OVA1

iTrader: (12)

Ever happen to you?
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SO I miss the TNT on Friday night and decide to try the brackets, otherwise known as the "Race and Waits" on Saturday night.

I mean she's been so consistant and we COULD turn this thing into some positive cash right? LOL... RIiiiiiiiiiiigggghht!

I stopped by the Home-D and got an Dewalt impact driver to alleviate my LEAST favorite part, which is changing the street tires to the Mickey's and got there right after the cutoff for the first race, so it takes me about 3 minutes to change the tires, just in time to wait TWO FREAKIN' HOURS for the second race...

At which time I take my ONE time run and sit for another 45 minutes for the first eliminator of the Sportsman herd...

My time run was 7.85 with a 1.73 60, but I broke loose so I know it's high... plus it's going to be dark by the time we run and she always runs better in cool evening air... So I'm trying to decide what dial-in to run and I've got plenty of time, so no big deal...

Well FINALLY... they call us up and the Comaro Saints be praised, what do I pull up next to but a late model Dodge Charger... WOO HOO! I am IN! I am going to run this thing down like a dollar in the breeze!

But I can't find my damn dobber... I look around and there's a chick walking by WITH A DOBBER in her hand... MAN can ya BELIEVE THIS? I am BLESSED! Clearly I am about to take home some coin in this deal... The car was running GREAT, Shifting PERFECT (on the one time run) and the first qualifier is a LOCK... and Dobbers are pouring FORTH from the ether...

So I decide to go with '4'... remember the time run was 7.85 and I broke loose, plus it's cooler.. and 4 just popped into my head, so I write the dial in on the window and wait for our turn...

Burn out goes very well, the car is running GREAT... we stage up and the Charger get their light, I get mine, I give an extra tick so I don't red light and launch... She BLAST out of the hole...

The crazy thing is I noticed that she's already got 3 or 4 cars on me when I come out of the dig and while I'm reeling that in steady, it's is already apparent that it's unlikely that there's enough track to get it done... I close to half a car when we pass the traps... so I'm out and I see the ET fly by and it's a 7.82... DAMN I broke out...

HEY WAIT A MINUTE< 'what the hell did I write as a Dial in? OH HELL NO! And it all just flashed through my head in a streaming ephiphany... THAT's WHY SHE WAS SO FAR GONE BY THE TIME I GOT OUT...
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I put 7.4 as the dial in... NOT 7 . 84

ROFLMNAO... can you BELIEVE THAT CRAP?

I wanted to be pissed... but I'd have still borken out... so after paying 45 bucks (I took my daughter) to make two passes over four HOURS... I completely screwed myself out of a race I OTHERWISE COULD NOT LOSE! So I headed back to the pits, spent another efforless 3 minutes changing the tires, packed up the humble material manifest for our little operation and headed home... where I spent the next hour floating between cussing myself and laughing at myself...

OVA1

iTrader: (12)

Oh Come on!

I'm the ONLY ONE!

Riiiiiiiggghht...

Z-RATED94

iTrader: (6)

Many years ago I was in some slow bracket (track rental) racing for just a trophy. I make it to the final against some drag wagon and have to wait a few tens before trying to chase him down. I run him down with a little room to go and get the bright idea we might be to fast. So like a dumby I hit the brakes and give him the win. Every once in a while I still give myself a good kick in the *** for trying to be smart when I'm not.

JL ws-6

iTrader: (50)

I have a similar sorty LOL.

I went to a bracket race/old school muscle car event last season early in the season, actually the first event I went to and had my LIC, so I was happy to be able to run the car and not worry about getting the boot

I made 2 time trial runs, first one was a 9.97, 2nd run I changed the shocks, and it was the 2nd run on the same bottle, car went 9.89.

I figured hmmm... shock settings helped, but it was getting HOT outside, like 90 degreed by the time racing got going. I did the da calculation and figured out the am and what it was roughly, it had gone up about 400 points, I figured the car was gonna slow down a little... but I wasn't 100% now much.

I had a few jets that I wanted to play with to see what a minor change would get me, so I decreased the fuel jet by one size, put in a fresh bottle and figured I'd pedal it if I had to.

I wrote a 9.86 on the window, figured this way I had a little room. I line up against a 70 nova, 540 bbc car (I have talked with the guy a few times in the past when pitting next to him on t&t days) and I know he's good on the tee, so I tried to cut a lite, he cut a .020 which is about where he usually is... I tried to cut a lite.. and ended up redlighting LOL. After running on a pro tree all season, the slow tree well... I forgot just how slow that thing is

So I left and knew I redlit anyway so I figured I'd stay in it and see what happens.. well the jet did more then I thought, car ended up going 9.68 @ about 2 mph faster then I had done all day :jest. I wrote 9.86 on the window, just missed the #'s.

Guy in the nova left before me being he had a 10.20 on the window and didn't know I redlit, 1/8th mile mark I went blasting by him pretty good, so he stayed in it.. and ended up breaking out too running a 9.99

Guy came up to me after busting my ***** about not knowing what I was doing, we both had a good laugh about it... I told him what I had done and he laughed even harder. Needless to say.. neither one of us knew WTF we were doing that day.

So no, you're not alone. Bracket racing, there's so many damn things that can happen to screw ya up you really need a guy to go with you and both have a routine and both know the car really well, etc.etc. It's not easy. Heads up racing, alot easier, just cost an assload more $

3DFORMULA

iTrader: (4)

Dang,,,,, I thought this was gonna be a funny bathroom story.

OVA1

iTrader: (12)

lol...

Yeah the Brackets are definitely a science and ya have to give it to the guys who have the patients and the crew to do it; particularly the ones that do it well... I'm not one of 'em... at least not yet.

But there's an expression that 'pride procedes the fall' and I think that when the good Lord saw me giggle in cocky boast at my good fortune to come up on that Charger in the qualifier... he just decided that what I needed was a dose of humility; which I COULD have fixed myself by taking my competition serious and THINKING through all that I NEEDED to do, instead of just hurrying thru, engaging in what my Dad used to call 'picking out the furniture, before ya strike a deal.'

I still can't believe I did it... but its unlikely that I'll do it again.