Misconception on a slow stocker winning

[cicero819]

Why is there a concensus that you need a fast car to win or even compete. Let's put aside the first to red light syndrome. If you run the numbers and have a good reaction time with the slower vehicle and don't run in a car that is twelve hundreds under in your class, you should have the same chance of winning, even greater now that some cars with super powers(lol) can have problem with traction. Hope some you guys can help.CR

[Michael Beard]

Given traction, faster cars are generally more consistent. It's easier to drive the stripe as a chaser. It's easier to hit the tree in a faster car (depending on suspension type), since deep staging is not legal anymore.

That being said, the reigning IHRA World Champ is an L/SA Chevy II, and the final round of the Pro-Am at Pittsburgh was a Q/SA over an I/SA.

I feel competitive in my EF/SA Turismo, but realistically my chances are better still in a faster car. In a game of thousandths, even small variances in starting line and finish line driving consistency adds up dramatically.

Why *do* faster cars generally win more often? Self-fulfilling prophecy... there are simply more of them.

[Myron Piatek]

I'm no expert, but.......while it is possible to win with a slow/low HP Stocker, low HP, small carb and cammed vehicles tend to me more sensitive to weather conditions - (temps, humidity, barometer, wind, etc.) than the other end of the spectrum, thus making them more difficult to be consistent and predict (dial).

Chassis mods and "finding" the tree can be more challenging for FWD cars and tire size is limited as well .

But some people like the challenge, the lower operating expenses and have the dedication to work at it. I'm sure Michael Beard can elaborate more on this.

He "treed" me by .02!

[bigshow2966]

My buddy with the V/SA Diplomat never believed me about how hard it was to dial a slow car until he got his car.

As Myron said, weather that changes a fast car .04 will change his car .1-.15, and you can never tell what the margin will be. His weather station thingy has proven to be almost useless.

The one advantage he has is the car will not spin even on the worst tracks.

[Billy Nees]

The 2 biggest disadvantages to a slow Stocker, the wind and track prep. Wind drastically affects a low powered car and dialing for it is a crap shoot at best. Being in the water box and watching the track crew spray the track is as bad to me as watching it rain on the track to a high powered car. And we won't even get into " wake surfing"!

[MikeMoller]

Originally Posted by billy nees

the 2 biggest disadvantages to a slow stocker, the wind and track prep. Wind drastically affects a low powered car and dialing for it is a crap shoot at best. Being in the water box and watching the track crew spray the track is as bad to me as watching it rain on the track to a high powered car. And we won't even get into " wake surfing"!

x2

Mike Moller
203 B/FS

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by bigshow2966

My buddy with the V/SA Diplomat never believed me about how hard it was to dial a slow car until he got his car.

As Myron said, weather that changes a fast car .04 will change his car .1-.15, and you can never tell what the margin will be. His weather station thingy has proven to be almost useless.

The one advantage he has is the car will not spin even on the worst tracks.

Mmmm.... never say never. I went to an NHRA national event last year, and had the Turismo running great first two days. For first round of eliminations, the barometer had dropped like a stone. My E.T. predictor said .15 slow. Oh, BTW, we had a 22 mph direct tailwind! I dialed DOWN. First round of eliminations, blew the tire off. Spun .08 and missed the dial by... you guessed it, .08. Mm.

But yah, it's typically a 3:1 or 4:1 change over an 11-sec car. No substitute for seat time. You may dial big changes, but it can still be somewhat predictable with experience.

[Rory McNeil]

Jody Lang certainly seems to have the "disadvantages" of a slower car under control!

[ALMACK]

Before the ecomony took a dive a few years ago, I was the slower car in bracket racing at our local track 85 % of the time. (I keep records and stats)
I got alot of seat time looking over my shoulder and judging rate-of-gain as well as time-n-distance.

My Pure Stocker is even slower than my bracket car (by about .4 sec.)

I say that an experienced driver in a slow machine has the same chance of winning rounds as a fast car.

However, as stated above, it does seem that weather changes effect a slower car more.

[cicero819]

I'm glad that legends such as Billy Nees,and All Stars such as Myron and Micheal have help in making sense in explaining the exodus of my favorite class. Thank you. Claude