Sandbagging (racing)

Sandbagging describes someone who underperforms (usually deliberately) in an event. The term has multiple uses, such as a driver who competes in an event in a series below their level of expertise to finish high. In bracket drag racing and short track racing when a racer has a dial-in time / qualifying speed much slower than the car can actually perform. The term can also be used to describe a fast driver who holds back during a race until just before the end, when they suddenly pass up through the field to win the event.

The function of sandbagging is to guarantee a win by outperforming the slower opponent at first, and then hitting the brakes near the finish line in time to just barely beat the opponent. However, sandbaggers run the risk of beating their dial-in time, thus disqualifying them from the race. Sandbaggers must be experienced in controlling this technique, and therefore, it should not be attempted by beginners. Sandbagging faces much criticism, as many argue that it is essentially cheating. Television shows such as Pinks and bracket racing rules discourage sandbagging by creating automatic disqualification for breakouts. However, if both cars run faster than their dial-in time, the car that runs faster by the least amount is the winner.

Racer A has a car that consistently runs a quarter-mile drag race in 12 seconds. Racer A gives a dial-in time of 15 seconds, therefore claiming that the car is 3 seconds slower than it actually is. Racer A goes against Racer B in an E.T. bracket race. In bracket races, both racers are supposedly equal since both have similar times. However, Racer B has an accurate dial-in time of 15 seconds while Racer A has an inaccurate dial-in time that gives Racer A the advantage. During the race, Racer A gets a clear advantage off the starting line. But to not be disqualified by racing faster than the dial-in time, Racer A slows near the finish line to just barely beat Racer B.

The term is frequently used in for deliberately qualifying poorly at short track racing events. Some tracks/series start the fastest qualifiers at the rear of the field and the slowest qualifiers at the front of the field. So faster cars sometimes deliberately qualify poorly so they have to pass fewer cars (and only slower cars). To counteract sandbagging, tracks and series often invert some of the fastest qualifiers and start slower cars behind them. The number of cars to be inverted are typically not known to the drivers as they qualify, and often the fastest qualifier (who wins a cash bonus) will typically participate in a random drawing to determine the number of inverted cars after qualifying has concluded. Other tracks give bonus points to the fastest qualifier(s), which can drastically affect end of season awards. Still other tracks use "passing points" to reward the most cars passed in a heat race with a better chance to advance to the feature.

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