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Patrick -> DRAG RACING 101 (7/6/2006 7:01:22 PM)
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IT has come to my attention that a lot of people here who haven’t been to the track may not know a lot about actual drag racing at a track. It seems that some people think that if they go to a track with their car that may only run 15-17 seconds, that they will spend their evening trying in vain to beat cars that are much faster, and that is not the case. Another concern from some people is that drag racing at a track is like the television show “pinks”…remember, pinks is a very poor representation of drag racing, and the show is very, very stupid. I love drag racing, and seeing as how I have been getting some questions lately, and I have seen some misinformation, I thought that I would put together some information for those who have thought about going to the track, and have not due to either lack of knowledge of concerns about doing poorly/not knowing what to do.
While I am by no means a professional, I have made my way into a few mentions in national dragster magazine, as well as a few Mopar magazines for my racing activities. I have been racing at the track for about 10 years now, and although my activity has slowed of late due to moving to a new area, I have made well over 1000 passes down the quarter mile, in cars ranging from my old white dodge which is currently in the low 12s, to the BMW which ran low 16s, the stratus which runs low 16s/high 15s, and a friends 4 cylinder bottled Sebring which ran high 14s. The drag strip can be a hell of a lot of fun, and is nothing to be “scared” of, regardless of how fast or slow your car, truck, or bike may be. Here is the only thing from a magazine that I have about myself, its not much, but like I said, Im not a pro...I was just happy to see my car in there.
[image]http://www.hondacivicforum.com/upfiles/858/5E4FFBD463844EDFB7CE2EC326F4AB85.jpg[/image]
There are two basic types of drag racing events, test and tune, and bracket racing (on track schedules this may be called “race day” or “Regular racing”). If you are new to the drag racing scene, I strongly recommend making a few trips to test and tune to get an idea of what is going on, and get some experience.
Items needed to go racing:
• A car, truck, or bike. Make sure that your car is relatively “safe”. Most tracks will not allow vehicles to run with broken or cracked windshields. Make certain that you have the proper number of lug nuts, a good secure battery tie down, a radiator overflow reservoir, and seat belts. Make sure that you don’t have badly worn out tires, as they may fail tech inspection.
• If you think that your car will run in the 13 second range (13.99 or faster) you will need a helmet. Snell rating M2000 is the current requirement, but some tracks are lenient with this, so long as you have a helmet. Make sure that your helmet is a full sided helmet; motor cycle “skull caps” which do not cover the ears will not work. You do not have to have a full face shield, or a shield at all if you’re running the average street car. I believe that as long as you are running a full bodied car, you do not need a full face helmet until you are in the 9s. However, I have been to a track that requires a helmet for EVERYONE, so check ahead of time. Most sites have a webpage.
• Long pants and at least a t-shirt. Shorts and sleeveless shirts (tank tops, beaters, etc) are not permitted. I usually wear shorts, but take breakaways or sweats to slide over them.
• A Pen to fill out your tech car
• Cash Money! Many tracks don’t take credit cards.
• Friends. I always recommend going to the track with at least one person. You never know what you might need help with, and in case you aren’t one to mingle with strangers, it is good to have someone to help if you need assistance with anything. Usually if you are really in trouble or have problems, other racers will help out, but it never hurts to have someone there whom you know.
• No more than a quarter tank of gas. Gasoline weighs, on average, 6.52 pounds per gallon, so less weight will make the car faster.
• You can usually take in your own drinks, but no glass containers.
• A tire pressure gauge. I was at the track last week, and I may have been the ONLY person who had one, and I was only there to watch…I wasn’t racing. Tire pressure can play a key role in your car getting traction, and you don’t want to be hounding people all day or night for a gauge. They are very cheap, leave one in your car all the time.
• Cell phone. Breaking is a part of racing, and in the event that you are one of the unfortunate ones whose car can not leave the track under its own power, make sure that you, or someone you know, has a cell phone.
• Shoe polished, as pictured below. It is what the track official will use to write your car number on your windshield, and they are usually messy. Once you know where they want the number, you can ask for your number and do it yourself. I have permanent decals on the windshield of several of my cars, but that is a bit much for a lot of people. Either way, I always have shoe polish to put on my own numbers.
[image]http://www.hondacivicforum.com/upfiles/858/1D4320C756DB45BE85604E6C2AC1AA45.jpg[/image]
A breakdown of the racing itself.
Before beginning the act of drag racing, typically you will be called to the staging lanes. When you get to the track, try to locate the staging lanes prior to the racing beginning; they are usually right around the starting line. Once called to those lanes, go with your class (if you are driving a street cars with street legal tires, you will typically want ‘street class’…if you’re running slicks, check with the track for class restrictions on tires. Do not wander away from your car!! I have no idea as to how many times I have seen the lanes plugged up by someone who has wandered away from their car, blocking the lanes. This will anger your fellow racers, and in some cases, get you thrown out of the track. Once you are directed by the staging judge to pull your car to the track pull to the “Water box”. If you are running a pure street tires, you want to pull around the water, as doing a massive burnout only makes the tires greasy, but you will still want to spin them a little to remove any track debris. If you have drag radials or slicks, you will want to pull into the water box, and stop with your drive wheels at the front edge of the water, closest to the starting line. Once you begin your burnout (when the burning box attendant gives you the go-ahead) make sure that when you have completed your burnout, you let the tires spin with the car rolling forward until you are out of the water. Last weekend I watched some kid pull into the box several times, and do huge burnouts, only to completely get off the throttle in the water, and roll through the water to the line, thus cooling the tires and making them very slippery. Once you have cleaned your tires off, slowly approach the starting line...and remember, you DO NOT stage at the Christmas tree…the staging beams are 42 feet before the tree.
The typical 1/4 mile drag strip has 9 laser beams crossing the track which are how the timing system measures each vehicles travel down the track.
[image]http://www.hondacivicforum.com/upfiles/858/7F16417FC0254D0F90EE71443A90A815.jpg[/image]
A. This is the pre-stage beam. It has NOTHING to do with the timing system, but it is there to tell you that you are 7 inches from the starting line. When your tires break this beam, the top set of small yellow bulbs on the Christmas tree come light up. Also, some people seem to think that when you “stage”, you do so at the Christmas tree, this is not the case. The tree is actually 42 feet from the staging beams. When you stage, it is the opinion of many experienced drivers that you
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