

Now the Davis Technologies traction control and the Matty 4-step could be VERY helpful in heads up class eliminations of over powered, under tired combinations.

[Dick Butler]

Or is it killing Drag Racing at the sportsman level?
Growing up with Drag racing we went to see someone "beat someone" and brag about our brand car and dream of owning a 409 or T-Bolt or Hemi Cuda.
Somewhere an enterprising person decided that allowing anything to run at the track included more participants and increased the income to pay the bills. It was "easier " and "less expensive" to Drag race.
It worked for a while. It soon became obvious that fewer came to watch and pay admission, fewer hot dogs eaten, fewer cokes and the gravy money was lost.
More and more car count became the object of the game to cure the finances if crowds stopped coming.
NHRA Thought this could work for them and continues to have more classes to allow one car or 10 cars which are outside the rules today to compete tomorrow. This waters down the picture even more. More purse needed to pay winners so outside race sponsors have to be found.More enty money needed.
Problem is it has become a participant sport. NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT> No cokes sold, no shirts sold, no Hot Dogs. even the OLD racers dont come to watch these cars and they are the ones who could appreciate the machinery.When the T/D and T/S cars draw off the S/C cars and S/g cars these classes will settle in and become same old same old again.Just fewer in other classes but total the same number of participants.
Grudge racing----Now its back to the same thing which started drag racing popularity. People wanting to use their hormones to show who is faster. Girls come to watch their boyfriends race someone. No stumblling, No break outs. No timers. JUST GET THERE FIRST. No Dial in. Cokes sell, Hot Dogs Sell and the tickets are sold without much need for payout. THE TRACK IS PLEASED and makes money.
Bracket Racing is dying its own death due to participant blindness. Lack of insight into the business side of their sport and with selfishness . " I want to run what I want to run so make me a class or give me shoe polish and I'll CALL it drag racing. If you race what you want and how you want you will be left without a place to race. I suggest helping to recreate a "SHOW" which can give you a place to race, money for the track and enjoyment to the spectator so all parts of the business can prosper...
It is time to have fewer not more classes, fewer not more places to race, fewer not more variation in rules so there is a SPECTATOR appeal not just a place to drive your car on Sunday.Both types of racing are needed but cannot be allowed to KILL each other....we would all lose at the Sportsman level if people lose sight of the need for appeal to spectators and Sponsors.
My opinion only Thanks

[John Quinn]

Right on Dick. (That's old timer talk for "very true".)

[76 RACER]

My opinion is that most believe they are beat before leave their home! They believe they cant beat a Richardson, Bogacki and so on! Costs are running out the intermediate racer! Buybacks? What the heck are they good for? When was the last time on a sat. nite at your local track did give any of the buyback bucks go to the purse? Be nice if the track would split up that $$$ Also the payouts are way too top heavy! Quit complaining get to the track and be part of the car count!

[THE LEGEND]

I saw a guy at Food Lion a while back that had sold his car. I asked him why he sold it. His answer was I just can't afford to run my car for $1200 to win. The first two things that came to mind was.

1) The local track pays $1200 to win with free entry every Friday night. They have two rds of buybacks but it's still free entry ($10 gate fee).

2) This is what made me laugh. The guy never won a race. In fact I don't recall him winning many rds. Why should it matter what the purse was.


It goes back to what someone else posted the Fun factored finally lost out to the aggravation/cost factor.

Chip Johnson