Altitude adjusted tracks

[Chad Rhodes]

SWAG=Scientific Wild Assed Guess

[Don Kennedy]

Originally Posted by Chad Rhodes

SWAG=Scientific Wild Assed Guess

I think it was NHRA Darrell Zimmerman that originally used the corrections and the reason was that if there were no corrections at any altitude track a racer would "never" have a chance to set a national record like at below seal level tracks in corrected altitude so in fairness NHRA decided to have the corrections done base on a lot of comparisons . The altitude corrections are right on when corrected to sea level ,if you think it is easy to run at a High altitude track I welcome you to go to Denver and see just how hard it is to make your car run at 9,000 corrected ft ,get in shape cause your body even can't breathe . Ask Bobby Warren how hard it is to run on the Hill at Denver . He knows as he as ran there a lot . I remember in the late 70s or early 80;s not sure when Bobby was at Denver and he ask Herman Chapman how to make his car run at this altitude , I seemed to recall Bobby changed just about everything in his to car ,not much helped . Now there is great air at Denver just like when there is below sea level air at sea level tracks FYI The Correction are dead on NHRA did Good

[Chad Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Don Kennedy

I think it was NHRA Darrell Zimmerman that originally used the corrections and the reason was that if there were no corrections at any altitude track a racer would "never" have a chance to set a national record like at below seal level tracks in corrected altitude so in fairness NHRA decided to have the corrections done base on a lot of comparisons . The altitude corrections are right on when corrected to sea level ,if you think it is easy to run at a High altitude track I welcome you to go to Denver and see just how hard it is to make your car run at 9,000 corrected ft ,get in shape cause your body even can't breathe . Ask Bobby Warren how hard it is to run on the Hill at Denver . He knows as he as ran there a lot . I remember in the late 70s or early 80;s not sure when Bobby was at Denver and he ask Herman Chapman how to make his car run at this altitude , I seemed to recall Bobby changed just about everything in his to car ,not much helped . Now there is great air at Denver just like when there is below sea level air at seal level tracks FYI The Correction are dead on NHRA did Good

of course we don't get a correction factor when its 4000DA at a track with a real altitude of 6', but when the DA is 3000' at a 5000actual altitude track you can set a record that can't be duplicated. There have been records set at altitude tracks that were wayyy off from what anyone had actually run at a "non factored" track.

[Don Kennedy]

Originally Posted by Chad Rhodes

of course we don't get a correction factor when its 4000DA at a track with a real altitude of 6', but when the DA is 3000' at a 5000actual altitude track you can set a record that can't be duplicated. There have been records set at altitude tracks that were wayyy off from what anyone had actually run at a "non factored" track.

When the air is good at Denver say corrected to around 5,000 ft that is when records are set , now when the air is good at a sea level say 200 feet corrected or better that is when records are set also . I would have to say that most of the time the correction factor is dead on . and as usual any one who wants to Go to A High altitude track to set a record i suspect you should just like when the air is good at a sea level track same Great air different altitude

[Jim Wahl]

No disrespect Don, but I just have to wonder what it is that gives you such a different outlook on life than 99% of the others on this forum? Politics, racing, etc. it doesn't seem to matter. You have an unusual thought process. Not bad, just interestingly unusual. Jim

[John Kelley]

This is the current correction list..
Some tracks are no longer NHRA...and some are gone..... :-(

http://www.nhra.net/tech_specs/altitude.html

[Don Kennedy]

Originally Posted by Jim Wahl

No disrespect Don, but I just have to wonder what it is that gives you such a different outlook on life than 99% of the others on this forum? Politics, racing, etc. it doesn't seem to matter. You have an unusual thought process. Not bad, just interestingly unusual. Jim

Jim :

Thanks for the complement . I most of the time try and look at both sides of a situation and come up with a positive answer, based on My experiences . I know I am not always right just like everyone else is not always right but I still will give my humble opinion. I really try and not get personal in my posts unless it it politics and then I can and will get personal and vocal . I try not to really worry about situations i have no control over ,but still discuss them,but never get upset over them and I am for ever the enternal optimistic and positive person most of the time lol

[Doug Patrick]

Thought I might weigh in on the altitude adjusted tracks. In past years I tried to set a record early in the year to get my tear down out of the way. It seemed that I was one of those cars that got torn down a lot.
However in recent years every class that my car fits into have records that have been set at altitude, and so far under that you can't set a record without getting horse power. On a side note, last year I did the western swing for the first. At Denver we had 90 plus degree weather and 10000 foot air. I went 1.41 under on my third run and only leaned the secondarys. Needless to say I'm not crying for those who run at altitude. We get mine shaft conditions and get to shut off at a 1000 ft they get the same conditions and get records so low there unattainable at sea level.

Doug Patrick
Stk 2033

[Adger Smith]

Chad,
That is funny, but it is a little better than a SWAG.
There are formulas.
Have a chat with Patrick Hale.
A while back he had a discussion on the Comp Forum about what and how NHRA implemented their adjusted numbers. If memory doesn't fail me he even had figured out a better, more accurate formula.
Stockerstang,
In my early years I was associated with aviation. The aviation world has some pretty good ways of calculation power loss for altitude. Think what happens when you need full power to take off at an altitude airport. It takes a lot less power to fly in than to fly out.