TruSTART system - Drag racer heads up.

[thatdarncat]

For the bracket drag racers and sportsman drag racers on the forum here, I just saw a post that NHRA Division 6 ( the North West part of the continent ) have voted to use the relatively new TruSTART system at the 2017 Division 6 ET Finals at Woodburn Dragstrip. For those that don't know - TruSTART is a change from the traditional "first redlight loses" system that has been in place to a "the worst redlight loses" in instances where both racers go red on the starting line. The track win light will not come on until after both cars have left the starting line. The quicker car & driver will no longer know that their opponent has red-lit until after they have reacted too.

This is news since eventually all the NHRA divisions may go to this and ultimately all bracket racing. So far TruSTART has been used at a few of the big dollar bracket races starting last year.

We will have to see what happens in time, but if things start to transition racers will want to know what system their dragstrip is using. And Division 6 racers for sure will want to be prepared.

Personally I am for the change, as are most bracket racers I have talked to since this was introduced last year, as it seems more fair. The slower car is no longer at a disadvantage on the starting line. But it may change how some people race. Just a heads up and something people may want to ask their track about. 

[JamesonRacing]

Thanks for the notice.  I kinda liked the first red loses, as that was a motivator to have a fast car.  Now I'll just have to make my car faster 'cause it's more fun that way.

[machoneman]

Good to know but it ain't gonna do a damn thing for much more important issues.....

NHRA lost all balance over the years and is now reaping what they've sown. Attendance down, TV revenue down and more. See. their Board has for decades consistently ignored the real substantive changes they should have made long ago and reverse some truly awful decisions of the last decade. To wit:

-go back to real 1/4 mile racing not this 1,000' b.s.
-share a much bigger purse with the weekend warriors and lower classes.
-fix the great disparity in class racing where not going 1 second under your index means you might as well go home.
-rescind the awful no Ford engines, pushrod or Cammer, in the T/F, F/C and Alky classes due to the 429-460 bore spacing rule that long ago mandated only a Hemis max. bore spacing or no OHC engines allowed. 

I could go on and on but what's the point? NHRA can go directly to hell in my book. On second thought, they are already there!

Rant over! Now ask me what I really think! LOL

[thatdarncat]

Thanks for the notice.  I kinda liked the first red loses, as that was a motivator to have a fast car.  Now I'll just have to make my car faster 'cause it's more fun that way.

Yup, I get it. I've generally run my car in multiple brackets at most local events, so I've had both sides of the coin( leaving first or leaving last ), but in classes where I could have my car fast enough to be at the bottom of the class I usually take advantage of that. And when I've gone to the ET Finals I usually try to enter the class where I'm the fastest as well.

"Good to know but it ain't gonna do a damn thing for much more important issues....."

I get that too, however the non-nitro racers are still an important part of the sport and the only thing keeping most dragstrips open, since there are only a handful that run a national event. This change has the potential to spread to every class and non-NHRA events as well. Once more tracks invest in the software change I would guess you could see it at no-prep races, import races, grudge races, and so on. My main point with the post is that there will be a transition period where some of your local tracks use one method and some use the other, just making sure racers are aware. I've raced at quite a few tracks over the years and it's been my experience that most tracks do not do a good job of explaining the specific rules they run under. Some examples would be - some tracks allow "deep staging" and some don't, some tracks use the "cross-talk system" and some don't, and so on. This is one more thing to be aware of. 

[Falcon67]

Wonder when that will get down here to Division 4.  I've lost a bunch of races by -.00x (usually in a final dammit) so fast/slow - it's OK with me.  I plan to be fast this year, so will have to get my chaser skills back, after being the chase-ee for a few years.  That's why I bought the dragster - foot brake cars now running in the 5s, only way I can keep up LOL.

Compulink probably already has the software updated, not sure about Accutime which is what we use.

NHRA - they are still a bit like dealing with the government.  Got a notice to renew my membership, but not license.  Then later I get an email about renewing my license and membership.   But IHRA has it's own issues.  We switched associations last year to NHRA and so far it's been decent.  Bracket Finals are better but still a cluster with lots of down time.  Didn't help being the new team and being placed in a gravel pit 1/2 mile from the bathrooms at the Motorplex.  We're going to buy a trailer with a shower.

PS - where did you see that, it's not shown on the news feed at NHRA Div. 6 page.  They only have a listing for the 2017 finals, no details that I can find.

[Falcon67]

Found this anyway

http://classracer.com/classforum/showthread.php?p=524130

[57 lima bean]

Worst red is a sad case of whats wrong with the world.You are give'n a light..........use it.

[thatdarncat]

I just saw the announcement that NHRA Division 1 ( the Northeast ) voted this past weekend to also use the TruStart system at their NHRA Summit ET Finals this September. Division 5, where I live, had our Banquet / Track operators meeting also this past weekend and my understanding is that it was talked about, but no decision made at this time. The track owners wanted to talk about it more.

Chris - I saw the same press release you found, it was just shared on social media by one of our local "insiders", which is where I got this info too.

Also Chris - I can sympathize with you on the pitting in the gravel pits thing at your bracket finals, Division 5 assigns the participating track pit spots based on where the track finished the previous year. Bandimere in Denver, which is really a first class facility, has limited pit space, the last 2 or 3 place teams end up pitted in a gravel pit miles from staging as well. Local track Grove Creek Raceway found themselves there the year after they switched from IHRA to NHRA, since every other team was effectively ahead of them in the standings.

[Falcon67]

LOL, still not as bad as the first year IHRA when we were at Gillium LA.  Needed binoculars to see the tower.  We placed 5th so we'll be mucho closer to the action this year.  Still probably off the concrete but way better still. 

We run Accutime and we're - track op - is not sure Accutime has added TruStart to the software.  CompuLink has it, he and Biondo kinda started this thing.  I'll have to ask the Div. 4 Director when I see him next time.