| Drag Strip Basics |
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 So you want to find out what your car will really do, but you haven't been to a drag strip before. There are a few things that you will want to know ahead of time to make it a more enjoyable and productive experience for you. Join us in this article for Drag Strip Basics: Racing 101!Important disclaimer: Don't go printing out this document and waving it in the face of the owner of the track that you end up going to, expecting everything in this document to match up with what is happening that day. This is just a basic guideline, and every drag strip has its own rules and traditions, so don't take anything here as gospel. The first thing you will need to know is exactly which night would be best for you to show up to race, and what the different races are. As a general rule until you get much more acquainted with how you and your car performs, you will be looking for either a "test and tune" or "fun drag" night. As a general rule these occur on a Friday night but early in the season they might be on a Saturday or Sunday. As the season's events begin to schedule out, the test and tune nights are usually moved to a Friday. A test and tune is an informal night were there is no pressure to perform and no schedules, pretty much you will hang out in the pits until you are ready to race, find someone that you want to line up against and then proceed to the staging lanes. There is no bracketing, no time displacement, no eliminations, it is strictly old school head to head in which what you will be winning is only bragging rights and a slip of paper that shows exactly how your car performed. The slip of paper is called a "time slip" and you can see our article of how to interpret what is on that time slip HERE. The purpose of a test and tune or fun drag is exactly what the title implies, it is a chance to put your car on the strip and see what it does, make changes or adjustements and then take it back out and try again. It is a relaxed atmosphere and you will make new friends and probably see some amazing things while you are there. There will be some sort of entry fee to race, followed by a tech inspection. The person at the gate will direct you to where you need to go for this inspection. Depending on the track it might be very informal or very detailed, but the intention is to make sure that your vehicle can safely make it down the lane. Some raceways have different rules regarding nitrous, tire condition or even brake inspections so be prepared. The best rule of thumb is to have EVERYTHING strapped down and your car in tip top condition. Usually at this point your car will be marked with a number on the window, this is the number that you see in so many track photos, in white on the windshield.  MoKan Dragway If you are interested in seeing a satellite view of the drag strip, you can see it on google maps at THIS LINK. Let's look at this from the top down. What you are seeing at the top of the graphic is the end of the drag strip and then 3 cross links to the return road. Generally there will be 2 or 3 cross roads generally matching up with reasonable exit points for 1/8 mile, 1000 foot and 1/4 mile races. As an important note: You will generally find that there is a speed limit imposed on the return road and the pit area, and it is usually something on the order of 5mph or so. While this seems like creeping along, you will find that people are walking around everywhere, and there are some VERY loud cars there that attract a lot of attention, as such people might not notice your car. So keep it safe, and drive slowly when you aren't racing. The next important feature is the E.T. Shack. This is where the aliens live. No, wait. Wrong article. Sorry. E. T. means Elapsed Time, and it is where you will stop and pick up your time slip, that all important piece of paper that seperates those who are serious from the street racers. Usually the winner of the race will get a white slip, while the loser will get a yellow slip. Don't be discouraged if you end the day with a handful of yellow slips, we have all been there. The important thing is looking at those slips and learning from them. You will notice that the tower is marked. The tower gives the track officials an overlook of the strip to ensure that everything is running smoothly and also houses the timing equipment. It is the control center of the track. Please don't go bothering the folks in the tower. You will notice clearly marked pit areas. The pit is usually little more than concrete/asphalt areas that are set aside for the racers to park their cars between runs, and to do light work if necessary. You will find some SERIOUS racers in the pit area as well, often with mobile homes, gigantic trailers and entire support systems. Stand and marvel at the trailer queens and be glad that while you can't go down the track as fast as they do, you can go get groceries in your car, and it didn't cost you $200,000.00 in equipment just to get your car to the track. There is usually little or no organization in the pit area in terms of space reservation, it is likely that while you are in the staging lanes someone will take your parking spot. It is generally considered bad form to protect your pit area. Play nice and go with the flow, and everyone will be happier. Finally you will see the all important staging lanes. This is where you line up to move to the drag strip proper. Some raceways have multiple staging lanes merged into one, some have several conduits leading to the strip, like MoKan. With a little jockeying and planning you can ensure that you will line up against the driver of your choice, or you might just want to sit in the lane and see who pulls up next to you. Here's another important thing to point out: Sometimes it is fun to lose. It is often worth watching someone's tail lights just to get to be beside them as they tear down the track. There's no shame in being beaten by a 4 door dual axle diesel pickup when it is laying down 10.5 second times. Eventually as you move through the staging area you will find yourself next in line to the lights, this is usually called the "burn out box" or burnout area or something equivalent. From watching other races you can figure out exactly where this is. There will be a few officials on or near the track. It is very very important that you pay attention to them at this time. When signalled, go ahead and do your burnout. (The whole topic of burnouts is its own article, so just have fun. This is one place where you can make a lot of noise and smoke and no one cares.) After your burnout, DON'T go zipping on up to the light tree. The official will tell you when it is time to go, usually after getting a signal from the tower. When directed, go ahead and slowly proceed to the light tree, but don't attempt to stage. An official will likely indicate when it is time for you stage. Again, through all of this it is important to pay attention! Staging is one of the things that a new racer is likely to do incorrectly the first time he is on the track and it is especially emabarassing because everyone is watching you. That being said, don't be nervous, it's a simple thing.  Once you are given clearance to stage by the controller, roll slowly towards the tree. There will be a white line that designates the starting line, this is also where a set of electronic eyes are sighted, looking for your front wheels. As you get near the line, the first "Pre stage" light will come on, that lets you know that you are almost there. Roll forward slowly. When you hit the right spot, the second "Staged" light will appear. Stop there.Once both you and your opponent are staged, it's a matter of a few seconds before the lights will roll. The three amber lights will flash first, these each take about 2/10ths of a second to go, followed by the green light. This is important: If you wait for the green light, you'll be leaving very late. It takes about 1/10th of a second for the human brain to recognize the lights and tell your feet to move, and about another 1/10th of a second for your car to begin to roll forward once you push the accelerator. Add basic human reflexes into that and if you launch at the green light you are likely to be launching half a second behind your competitor. The common wisdom is to launch as the 2nd amber light goes out, or as the 3rd lights up. By the time everything is in motion, the green light will be lit. The red light indicates that someone left early. If you do happen to "jump the gun" and redlight, go ahead and finish the race, you can still get some valuable information from your timeslip when you are done. Once you cross the finish line, proceed to the return lane and head to the ET shack. Pay attention as you enter the return lane, usually the track lane closest to the return lane has the right of way. It's very poor form to cause an accident at the end of the track, so watch what you are doing. Then, finally, at the ET shack someone will be there to give you your timeslip which initiates you into a unique and rarefied group: Those who have the guts to put cut through the BS and actually find out what your car can do. Anyone, and I mean anyone who is on the street making claims about their car knows nothing if he hasn't taken that car to the strip. Period. As a final note, here are a couple of safety and courtesy tidbits that will make your life easier when you are at the raceway: • If you have a mechanical problem, immediately pull towards the wall closest to you and stop. Track officials will be swarming over you in mere moments, providing any assistance that you might need. If you in any way feel that your car is in trouble do not continue down the track. • Turn off your air conditioner before you get to the raceway and leave it off while you are there. The water that drips out of your air conditioner falls onto the track and makes racing dangerous for those who come behind you. • Do not activate your car alarm. There are cars there that shake the ground, and they'll set off your alarm. • Most tracks require a helmet if your car will clear the 14 second mark. If your car will clear the 12 second mark, some tracks will require a roll cage. Some tracks require a fire suit if you are running nitrous, and some have safety valve requirements for nitrous. Most tracks will not allow a nitrous bottle in the passenger compartment. • Pay attention, be courteous, and expect to get beaten by the most unlikely looking vehicle there. And above all, enjoy yourself.             Comments (1)
flyinhillbilly
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good article, noobs, follow this advice and you can't go wrong. i remember my first trip to the track, i had a 74 pontiac grand am (same as a 74 gto) i was whipping up on most of my friends, so i decided to go to the track to outrun some people, well, that didn't work out quite like i planned, my first time at the tree, i lined up with a 2nd gen camaro that really didn't sound all that radical, i staged, and watched his tailights blister down the track, while i ran a This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , that changed my whole perseption of fast. |
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