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Why 1/8th mile?

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matty 401 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote matty 401 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/07/2021 at 8:11am
i agree on the lack of room  our local track is 1/8 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Steve_P Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/07/2021 at 2:19pm
Summed up already, but probably almost all tracks were 1/4 mile in the 60s.  And they had enough braking space at the end to stop a car at that time.  As the cars got faster, there wasn't enough room to stop, and adding more asphalt isn't always feasible.  And even if it was, insurance is surely more expensive for the track owner with 1/4 vs 1/8. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ajzamc360 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/10/2021 at 9:07am
Just throwing my 2 cents in here. 
Take it with a grain of salt. 
Im partial to either. 
Quarter mile is fun, and easier in my opinion. You have more time to react to that horrible light you cut or have time to cover your hind quarters on the big end. 
1/8 is a bit more of challenge. Less time to judge if your going to catch up, more to be on your game. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote PROSTOCKTOM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun/22/2021 at 6:36am
I honestly think 1/8 mile tracks are more popular do to land constraints. owning an extra, or sometimes unavailable 30%-40% more land is not possible. Also the average car bracket car only gains another 600-700 rpms between 660 ft. to 1320 ft, so you have the engine running at high rpms longer, so 1/4 mile racing entails a lot more wear and tear on parts. I am fortunate to live in an area that has an abundance of 1/8 and 1/4 mile tracks available, so the choice is what track do I want to visit this weekend. The way things are in the World today I think what really matters is that there is some length of track available to race at be thankful you have it.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WesternRed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun/22/2021 at 7:31am
Looking at my time slips it's 93 mph at 1/8th and 116 mph at the end of the 1/4 mile, a good or bad run is pretty much set by the end of the 1/8th if not earlier and after that all you are doing is winding it out in top gear. My local track is 1/4 mile and the closest track after that is about 2,500 miles away so we don't get much option. 

They do a bit of roll racing at the local road race circuit, which I haven't had a go at yet. Not sure if you guys have that, but basically 1/8th mile heads up racing with a rolling start.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote S Curry Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun/22/2021 at 8:08am
The strip located near me has been around since 65-66. Started as a 1/4. Shut down maybe a thousand feet and then cornfield. By the late sixties the owner was bringing in Fuel Dragsters from out west and they were winding up in the cornfield. So much that, he just gave the farmer some compensation...not sure when it went to 1/8th...maybe late '70's and has been ever since. Humboldt County Dragway. I believe it's advertised as Iowas oldest...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WesternRed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun/23/2021 at 3:33am
That's a pretty cool venue, vastly different to what I'm used to. We have concrete wall from one end of the track to the other.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Steve Obertanec Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun/28/2021 at 8:36pm
In my opinion............

There are a few reasons for 1/4 mile tracks converting to 1/8 mile. Most of it is related to bracket racing. The shorter track helps out the venue owner or the race promotor. 

I was at a 4 day 1/8 mile race this past weekend with 450 cars in attendance. I can't say how many pairs went down the track but what I can say is there was just over an hour of down time due to breakage for the whole event. That saves on everything for the owner/promoter. Track prep, clean up time, oil dry, wear & tear on equipment, employee fatigue, etc.... Time would be the biggest advantage for the owner/promoter. 

For the racer it is so much less wear & tear on parts. Most motors expire just before the finish line. 

I don't care 1/4 or 1/8 but I am a bracket racer. We don't all do it for the speed we do it for the competition. 


Steve Obertanec
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