So, if you have raced recently, how did it go? How many rounds did you go? If you didn’t win the race, why do you think you lost the round you did? Was it mechanical failure? Was it because you redlit? Was it you judged the stripe wrong? So many things can go wrong can’t they? I mean we are in a sport where you and your vehicle almost have to be perfect to win. And every round is a race in itself. You really have to be on your game to make it consistently into the money rounds week after week. There seems to be an endless amount of ways though on how to blow a run. One of the ways I’m going to talk about can totally be avoided. That is, how you perceive your competition and how that perception of them affects your own driving.
I have observed many drivers get so worked up over other drivers and their cars. Now, I’m not talking about getting upset over the suspicion of someone cheating. I’m talking about letting other people and their performance affect your strategy. In drag racing it can be very easy to beat yourself just by the way you think. In this sport it is extremely important to run your own race and not worry so much about what the other driver is doing. When I race, I often times could not tell you when asked, who I ran the last round. I may be able to tell you the color or make of the car, but not always. Why? Because the only thing I cared about the other car was the dial in. I want to know the dial in so I know who’s leaving first and how much to expect the difference to be. That’s it.
This is going to sound like bragging, so please forgive me, but I want to share my experiences with you for a moment to make a point. I am no professional racer by any means and lately my life has not allowed me to get out there as much as I have wanted to, but I have known my best success when I take the attitude of I don’t care who I’m running. I have beat many of the best racers we have around here. I’m talking frequent winners, track champions, divisional winners, etc. Not because I am so much better, but mainly for two reasons. My car was running consistent that day and I had the attitude of just running my own race. I didn’t care who was in the other lane. I didn’t let their status affect me. Heck, when I first started beating these guys I didn’t even know who they were! People would come up to me afterwards and say, “Do you know who you just beat?!” I was like, “No, does it matter?” They would often be amazed at my nonchalant attitude about it. But let me tell you, that really helps.
I have witnessed other drivers get so worked up over running a particular person. They are either intimidated by them and say things like, “Oh no, I have so and so in the next round. I’ll never beat him.” Or they will say things like, “That guy beats me every time we run against each other. I guess I’m going home early tonight.” Of course one of my favorite whines that I hear from immature drivers is, “That guy is picking on me! He always tries to get up next to me so I have to run him!” That one just cracks me up and we have been accused of that before. I can assure you, we don’t pick on anyone. Do you see though, with this kind of attitude you have already lost the race? When you let this kind of thinking come into your racing it sets up the losing scenario in your mind already and I can guarantee you won’t run your best. Even if you happen to win the round, it may be more of because the other guy screwed up worse than you did. Rarely do I see drivers win rounds with thinking like this.
The other scenario I see is jealousy. They see a driver they don’t particular care for. Often times because that driver is winning a lot and it causes jealousy and suspicion. So they rush through their pit routine so they can get up there next to that other car in the hopes of getting him. They want to prove that they can beat them. They are so hell bent on beating that guy no matter what. What happens though most of the time in their rush to beat them they overlook things. Like they forgot to adjust their tire pressure. They rush staging and may stage too deep causing them to redlight or be so mad at the other guy they blow the finish by breaking out by too much. They let their emotions blow the race for them. You see this attitude even in the pro divisions. I have seen top fuel and funny car drivers redlight, essentially giving it away because they were up against a well known team. They felt the pressure as too strong and they screwed up.
My husband (we were just friends at the time), in trying to help me, started filling me in on other drivers right before I was to run them. He would say things like, “This guy always cuts lousy lights.” or “This guy can’t judge the stripe.” or “This guy cuts killer lights.” or “This guy bags a lot.” In the effort to help me it ended up hurting my performance because it caused me to think too much about the other driver and what he may or may not do. I couldn’t focus on me and my car at the same time as focusing on him and his car. In drag racing you don’t have that kind of time.
See, if you focus on just your own performance and not the other driver’s you tend to drive better. Don’t let someone else intimidate you or upset you. I have proven they can be beat just as easily as anyone. I do that by not caring who the other driver is. So just run your own race and by summer time it may well be the other drivers who are intimidated by you because you are always going rounds.
Good luck this season
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