THE NEW DEAL: Reshaping the Sportsman racing scene
8/8/06
 Will Hanna has two racing websites, InsideTopAlcohol.com and InsideCompRacing.com. He drives TAFC 425. |
s stated in my past two columns, the goal of my “New Deal” for the sportsman racers is to create a racing environment that accurately reflects the times we are in. Many of the systems in place were designed years ago.
Some areas need major change. We touched base on the promotion and structure of the alcohol ranks in Parts I and II, and in Part III, we’ll focus on trying to bring Comp Eliminator back to the sportsman racer.
Before we get started, one has to realize that money is an inherent advantage in any form of heads-up racing. If you were racing heads-up stock golf carts, the guy with the most money will probably find the advantage, and it holds true in all levels of heads-up racing, regardless of the rules. However, certain rules can somewhat minimize that advantage.
Rule changes to control costs can be a double edged sword. Sometimes they achieve the desired result, whether it is to control costs, speed, etc. On the other hand, misinformed rule changes can result in the opposite and actually make racing more expensive.
Comp Eliminator has deep roots in NHRA drag racing. The sheer ingenuity and engineering in the class is unrivaled in the sport. It’s also one of the last classes that features variety. It is the ultimate test to the sportsman driver. A driver has to cut a light on the bottom bulb, no electronics, and then drive the big end to save his index.
Until recent years, the recipe for success in Comp was to build a fast hot rod and be responsible with your index. Nowadays, the recipe is to be able to build about 10 fast hot rods by having class versatility. Indexes be damned. Get the win at all costs, and worry about the index on Monday. If you whack an index too hard, just jump to another class.
What really has opened the door to this is the advent of the Automatic classes several years ago, specifically the Super Mod Auto classes. Class versatility is built into this combo. You can run the same chassis from A to I/SM, and from A to I/SMA.
For those of you who don’t follow Comp regularly, here’s what’s happening. Without getting into a detailed explanation of how the CIC system works, if you make a run that’s from .510 to .599 under your index, your index gets hit by that particular amount for your next run. At the end of eliminations, if your index hits total more than .60 under your index, your class (e.g. C/A) gets a permanent index adjustment on Monday. Well if you have your whole likelihood tied up in making your C/Altered a .65 under car, but can’t afford to have another motor or trans, etc., to jump to B/Altered or C/Altered Auto, you have to be careful to keep your C/A index competitive. Meanwhile in the other lane, you have a big budget racer that has several engine, trans or even chassis combos at his disposal. You may have the car to beat him that round, but it may come at the expense of being a lot less competitive for the rest of the year. The only thing the other guy’s worried about is getting to the stripe first at any expense to the index. If he beats it up too much, he has the means to jump into a class with a more favorable index. Let’s also not forget the guy that has his index smashed by the big budget racer.
You really can’t fault the big budget teams. They are simply doing what their budget allows under the current rules. What needs to be changed is the rules.
Comp wasn’t intended to become a contest of who can have the most combinations ready to go into battle for a championship. Let’s remember this is a sportsman class.
Some want rules to open the doors to new classes for the dragsters, such as Dragster Automatic, among others. In my opinion, the answer isn’t making class versatility easier for everyone, it’s stopping it.
I think the answer is quite simple. Limit racers to claiming points in two classes per year. Now all of a sudden the two racers mentioned above are in the same boat. If you go beat up your index, on Monday you have the choice of racing in that same beat-up index, or you only have one more index to beat up on. It shifts the premium back to the driver instead of being able to run in 18 different classes.
It also brings down the price tag of running competitively in Comp. As a result, I think car counts would grow. Of course, a big budget will always give you an advantage, but I think such a rule would make it a little tougher to flex a budget. It’s a lot easier to build several .60-under cars than build one or two .70-under cars.
That is unless you are racing in a new class. The second part to this rule is to stop making new classes. A new class is usually started with a favorable index to stimulate new cars. So a racer in this class is an instant player. Then, when NHRA really misses an index, such as AA/SM and DD/AT, the entire championship picture changes as a result. In fact, I’d be willing to bet next year’s champ will proudly display “1 AA/SM” on their window.
The problem with new classes is it disrupts the balance the CIC system set out to establish. That’s why I feel Comp needs to be limited to two classes a year and no new classes.
If something isn’t done, I feel there are some dangers in store for the class. One, I think you’re going to see the dragsters slowly die off. A dragster is the most purpose-built chassis in Comp. One dragster chassis may work in another class, but not as well as a chassis built for that combination. Super Mods are going to dominate the class. It’s too easy to jump classes with those cars.
I think it’s also going to curb new racers coming into the class. If a racer has the choice of building one fast Comp car or one fast Top Dragster or Top Sportsman car, they may choose the latter. In fact, it’s probably happening now.
Now that you’re on the tire, go forth and spread the good word. Feel free to send us an email with your thoughts to response@dragracingonline.com or comment on InsideCompRacing.com. 
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