first drag race tips?

[68black_betty]

so i plan on runnin my first drag race comin up aug 4th. ive never done any type of drag racing other than just gunning it on the highway next to people with little riceburners and stangs, i am lookin for all the help and tips i can get to achieve the best time possible

[man-a-fre]

floor it on the last yellow don't wait for the green.It's true try it.

[68black_betty]

i will definitely try that and if i go ahead of the green oh well im just tryin to get an idea of what my time would be and my top 1/4 mile speed

[68longhorn]

You stage with the front tires, not rear, and you don't need to do a monster burnout on street tires.

[cdowns]

make sure its in a forward gear

yes i saw a guy once had it in reverse

[68black_betty]

haha, i would probably never show my face again at the track if i went backwards

[71swb4x4]

Originally Posted by cdowns

make sure its in a forward gear

yes i saw a guy once had it in reverse

My friend raced his Escort against a 73 Nova. The Escort won, as the guy in the Nova had it in reverse. One of the funniest things I have ever seen.

[oldblue1968chevy]

I wanna run mine when I get my motor done and runnign good!

[68black_betty]

i would almost pay to see someone take off the line and unknowingly go reverse

[noonzor]

k story first haha, funniest thing ive ever seen was at a mudbog in town here. every year they set up a big ol muddy 50ft section at the rodeo and any joe schmoe with a truck can run through it. well there was a cpl pro teams there showing off their big rigs and one team had a female driver (fact she was female may.... eh n/m haha) anyways she lined up waited for the arm drop and BLASTED in reverse haha. the WHOLE crowd was a deep cautious breath in, then rolling with laughter!

anyways, im no pro but heres what ive learned.... if ur gonna do a burnout make sure tires keep spinnin and roll out of the water, dont sit in one spot or tractions gone out the window. pending on ur tires may not even need to do one. if you do make sure and heat them up good, but this doesnt mean its a burnout contest. keep in mind how much you paid for your tires, helps me haha.

do your best to set up in the groove, seen a few cars launch just out of it and it just sucks you in and sideways quick. like said earlier foot to the floor off the last yellow, timing on the launch comes with practise. biggest tip i can give, if you feel trouble get out and keep the wheels pointed down track. i tried i stay in it one time in my old mustang and could swear i could taste the concrete in the wall, didnt hit but got close enuff to give the wall a high five.... not fun....

still havent whiped the smile off my face from my first trip down the 1/4mile, HAVE FUN!!!!!!

[swb85]

I assume since it's your first trip you're on street tires......so drive around the water box, not through it. Normal street tires don't need to be heated up, a quick spin to clean em off is all ya need. Line up OUT of the groove, street tires tear up the track for the guys with slicks. Those two tips will keep the regulars off your back. Hit the gas when the last yellow comes on and hang on! Make sure you know where the turn off is before you make a pass. Have fun!

[noonzor]

Originally Posted by swb85

I assume since it's your first trip you're on street tires......so drive around the water box, not through it. Normal street tires don't need to be heated up, a quick spin to clean em off is all ya need. Line up OUT of the groove, street tires tear up the track for the guys with slicks. Those two tips will keep the regulars off your back. Hit the gas when the last yellow comes on and hang on! Make sure you know where the turn off is before you make a pass. Have fun!

good point on the groove, sry bad advice on my part, forgot about that.

[C20-67_N_MO]

So my question to you is are you spraying or just doing this for fun on all motor?

And what is your setup?

Small Block?
or
Big Block?

Good luck to you.

Last time I was at the track is when I had my 1970 something El Camino and I smoked my buddies Camaro.

Man he was was not happy!

[68black_betty]

thanks for all the tips guys, as for my setup its just a mildly built 454 bored over 30 with a th400 trans, im runnin all engine, i just wanna see what its capable of and i would really like to get serious bout drag racing so i wanna do it in my dd to get an idea of my time and if i mess anything up by a rookie mistake it wont cost as much to fix compared to if i had an expensive aftermarket parts

[68black_betty]

so should i keep it in drive hold the brake and rev the engine up to get it in the powerband, or just straight stomp on the gas soon as i see the last yellow

[Notch1988]

Originally Posted by 68black_betty

so should i keep it in drive hold the brake and rev the engine up to get it in the powerband, or just straight stomp on the gas soon as i see the last yellow

Try both and see which works best.

Being your first time I would recommend going to the drivers meeting which will be held just before racing starts. They will explain which lanes to line up in, go over safety rules, etc. You might even want to watch a few passes from the staging area to see how everything works. It can get a little hectic once you get close to the front of the line when you're starting your truck, getting on a seat belt, putting on a helmet, rolling up windows and making sure everything is good to go. The more prepared you are the better. And lastly, have fun!

Oh, almost forgot, when you cross the finish line start braking hard. The turn out can come quick so be prepared on your first trip down.

[bigkountry]

After you stage apply enough power (with your left foot on brake) to energize your suspension but not break the tires loose. This will most likely cause the rear of your truck to lift a little, but I had a truck once that would not lift at all..but it dead hooked off the line everytime. Never ran a trailing arm truck down the strip so I may be out of line on this one.

As was mentioned before, drive around the water box and do a small dry roast to clean the tires off and heat them up a bit.

Since you are a new guy at this, make sure your truck is not leaking ANYTHING, they will flag you for this and will not let you back on the track until it is fixed. Also, if you break..pull over close to the wall away from the track so you will not contaminate the track surface with oil, coolant, etc.
There is nothing worse than having to make a pass where someone just oiled the track down...plus it is hazardous to everyone running in that lane the rest of the day.

Are you going to run through the gears manually or do a "drive "run?

Im sure more seasoned racers will chime in...but most importantly, have fun. It is a rush like no other.

[bigsnookmaster]

You also might have to Drive it out of the hole to feel the traction, as opposed to just mashing the gas. Sometimes this will yield a better et, than spinnin the tires. Good luck and have fun! And leave on the last yellow!

[Super73]

If you are on a good tire (biggest mistake first timmers are guilty of) Do a good 5-7 srcond burn out where the smoke is just starting to come up thickly. Too much and you are wasting money. Keep in mind, optimum traction is best found when the tire temp is the same as the track surface temp. Not more and not less... Do you burn out but don't go past the staging beams.

Line up with both beams lit (two sets of bulbs, pre stage and staged). You can leave on the last yellow, but if you do red light when doing that, you truck is very tight and reacts quickly, leave between the last yellow and greean (most likely you will need to leave on the last yellow)..

If your on a good tire, you will probably cut better 60's iff you leae off idle. Marv had a great description of this.. Leaving at a lower RPM flashes the stall higher (his description was to imagine a pengelum. The farter you swing it the more momentum it has.. Same is true for a converter flash, starting at a lower rpm swings it further). If the track can't hold it, then stall up as far as you can with out spinning the rear tire or pushing through your brakes.

Wathc a few guys run and be ready to be on the brakes.. Have fun and buy a hamberger, makes things better

[team39763]

How'd it go? Did you have fun?

[Scoop1]

My truck is pretty similar with a mild 468/th350 3.73 and a Powertrax (wont hold the power and unlocks). First run peg legged to 11. something. Second run drove out of the hole in drive 8. Third run drove out in first shifted manually, 5200 rpms in second through the traps 8.6. My horrible reaction times plus the non functioning powertrax held me back. Poor times aside, it was the most fun I've had with my truck so hopefully you'll have as much fun as I did.