Drag Strip Etiquette

Hey

I'll be making my first trip out to the dragstrip on wednesday and wanted to know as much as possible going into it.

Just go over what I'll need and what I should expect.

Just post anything you think would be a helpful tip.

How should I launch if its a DD?

How should I prep my car?

What to wear?

etc etc

Thanks :D

regardless of who wins, the person who is on the exit lane side gets to take it first. i made that mistake and almost ended up cutting off a viper i had a slight lead on and took the turn way too fast. i felt like an idiot but i should have asked what to do first like you are.

Don't wear shorts or sandals

How to launch? You'll just have to practice. There's a fine line between spinning the tires and bogging down. The track is much stickier than the street.

Take all the junk out of your car and get there with 1/4 tank of gas.

Be sure to wait until the person in the other lane has lit their pre-stage light before you light your second light. It's not the biggest deal in the world when you're just racing for fun, but it does suck when you're in the middle of your burnout and some jackass in a Cavalier is sitting there with both lights lit. Also be sure to watch the people directing the staging lanes and the starting line. They should tell you when it is okay to pull onto the track, do your burnout, etc.

Make sure your car doesn't leak or drip anything. Check your radiator overflow system is good. Do a safety check, lugs all present and tight, etc.

Make sure your car is good to go. Nothing worse than a long wait in the staging lanes, finally get up near the front, then have to wait for some guy, who can't restart cause of charging system problems, have to get pushed out of the way.

If you can, drive around the water and back into the burnout box so you don't track water all down to the line. Stop with your rear tires at the front of the wet area to spin them, not in the middle to play splish splash.

1st timer fubar I've seen a few people do: if the car starts to go a little sideways while burning them, do not turn the steering wheel like you would if you were in a skid on the street. Cause when you let off the gas and get grip, your car will shoot forward in whatever direction the wheels are pointing. I saw some guy's GF chew up the passenger side fender on a super nice big bock Vette smacking a guard rail at OCIR (rip) with this boner move back in the early 80s. Boy was he pissed. Keep the wheels pointing down the track.

Relax. A lot of people get stage fright when they come up to the line and everyones watching. So they start screwing everything up and get even more flustered. It helps if an experienced buddy rides shotgun your 1st time up to walk you thru it.

turn off the AC as soon as you get there so it does not drip on the track. first run just get off the line and see how fast you can go. next run go harder and have fun

Just to make robvas's comment about shorts and sandals clear:

It's required by both the NHRA and IHRA that you wear long pants and closed shoes.

+1 on backing into the burnout box. There will be an attendant who will help you get your car in the right spot.

My experience with Nitto 555R's is that they like quite a bit of heat. Don't go overboard, but do a nice burnout (maybe 5 seconds of wheelspin) before each run. Once you get the hang of things, you can experiment with shorter or longer burnouts and see how it helps.

When you pull up to the line, pay attention to the tree. That's the thing with the lights on it. The tree has two identical sides, one for each car. At some strips, there are blinders so that you can only see your side.

There are two small lights at the top, one above the other. They are usually white or yellow. At some strips, you'll see four lights in a square pattern. These are your staging lights. There are two beams of light (not visible) which go across the track. When your front tires are blocking a beam, the staging lights come on. The top light is for the first beam, the bottom light is for the second beam. When you are "pre-staged", you are tripping only the first beam, and only the top light is on. When you are "staged", you are tripping both beams and both lights are on.

As previously stated, proper etiquette is to get pre-staged, then wait for your opponent to get pre-staged before you proceed.

If your top light goes off, you have rolled forward too far and you may want to consider backing up and repeating the process (this is optional -- you can stay where you are if you want). Be sure to back up a few feet and come back up to the line -- this ensures that your driveline is preloaded and minimizes the shock when you launch. This is especially important with 4th-gen F-bodies, as the rear end is not very strong.

Once both cars are staged, you only have a few seconds before you go, so the next part will occur quickly.

Below the staging lights, there are three yellow lights arranged vertically. Below the three yellow lights is a green light, and below that is a red light. The three yellow lights and the green light will illuminate in sequence from top to bottom, with a total of 0.5 seconds elapsing between the first yellow and the green.

In some cases, the strip will be running a "pro tree", where all three yellow lights come on at once, and then 0.4 seconds later, the green comes on.

If you leave the line too early, the red light will come on. This is called a foul, and will be indicated on your timeslip. If this happens and you notice the light as you leave the line, don't worry about it. Go ahead and finish your run. You'll still get a full timeslip. If you're participating in eliminations or bracket racing, a foul equals a loss (unless the other guy fouls too, in which case the faster car takes the win).

If you begin your launch when you actually see the green light, your reaction time will suck. On your first time down the track, launch when you see the last yellow. When you finish, have a look at your reaction time on your timeslip, and make adjustments from there.

Depending on the track, a perfect reaction time is either 0.000 or 0.500 (or 0.400 if it's a pro tree).

Your reaction time has absolutely nothing to do with your ET. You can have a 10-second reaction time and still run a 13-second quarter mile. You just won't win any races like that. :)

is going around the water difficult and screw up ur lining up? if u have street tires and dont wanna burnout?

Going around the water box is usually just a matter of driving around it. However each track is different and I have raced places where I had to go through it. :( Anyway, let the tech guys know it is your first day and they will usually be very helpful. You will probably need a helmet, and in addition to long pants and regular shoes, make sure you wear socks.

Little things that will make your life easier will be a small bottle of windex, some window chalk or window paint stick, (white), or shoe polish, and a roll of paper towels. You will be assigned a car number and it needs to be written on the glass. usually it needs to be at a minimum, on the front windshield, the side glass facing the tower, and the rear window. I usually just do all four sides. The windex and paper towel are to clean up the glass when you are finished and also to write any dial in numbers if you decide to enter a gamblers race or bracket race.

Make sure the battery it tied down good and all the lug nuts are on and accessible for inspection. Windows need to be up when racing. Keep the air condioning off at all times no matter how hot it is. Put on your parking lights when it gets dark.

When in doubtabout anything, ask someone. Most people are very willing to help. The dragstrip is no place for a big ego. Most of us who go to the strip like helping people, especially newbies, and we want to to come back again.

We also want you in the first round. :D J/K

www.modernmusclecars.net/forums/articles.php?do=drbasics is a good read for first timers.

http://www.kennedysdynotune.com/Track%20Etiquitte%20Tech%20Tips.htm

Something I wrote on the subject.

Rich

Are you going to test-n-tune, or enter a bracket race? I would recommend several test-n-tunes before your first race event.

WD

I didn't go to those links to see what they say. Everyone above mentions just about everything you need to know.

Some tracks make it impossible to drive around the water box. If you can, drive towards the inside. The water box person sweeps the dirt and rubber to the outside and you don't want to drive through that.

No sandals, shorts or muscle shirts. Tee shirts are ok. Check with your local track on their helmet rule. Rulebook says 13.99 and quicker needs an Snell approved helmet. Track rule may require every vehicle to have one.

Leave everything you don't need at home or drop it all off in your pit space. Running radial street tires, inflate them to the recommended pressures. Radial tires don't like low pressure. The sidewalls are too stiff. Street tires are also designed not to heat up so trying to do a big smokey burnout does nothing except makes the tires slippery. A short dry hop just to clean the tires is normally enough.

Slow vehicles will always get a .500 full tree. Each light comes on .500 seconds apart. When you see the last yellow light come on, go. By the time you and your car react, the green light will be on and you'll get a good reaction time.

Ignore whatever is in the other lane. During T&T, nothing they do will affect you. Concentrate on the tree. Once you are both staged, just concentrate on that bottom yellow bulb and nothing else. Once/if you get into bracket eliminations, you check your opponents time just to see who launches first then ignore them until after you launch.

It will be addictive. After a few runs you'll just want to do more and more. My rookie year was 1997 and I'm still racing. The thing about bracket racing is that speed means nothing. It's always nice to go faster but in a bracket race a 17 second car can still beat a 10 second car. Everyone has an equal chance of winning.

More reading :D http://www.staginglight.com/guide/ ;)

A whole bunch of great advice here. Just one more thing to add: Spend your first hour watching what others do before making your first pass down the track. Even better if you can do that while an experienced racer is beside you telling what folks are doing right and what they are doing wrong.

Best of luck.

tnt how bout goina round the water box at NED? i have been their and studied it a bit and it seems the left lane is the only lane with enough room to avoid it..... even tho it looks tight... i have never raced but i have gone there many times and i def think about it everytime i go..... lol inticipating my first time at the track which will hopefully be next spring or maybe a stock run this fall

One additional pointer. Be sure you are in the groove! If you spend some time watching (a good idea, as has been suggested) you be surprised at how many cars are NOT in the groove and this potentially has a huge effect on 60' times. It's simple but many people don't do it.

Rich

Thanks for all the advice guys

Now as far as my car is concerned

How do I launch, 2500 rpms and let out the clutch spiritly?

Shifting - 5800 rpms?

I don't think it has been mentioned, unless it was in one of the links, but you need to be very carefull in the pits. Most of the tracks that i have been to have a 10 mph speed limit for the return road and pit area. Many times the return road will not be very well maintained. Not to mention, the last time I went to OSW I saw a POS primered Honda broad side a Cobra in the pits.

You'll have to experiment with your launch, but 2500 sounds like a good place to start.

just to clarify, isnt some of the info on the links dated? roll cage is necessary on 11.49 and below cars now right?

That's about right. 11.49 ET or less need a safety cage.

That's about right. 11.49 ET or less need a safety cage.

Actually 11.49 to 10.0 (non-convertibles and a stock firewall) you need a 5 point roll bar. A "cage" is something different.

Always flush when you're done with your business! :D