I'm not an expert on clutching. In fact part of the motivation behind racing on the asphalt is that it is an excellent arena for learning about how your clutches and everything else works. Any change you make in your clutching shows up in your ET. I can't tell you if it's "hard" on your clutching because nobody had defined for me what they mean by that. What you do have to be aware of is that your belt and clutches will be very hot at the end of your run. Some people (myself included) use a leaf blower to cool the clutches and belt after each pass on the track. I don't see as many people using the leaf blower at the asphalt races as I do the grass. Probably because you have an hour or more between runs on the asphalt. I had a leaf blower so I use it. If you're running a stock sled, you probably don't need to worry about it. You should get into the routine of removing your belt after each pass and performing some basic clutch maintenance. You need to scuff the surface of the belt to de-glaze it. Also clean the clutch sheaves with scotchbrite. You are not trying to remove any metal here, just scuff the faces slightly. Do not polish them or the belt will never grip. When you're done, clean the clutch sheaves and belt with acetone to remove all particulate and oil residue left from your hands.

As far as what clutch components to use, that's up to you. If you're racing your stock sled, you can race with your stock setup. Again, remember that in bracket racing, you don't have to go fast to win you just have to be consistent.

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