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Post by Dave Schultz on May 10, 2011 22:26:37 GMT -5
New Pre-Stage and Stage Lights for the tree.
How long will it be before all of the tracks run that new white Circle staging lights instead of the yellow bug bulbs?
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Post by jbaskerv on May 11, 2011 6:13:48 GMT -5
Just in case you were wondering>>The amber lights and the green, which are LED lights now, will remain the same. The new blue LED staging lights will be used at all the tracks later this season.
It could happen at the Houston event in two weeks, but may have to wait until Atlanta on May 13 to debut at a normal two-wide race.
Instead of bulbs, the new lights are a circle of small blue LED lights. The top half of the circle illuminates for pre-staging. The bottom half fills in when the car is staged, along with a line of white lights through the center of the circle.
The lights aren't blinding but are far brighter than the old yellow bulbs.
NHRA officials plan to meet with drivers and team owners after this event and listen to suggestions they have to improve the blue circle before the lights are used at other events.
"The only negative I see here is they are so close together," Anderson said. "By the time they all four fully illuminate, it looks like a big blue glare and you can't distinguish anything. It's a lot to take in. It's just a lot of lights."
Obviously, that shouldn't be an issue when only two cars are on the track and two lights are used instead of four, but Anderson still wants to see a few adjustments.
"The glare makes it hard to focus on the top amber light," he said. "Maybe we should spread them out another half-inch and raised them up a little bit more from the amber lights that trigger us to go."
For now, Anderson and the other drivers just want to get to Sunday in the four-wide format this weekend with four blue horizontal circles.
"We are so set in our ways," Anderson said. "But right now you are talking to yourself up there, like 'OK, what does that light mean and what does that one mean and which one am I again?'''
If drivers can make it work here this weekend with four lights for four lanes, they shouldn't have any problem when it's only two lights for two lanes.
"It's new to us and we're figuring it out," Anderson said. "But it's going to be better."
So say goodbye to the boring old yellow bulb (Did Thomas Edison have those?) and hello to the brilliantly lit circle. The future has arrived for the NHRA. Welcome to the blue-light special.
Terry Blount is a senior writer for ESPN.com. His book, "The Blount Report: NASCAR's Most Overrated and Underrated Drivers, Cars, Teams, and Tracks," was published by Triumph Books and is available in bookstores. Click here to order a copy. Blount can be reached at terry@blountspeak.com.
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Post by Dave Schultz on May 11, 2011 7:34:19 GMT -5
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