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

[J.R. Haddad]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[1320racer]

Originally Posted by VE6DRW

we're bracket racers with nice cars who just enjoy the sport.

TRUTH and FACTS!