Drag Racing 101
The basics of the
sport, from Staging and Starting, to ETs, RTs, Dial-in and Breakout . . .
A drag race is an
acceleration contest, from a standing start, between two vehicles over a
measured distance. The accepted standard for that distance is either a quarter
mile (1320 feet), or an eighth mile (660 feet). The losing vehicle in each race
is eliminated, and the winning drivers progress into succeeding rounds of
competition. This series of races continues until one winner remains.
The contests are started by means of an electronic device commonly called a
Christmas Tree because of its multicoloured starting lights. On each side of
the Tree are seven lights; four small amber lights at the top of the fixture,
followed in descending order by three larger amber bulbs, a green bulb, and a
red bulb.
Two light beams cross the starting-line area and connect to trackside
photocells, which are wired to the Christmas Tree and the electronic timers in
the control tower. When a car's front tire breaks the first light beam, called
the pre-stage beam, the pre-stage light is illuminated on the Christmas Tree to
indicate to the racer that he or she is approximately seven inches from the
starting line.
When the racer rolls forward into the stage beam, the front tires are exactly
positioned in the starting line and the drivers will turn their attention to
the three large amber lights that dominate the centre of the Christmas Tree.
The Christmas Tree will light the three amber bulbs consecutively one-half second
apart, followed one-half second later by the green light (a full Tree)
If a driver and car react too quickly and the car leaves the starting line
prematurely, the red foul light will illuminate, signalling a disqualification.
Two separate performances are monitored for each run: the elapsed time and the
speed. Upon leaving the staging beams, each vehicle activates an elapsed-time
clock, which is stopped when the same vehicle reaches the finish line. The
start-to-finish timing is the vehicle's elapsed time, which serves to measure
performance. Speed is measured in a 66-foot "speed track" that ends
at the finish line. Each lane is timed independently of the other.
ET and Handicap Racing
Some racers choose to race vehicles built to a certain specification that fits
into an NHRA class out-lined in the NHRA rulebook. However, an ever-growing
number of racers choose to race on a local level in categories (or brackets)
divided according to elapsed time, such as 0 to 9.99 seconds, 10.00 to 13.50
seconds, and so on. This is commonly known as ET bracket racing. This form of
drag racing offers a good starting point for the novice. Thousands of drag
racers enjoy ET racing and have participated for many years.
Whenever two vehicles of different performance potentials race, they can do so
fairly with a handicap start. The anticipated elapsed times referred to as
"dial-in" for each vehicle are compared and the slower car receives a
head start equal to the difference.
Dial-in
For example, car A has been timed at 15.96, 16.02 and 16.99 seconds for the
quarter-mile, the driver determines that a dial-in of 16.00 is appropriate.
Meanwhile, the driver of car B has recorded an elapsed time of 13.37, 13.52 and
13.56 on the same track and he has opted for dial-in of 13.50. Accordingly, car
A will get a 2.5-second head start over car B when the Christmas Tree counts
down to each car's starting light. This puts the emphasis on driver reaction.
Because the lanes are timed independently of each other and the elapsed-time
clock does not begin ticking until the vehicle moves, if both vehicles should
run exactly on their dial-in, the win will go to the driver who reacted
quickest to the starting signal. The reaction to the starting signal is called
reaction time.
Reaction Times
Reaction times are measured in thousandths of a second. The reaction-time
counter begins when the last yellow light flashes on the Christmas Tree and
stops when the racecar clears the stage beam. (Although some reaction timers
begin counting when the green light flashes, this is not the case in the
majority of starting systems). A perfect start- one in which the racecar clears
the beam at the very instant the green light flashes- will produce a .500 on a
full Tree (the difference is due to the length of time between the final yellow
and the green light in the sequences). Reaction times also measure the amount
of a red-light violation. For example, if a Full Tree car leaves the starting
line with a .490 reaction time, the driver will be fouled by .010 second.
Technique in staging and starting is one of the most vital skills an ET racer
can develop because a majority of races are won or lost at the starting line. A
driver with a quicker reaction time can overcome an opponent's performance
advantage- whether it's in a heads-up race or if the opponent runs closer to
his or her dial-in- and record the win. Because of this, a vehicle may
sometimes appear to have a mathematical advantage in comparative elapsed times
but actually lose the race. This fact makes starting-line reflexes extremely
important in drag racing. Close observations and lots of practice pay off.
Breakout and other reasons for disqualification
Should a driver go under his or her predetermined ET dial-in it is termed a
breakout, and is grounds for disqualification. In the case of both drivers
running under their dial-in, the win goes to the driver who runs closest to
his/her dial-in. If both drivers violate their dial-in by an equal amount, the
winner is the driver who crossed the finish line first.
Other disqualification reasons include leaving the lane boundary (either by
crossing the centreline, touching the guard-wall or rail, or striking a track
fixture, such as the photocells), or failure to stage.
The NHRA employs a "First-or-Worst" rule of disqualification. For
example, a red-light is considered worse than a breakout; crossing a lane
boundary is considered worse than a red-light, even though it may have occurred
after the red-light; and all technical reasons for disqualification supersede any
on-track disqualification.