Over the past couple of years you are seeing different ways of the .90 racing game being played. This has been a very big year for reverse throttle stops, taking the drag community by storm. With the past two national events, the reverse throttle stop held a runner up and a win. These two are the biggest competitors for the use of the reverse throttle stop. Chris Garretson, current national points leader in Super Comp, and Tim Nicholson number seven finisher in last years national points in Super Gas.

For my point of view I find the top-end stop less superior from using the conventional use of the stop at the start of the track. Simply it gives you more ways to race, can wheel race, spot drop, and dial it honest, and when a competitor breaks it’s easier to notice. It is also in my opinion more consistent and easier to dial. Please take into consideration I am 0-1 against Chris and his top end stop. Advantages for the top end stop once you get it down it can be just as deadly as we have seen. It’s almost impossible to judge, Chris is trapping 126-129 mph and most of us in Super Comp are 175-185 mph cars. That’s right around a 50mph difference. Tom Nicholson has an even bigger drop off trapping right around the 100mph mark, Super Gas can range from 150-175+ mph. I’ve raced Chris a couple of times in time shots and once in eliminations, the only thing I can really compare it to is being pulled over in the shoulder of the highway, and having cars blow past you at 65 mph. Take a look at the video I have racing against him, was probably five dragsters out on me. Heres the video……….

The unconventional parts of these vehicles. Tom Nicholson and his Camaro have been paired together on the drag-strip for 44 years now. The car is also a manually shifted four speed car. Also a smaller motor is the way to go with a top-end stop, he wrenches on his car all himself, builds the motor himself, its a 400 SBC. Even though it is a stick car, he leaves off a clutch switch he made himself 35 years ago. So what he does is push in the clutch then quickly onto the button with his foot floored. He even uses his clutch switch bracket racing with a delay box! For Chris a smaller motor then the class is used to, a 468 cubic inch motor. And an older dragster built by Ed Quay in 95’. His car also feature aviation style front wheels and tires, they might be eight inches tall if that. Try seeing those, flying past him.

Ways of racing them, I’ve witnessed a great amount of ideas racers have had of trying to take down the top-end stop. The biggest part where people mess up is they stray away from their game plan. Racers have dialed 8.40 and tried to catch him, which looks like the most fun way of doing it, but that is also a very hard task. Dialing a .91 or .92 and nailing the tree is the best way I have thought of doing it. Which most people do, but they end up hitting the brakes, because were bracket racers, and that’s all your mind tell you to do and they end up giving it back. Scoring more wins for the top end stop guys. It will be cool to see where they both end up this year, but congrats to both of them and how well they have been doing. It’s a wonder, will we see more top-end stops as the success continues? Who Knows!