[Stevensville Mike]

Can anyone explain to me how Daison Pursley wrecked in his heat race at Lincoln Park, was credited with last place in Heat 4, but then got to start 11th in the Feature without even RUNNING the B Main whilst the B Main Top 4 started 21st-24th?

[okie]

He won the B main according to USAC

[kb78]

Yeah,
Pursley won the B-main, then the feature reverts back to qualifying times. Pursley was 8th quick and was the fastest car that did no tmake it through the heats therefore he started 11th. The other B-main qualifiers timed in badly so Kale Drake(25th), Harley Burns(19th), and C.J.Leary(27th) would start well toward the back of the field.

[Stevensville Mike]

Well, that explains it. My brain left my head during the B Main! Thanks!

[badcoupe]

I’ve always felt if you have to run the B you should start tail of the feature, promotes better heat races. This would especially true in wing world where heat races are nose to tail practice sessions. Earn your starting spot in the feature.

[Stevensville Mike]

Oh, I have no prob with the format as long I know what it is going into the night, but just when I thought I understood it.....

I should have gone back and just re-watched it on Flo. I somehow got it in my head that Pursley was done for the night after his heat shunt and Harley Burns won the Hooligan race. Now that I went back and watched it after this thread, I saw my mental error. A few cheap beers might have also led to this - a mental shunt.

[revjimk]

Originally Posted by Stevensville Mike Well, that explains it. My brain left my head during the B Main! Thanks!

Thats funny....
B Mains can do that to ya

[revjimk]

Originally Posted by badcoupe I’ve always felt if you have to run the B you should start tail of the feature, promotes better heat races. This would especially true in wing world where heat races are nose to tail practice sessions. Earn your starting spot in the feature.

Me too...

[spankytoo]

Originally Posted by badcoupe I’ve always felt if you have to run the B you should start tail of the feature, promotes better heat races. This would especially true in wing world where heat races are nose to tail practice sessions. Earn your starting spot in the feature.

The rules are not designed to promote good racing. They're designed to protect the 10-12 drivers that follow the series.

Get in a wreck in your heat race? Well if you qualify near the front, you're guaranteed a front row starting position in the b-main, even though the rest of the b-main is set up by finishing order of the heat race. This protects their drivers.

Then you transfer to the A main event, and you're given the qualifying position back, but I believe you can't start in the first 5 rows. Meaning the best you can start is 11th.

[kb78]

Originally Posted by spankytoo The rules are not designed to promote good racing. They're designed to protect the 10-12 drivers that follow the series. Get in a wreck in your heat race? Well if you qualify near the front, you're guaranteed a front row starting position in the b-main, even though the rest of the b-main is set up by finishing order of the heat race. This protects their drivers. Then you transfer to the A main event, and you're given the qualifying position back, but I believe you can't start in the first 5 rows. Meaning the best you can start is 11th.

This is spot on, every series has the rules set up to protect their own which makes sense. I liked it a couple years ago when you had to get to the top 4 to transfer, it seemed to promote the quick qualifiers coming forward. But that is not always easy depending on the track or the cars that are in front of you in the heat, so you can still start 11th in the feature so you are not penalized too badly.

The heck of it is that USAC has a better system than anyone right now IMO, in the winged world the fast guy starts on the front of everything.