Bracket racing is drag racing with time handicaps. This means that the slower car is given a head start. The amount of head start time is determined by the dial-in times. A dial-in is a time that you think your car will run in the quarter mile. The difference between the two racer\'s dial-ins determines the amount of head start the car with the slower dial-in will receive.

If both racers run their dial-in times, and have the exact same reaction times (the time it takes you to launch the car without launching too early or "red-lighting"), the race will be a tie. Thus, the race is perfectly fair, even if one car is several seconds faster than the other.

Of course, in racing, there is always a winner and a loser. In both bracket and non-handicap racing, the winner is the racer who crosses the finish line first. This is a function of:

Your reaction time + your quarter mile time.

In bracket racing, the catch is that you can\'t run faster than your dial-in time. Even if you smoke your opponent and run a perfect (.500) reaction time, you still lose if you run faster than the time you dialed-in.

Let\'s go through some scenarios:

Racer 1 Racer 2
Dial in: 14.65 16.5 (Racer 2 gets a 1.85 head start) Reaction Time: .512 .612
Quarter Mile Time: 14.86 16.58

Racer 1\'s run: .512 + 14.86 = 15.372 seconds to get to the finish line.
Racer 2\'s run: .612 + 16.58 = 17.192 - 1.85 head start = 15.342 seconds to get to the finish line.

Winner: Racer 2

Racer 1 Racer 2
Dial in: 14.65 16.5 (Racer 2 gets a 1.85 head start) Reaction Time: .512 .485
Quarter Mile Time: 14.86 16.58

Racer 1\'s run: .512 + 14.86 = 15.372 seconds to get to the finish line.
Racer 2\'s run: .612 + 16.58 = 17.192 - 1.85 head start = 15.342 seconds to get to the finish line.

Winner: Racer 1 since Racer 2 red-lighted (anything below a .500 reaction time is considered an early launch).

Racer 1 Racer 2
Dial in: 14.65 16.5 (Racer 2 gets a 1.85 head start) Reaction Time: .512 .612
Quarter Mile Time: 14.86 16.40

Racer 1\'s run: .512 + 14.86 = 15.372 seconds to get to the finish line.
Racer 2\'s run: .612 + 16.40 = 17.012 - 1.85 head start = 15.162 seconds to get to the finish line.

Winner: Racer 1 since Racer 2 broke out and ran faster than his or her dial-in.

Dial-in tips:

The trick is to have a dial-in that you can consistently run close to without breaking out. Remember, you don\'t have to dial-in your fastest time, just a time that you can run consistently. Some racers will intentionally brake or let off the throttle if they are ahead in the race. The idea is to get to the finish line first without red lighting and without exceeding your dial-in and breaking out.

What's a dial-in?

The elapsed time selected by the driver that is usually the car's most consistent qualifying time. After you've selected a computer opponent, you'll be asked to enter a dial-in (if you haven't already). If you select 15.8 as your dial-in, and run a 15.7, you will automatically lose the race. This is called a break out. Your goal is to run as close to your dial-in as possible without running faster than your selected dial-in. If both you and your opponent break out, the driver who breaks out the least will win.

Stick Or Auto wont really make a diff, I rather have a stick shift because the thing with auto is that it dosn't ALWAYS shift exactly, and if you can control your shift and shift correctly then you'll be ok. Its one of those fun to do, not fun to watch thing, Kindof like football or nascar i guess?