In my opinion what has happened is simple, but the cure may not be. The cars that are winning are unbelievably consistent and well prepared. The tracks are being prepped like a national event because the cars are getting faster and faster (refer to "they like coming from behind to judge the finish line" in sportsman racing). This has led to more and more horsepower to accomplish this and that causes a few problems of its own.

These fast bracket cars intimidate the slower cars because they ARE more consistent, they require a "sticky" race track from start line to finish line and if they spin they are the first to complain and usually take their business to a different track.

In the fastest two brackets how can this be cured? Different tracks have tried different things but it will be difficult if not impossible to bring back the bracket racers that have quit because they feel that, without the latest equipment, they are not competitive.

My answer is to use less traction compound in general. Sure, the track has to have some grip on the start line to maybe 100 feet out, but why tracks are spraying 1000 feet and using $500 to $700 worth of VHT or Track Grip still puzzles me. Especially if they have only 60 to 100 cars in the pit area. Cars can be adjusted for track conditions, tracks cannot stay open if all their income is either staying parked in the garage or being sprayed on the track in the form of traction compound.

One more thing I think would go a long way towards returning cars to the bracket races would be to lower the cost of entry fees and the payouts accordingly. It has gotten out of hand. Around here (Iowa) you can spend $200 or more a weekend to run in two races that pay anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 to win. Not bad if you win... but only a couple do that on any given weekend. The others go home a few hundred dollars short. In this economy I feel lower entry fees would let more guys go racing.

Specialty Events

Their success pretty much speaks for itself. Charlie Harmon has turned the NMCA/NMRA into one of the biggest race organizations on the planet. To accomplish that with the economy not exactly being red-hot is amazing. Can you imagine if he would have had the reins of those programs 15 years ago?

These specialty races are set up so the "part-time, not so dedicated" racer can go to a large event, have a good time and see a lot vendors, enjoy a swap meet, etc., in one weekend. There is an idea more local tracks should welcome: make your race days MORE than a bracket race.

Test & Tune crowd

And I am not kidding when I say "crowd." The reports I hear from so many track operators is that if it weren't for the 75 to 150 "test & tuners" they could not keep the track open. What would it take to lure these guys into some real competition on a bracket-racing day? How about a free "drag racing clinic" a couple hours before a regular race? If they have a receipt from a Test & Tune, let them in free one race day and so they can check it out. How about getting six to ten regular racers to come to the "clinic" and explain things like the burnout, why staging the same is important, ideas on dialing their car in, WHY, if you want to win, you don't always have to drive it flat-out, and explain the finish line strategies.

Most "test & tuners" love the sport and the excitement of going fast, but I think a lot of them do not know how to learn the details of bracket racing. I feel a lot of them would love to compete but they have feel comfortable, like they do on Test & Tune nights, before they will show up on race day.

I know I haven't fixed the sport, but I hope it helps some of you see the problems from a different point of view. Maybe you have some great ideas. I know one thing for sure and that is there are a lot of you that are a lot smarter than me, and I think we can help tracks and racers if we put our heads together.

To that end I want to thank Jeff and Kay Burk at this magazine for becoming the first "Official Magazine/Media Source" for the Grassroots Bracket Series. I helped found the Grassroots Bracket Series and our primary goal is to restore bracket racing at the local level. We'll keep working on it. I hope you will keep racing. Good luck to all of you.

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