Originally Posted by Dougherty20:
Running the B and transferring means you start at tail of A. No reason should start ahead of anyone who transfers through their heat.
Except that doesn't work because you handicap the guys who qualified well by starting 2 spots out of a transfer and on some tracks it's hard to pass in the heats. The format produces some good racing because those fast guys have to pass atleast 2 cars to make the top 6 for the invert.
One change that was discussed is the heat winners will start in positions 7-10, then the rest of the field filed in after them. I'm not sure if that change is going to take effect or not but that would give the slower qualifiers who start on the front of the heat have a chance to get a better starting position in the feature if they win the heat. We will see.
But look at the last 2 championships they have both come down to the last race. Everyone is racing for the heat positions anyway because they award points and as we have seen every point matters.
This debate comes up every year and there is no perfect format but what USAC is doing seems to work and produces good racing so I don't see much of a need to change. Every format out there has it's pros and cons, and every one will have a difference on which one they like best.
"It's the fastest who get paid, and the fastest who get laid".
While this format may make the heat races slightly more interesting it gives anyone who has a bad qualifying outing a huge disadvantage. I agree the guys who qualify quick shouldn't be punished so invert the top 4 instead then race straight up from that point on. Or go to a passing points style system. In my opinion every co-sanctioned USAC race ive been to that runs by the other series rules 9 times out of 10 turns out to be a better race all in.
