DRAGSTRIP NEWS!
2002 NHRA Summit E.T. Championship Series at Irwindale Dragstrip An important element of our drag racing program is to offer new racers a chance to "move up" to real competition. With our mixed format of "time-only", grudge-matches and "e.t. brackets", the first time racer can see how real competition works without being intimidated. E.t. bracket racing demonstrates the sport of drag racing. During selected Sunday Street Legal Drags at Irwindale Dragstrip, racers will have the opportunity to enter into what's known as the NHRA Summit E.T. Championship Series. This is a series of 7 racing dates where drivers can compete in an "e.t. bracket" and earn points toward a track championship. Trophies are awarded to winners and runner-up in each category after each event. At the end of the season the top racers from Irwindale Dragstrip form a team that competes against the best racers from other dragstrips in the region. That event is the "NHRA Pacific Division E.T. Finals" in October at Top Gun Raceway in Fallon Nevada. And the top finishers from that event are invited to race against the best from 6 other regions at the prestigious NHRA World Finals in November at Pomona Raceway! While we run this series at Irwindale Dragstrip, the "time-only" and grudge-match racer still gets plenty of track time. The e.t. bracket racers will be running between rounds of time-only runs and grudge-matches. Only the racers that choose to participate in the series will compete in the "e.t. brackets". Here's how it works… Beginning March 17th racers can enter the Irwindale Dragstrip 7 event series. First, pay your $20 at the gate to race. Then after the basic technical safety inspection, you pay an additional $10 (per event) at racer registration to enter the "e.t. bracket" series in one of the 5 categories. You will then be allowed to make a maximum of two time-trials before your category is called to the staging lanes for a first round of elimination. You will be paired randomly against other vehicles in your category and your race will be handicapped based on what you "dial-in" as your best possible E.T. (elapsed time from start to finish). Example: you dial-in at 10.70 seconds and the other racer dials-in at 10.20 so you will get a .50 second handicap head-start. If you have a good reaction time and if you run close to your dial-in you should win the race. If you win your first race you will be allowed to continue to compete in round two…about an hour later. If you lost in round one you may continue to make runs in the "time-only" category (as time allows). But once you lose a race you are no longer in the competition for this event, after all…you've been eliminated. Each round of eliminations that you compete in earns points toward a season total. At the end of the day, the racer that wins the most rounds of eliminations will have the most points to carry over to the next event. Racers can earn more points at each of the E.T. Series events that they enter and compete in. Of the 7 races that you can participate, only the top 6 earned points count toward the season total (throw points out from one race). Example; You pay $20 at the gate, get your car through "tech", pay the additional $10 to race in an e.t. bracket category and then go make two time trial runs to find out what she'll do. Then your category is called to the lanes for round one of eliminations. About 30 cars show up and you're paired off against a slower car. You write your "dial-in" (best possible e.t.) on your window and move up to the line. The other guy gets a head-start (based on the difference in dial-ins)…then you go! You left the line with a good reaction time and you catch him at the finish line…and you won. You return to the pits and wait for the call for round two of eliminations. The category now has only 15 returning racers in this round and you win again! Then in round three you red-light (leave the line before the green). You've just lost…but you're still happy that you made it to round three and earned some valuable points! Now you go home, brag a little and get things ready for the next event. Then, by the last event on September 15th, the competition becomes fierce. The best racers will emerge with enough points to become members of the first ever "Team Irwindale". The newly formed team will be eligible to compete at the Pacific Division Summit E.T. Finals in Fallon, NV, Oct. 10-13, 2002. The team will be made up of the top 56 points earners during the season and will consist of 48 cars/trucks/suv's/bikes (plus 4 alternates) and 8 from the High School category. The total number from each category making the team will be determined at the end of the season based on the average size of each category. CATEGORY Quick-Sport 6.40 to 11.00 seconds Slicks OK Tru-Street 7.50 to 15.00 seconds D.O.T. tires only Pick-Ups & S.U.V.'s 7.50 to 15.00 seconds D.O.T. tires only Moto-BIKEs 6.40 to 11.00 seconds Slicks OK (.400 pro tree) High School 7.50 to 11.00 seconds D.O.T. tires (no bikes) Race 1 of 7 Sunday March 17th Race 5 of 7 Sunday July 21st Race 2 of 7 Sunday April 21st Race 6 of 7 Sunday August 18th Race 3 of 7 Sunday May 19th Race 7 of 7 Sunday September 15th Race 4 of 7 Sunday June 16th E.T. Finals Oct. 10-13 in Fallon NV. Note: event schedule and formats subject to change. THANKS!