[jason]

The b class friday night was embarrising.Most of the crowd around me were upset with the outcome.Rob and Mark have both run times in the 14 second window in the past.That's a full second faster than the rest of the cars in that class.They are better suited in the a class and it showed.I don't have a problem with them running in the class on one condition.The lap rule has to go away.If they braek out on any lap by more than two tenths of a second they should be black flagged.Rob has put on a good show making it look like a close race at the end,but it's demoralizing to get your doors blown off on the last lap.What would happen if you have a hand full of cars sand bagging and just waiting till the last two laps.Your probably going to have a bad wreck.Let's just hope nobody gets hurt when it happens.I think getting rid of the lap rule makes it a little more fair for both parties.Under the current system your predeterming a winner when you put a car in a lower class that can run a full second faster.Hopefully something will change soon!

[Jim Leasure]

Jason, I'm glad you brought this issue up. I wasn't quite ready to post this but now is as good of time as any.

Effective Friday the 13th (might be bad luck ) and there after the break out rule for the ABC and Pony will read as follows:

Any car .2 under their qualifying time for any 2 laps......

Any car .2 under their qualifying time on the last lap will be scored behind the last car on the lead lap.

The bracket racing approach is new to stock car racing and has a lot of positives but we have uncovered some not so good issues as well. I think we are very close to having this system dialed in but we are trying to go slow and cautious with any change. Once we have it right we'll lock it in and leave it alone.

There is another little tweak coming Friday the 13th. Bill will explain then.

[BDR1979]

Coming from a competitors side yes I do believe there are sandbaggers out there. From me I go all out all the time and leave it all on the track. I dont think that rule needs to change Jim. Its very easy to make up .2 seconds on a given lap from your qualifying time when racing for a win. You push just that little bit more on that last lap. You find yourself doing things that you normally dont trying to get past or hold off that other driver. I think the rule as written is a fair rule. 2 laps during the race no matter what two it is. You will find a lot of drivers complaining about this new rule change. Also why is it just the Spartan and Pony Stocks? If your going to change a breakout rule it should be acrossed the board for all divisions.

[Jim Leasure]

The other divisions are not bracket racing. In bracket racing you are lining competitors up with like times. That is the reason you see so much door to door racing in the Spartan and Pony stock divisions. In order to maintain parity in bracket racing everyone must qualify to the best of their ability. During the feature if someone choses to run their qualifying time or slower for 24 laps and then run under their qualifying time for the last lap they can conceivably win almost every race.

Take a look at what Jason had to say. He is right on spot when he says "the last lap someone can blow your doors off".

Here is another upside to bracket racing. When fields are full and you use a full invert as Spartan does the fastest car will have to race through the rest of the field. We should then see multiple first time winners. Since we started ABC racing I am guessing 20 people have received a trophy for first ever feature win and some may not have had an opportunity to stand in the winners circle if we were still grouping the entire division together.

I also want to mention that when cars are running like times the chance for damage is and has been far less than pre-bracket racing. Thus in effect lowering cost to the competitors.

[jason]

Just wanted to say thank you Jim.I think making a tweak or two will make the racing action that much better.

[letsgoracing]

Who broke out, Rob or Mark?