The 2004 NMRA Racing Season ended almost a month ago. As I started reflecting on my year, the things that had happened, my experiences prior to this year, etc, etc, I decided it might be kind of neat to put some thoughts down on paper (errr….computer). I thought that perhaps a few others might be interested or entertained by what was going through the small amounts of gray matter inside my brain. Eventually, those thoughts morphed into a short essay on what I have learned and experienced with heads-up drag racing, with a few random thoughts from the 2004 season thrown in for good measure. I hope it doesn’t put you to sleep too fast. 
First and foremost – heads-up racing is fun, but it is also quite expensive if you want to be even remotely competitive. It takes time, money, and lots of dedication to run a full or even partial series at the Sportsman level. I commend all of my fellow racers (especially my buddies that ran F/S with me in 2004) for their hard work and dedication. Anyways, let’s start by looking at some of the costs.
It goes without saying that you have to have a car in order to drag race. Further, that car not only has to be “fast”, but it has to be legal (both technically and safety related), and you have to have a way to get it to and from the track. You have to eat, have a place to sleep, obtain fuel for the car and the tow truck, ensure you have tools, spare tires, spare parts, etc. I kept pretty good track of my expenses over the year (The Summit logbook is great for this). I try to be as frugal as possible, and retain enough “slop” in my budget for unforeseen issues that might arise during, before, or after a race weekend. I live in Virginia Beach, and every race involved a minimum of 6 hours to get there (Atco NJ), with some taking almost 20 hours (Kansas City). Some folks are in better locations, some are much worse. That’s just part of the deal. Anyway, I averaged ~$500-$600 in expenses per race. This varied depending upon the location, but is a good starting number for me. A basic breakdown goes like this:
Bowling Green Race
Distance: 750 miles each way.
Hotel: 150
Tow Gas: 245
Entry: 75
Race Gas: 30
Food: 75
Misc: 25
TOTAL: $600
It should be noted that I sleep in my Expedition at the track (motel costs are for the first night out and the last night back), and cook the majority of food I eat in my pits, thus, I save a decent amount of money over someone that stays in a motel each night. The NMRA schedule had nine races this year (including the Atco rainout), and while some race weekends were much cheaper, some were more expensive, and in the end, expenses ran me ~$4800. That doesn’t take into account those things that go wrong – such as post-race engine fire at Bradenton, breaking a torsion bar in the Expedition towing back from the same race, transmission failure at Columbus and Maple Grove, complete engine teardown/tech inspection at Kansas City, and things like that. Bottom line: You have to consider the costs of racing above and beyond just the car. The dollars spent are not inconsequential for most of us.
Looking at the car itself, an old saying that comes to mind really applies here; speed costs money, how fast do you want to go? Simply put, if you want to be competitive in ANY form of true heads-up racing, you’re going to have to spend a substantial amount of dollars on the car. As a general rule, the cost of the faster classes increases significantly over those of the slower ones. That said, even little ole’ Factory Stock is not a cheap proposition. You can very easily spend $20,000 on a truly competitive 5.0 setup, and more than that on a 4V package.
I go into the whole deal with the assumption that I won’t see any return on that money. I want to win, and it's nice to win some money, but I don’t count on it. Some of the more experienced racers with the proven successful combinations can do that, but they are the exception and not the rule. A prudent person would be wise to ensure he/she has the budget to meet the realistic goals they wish to meet – a budget that does not include potential winnings.
Some of the expenses involved in racing can be offset via sponsorship. The thing is, how do you get it? That’s a good question, and much has been written on the subject. Personally, I’ve never actively gone out and pursued a sponsor (though that likely would have been the wise thing to do). I have been fortunate enough to have friends that help me here and there, or companies that see an opportunity in my program to get some decent press for their product, or referrals from fellow racers. Which brings up a major point for sponsors: With some exceptions, when a company/shop sponsors you, they expect (and deserve) a return on their investment. It is incumbent upon the racer to do what he/she can in order to make this happen. That doesn’t necessarily mean win – but it does mean make a good showing for their product, and being a good spokesman for their company.
Back to the car. When deciding to go heads-up racing, the first thing you should probably do is decide what class you want to run. As already stated, faster classes typically cost more money and take more time. What can you afford? How much time can you dedicate to testing, fixing, improving, etc? How fast do you feel comfortable going? Lots of questions, but important ones that deserve a lot of thought, research, and honest answers.
Once you decide on a class, you then need to decide upon the specific combination. There are advantages and disadvantages to be considered. In my judgement, the best way to go about this is to grab a rule book, research past performance of the different combinations in the class you wish to run, and make an informed decision based on those things, your budget, and you level of commitment. Make that decision EARLY. It usually takes MONTHS (and sometimes longer) to get a program together. Engines don’t get built overnight. Chassises don’t get setup in a weekend (not normally anyway). Testing is more than just a one-visit-to-the-track affair. My recommendation is to start a program at least 9 months to a year in advance of the first race you wish to run. If that is the season opener (usually in March), you best be well on your way by the previous summer. There are exceptions of course (in fact, my 2004 season was one), but that’s playing with fire and time. I don’t recommend it.
So you’re going to build a car to run xyz class. Cool! Where do you start? If you have the car already, you need to focus on getting you and it ready for the season. That involves preparing both the car AND the driver. I think one of the main mistakes made by folks new to heads-up racing is putting too much emphasis on the engine and not enough on the chassis. All the power in the world is damn near useless of you can’t get it to do the job that needs doing. No matter what class you run, there is no “perfect setup”, and there is going to be more than one way to get the car to hook and work. Once I got it figured out, my very simple setup worked great for me. It might not have worked great for someone else, or for someone else’s car. Of course, figuring out what is right for you and your car involves money (everything involves money, time, and effort). These can be mitigated somewhat by learning from those racers/chassis tuners that have PROVEN to be winners in what they do. I never take their advice and opinions as gospel, but I do pay close attention. There is always more to learn, and it is always possible to go faster. Always.
I consider the driver to be almost a part of the chassis – certainly an integral part of the total car package. Successful racing (be it drag racing, road racing, autocross, whatever) takes practice. The more practice the better. Sure some folks “catch on” faster than others, but virtually nobody is really good until they have made hundreds, even thousands of passes down the ¼ mile or around the racetrack. At least in the slower classes, and especially with a manual, a great driver can easily be worth 2 tenths over just a good driver – in the same car, at the same track, on the same day. It can make a BIG difference. Practice, practice, practice. Experiment. Try new things. Don’t be afraid of breaking – if you are, you won’t run the number, it’s as simple as that.
I would caution that in my opinion, the time to experiment is BEFORE the race – not during it. This isn’t always possible, but it is certainly preferable. Making wholesale changes over the race weekend, especially during eliminations, is a recipe for losing. You can get lucky sometimes, but I’d rather be prepared and on my game than to have to depend on luck. There’s an old saying that goes something like “I’d rather be lucky than good.” There’s some validity to that – but not in heads-up drag racing. Lucky counts sometimes. Good counts ALL THE TIME.
That leads me to another issue that I think bears some discussion. What do you do when the ladder pairs you up with a car that you know should beat you? I’m sure some folks will disagree with my opinion, but I think you should do the same damn thing you have been doing. Don’t go playing games. Don’t do things differently. Don’t try to ‘psyche’ the other guy out. From my experience, this usually leads to a mistake on YOUR part, making it that much easier for the faster guy/gal to win. Get a routine. Get familiar with it. Make it second nature. Do the same thing every time you get into the car and pull up to the water box. Repetition breeds consistency. Consistency brings wins. If not now, later. If I may be allowed to use my season as an example, there’s a ton of videos over on www.stangcrazy.com. Those folks covered all the NMRA races, and have most of the final rounds on their event coverage page (and many of the earlier rounds too). When you have some free time, download those runs that include my car. Watch - or rather, listen to what I do as I pull to the line (and even in the waterbox if the video has it). The obnoxious, high-revving engine you hear in every video after I have pre-staged is my car. I bring the motor up to launch rpm once I pre stage, every time. I tickle the clutch to inch the car up to the staging lanes, every time. I ignore the guy in the other lane, every time. I've had racers make me sit and wait for many seconds with my motor at 5500 rpm just waiting to go. But it doesn't matter. I'm so used to holding that rpm, to having my clutch right on the cusp of launching, that it just doesn't matter. There’s nothing special about the way I approach launching the car. There’s no magic, and it is not necessarily the best way to do things. But it works for me – and I do the EXACT same thing, every time. No surprises and no extra stress – just a better chance of getting the absolute best run out of my car. I cannot tell you how many times this past season a competitor screwed up a run because they apparently tried something out of the ordinary. Granted, I had a nice performance advantage most of the time, but it was very, very rare that a racer pulled their best ET of the weekend when they were lined up against my car (it was far more common for them to have one of their worst runs – there were exceptions, of course). My personal opinion is that this was a result of trying to get fancy with something because they knew they had to step up.
Shew, enough of that. Getting back to the car, let me rant a bit about the heart of any race car – the engine. I know I stated above that you have to have the chassis worked out, and you have to put plenty of attention towards that and towards your driving skill. Those two areas can make up for a LOT of HP difference. But in the end, and until we can find a way to defy physics, you have to have the power to run the number.
One of the very first things I did when contemplating whether or not to run F/S in 2004 was decide who I was going to ask to build my motor. There were plenty of good choices out there (including the Tymenski’s at Modular Performance, and my buddy Jason Steen at Steen Racing - who helped me tremendously with my program throughout the year), but in the end, I went with someone that I felt had the experience, knowledge, and reputation to build a class-winning motor combination. That was Al Papitto (known as “Boss330” on varies websites). Why did I go this route? With no disrespect at all towards any other shop, Al proved, to me, that he knew what it took to get the necessary power out of the motor to be successful. He had the quickest N/A modular-powered street Mustang in the country – by far the quickest. I knew what he had done with his car, the testing, breakage, and frustrations he had gone through, and I knew of his past racing history (Al was an IDBA Pro Stock Bike Champion back in the late 90’s). He talked to me with a no BS, matter-of-fact attitude, told me upfront what he thought he could do, how much it would cost, how long it would take, and also what I would have to do in order to make it work. We went from concept on the motor, to an agreement on what we were going to do, to having the motor in my car in less than 3 months. Might sound like a long time to some, but we started from SCRATCH with a bare shortblock, bare heads, bare everything. He had to order custom pistons, new rods, custom rings, etc., then assemble it all and ship it to me in time for the season opener. If you’ve ever seen Al at his shop or at the races, when he’s working, he’s like the Energizer bunny on steroids. He knows what needs doing and he gets it done. Not later – now. Keep in mind that this wasn’t just a typical street engine rebuild – this was a serious race motor built to very specific rules. He made a believer out of me, and told me that we could make it work.
And work it did. My initial goal for the 2004 season was simple, really: I wanted to win one race, and to be within a tenth of the defending F/S Champion, Michael Washington. We figured that given the current weight structure, it would take ~345 RWHP to get there. We got there, and then some.
We won the first race at Bradenton in a very, very close final round with Mike, and with both of us spinning tires like they we were running on ice. Remember that rant I made above about testing and practice and luck? Well, to put myself on the spot, I did not do enough testing, nor did I have enough practice with the new combination, and it came down to luck allowing me to win. The weekend wasn’t all good luck though. After the win, we went through a minor tech inspection, and in the process, managed to ignite a small fuel fire under the hood. Minor fire turned into big mess when a dry powder extinguisher was used to put the fire out – dumping copious amounts of stupidly-corrosive yellow powder into the exposed cylinder head. Motor came out the next day (at Al’s shop) for disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly. Such is life sometimes - I highly recommend having some sort of plan for these sorts of unpredictable contingencies.
The second race in Reynolds, GA went better, though I still had not devoted the testing time needed to sort out the chassis. Even so, towards the end of the weekend, we started sneaking up on things, and ran consistently enough to pick up the win. By Columbus, some changes made and tested prior to that race started to make the difference I’d need for the balance of the year. We got the car to hook – and it ended up killing a tranny in the 2nd round of eliminations. Same thing happened at Maple Grove. Basically, I pushed my luck too far (in this case with a tranny too weak to deal with what I was asking it to deal with), and it bit me. Lesson? Lack of testing, and failure to budget for what should have been the obvious need for a stronger (and thus more expensive) transmission. If I had started earlier, I would have figured out that the tranny was not up to the task, and had it fixed long before it costs me a race (twice) and extra dollars.
We fixed that after the Maple Grove race with a near bullet-proof G-Force T5 setup. With the chassis worked out, the engine pumping out consistent HP, and the tranny engaging perfectly every time, the car got ultra-consistent, and things came together in a big hurry. At every race from that point on – Kansas City, Joliet, Martin, and then the finals at Bowling Green – the car ran an 11.4x, and usually ran several of them over a weekend. We held the record for most of the year, and though I wasn’t the quickest in the last two races, consistency counts almost as much as being fast, and in my case, it got the job done.
So there you have it – a perspective on Heads-up drag racing, with some personal experience from the 2004 NMRA Factory Stock season thrown in for good measure. I love heads-up racing, and I hope to get back into it in a year or two. I have nothing at all against bracket racing, index racing, or open comp racing. We all have our personal preferences and biases, and that’s ok. It’s just that heads-up does it for me. It is especially fun when you can make a car run decently quick with – in the words of Evan Smith from many years ago – “all the wrong parts”.
Best of luck to all racers out there, and see you on the starting line!
First and foremost – heads-up racing is fun, but it is also quite expensive if you want to be even remotely competitive. It takes time, money, and lots of dedication to run a full or even partial series at the Sportsman level. I commend all of my fellow racers (especially my buddies that ran F/S with me in 2004) for their hard work and dedication. Anyways, let’s start by looking at some of the costs.
It goes without saying that you have to have a car in order to drag race. Further, that car not only has to be “fast”, but it has to be legal (both technically and safety related), and you have to have a way to get it to and from the track. You have to eat, have a place to sleep, obtain fuel for the car and the tow truck, ensure you have tools, spare tires, spare parts, etc. I kept pretty good track of my expenses over the year (The Summit logbook is great for this). I try to be as frugal as possible, and retain enough “slop” in my budget for unforeseen issues that might arise during, before, or after a race weekend. I live in Virginia Beach, and every race involved a minimum of 6 hours to get there (Atco NJ), with some taking almost 20 hours (Kansas City). Some folks are in better locations, some are much worse. That’s just part of the deal. Anyway, I averaged ~$500-$600 in expenses per race. This varied depending upon the location, but is a good starting number for me. A basic breakdown goes like this:
Bowling Green Race
Distance: 750 miles each way.
Hotel: 150
Tow Gas: 245
Entry: 75
Race Gas: 30
Food: 75
Misc: 25
TOTAL: $600
It should be noted that I sleep in my Expedition at the track (motel costs are for the first night out and the last night back), and cook the majority of food I eat in my pits, thus, I save a decent amount of money over someone that stays in a motel each night. The NMRA schedule had nine races this year (including the Atco rainout), and while some race weekends were much cheaper, some were more expensive, and in the end, expenses ran me ~$4800. That doesn’t take into account those things that go wrong – such as post-race engine fire at Bradenton, breaking a torsion bar in the Expedition towing back from the same race, transmission failure at Columbus and Maple Grove, complete engine teardown/tech inspection at Kansas City, and things like that. Bottom line: You have to consider the costs of racing above and beyond just the car. The dollars spent are not inconsequential for most of us.
Looking at the car itself, an old saying that comes to mind really applies here; speed costs money, how fast do you want to go? Simply put, if you want to be competitive in ANY form of true heads-up racing, you’re going to have to spend a substantial amount of dollars on the car. As a general rule, the cost of the faster classes increases significantly over those of the slower ones. That said, even little ole’ Factory Stock is not a cheap proposition. You can very easily spend $20,000 on a truly competitive 5.0 setup, and more than that on a 4V package.
I go into the whole deal with the assumption that I won’t see any return on that money. I want to win, and it's nice to win some money, but I don’t count on it. Some of the more experienced racers with the proven successful combinations can do that, but they are the exception and not the rule. A prudent person would be wise to ensure he/she has the budget to meet the realistic goals they wish to meet – a budget that does not include potential winnings.
Some of the expenses involved in racing can be offset via sponsorship. The thing is, how do you get it? That’s a good question, and much has been written on the subject. Personally, I’ve never actively gone out and pursued a sponsor (though that likely would have been the wise thing to do). I have been fortunate enough to have friends that help me here and there, or companies that see an opportunity in my program to get some decent press for their product, or referrals from fellow racers. Which brings up a major point for sponsors: With some exceptions, when a company/shop sponsors you, they expect (and deserve) a return on their investment. It is incumbent upon the racer to do what he/she can in order to make this happen. That doesn’t necessarily mean win – but it does mean make a good showing for their product, and being a good spokesman for their company.
Back to the car. When deciding to go heads-up racing, the first thing you should probably do is decide what class you want to run. As already stated, faster classes typically cost more money and take more time. What can you afford? How much time can you dedicate to testing, fixing, improving, etc? How fast do you feel comfortable going? Lots of questions, but important ones that deserve a lot of thought, research, and honest answers.
Once you decide on a class, you then need to decide upon the specific combination. There are advantages and disadvantages to be considered. In my judgement, the best way to go about this is to grab a rule book, research past performance of the different combinations in the class you wish to run, and make an informed decision based on those things, your budget, and you level of commitment. Make that decision EARLY. It usually takes MONTHS (and sometimes longer) to get a program together. Engines don’t get built overnight. Chassises don’t get setup in a weekend (not normally anyway). Testing is more than just a one-visit-to-the-track affair. My recommendation is to start a program at least 9 months to a year in advance of the first race you wish to run. If that is the season opener (usually in March), you best be well on your way by the previous summer. There are exceptions of course (in fact, my 2004 season was one), but that’s playing with fire and time. I don’t recommend it.
So you’re going to build a car to run xyz class. Cool! Where do you start? If you have the car already, you need to focus on getting you and it ready for the season. That involves preparing both the car AND the driver. I think one of the main mistakes made by folks new to heads-up racing is putting too much emphasis on the engine and not enough on the chassis. All the power in the world is damn near useless of you can’t get it to do the job that needs doing. No matter what class you run, there is no “perfect setup”, and there is going to be more than one way to get the car to hook and work. Once I got it figured out, my very simple setup worked great for me. It might not have worked great for someone else, or for someone else’s car. Of course, figuring out what is right for you and your car involves money (everything involves money, time, and effort). These can be mitigated somewhat by learning from those racers/chassis tuners that have PROVEN to be winners in what they do. I never take their advice and opinions as gospel, but I do pay close attention. There is always more to learn, and it is always possible to go faster. Always.
I consider the driver to be almost a part of the chassis – certainly an integral part of the total car package. Successful racing (be it drag racing, road racing, autocross, whatever) takes practice. The more practice the better. Sure some folks “catch on” faster than others, but virtually nobody is really good until they have made hundreds, even thousands of passes down the ¼ mile or around the racetrack. At least in the slower classes, and especially with a manual, a great driver can easily be worth 2 tenths over just a good driver – in the same car, at the same track, on the same day. It can make a BIG difference. Practice, practice, practice. Experiment. Try new things. Don’t be afraid of breaking – if you are, you won’t run the number, it’s as simple as that.
I would caution that in my opinion, the time to experiment is BEFORE the race – not during it. This isn’t always possible, but it is certainly preferable. Making wholesale changes over the race weekend, especially during eliminations, is a recipe for losing. You can get lucky sometimes, but I’d rather be prepared and on my game than to have to depend on luck. There’s an old saying that goes something like “I’d rather be lucky than good.” There’s some validity to that – but not in heads-up drag racing. Lucky counts sometimes. Good counts ALL THE TIME.
That leads me to another issue that I think bears some discussion. What do you do when the ladder pairs you up with a car that you know should beat you? I’m sure some folks will disagree with my opinion, but I think you should do the same damn thing you have been doing. Don’t go playing games. Don’t do things differently. Don’t try to ‘psyche’ the other guy out. From my experience, this usually leads to a mistake on YOUR part, making it that much easier for the faster guy/gal to win. Get a routine. Get familiar with it. Make it second nature. Do the same thing every time you get into the car and pull up to the water box. Repetition breeds consistency. Consistency brings wins. If not now, later. If I may be allowed to use my season as an example, there’s a ton of videos over on www.stangcrazy.com. Those folks covered all the NMRA races, and have most of the final rounds on their event coverage page (and many of the earlier rounds too). When you have some free time, download those runs that include my car. Watch - or rather, listen to what I do as I pull to the line (and even in the waterbox if the video has it). The obnoxious, high-revving engine you hear in every video after I have pre-staged is my car. I bring the motor up to launch rpm once I pre stage, every time. I tickle the clutch to inch the car up to the staging lanes, every time. I ignore the guy in the other lane, every time. I've had racers make me sit and wait for many seconds with my motor at 5500 rpm just waiting to go. But it doesn't matter. I'm so used to holding that rpm, to having my clutch right on the cusp of launching, that it just doesn't matter. There’s nothing special about the way I approach launching the car. There’s no magic, and it is not necessarily the best way to do things. But it works for me – and I do the EXACT same thing, every time. No surprises and no extra stress – just a better chance of getting the absolute best run out of my car. I cannot tell you how many times this past season a competitor screwed up a run because they apparently tried something out of the ordinary. Granted, I had a nice performance advantage most of the time, but it was very, very rare that a racer pulled their best ET of the weekend when they were lined up against my car (it was far more common for them to have one of their worst runs – there were exceptions, of course). My personal opinion is that this was a result of trying to get fancy with something because they knew they had to step up.
Shew, enough of that. Getting back to the car, let me rant a bit about the heart of any race car – the engine. I know I stated above that you have to have the chassis worked out, and you have to put plenty of attention towards that and towards your driving skill. Those two areas can make up for a LOT of HP difference. But in the end, and until we can find a way to defy physics, you have to have the power to run the number.
One of the very first things I did when contemplating whether or not to run F/S in 2004 was decide who I was going to ask to build my motor. There were plenty of good choices out there (including the Tymenski’s at Modular Performance, and my buddy Jason Steen at Steen Racing - who helped me tremendously with my program throughout the year), but in the end, I went with someone that I felt had the experience, knowledge, and reputation to build a class-winning motor combination. That was Al Papitto (known as “Boss330” on varies websites). Why did I go this route? With no disrespect at all towards any other shop, Al proved, to me, that he knew what it took to get the necessary power out of the motor to be successful. He had the quickest N/A modular-powered street Mustang in the country – by far the quickest. I knew what he had done with his car, the testing, breakage, and frustrations he had gone through, and I knew of his past racing history (Al was an IDBA Pro Stock Bike Champion back in the late 90’s). He talked to me with a no BS, matter-of-fact attitude, told me upfront what he thought he could do, how much it would cost, how long it would take, and also what I would have to do in order to make it work. We went from concept on the motor, to an agreement on what we were going to do, to having the motor in my car in less than 3 months. Might sound like a long time to some, but we started from SCRATCH with a bare shortblock, bare heads, bare everything. He had to order custom pistons, new rods, custom rings, etc., then assemble it all and ship it to me in time for the season opener. If you’ve ever seen Al at his shop or at the races, when he’s working, he’s like the Energizer bunny on steroids. He knows what needs doing and he gets it done. Not later – now. Keep in mind that this wasn’t just a typical street engine rebuild – this was a serious race motor built to very specific rules. He made a believer out of me, and told me that we could make it work.
And work it did. My initial goal for the 2004 season was simple, really: I wanted to win one race, and to be within a tenth of the defending F/S Champion, Michael Washington. We figured that given the current weight structure, it would take ~345 RWHP to get there. We got there, and then some.
We won the first race at Bradenton in a very, very close final round with Mike, and with both of us spinning tires like they we were running on ice. Remember that rant I made above about testing and practice and luck? Well, to put myself on the spot, I did not do enough testing, nor did I have enough practice with the new combination, and it came down to luck allowing me to win. The weekend wasn’t all good luck though. After the win, we went through a minor tech inspection, and in the process, managed to ignite a small fuel fire under the hood. Minor fire turned into big mess when a dry powder extinguisher was used to put the fire out – dumping copious amounts of stupidly-corrosive yellow powder into the exposed cylinder head. Motor came out the next day (at Al’s shop) for disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly. Such is life sometimes - I highly recommend having some sort of plan for these sorts of unpredictable contingencies.
The second race in Reynolds, GA went better, though I still had not devoted the testing time needed to sort out the chassis. Even so, towards the end of the weekend, we started sneaking up on things, and ran consistently enough to pick up the win. By Columbus, some changes made and tested prior to that race started to make the difference I’d need for the balance of the year. We got the car to hook – and it ended up killing a tranny in the 2nd round of eliminations. Same thing happened at Maple Grove. Basically, I pushed my luck too far (in this case with a tranny too weak to deal with what I was asking it to deal with), and it bit me. Lesson? Lack of testing, and failure to budget for what should have been the obvious need for a stronger (and thus more expensive) transmission. If I had started earlier, I would have figured out that the tranny was not up to the task, and had it fixed long before it costs me a race (twice) and extra dollars.
We fixed that after the Maple Grove race with a near bullet-proof G-Force T5 setup. With the chassis worked out, the engine pumping out consistent HP, and the tranny engaging perfectly every time, the car got ultra-consistent, and things came together in a big hurry. At every race from that point on – Kansas City, Joliet, Martin, and then the finals at Bowling Green – the car ran an 11.4x, and usually ran several of them over a weekend. We held the record for most of the year, and though I wasn’t the quickest in the last two races, consistency counts almost as much as being fast, and in my case, it got the job done.
So there you have it – a perspective on Heads-up drag racing, with some personal experience from the 2004 NMRA Factory Stock season thrown in for good measure. I love heads-up racing, and I hope to get back into it in a year or two. I have nothing at all against bracket racing, index racing, or open comp racing. We all have our personal preferences and biases, and that’s ok. It’s just that heads-up does it for me. It is especially fun when you can make a car run decently quick with – in the words of Evan Smith from many years ago – “all the wrong parts”.
Best of luck to all racers out there, and see you on the starting line!
