Drag Racing 101
 

I saw this posted on another forum and figured if it gets one extra person to the drag strip, it's worth posting.

Originally posted by TopFuelEK4
This is a general FAQ for people who are making their first trip to the drag strip. If I've forgotten anything please feel free to submit an update.

Q: What do I need to bring?

A: Tool kit, jack, gas can, tire pressure gauge, newer helmet for 13.99 or faster (some states require helmets for all racers) , long pants, etc...

Q: What do they look for in Tech Inspection?

A: For street cars running 12.00 or slower they look for factory or SFI approved seat belts, coolant overflow tank, battery tie down strap, crack free windshield, and acceptable tread on street tires. Most sanctioning bodies use NHRA rules and guidelines. They can be downloaded at http://www.nhrasportcompact.com/2003/rules/index.html

Q: Can I have a passenger in the car when I race?

A: This varies from state to state but I believe it's 14.0 and slower in New York at LVD Of course that just makes you heavier, hence slower.

Q: How do I stage my car?

A: When the lane attendant instructs you to stage by waving you up, you do your burnout if applicable and then proceed to roll forward to the pre-stage position. This is when the top set of small yellow bulbs light. At this point, using lane courtesy, you creep forward to light the second set of small bulbs and wait for your opponent to do the same. (It's a good idea to use the hand brake to stop so you can keep one foot on the clutch and one on the gas. At this point you are staged and the lights will drop in approximately 3 seconds on sportsman tree.

Q: Lane Courtesy? Don't tell me I have to be nice to my opponent too?

A: Ok Lane courtesy is very simple. If you light the first set of small bulbs (pre stage) first, you should let your opponent light his first set. Then you both creep up. It gives both competitors and equal opportunity to stage without having to feel rushed. Remember, when you both stage (2nd set of lights are on) the lights are dropping, seemingly, almost instantly.

Q: What if I roll past the second set of staging lights.

A: It is best to roll back a full 3 or 4 feet and re-stage. The point of this is to load your driveline in the forward position. Not loading the gears in the reverse position if you were to just back up to the staging mark. This will help minimize breakage. Additionally do NOT take the car out of gear once staged. Just put the clutch in and wait to go.

Q: Should I roll through the water box or no?

A: It is my opinion that anyone with a street tire or DOT legal Drag Radial with treads should avoid the water box. A dry burnout will be more sufficient. Reason being is that you may not spin all the water out of the treads and when you move up to the staged position the water can leak onto the track and you'll lose traction.

Q: How long should I burnout?

A: Burning out is kind of a science. If you don't burn out long enough you don't get the tires sticky enough. If you burn out to long the tires get greasy and slick. Best bet is to Spin the tires long enough for white smoke to billow out, hold it for 3-4 seconds (1 one thousand, etc...) and release the brake or line lock, finish it up without passing the pre stage lights unless you're a big power maker in competiton.

Q: If I do use the water box should I roll through or back in?

A: Rear wheel drive cars should go around and back into the box such that they do not get the treaded front tires wet. Front wheel drives can drive through because the wet rear tires do not lead the fronts. All wheel drive cars should avoid the water box like the plague.

Q: How do the lights come down and what's the difference between sportsman and pro tree?

A: There are two tree types. Most bracket racing and test and tune sessions use sportsman tree. With this method the lights come down, yellow, yellow, yellow, green, each after the other. A perfect reaction time is a .500 with this type of tree. With a pro tree, all the yellows come on at once, then green. This is a much faster reaction time and the a perfect reaction time is .400

Q: How do I get the best reaction time?

A: On a sportsman tree when you see the third yellow go. By the time you react it'll be green. On a pro tree when you see any yellow go since they all come on at once.

Q: What if I react to fast?

A: This is when you see the red light. If this happens in a grudge match, eliminator, or in brackets you automatically lose. In test and tune it just means you're a dummy.

Q: When is the race over?

A: You'll see a line at the finish with colored blocks atop the Jersey barrier. Be aware where the quarter mile ends. It may not end at the score board and you may let off too soon. Also many tracks have different end of track indicators. If you're not sure walk the track before the event or ask a track official.

Q: Where do I turn off?

A: Most tracks have two turn offs. If you can make the 1st turn it is preferable and since you're probably not running a top fuel funny car you shouldn't have a problem. There might be an attendant waving you off or asking you to hold up. Generally the lane closest to the turnoff has the right of way. Use lane courtesy, think before you turn and be safe.

Q: What do I do if I have a problem on the track.

A: If you have any sort of problem back out, pull to the side of the track, and shut the car down once it is safe to do so if you are leaking fluids, are on fire, or lose partial control. Oil and coolant on the track is not a good thing. Do not exit your vehicle unless instructed by an attendant or if it's dangerous to stay in such as a fire situation.

Q: Does reaction time effect my time?

A: No, reaction time is purely a response time. The clock does not start until you break the staging beam.

Q: Well when does reaction time matter, whats it for?

A: Reaction time is how fast you react to a green light situation. If you can react faster than you opponent without red lighting you get whatever head start you beat him by. Example: You react a perfect .500 on sportsman tree. Your opponent reacts .750. You can go .249 slowing in the quarter mile and still win the race. In bracket racing it's equally important. We'll get to that soon.

Q: What is deep staging?

A: Deep staging is when you continue to roll forward a small amount once you see the staging lights come on such that you are about to overstage. It gives you a faster reaction on breaking the beam and puts you that much closer to the 60 foot mark. Remember in bracket racing or eliminators .001 can win or lose the race.

Q: How important are all these fractions of numbers?

A: Well how important is it that you win? A win is a win. (Please don't make me quote the fast and the furious)

Q: OK so now I get this whole staging and reaction time stuff, now what's bracket racing and heads up racing?

A: Heads up or Eliminator racing is basically an equal start. The lights come down simultaneously for every competitor. This style of racing not only shows who's car has the biggest Kahoneys, but it also shows how good of a driver you really are. Many races are won or lost at the lights and in the first 60 feet. The rest is just gas pedal and shifting. In bracket racing, you "dial in" during qualifying runs. You decide on what you want to set your dial in at based on either your best time of the day, your average time or whatever you think you can run. This is important because the track officials adjust the time each competitors lights drop based on their respective dial in. The reason this is done is to give each competitor and equal opportunity to win even if they are significantly slower than they're opponent. Example: If you dial in 15.0 and your opponent dials in 14.5, you get a .5 second head start. If you both run your exact dial in you'd cross the line at the exact same time. The odds of that happening are slim to none. This is where it gets tough. You have to cross the line first to beat your opponent. But here is the catch. If you run to fast you lose. example: you run 14.9 and your opponent runs 18.9 cause he stalled it at the line. He wins. He's embarrased but still wins . You will see experienced bracket racers who are winning by a large margin whack the brakes accordingly at the top of the track before crossing the line to make sure they get to the light first, but don't go to fast. Obviously if it's a close race you go for it and stay off the brakes till it's over.

Q: This is getting complicated? What's this 60 foot business?

A: Your 60 foot time is an indicator of what kind of traction you have getting your car to hook up from a dead stop. The better the 60 foot the better the quarter mile elapsed time. Every .10 or tenth in the 60 foot generally equals .15 to .20 or one and half to two tenths faster in the quarter mile.

Q: Ok I got that now, what else can improve my 60 foot time besides a good burnout and good staging?

A: Watch your tire pressure because it will increase a few psi. after a good run. Heat from track temps makes oxygen expand. Checking it between runs would be a good idea.

Q: Alright are there any other numbers, that I need to consider?

A: Actually yes. If you look at your time slip you will see a 60ft time, a 330ft time, a 660ft time and Mph, a 1000ft mark time and mph, and a 1/4 mile final time and mph. If you review your timeslips and the way your car is running you can learn alot from this little piece of paper. For example: If your car is slow to the 660ft mph wise but you have a good 60ft. you know your lacking power in 2nd gear or possibly are short or slow shifting. Example 2: If your car rips nicely through the 1/8th mile and seems to not gain as much mph up top you may be running lean, knocking and having timing pulled back by your PCM. There are a million variables but a great deal can be learned from analyzing this data. If it comes to winning or losing an event and earning prize money this can be invaluable.

Q: i heard the word money. Now you have my attention. Whats this prize money business. I want some!

A: Most sanctioned race events have prize money purses for the top racers in each class. This can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars for pro and outlaw classes. (what you think the pro's do this for free?)

Q: OK is there any other money or prizes to be had racing?

A: Well unless you're the idiot popping his tires in the lame burnout contest or the hottest chick there with the nicest tata filled string bikini and thong in the swimsuit competition, the other possible prize money you can win is called contingency money. Generally this is when you run a sticker for a sponsoring company and you win your class. So not only can you win say $500 for your race class, but you may win a prize or cash from each sponsor who's sticker you sport on your car during that event. Advertising people! Sticker that puppy up at the track but please take em off when you're rollin on the street ya damn ricers! Note: This is event sponsors, not necessarily the company or shop that may sponsor you. The agreements you make with them may get you more money.

Q: Well you seem to be quite the self proclaimed authority. Do you have any general thoughts that I should consider Big Daddy Don Garlits?

A: You will probably be very nervous your first few runs. Try to breath deeply and slowly and make sure you note where the facilities are. It seem like you always have to go at the most inopportune times. But really though, just be aware of your surroundings and pay close attention to the experts. Watch them stage, watch them use lane courtesy, note when someone breaks or has a problem how they handle the situation. Making mental notes is the best teacher next to this wonderfully thought out Award Winning FAQ.

Nice find, good coverage, thanks Brandon

I'm thinking this is possible sticky material, if some of ya'll who are more experienced at the sport of drag racing have anything you think would help, post it up and I'll put it all together as a sticky.

Good find! Someone put some time in

I am planing on going to the track and making an educational video of how to stage and do the whole process. My roommate has agreed to help in teaching and I will be contacting tracks to see what kind of help we can from them.

After going to these races and watching people drive strait through the lights and don't even know it makes it almost an embarrassment. It is like they have never watched a race before. This is some good info on a topic that needs to be addressed. Please make a sticky and I will be starting to work on the video this week.

A few things to add:
1) When approaching the staging beams, look down and to your left to see the two holes for the beams (if you are in the left lane, you will see the holes in the guardrail, if you are in the right lane you will either see the reflectors exposed or the holes in the cover over the reflectors), this will tell you when you are getting close and it's time to look up at the tree to focus on the pre-stage and stage lights.

2) Most tracks are using "Auto-Start" systems, where there is a timeout once one person has staged and the other has pre-staged. This timeout is usually set around 7 seconds. If you need time to get your chargers lit, do it before turning on either bulb, and make sure you take less than 7 seconds from turning on the pre-stage until turning on the stage bulb.

3) For consistency, try to stage the exact same every time. For most people this means staging as "shallow" as possible, which means just barely turning on the stage bulb. You will get used to the distance between turning on the pre-stage and stage lights, so after you turn on the pre-stage, roll in most of the way towards the stage beam quickly, then take several short "bumps" to go in the last portion to turn on the stage bulb. Once it turns on, quit "bumping"!

4) The general "strategy" for a bracket race is to cut as good of a light as you can (without red-lighting), then be the first to the finish line but win by as LITTLE as possible. This is referred to as "taking as little stripe as possible". The really good racers can hit the brakes and cut the stripe down to around 0.003 seconds consistently. I usually screw up and let the other guy around me when I try to cut it that close! If you do hit the brakes, try not to do it until after the 1000 foot mark, so you have a full run to the 1000 for reference data (more on that below).

5) Make up a log book, and log all the details of every run in a single spot, where it's easy to refer to. I do mine electronically on an Excel spreadsheet, then make a printout to take to the track with me. Take down all the numbers from your run, as well as notes on anything unusual about that run (tire spin, extra deep stage, etc). If possible also include atmospheric info (temp, humidity, barometric pressure).

6) Use the incremental times on your timeslip once you are in eliminations. If you followed Step #4 and hit the brakes a little, you can reference your 1000' time and other runs from your logbook to get an idea of what you would have run if you didn't hit the brakes. This can be invaluable when dialing the next round.

7) Get a practice tree and use it. I just saw an ad for the Altronics pocket tree (same one I use) for something like $54 after $20 rebate. Even if you're just using your thumb on the built-in button, you're still getting yourself used to the cadence of the lights coming down, and trying for consistency. Better yet is to buy or build a simulated brake pedal assembly with a switch on it, so you can practice your actual foot-eye timing as well.

Regards,
Michael Pliska

Great info for a beginner racer. Some of the people showing up for races now a day get kind of annoying to watch roll through the lights everytime. This should definately be a sticky somewhere.

That'd be perfect! If only I had this the first time I went to the drag strip.

A couple more that I saw two weeks ago...

- Make sure you have a clean vehicle. Check the bed of your truck to make sure nothing blows out or shifts around.

- Turn your AC off so water doesn't drip out on the track.

Good info, Should be a Sticky, no doubt!

And don't be tempted to run your AC between rounds, as it WILL still drip when you get to the line (risking disqualification as well as screwing up traction), AND one of the times you will forget to turn it off before the run, and suddenly run a tenth or more slower. In my Jetta at the recent West Coast Regional Championships, I accidentally turned on my AC when putting a water bottle in the cup holder. In that little car it slows it down around 5 tenths!

Regards,
Michael Pliska

most newer trucks run the A/c with the defroster on as well.. i know the the GM vehicles do belive ford and dodge do as well

If the wind is right, it can blow your exhaust accross the beams at the line, obscuring them, even when you take off. They'll ususally clear up a few tenths of a second later, but your time will be off. This is called "smoking out the lights."

If by some miracle, your 60 ft time improved from 1.8 to 1.4 on one run, chances are you didn't just "leave real hard." You smoked the lights, and your E.T will be off (too quick).

Looks good, the only thing I seen was the helmet rating. I need to find my book, but a Snell 85 has been out of date for 10 years or so.

Oops, didn't see that. Mod edit to say current helmet (normally less than 10 years old)?

thought it was 7 years?

When I went trough tech at Bowling Green, he was looking for a '00 or newer cert. I dunno what the official number is, hence the question mark.

Good stuff, one thing on hitting the brakes on the top end. Don't let off the throttle, brake if you feel you need to to keep from breaking out but do it with your left foot, you'll never be able to get back on top of the turbo/s if you get off the throttle. This can happen when you have a big lead on the other truck and brake too hard and you loose your boost due to getting off the throttle and the other truck drives around you.

Good thread