First time ever female NHRA Pro-Stock Champion!!!! Note: semi-final round.... Erica vs Jonathan Gray.... first time I have ever seen both drivers cut a .000 RT at the same time!!!!!!
I have heard of drag racing, I kinda know what pro stock is, but what is .000 RT? Not my style of racing, road courses and F1.
RT = Reaction Time. that is the time it takes for the car to move after the light turns green. A .000 RT is perfect. Any sooner reaction would result in a red light that then disqualifies you.
That's why I couldn't believe it when both Erica and Johnathan cut identical lights with .000 RT on the same lap!
+1!! A very popular win, for an underfunded team. The twin perfect lights in the semis was awesome, as well as the twin red lights in the finals against Jason Line. I predicted it would be won on a foul-out, becaue you know they both had to be amped up. Way to go, girl!!!! But you just had to post anyway. Thanks for your contribution to the thread.
Her car has been so consistent this year. I really thought they blew it when she sat out the Western Swing. Every one of her passes were 6.494 and her final run was also the quickest of the meet with a 6.480!
In reality, the car is moving BEFORE the green light illuminates. The RT timer is activated at the green light. It is stopped when the tire clears the 2nd staging beam. Depending on tire diameter and how deep the driver stages, the car may have to move about 8 inches before the green light activates to cut a perfect RT. Only if the staging beam is cleared before the green light is switched on does the red light activate. In bracket racing and (to a slightly lesser extent) Pro Stock, if you see the green light and you are still motionless, you have almost certainly lost the race. NHRA drivers actually had to change their start routines when they switched from incandescent to LED starting trees. Incandescents take several thousandths of a second or more to illuminate. LEDs are instantaneous. They would have to drop the hammer earlier on the old trees, than they do with the LED trees.
I've never been a drag racer but it was my understanding that with the tree you watch for the yellow light to go out. Waiting for the green light to come on = race lost.
HMMM maybe thats why I was confused. I always thought .500 reaction time was perfect, not a .000. Best I ever had was a .503 second and it was pure luck
HMMM maybe thats why I was confused. I always thought .500 reaction time was perfect, not a .000. Best I ever had was a .503 second and it was pure luck
I have heard that too, and was confused by it. But then I have heard that on some sportsman trees (where the yellow lights illuminate sequentially), the RT timer starts when the last yellow illuminates. Since the lights are 1/2 seconds apart, it's why a .500 is considered perfect. If the RT timer starts on the green light, then .000 is a perfect light. Yep. On the NHRA "pro tree", all the yellows light up simultaneously, .400 before the green. So when you see the yellows, you have less than 1/2 second to release the line lock, pop the clutch, and move forward enough to clear the staging beam and cut a perfect light. John Force talked about the effects of deep vs. shallow staging a lot this season. If you are going for a low elapsed time (ET), such as when qualifying, it is best to stage shallow (just barely turn on the staged light). The car gets more of a rolling start before clearing the staging beam and starting the ET timer. But RT suffers. If you are up against a very equal competitor, you want to deep stage (roll forward until the pre-stage light goes out, or almost goes out). This gets you a lower RT, but increases risk of fouling out. Remember, it does not matter who has the fastest car. The first one across the finish line wins. Drag racing trivia: The NHRA allows the cars to have staggered front wheels (one more forward than the other). Essentially the cars have the minimum allowable wheelbase on one side, and the maximum on the other. The effect is that the staging beam is blocked for a longer distance, increasing the cars "rollout". Since the ET timer is activated when the staging beam is cleared by the trailing front tire and stopped when the finish line beam is broken by the lead tire, the car actually runs a race that is several inches shorter than if the wheels were alligned. The old timers of drag racing used to accomplish something similar by staging at an angle instead of square to the line. To the uninitiated, drag racing seems like it is blindinly simple. But the more you learn about it, the more you see how unbelieveably complicated it is.
There was one race, that last weekend in Pomona, I don't remember who, but the 'margin of victory' was only .0001 or a mere 1 inch!
Double .000RT, That's all car right there....Enders crew should be real proud. They won that race from the pits... When you go to a race, you notice the stands kinda clear out some for Pro Stocks. But they have always been my favorite They still have to actually "drive" the car. Unlike Top Fuel, and Funnycar......PS drivers have to launch the car...and go thu the gears...then don't forget to pull the chute...all in 6.4 seconds. Plus the PS cars can get real squirrley on the big end... Congrats to Erica, and her whole team......
Wow, guys... note Miss Cindy here. 1. Smart (as we've seen) 2. Great career (nurse) 3. Likes Guns & Racing () 4. Looks (avatar ) ...and from her postings, possibly single?!?
