As long as bracket racing has been around, there has been a minuscule — but very real — flaw in the race procedure that gives an advantage to the faster car in each pair that pulls to the line. As most of our readers are aware, bracket racing is built on the cornerstone of fairness, offering a legitimately equal chance for any and all racers to compete, regardless of their budget, on a level playing field. Visit your local drag strip on any given weekend and you’re likely to find a thriving weekly E.T. program featuring a varied assortment of cars, from fast dragsters to slow door cars and everything in between, each one with an equal chance to take home the money.
The same simply cannot be found for heads-up racing, which is why, when it comes to car count, bracket racing is by far the most popular niche in the world of drag racing.
However, there’s always been one small caveat in the rules that tips the fairness scale ever so slightly to the faster car, and that’s how red light starts are handled; specifically when both cars leave before the green.
It’s always been the rule that the first car to redlight loses, meaning in a bracket race, the slower car, which will be leaving the line first, has the disadvantage of being dead in the water if he turns on the dreaded red bulb, even if his faster opponent redlights by a larger margin. If you compare it to the other common disqualifying factor in a bracket race – breaking out, or running under your dial-in – the distinction is easily evident. When both cars break out, the car that breaks out by the largest margin loses every time, regardless of which car broke out first. Put simply, it is statistically unfair to the slower car.
TruSTART, the revamped system that will be unveiled for the first time at the Spring Fling Million this April, aims to eliminate this disadvantage. Bob Brockmeyer, the electronics wizard behind the famed Compulink timing system, has worked with famed sportsman racers Peter Biondo and Kyle Seipel to introduce the new system. With TruSTART in place, no longer will the first car to go red lose automatically. Instead, in the event of a double redlight, whichever racer fouls by the smaller margin will get the win light.
Everyone resists change, that’s natural. But the TRUstart system, in my opinion, is long overdue. – Luke Bogacki
However, TruSTART will show a green light for the slower car until both cars have left the line, at which point the worst-offending redlight will be revealed, along with the win light. That seemed to quell the few naysayers, leaving only those who are uncomfortable with change to oppose the new system.
“Everyone resists change, that’s natural. But the TRUstart system, in my opinion, is long overdue.” said sportsman and bracket ace Luke Bogacki. “Just because we’ve raced one way forever doesn’t mean it’s not fundamentally unfair. This won’t effect the outcome of a high percentage of races, but it’s a better system.” he adds, summing up the way most racers seem to feel about the change. Understandably, many are indeed very resistant to change, especially in the rules concerning fundamental race procedures, but this change serves only to level the playing field even more.
Tell us, what are your thoughts on the TruSTART system? Let us know in the comment section below.