The Balance of Power - Navigating Rule Changes to Keep Competition on a Level Playing Field
Heads up drag racing has been around since two automobiles were built, and one person thought that their car was quicker than the other.
It’s an easy concept - line them up and whoever gets to the finish line first wins.
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Throughout history, certain racers work harder, test more or spend more money to win in heads up drag racing. You can have a class where a lot is mandated or controlled, and still there are going to be those that run quicker than others.
Take the National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA) Coyote Stock class for example. First launched in 2012, the class concept is based on using a sealed crate engine and spec tune from Ford Racing.
Although almost all competitors use a manual transmission, a C4 three speed Ford automatic is also allowed. A 28 inch tall by 10.6-inch wide tires allowed, and stock suspension must be maintained.
If you look at the results from the class at any event during the NMRA season, you will find that most cars qualify within 2 miles an hour of each other.
However, the field can vary up to 3-4 tenths of-a-second in elapsed time. Those differences aren’t made in the power department, but instead working on the clutch, the suspension, and making the vehicle work as best as possible.
There have been several racers over time that, despite a strict set of rules, do a better job than the competition. It’s happened in everything from National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car and Top Fuel racing, to X275 and Ultra Street drag radial classes.
Watching some competitors win multiple events in-a-row, and in some cases several events a year, while their competition can’t figure out how to run within a car length or more of them.
Keeping a level playing field is a difficult process. Competitors that try harder, run quicker and win can be saddled with more weight or power robbing restrictions to bring a class back to a more level playing field.
Or, the struggling combinations get a break to get them closer to the top spot, encouraging competitors to continue to compete on the premise that the racing action could be a lot closer.
Now, some observers or racers would cry foul. But if you don’t level the playing field and tell people to just step up with no rule changes, field size diminishes, quality of racing suffers, and classes can sometimes be cut from a series.
One of the great things about drag-and-drive is the number one goal: you battle to finish. Sure there are usually a class or multiple classes that competitors can get into where they have a chance to compete for the top spot, but it’s not always the end goal.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine, KWS Images and the NMRA.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com