Laying down a good qualifying lap is very important part of the puzzle. This system rewards a good qualifying effort. As qualifying is a traditional part of sprint car racing. And it appears to work very well.
If you have more heats you either have to take fewer cars from the heats or fewer cars from the B(s). I like the fact they take more than 2 cars from the B(s). I see many races where if you draw bad, qualify bad, or break in your heat and you start at the back of a B taking 2 cars your night is pretty much over. With USACS format guys can still race their way back in although I think they should start 17th at best.
They have a mod race just north of here where you draw your heat starting position. They run 10 heats of 8 to 10 cars and only the winner makes the main and make up the 1st five rows. Every one left does it again the 2nd night and the 10 winners make up rows 6-10. then they run alphabet features with 2 transferring to the next. You end up watching runaway heats and basically the pill draw has as much or more to do with who wins as racing talent. ( it does pay $1000.00 to start the main though). That race is definite proof you can have too many cars and too many cars make the quality of racing go down.
Bottom line is the USAC format is probably the fairest and hands down gives the most balanced heats (and best heat race quality race in and race out) of any format I have seen over the last 50+ years.
The top 24 make the invert, 8 more make the row behind them. The top teams are pretty much always in the top 24 no matter how late they draw unless they break or just miss the setup which would put them out anyway you do it and they are definitely going to be in the top 32 without bad luck.
And I can't even start to count the times that when everyone says the track is gone and some guy pushes off all elbows up and turns that fast time that every one says was impossible and sets the crowd on fire.
Originally Posted by robert gatten:
I like it just the way it is EXCEPT I think if you come out of B main you should start on the tail of A.
Yep. I think it was set up that way in the "old days" so that USAC regulars running the B wouldn't be stuck in the back. Just what I was told about 30+ years ago
Go back to last year at Kokomo for a reg show. Bryan Clauson transfers from heat has motor issues and has to roll out the back up car. Starts dead last in the 25 lap a main and wins the feature. Look at the smackdown last year. Saw 3 great night of racing in a row with the winners coming at least mid pack. USAC format works for them just as Kokomo group hotlaps/qualifying does for them. I seen guys go faster then slower as night goes. Enjoy the racing while we can. First half year lot has been rained out and before you know it the season will be over
