Quote:
Originally Posted by YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY
Love the 'big car' pics!
I know some might thing bracket racing is 'lackluster' but it is def more challenging that heads up racing - the strategy involves the whole length of the track, every run. If not for bracket racing, the guy with the most $$ would win - now the best driver / tuner wins! I used to think it was dumb, but once we started Jr Dragsters we thing heads up racing is dumb!
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Try cutting a light and banging gears and keeping the car straight "the whole length of the track" in an old school high rpm Modified eliminator car while it pops a wheelie with every gear change.
I grew up watching NHRA classes and eliminators at Raceway Park in Englishtown and remember when they gradually changed over to bracket racing starting in 1976. All of sudden it was a different ball game with home built, lower-rpm, single four-barrel carb and automatic transmission-equipped race cars (many with 2-speed Powerglides for God's sake!) with primered paint, or panels, dents in the body, front bumpers removed, interiors stripped out, and hardly any 4-speed cars to be found anymore virtually everywhere you looked in the pits and staging lanes. No more catchy names on race cars, in fact, hardly any names, no custom paint jobs, etc. All gone virtually overnight with the introduction of bracket racing. I know bracket racing and its cars have come a long way since that time but the lackluster type racing still exists. The virtually empty stands bear this out. Oh, sure, if you're in the car racing, it's a blast. But if you're in the stands, it's boring. At least to those of us who've seen better racing at the track.
Here are some examples of the junk that started showing up at the track once bracket racing started going..."run what ya brung" at its worst.
This video shows
what was a common sight every weekend at the drags and virtually disappeared overnight as bracket racing took over at the local level. Take it from me, you haven't seen bad-ass drag racing if you have never watched Modified eliminator cars in the 1970s. Pro Stock eliminator racing was even more exciting.
I'm not here to argue with you about bracket racing...whatever floats your boat and makes you happy as far as automobile racing is concerned. But I know better (racing) 'cause I've seen it.