A few notes on Top Dragster/Top Sportsman
A few years ago, NHRA took notice of a few very successful programs the IHRA had going. One obviously was Pro Mod. Although they don’t enjoy the pro status they do in the IHRA at NHRA, they definitely have become a fixture in the series. At about the same time the Pro Mods started crossing over to NHRA, you started seeing Top Sportsman pop up in a few divisions. Top Dragster followed soon thereafter. This year, Top Dragster and Top Sportsman are in every division.
One of the fundamental instincts to any drag racer is to try to make your hot rod go faster. Conventional bracket race classes typically don’t reward making your car faster. On the East Coast, TD and TS have their roots from the IHRA, while on the West Coast, many of the current TD and TS entries came out of the Top Comp and Super Eliminator categories. These classes are dial in classes where you have to be fast just to race.
Despite each division having both
categories this year, each division doesn’t boast the same rules. Some divisions run on 32-car fields, some are all run, while some are 48 cars. On the IHRA side, nationals are 48-car fields and divisionals are all run.
While these are relatively new classes on the NHRA side, they are very established in the IHRA. It leads to the question, which direction do the classes need to go on the NHRA? Stick with the IHRA formula or charge into new territory?
A few fundamental elements will ultimately decide the direction the classes will head.
What’s the right field size?
This topic has been the subject of much discussion and debate over on my site, InsideFastBrackets.com, which is dedicated to Top Dragster/Top Sportsman. Forty-eight? Thirty-two? All run? If you get too many cars, nobody wants to run six or more rounds to win the race. Too small of a field and the cost to run the class will drastically increase as bump spots get quicker and quicker. The 48-car field seems to be the happy medium. It’s worked pretty well over in the IHRA for a while.
Where does the performance line get drawn?
Where do you draw the line on what combinations you can run? With the door being opened to 14-71’s we’re seeing more and more TD’s go deep into the six-second zone. Will the class eventually become a Jr. Alcohol Dragster?
On the East Coast torque converters are a must unless you run an altered chassis. However, on the West Coast, it’s legal to run a 14-71 and clutch in TD. Recently in Vegas, NHRA Div. 7 director Mike Rice said he didn’t know of anyone currently running that combination. If that’s the case, it may prove wise to close the door on that combination before any are built to gain some continuity in rules with the other divisions.
