Review Mail In Tournaments Dates
Just a heads up for anyone who may need it. I print out a PDF of races I entered so I have the details of the race I am entering. I save the file with the date the race event will take place. However, I didn't actually review the "Need Cars Before XX/XX/XX" dates. Some of these races I have entered, the host would like to have the car a week before the race. This makes absolute sense so that the host has time to prepare the details on their end for each entry they receive.
I am thankful I will be able to get my first two modified cars in time for the dates required, but I almost didn't make it. Not that I didn't have enough time given the announcement of the race, and the time given to prepare. I just have had some major issues with family in the hospital 100 miles away that has occupied a major portion of my time. Real life issues sometimes take away from other things.
So to be aware of a time crunch, just mentioning that if you track the races you enter, you might want to review the section on when the host would like the cars to be received. As a newbie entering these races, I had not been reviewing this portion of the entry requirements. From now on though, I surely will be keeping an eye on this. :-)
It's not just about getting a car ready to race, but it also entails getting the car to the track in time. I shall remember this going forward.
Discussion
Ship date, cut off date, and max weight are three important things to keep track of. One very helpful thing is to have a USPS login account so you can make your own shipping labels and pay your postage all in one step. Then you can just drop by the post office and drop your package off without having to stand in line or do any transactions. And if something does go haywire, my back up is to mail via FedEx, which has better delivery times but it's gonna cost about 2X.
- I exclusively ship with USPS priority mail. If you have a pre-paid package, you can have the USPS pick it up at your house by doing a pick up request. Comes in quite handy for those of us with disabilities and who live in cold and snowy states. — FeralPatrick
- I sow up at my local ACE hardware, mail from there, and share the channels of the track with the gals there, they are dr dodge fans...lol. shipping dates got me in trouble the first 2 races I did. one I shipped overnight because I misses the due date line — dr_dodge
I don't really keep track of what the rules are for the tournaments I enter, but I keep track of the useless information, like who entered that tournament, and which tournaments that I've entered they've entered too, etc. I enjoy spreadsheets!
I've been planning on adding features to the site calendar to be more of a Race Manager for not only hosts, but for entrants too so they can quickly get a rundown of exactly what you're talking about...dates, times, shipping status, etc. - just the basics that the site does not otherwise track...a spreadsheet on the site :) And then it could tie into auto-emails and things like that to keep you in the loop. Sooo many good ideas from people that can be incorporated and expanded on over time.
It's been in-progress for...checks notes...years in some fashion, so it's not an overnight thing, obviously, but I'm very excited for it and know it can benefit everyone. But until that glorious day...spreadsheets and calendar reminders are truly your friend (and Google can do it all).
- One new feature I’d like to see is a place where we could all go to see recent/new uploads of races. Hosts could upload a new race and then notify the community. They would then get at least dozens of views immediately versus waiting while various people come across their video. I’ve considered starting a thread called - Fresh Uploads or something like that. — AbbyNormal
I've actually created a build sheet so I can track every build I make - what the rules are, what my final weight was, lube used, weight distribution, the due date and date I shipped the car, and a space for when I get them back and the final results of the tournament. Never hurts to be too organized or nerdy. :)