MSD Racing

Meta-Systems Documentation, Inc. sponsors a racecar that runs in the Street class at 75-80 Dragway Racetrack located in Monrovia, Maryland. The car, driven by The DocuDr., is a 1968 Dodge Coronet 440 with approximately 140,000 miles on the odometer. Although many modifications have been made to the engine, drivetrain, and suspension, the car retains nearly the same appearance as the day it rolled off of the showroom floor in 1968.

To date, MSD's best E.T. (elapsed time) in the Quarter Mile is 13.88 seconds at 104 miles per hour (MPH). Check the table below for some of the latest stats. Just remember, not EVERY day is a good one at the track.

The Burnout

Staging at the light

Launching from the start line

The Motor

MSD Sponsorship

Best Elapsed Times (E.T.)
E.T. (sec)	MPH
13.98	98.7
13.89	99.6
13.98	99.2
13.94	99.5
13.92	99.0
13.93	98.9

Bracket racing is the standard form of racing in the North America and is the single largest motorsports program in terms of driver participation. Bracket racing is different from "drag racing," which is an acceleration contest from a standing start between two vehicles over a measured ¼ mile (1350 feet) or 1/8 mile distance.

Both Bracket and Drag races are started by means of an electronic device commonly referred to as a "Christmas Tree." Upon leaving the starting line, each contestant's car activates a timer which is, in turn, stopped when the same vehicle reaches the finish line at the end of the ¼ mile. The start-to-finish clocking is the vehicle's E.T. (elapsed time), which serves to measure performance and also serves to determine handicaps during competition.

What is Bracket Racing and How does it work?

Bracket Racing is a handicapped form of competition in which two vehicles of varying performance potentials race on a potentially even basis. The anticipated elapsed times for each vehicle are compared, with the slower car receiving a headstart equal to the difference of the two times. If both cars run at exactly the same time as they predicted, they will cross the finish line at exactly the same moment. With this system, virtually any two vehicles can be pared in a competitive race. For a Bracket Race to be performed, there are a few things that you need to know:

	Staging is when the vehicle comes to the starting line and sets up to race down the track. Light beams aide in providing both drivers with an exactly even starting line and finish line, wich each serving as trip timers for each vehicle. As a vehicle appoaches the starting line it breaks the first light beam and the "pre-stage" light is lit. Then the driver slowly inches the car forward unitl the second light beam is broken and the "staged" light come on.
	The Dial-In is the E.T. time estimated by the driver that he feels his car will run in the next race. Each car must predict the E.T. and write those numbers on the car's window. The race operator then notes the two E.T.s and programs the Christmas Tree to stagger the starts of the two cars by an amount of time equal to the difference between the two dial-in times. The car with the slower dial-in time then leaves the starting line first.
	The Reaction Time is the time between the driver's starting light turning green and the car leaving the start line. A perfect reaction time is .50 seconds because that is equivalent to the interval between each illumination of lights on the Christmas Tree. Both lanes are timed independently of one another, and the clock does not start until the vehicle actually moves. In calculating how close each racer ran to his dial-in time, each driver's reaction time is added to his E.T.
	Should a driver's car run quicker than his dial-in, it is considered a Break-Out or Run-Out. This is cause for disqualification because the handicap calculated from the dial-ins was then incorrect, making it an unfair race for the competitor. In the case of both vehicles making their runs under their dial-ins, the win goes to the driver who breaks out the least.
	A Red Light start is another form of disqualification and happens when the driver reacts to the Christmas Tree too quickly by driving his car away from the starting line before the green start (GO) light.