Indy Auto Parts

Bracket Racing Basics    by Chip Mitchell    T/D, Top E.T. #1320

Class 103 : Driving The 1320

    Dialing in a bracket car is the most important decision a racer makes before strapping into the race car.  Once you cross upper or lower staging you are bound by your prediction.  The decision also affects how you drive the quarter mile.  Many factors go into this decision such as weather, wind, track temperature, etc.  However, these factors and their dial in value will be discussed in another article. 

    Basically there are two ways to dial your bracket car, "tight" or "soft".  From a pure safety stand-point most racers would agree that dialing a car tight is the safest way to bracket race.  Dialing a car "tight" is putting the exact E.T. you feel the vehicle will run during the race.  The positive side to running your car this way includes less brake and throttle work decisions which means less chassis loading and unloading.

    Another positive of being able to trust a tight dial in is your feeling secure in taking the finish line under full power.  When dialing "tight" your finish line decision to take the stripe only changes if you see your opponent too far ahead or behind you.  With any kind of distance like this between you and the stripe or your opponent you need to decide to take action at least by the mph cone if you wish to affect E.T.  In general, when competitors are close in reaction time, the driver who dials tight has less time and distance to make his finish line decisions.

    There are two major downside factors to dialing tight.  If you miss the tree and your opponent doesn't you lose assuming you both run close.  Secondly, if your car loses E.T. for whatever reason and your opponent does not you lose if he is dead on unless you have nitrous to make up ET.

    The second way to dial your car is "soft".  This strategy is to dial in the car slower than you actually think it will run.  The more you "slow" your dial in down the more time you give yourself to decide how to run the race.  Dialing "soft" means you are dialing an E.T. you know you will lose with if  you run the car under full power the whole quarter mile.  With this style of dial in you know you must slow the car by the amount you dialed soft prior to the finish.  Otherwise, you breakout and lose.

    This second approach to dialing your car is frowned upon by some purists of the bracket racing wars.  Called sandbagging in the early days of bracket racing, many, including myself, have found as the evolution of this sports competitiveness grew this dialing technique was necessary in order to win more races.  Whether you dial soft due to track conditions or as finish line strategy, "holding" hundredths has become an everyday tool in most successful bracket racers program.  In fact at big dollar events where you see well known professional bracket racers it is their standard practice to hold .05 or more on a good track!  With this much performance "advantage" they are able to focus on a good light first and then catching their opponent early and holding a 6 inch to 12 inch wheel advantage to the finish line.  These pros assume their reaction time to be .015 or better and decide if they are going to take the finish line usually by where they catch you in the quarter mile.  These guys know what it takes to slow their car by .05 or more and will dump you at the stripe if they think they have not shaved enough.  Hoping of course you are on a breakout pass.  If they think they shaved plenty of E.T. then they will stay welded to your spindle and take the stripe.  When two pro's meet for a race there is usually a lot of brake dust flying around at the finish line as they know each is holding time and the race is a high speed side by side game of chicken to the stripe.  My advice to a regional or local bracket racer who is in a race with a touring pro is to focus on yourself, your light, and dial tight with maybe one hundredth in your pocket.

    As you learn how to hold E.T. consistently via braking and throttle burping you will become confident on what action will reduce E.T. and by how much.  For me, burping reduces more E.T. quicker than braking.  Braking is easier on the drive train however.

    Driving the finish line is of course important as a good reaction time.  Meanwhile a good reaction time makes your finish line driving easier.  How well you drive the finish line is reflected on your time slip as margin and who crossed the finish line first.  Whether your strategy is to take the stripe or not you need to practice keeping the margin between .0000 and .0150.  This kind of number is only possible keeping your opponent close by in the lights.  In staging it is important to determine where you need to be in relation to your opponent in order to be ahead at the finish.  For example, when I race most door cars I know to line my dragsters drivers cage to their rear quarter panel at some spot to be ahead at the finish. 

    If you are the one being chased you need to invest in good mirrors so you can make decisions early in the run.  Chasing is always better in bracket racing as it gives your opponent the first chance to red light and the race is always in front of you.

    Regardless of strategy, when your lane win light comes on you know you probably made all the right decisions to win that race.  Sometimes your opponent helps you win.  Generally it is the driver who makes the least amount of bad calls in his tune up or driving that comes up with the win light.  Practice makes perfect whether you dial tight or soft.  If you race the style your most comfortable and consistent with you will win more races.