December 1971, Hot Rod magazine

The Hot Rod Magazine Complete Guide to UNracing...
or, in bracket racing, it's consistency that counts

Back in the early days of drag racing, the sole objective of the race was to see whose car 
was faster. However, with today’s class records and breakout rules, etc., it is not always 
the fastest car that wins. In bracket racing, this may be carried to an extreme, as some do 
not even try to go fast-they just try to be consistent. Because of this, many true drag 
racers look upon bracket racing as "unracing". Be that as it may, there are still lots of 
people having fun and making money at it as well.
Essentially, bracket racing is the same as handicap-style eliminator racing, except that 
there are no class records and each driver is allowed to determine what elapsed time his 
car must run; the difference between respective e.t.s is then used to determine the 
handicap headstart. Let’s say you declare your car will run a 15.00. This is dialed into the 
Christmas Tree starting lights. Your opponent might be dialed-in at a 14.70. In this case, 
you’ll get a .3-second headstart. Whoever gets to the end of the strip first wins-maybe. If 
you run a 14.99, you’ve just "run out", or been disqualified. If you run a 15.10, then your 
competition has a potential of a .1-second edge. You can see that being able to 
consistently predict the e.t. of your car and to consistently "catch a good light" is what 
counts.
Drag strips usually group cars into different classes-or brackets-depending on e.t.s; 
you don’t see a 21second VW running an 11-second Ca-maro. Trophies and prize 
monies vary, but Neil Van Order, whose AMX is shown here, won over $1200 in the first 
nine months of 1971.
There will always be some folks who will cringe if you tell them a car like a 454 Chevelle 
is winning races by cutting consistent 15s. But if the guy running the car is having fun and 
making a few bucks, he can’t be all wrong.
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A cool can, such as this Milodon unit, keeps the fuel going to carb cold. Keep it filled with 
plain'or dry ice so you won’t have to worry about having power loss due to less dense, hot 
gasoline.

No true Bracket Racer’s trunk is complete without a length of hose and a screwdriver to 
take op the upper radiator hose. Although drag strips always have faucets, hoses may 
"disappear".

An automatic transmission is a must, and with the newer small converters, a trans cooler 
is a wise addition, as it will help keep the fluid from getting too hot, thus leading to 
inefficiency.

Worm-type hose clamp allows top radiator hose to be quickly removed. The engine can 
then be flushed with c'old water. Garden hose is inserted jn top radiator hose and cold 
water turned on.

Electric fuel pumps ensure that adequate fuel pressure will be available to the carbs at all 
times. They will also prevent vapor lock, which can cause the car to go lean out of the 
hole.

Fresh-air system lets car run quicker. But be sure to compensate for that cold night air in 
your dial-in. System works best with very effective hood-to-carb intake seal and ideal 
entrance.

A motor strap prevents unwanted movement of the engine, which can transmit itself into 
axle hop. It also serves to keep throttle and shift linkages in place during hard strip 
running.

Automatic trans is shifted by a quality mechanism to prevent missed shif ts. Tranny has 
manual valve body and can respond instantly to commands dictat,ed by the accurate 
telltale tach.

Big tires and a tall gear put the power to the ground with a minimum of slip-this permits 
coming out the same each time. Traction bars are another aid in getting consistent 
launches.

Built-in dauber keeps you from getting messy fingers when you change your own dial-in. If 
you wear saddle shoes, you will no doubt find it useful for spig-ing up after the evening’s 
runs.