How important is qualifying???????????????

jmantle · 02-02-2025, 08:29 PM

Take a guess as to how many winners were in the top 10??

Joe Sorensen comes to mind

And all of you out there who bang on about Stock and Super Stock being a performance eliminator then eliminate the shoe polish and run off your index. As long as WE have shoe polish WE are nothing more than BRACKET RACERS.

To make that work you would have ensure every combo is factored correctly. Can't see that happening.
We raced when you ran off the national record, became real interesting when the factories introduced "net" HP ratings.

Sarge[/QUOTE]

Larry Hill · 02-02-2025, 10:43 PM

Everyone needs to be the lead dog It is like a breath of fresh air. It is a lot of fun and a whole lot of work.

J.R. Haddad · 02-02-2025, 10:47 PM

Qualifying can be very important. You need the ability to be able to go low,
or 2nd or 3rd to take advantage of odd lot fields, which should appear
around 1/2 the time. when no advantage there, then running close to
-65 under to build up some credit for when you do need to let it loose,
is prudent. Knowing your car so that you can put it where you want it
or need it is an invaluable asset, and very hard to do consistently. Unlike
classes that are not laddered, or that don't have Heads-Up runs, we have
a chance to control our destiny a little bit. Every class has it nuances,
these are some of ours, and we like it. I hope your enjoying yours.

J.R.

Larry Hill · 02-03-2025, 08:27 AM

Q data is the hardest to manipulate, only one data point per race. E data is easily changed with up to seven data points per race.

JP1738 · 02-03-2025, 09:31 AM

From someone relatively new to Stock Eliminator, almost always in the bottom 5 of qualifying, and in a relatively non-competitive class (N/SA has some super fast guys, but there are only like 2 others on the east coast) qualifying means almost nothing to me. It would be nice to move on the ladder from time to time, but it does not effect me in almost any way. As long as I'm under my index, I do not care where I land on the ladder.

VE6DRW · 02-03-2025, 10:41 AM

Take a guess as to how many winners were in the top 10??

Joe Sorensen comes to mind

World champions and perennial late-round racers win because they have their complete racing act together. Being able to win a heads-up race against a same-class car is a small by-product of their efforts.

For the rest of us, we're bracket racers with nice cars who just enjoy the sport.

Nick_Siebert · 02-03-2025, 10:49 AM

If you have a fast car AND you know how to read a Q sheet and how it will correlate with the eventual latter (ie. where byes are and where advantageous draws are) then it absolutely is an advantage.

If you have a fast car and just air it out it every pass and let the cards fall where they may...then it is just dumb luck.

GUMP · 02-03-2025, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VE6DRW

For the rest of us, we're bracket racers with nice cars who just enjoy the sport.

Are you really? Would you then say that you don't study how the rest of our community is performing? Do you not dream up ways to find another tenth? Is the drama that surrounds class eliminations just boring to you? Is your qualifying ritual to just run whoever you get, even if it's a heads-up loss? Do you tell all your friends that you are a bracket racer or a class racer?

(Not really aimed at you, but my questions to all that just try to shrug off what we do as "just another bracket race"....)

j gardiner · 02-03-2025, 11:14 AM

I had 3 heads up runs 1st round this past year, so yes I would say it is somewhat important.

02-02-2025, 08:29 PM	#1
jmantle Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Black Creek, BC Canada Posts: 331 Likes: 77 Liked 172 Times in 81 Posts	Re: How important is qualifying??????????????? Take a guess as to how many winners were in the top 10?? Joe Sorensen comes to mind And all of you out there who bang on about Stock and Super Stock being a performance eliminator then eliminate the shoe polish and run off your index. As long as WE have shoe polish WE are nothing more than BRACKET RACERS. To make that work you would have ensure every combo is factored correctly. Can't see that happening. We raced when you ran off the national record, became real interesting when the factories introduced "net" HP ratings. Sarge[/QUOTE] __________________ Jim Mantle U/V/SA 6632

02-02-2025, 10:43 PM	#2
Larry Hill Live Reporter Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hickory, Ky Posts: 10,629 Likes: 1,919 Liked 10,680 Times in 2,222 Posts	Re: How important is qualifying??????????????? Everyone needs to be the lead dog It is like a breath of fresh air. It is a lot of fun and a whole lot of work. __________________ IHM Used Parts https://ihmusedparts.com 888-821-1817

02-02-2025, 10:47 PM	#3
J.R. Haddad Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 784 Likes: 933 Liked 1,463 Times in 307 Posts	Re: How important is qualifying??????????????? Qualifying can be very important. You need the ability to be able to go low, or 2nd or 3rd to take advantage of odd lot fields, which should appear around 1/2 the time. when no advantage there, then running close to -65 under to build up some credit for when you do need to let it loose, is prudent. Knowing your car so that you can put it where you want it or need it is an invaluable asset, and very hard to do consistently. Unlike classes that are not laddered, or that don't have Heads-Up runs, we have a chance to control our destiny a little bit. Every class has it nuances, these are some of ours, and we like it. I hope your enjoying yours. J.R.

02-03-2025, 08:27 AM	#4
Larry Hill Live Reporter Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hickory, Ky Posts: 10,629 Likes: 1,919 Liked 10,680 Times in 2,222 Posts	Re: How important is qualifying??????????????? Q data is the hardest to manipulate, only one data point per race. E data is easily changed with up to seven data points per race. __________________ IHM Used Parts https://ihmusedparts.com 888-821-1817

02-03-2025, 09:31 AM	#5
JP1738 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2024 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 564 Likes: 1,599 Liked 1,169 Times in 331 Posts	Re: How important is qualifying??????????????? From someone relatively new to Stock Eliminator, almost always in the bottom 5 of qualifying, and in a relatively non-competitive class (N/SA has some super fast guys, but there are only like 2 others on the east coast) qualifying means almost nothing to me. It would be nice to move on the ladder from time to time, but it does not effect me in almost any way. As long as I'm under my index, I do not care where I land on the ladder. __________________ Dawson Pauley #2827 N/SA 1980 Malibu SW 2S 305/180 #2827 S/ST 1978 Mazda RX7 w/ 383 sbc/glide Last edited by JP1738; 02-03-2025 at 12:33 PM. Reason: east coast, not west coast

02-03-2025, 10:41 AM	#6
VE6DRW Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 29 Likes: 10 Liked 43 Times in 14 Posts	Re: How important is qualifying??????????????? Take a guess as to how many winners were in the top 10?? Joe Sorensen comes to mind World champions and perennial late-round racers win because they have their complete racing act together. Being able to win a heads-up race against a same-class car is a small by-product of their efforts. For the rest of us, we're bracket racers with nice cars who just enjoy the sport. __________________ Dave White NHRA Stock/SS 606

02-03-2025, 10:49 AM	#7
Nick_Siebert Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Wamego, KS Posts: 38 Likes: 55 Liked 51 Times in 11 Posts	Re: How important is qualifying??????????????? If you have a fast car AND you know how to read a Q sheet and how it will correlate with the eventual latter (ie. where byes are and where advantageous draws are) then it absolutely is an advantage. If you have a fast car and just air it out it every pass and let the cards fall where they may...then it is just dumb luck.

02-03-2025, 11:14 AM	#9
j gardiner Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: waldorf Posts: 220 Likes: 14 Liked 53 Times in 28 Posts	Re: How important is qualifying??????????????? I had 3 heads up runs 1st round this past year, so yes I would say it is somewhat important.