Drag Racing Basics

I have never dragged raced anything so I have some basic questions. My tires are 555 Nitto but they are low profile and not drag radials. Now that I have the Whipple I can spin them at will even up into the 3rd gear if I get really agressive. I am thinking about getting some drag tires and wheels that I can keep in the garage and use every once in a while when I get up the nerve to go. I dont plan on buying tires soon but was curious as to what you guys are doing. Are you getting some light weight wheels and drag radials for the back tires only? On race day is it as simple as switching the back rims and off you go? Besides a helmet is there anything else that is required? What is the cost of racing and if it is your first time do they put someone in the next lane? lol Just general concerns.

Racing is easy. Probably best to walk you though it in person. We
d be glad to do it. Most of us use BFG Drag Radials at th track. Given you're set up. you might want to upgrade to a more aggressive slick.

Any extra wheels laying around?

Yes it is as easy as that. Most everyone has two stock 17inch mustang wheels that have the drag radials on them in there garage and come race day it is as easy as taking your back wheels off and throwing the other set on. If you notice in the videos on the TNT 11/16/08 thread you can see the different wheels on the back of most everyones car. Helmet is needed and it is $10 to watch and $20 to race. It is pretty relaxed at the Test N Tune and everyone just has a blast and ready and willing to help with getting you your lowest times. I am with paul on the upgraded tires. I think the bfg dr's will do fine but a slick would be better considering the supercharger. Jerry has nittos with his 03 cobra supercharged and does fine but he over powers them sometimes. Only one of us has skinnies and that is Doc but David is borrowing them right now. Dont be stressed or scared at all to race it is easy and the most fun you can have. I love the addrenalin rush and to watch others have fun. The last weekend for racing this year is this weekend but will start back up next year so plenty of time to prepare.

By the way... I want to see your car. I have been wanting to do the eleanor package but have only seen pics so when your in for a meet, car show, tech day, I want to see it.

Kevin, here are a few suggestions and tips for the track.

I'll break it down into track tech and car tech.

Lets start with the car stuff.

For your setup you are going to need a few things to get the most from your car. first you will absolutely need some sticky tires. Most of us are using the BFG Drag radials but we are also 99% naturally aspirated. You on the other hand with all the added instant boost will need a stickier tire. I would suggest either Mickey Thompson ET Streets, or M&H Drag Radials. The Drag radial will allow you to drive to and from the track without having to change your wheels at the track before and after running. For racing on a budget I would suggest finding some stock 17" wheels to mount your tires on. 275-40-17 will fit the stock wheel. For now I wouldn't worry too much about the front tire setup. You can get more from drag racing with some skinny lightweight front wheels and tires but its pretty hardcore.

Next I believe that you will need a line lock so that you can heat your tires properly before you run. Without this it is very hard to foot brake it and do a burnout.

You will also need some safety items. A driveshaft loop or loops if you have the stock 2 piece unit. and a helmet.

These basic things will have you ready to race.

Now about the track.

Each track is a little different about thow they do things but the basics are pretty standard.

1. When you get to the track you will be given a tech card which you will fill out and bring to the area to have your car inspected and teched in. The official will look for things like a battery hold down, overflow container, helmet (required for any car running 13.99 or quicker in the 1/4 mile), and general overall safety of the car. After the tech has signed off on your car you will get a racing number applied to your glass and a drivers band for your wrist. You are now ready to race.

2. Let the car cool down before running it. Running a hot motor will not produce the best time. Allow that new supercharger to cool off real good before racing. Check your tire pressure and adjust as needed. You will want to run pretty low tire pressure in the drag radials. Start with 18lbs or so as a baseline.

3. Staging lanes. Each track is different but listen to the announcer or ask a track official which lane you are to run in. Most tracks run street tires in a few lanes, slick cars in another and so on. Find your lane and wait for the track official to call your lane to the line. Do not idle your car in the staging lanes. Keep that motor cool! When the official calls your lane you will need to be ready. Helmet on etc.....

4. Its your turn to stage, In front of you will be a water box for your burn out. MAKE SURE YOUR TRACTION CONTROL IS OFF!!! This is easy to forget as you start and stop through the staging process. Go around the water and back the car up into the water getting the rear tires wet. If you drive through the water you risk water getting into the tread on the front tires and being spread to the starting line so avoid the water. Get the rear tires wet then roll forward until your rear tires are just outside the water. Pump your brake to build pressure and flip on your line lock. Place the car in second gear rev it up and let out the clutch. Burn the tires until you see smoke then flip off the line lock and roll forward.

5. Staging
Once you have completed your burn out you will want to stage the car. There are two sets of yellow light on top of the tree. Roll forward until you trip the first set of lights on. This is called Pre stage. It is a courtesy to wait until the driver in the other lane is also pre staged before slowly rolling forward until the second set of yellow lights engage. You must be ready now. Depending on the track you will have two different scenerios on the tree after you are fully staged. The first is a Pro tree. This means that once you are staged the tree will flash all the lights at once to green and you go as soon as you see them flash. The second is the sportsman tree (more common) which will give you each light one at a time down to green. You want to leave when the last amber light comes on.

6. Your run.
Now just go through the motions. If you have a breakage be sure to pull the car immediately off to the side and wait for an official. If all is well then stay in it until about 20 yards past the scoreboards. If you lift early you might not record your best time. After you have completed your run look for the return road. There is always more than one. Be sure that if the return road requires you to cross into the opposing lane that you are sure that the other car has passed before exiting your side of the track. Take the return road back to the pit area. Stop along the way and retrieve your time slip. Repeat.

There are a ton of other things that you will learn the more you race. But like Paul said its hard to tell you over the net what those things are. Better to watch and learn from doing. I would suggest to familiarize yourself a bit with the track while the car is cooling down before you race. Go watch a few cars and take note of where things are and the way the track is running the cars to the line and so forth. The more you soak in the less nervous you will be the first time up. Have fun with it and don't be discouraged if you do somthing wrong or don't run as well as what you thought you might. Practice makes perfect.

For you first time why dont you go with us to a Test N Tune here in Tulsa. If you need to bring your tires and change them at someones garage we can arrange that. We will walk you through the motions step by step once were there. You can also learn alot by wathing the videos that are already on this site and others on youtube. Its not as hard as it sounds and is pretty common sense once you watch it. David did get into detail but some of the stop was a suggestion for saftey and not required. The Drive shaft loops are a good idea for saftey but not needed uless your running a certain time and david may know the time and the line lock is not needed but oh my god get it, because to heat the tires up the cheap way you acheive by dropping the clutch and getting your left foot on the break as fast as you can before the car moves foward. The whole process takes no time at all one you get there. Like david said when you get to the track you tell them at the gate that your racing and they give you the tech card and you drive to the other end of the track(at tulsa's track) and there is a guy waiting there and you just lift you hood up and he looks it over for about 30 sec and then he puts the number on the car and thats it. You can pull up and race right away or you can park it and let it cool down and shoot the sh*t with everone for a little while then go. Sometimes you have to wait in line for a bit and some times you get right up there. your not racing anyone but yourself unless you really want to beat the guy next to you. We usually race each other. And david definatly said it right about at the end of the track, keep your foot in it for a little bit after the you go throught the finish line because that there are timing beams after the finish line and if you let off early it wont get your mile per hour or a good time. Ive made that mistake.
That should some it up for you.
Hope this helps.

All great info!! Like the guys said its pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

1) Mickey Thompson ET Street Biasply tires or M & H Drag radials mounted on Stock 17inch rims

2) Helmet....Some of the walmarts like owasso and Broken Arrow carry them

3) I would suggest beefier Lower Control Arms (if you dont already have them) also LCA relocation brackets if lowered in the rear...will help reduce wheel hop and get that power to the ground.

4) Line Locks are great for easy burnouts...makes you look like a pro. All you do is pump your breaks up...flip a switch and it locks your front breaks and released your rear...this way you can just let the clutch out and do a nice burnout without the car inching forward or trying to jump on the break. You dont need this...but it sure is handy and makes it easier at the track

Other than those items listed there are always more suspension goodies you can get to help out at the track...such as a front sway bar eliminator....takes weight off the front and allows the nose of the car to lift on takeoff....the better weight distribution shifts the weight to the rear tires and gives you a better grip.

Lightweight skinny wheels (aka skinnies) again are for hardcore racers wanting the very last tenth....takes weight off the front of the car and allows the front to lift. Reduced weight makes for a quicker ET...as well as helps weight transfer to the rear tires.

And above all HAVE FUN!!!! You dont need all the things mentioned above...heck you could go there with street tires and race!! Will you get your best time? NO Will you have traction issues? Absolutely

So dont feel the need to go out and buy everything suggested here. BUt down the road I would definitely pick it up as it will all help you...be safe at the track and provide for a better ET.

hope this info helped!!

If you have not replaced the stock clutch you better replace it before your first time out. Mine held on the street but went south when it hooked at the track and that was on street tires.

Alot of good info in here. But what you need is to get out there and get some seat time. I would buy a set of cheap aluminum 15" wheels and a set of ET Streets 26X10.5. This will give you more side wall for bite, and give you a better lower gear. Also the 15's will be lighter and less rotating mass (free up robbed HP)

Nothing replaces seat time... Nutfin!

KBCal wrote:If you have not replaced the stock clutch you better replace it before your first time out. Mine held on the street but went south when it hooked at the track and that was on street tires.

ahh yes I overlooked this.....Kevin FYI your stock clutch will not last long at the track with 450RWHP give or take. Street use is ok..but again will go out at some time.

I believe Matt with the Black Kenne Bell powered S197 was having a lot of issues with his factory clutch just last weekend. He is looking into new more reliable options at the moment. You might get with him and do some comparing and information sharing.

Revit wrote:Alot of good info in here. But what you need is to get out there and get some seat time. I would buy a set of cheap aluminum 15" wheels and a set of ET Streets 26X10.5. This will give you more side wall for bite, and give you a better lower gear. Also the 15's will be lighter and less rotating mass (free up robbed HP)

Very good advice. The ET Streets will be my next tire

2006GT wrote:Nothing replaces seat time... Nutfin!

seat time has not served me well hehe high 12s sucks! 2nd gear has been giving my fits...and 3rd gear might as well be out of the car because I sure as hell cant find it. LOL

Grabber07' wrote:

Revit wrote:Alot of good info in here. But what you need is to get out there and get some seat time. I would buy a set of cheap aluminum 15" wheels and a set of ET Streets 26X10.5. This will give you more side wall for bite, and give you a better lower gear. Also the 15's will be lighter and less rotating mass (free up robbed HP)

Very good advice. The ET Streets will be my next tire

alot of records have been set with them!

Revit wrote:

Grabber07' wrote:

Revit wrote:Alot of good info in here. But what you need is to get out there and get some seat time. I would buy a set of cheap aluminum 15" wheels and a set of ET Streets 26X10.5. This will give you more side wall for bite, and give you a better lower gear. Also the 15's will be lighter and less rotating mass (free up robbed HP)

Very good advice. The ET Streets will be my next tire

alot of records have been set with them!

I believe they are making 2 different ET Street tires now...One Bias-Ply and the other a true street tire.

I am sure you are referring to the Bias Ply. I have seen them hook at the track...very nice! But like all slicks get a little floaty at the Big end

Grabber07' wrote:seat time has not served me well hehe high 12s sucks! 2nd gear has been giving my fits...and 3rd gear might as well be out of the car because I sure as hell cant find it. LOL

high 12's is nothing to shake a stick at. Seat time is very important. You can have a 10 sec ride and only run 12's if you can't drive it.

Ever since I put my Hurst in... not one missed shift. It's not the most expensive one out there, but it has served me well.

I shouldnt gripe too much for 12s...bolt ons for me at the moment. Best of a 12.79 @ 106.7 BUT was running 12.8s at 108.18 MPH last weekend. Just couldnt get 3rd to cooperate...and occasionally grindin second on my 1-2 shift.

Still have Long tube headers, one piece aluminum driveshaft, and skinnies planned for the car....will see if a low 12 is in her...maybe just maybe pull an 11.99999999 hehe NA someday

2006GT wrote:Ever since I put my Hurst in... not one missed shift. It's not the most expensive one out there, but it has served me well.

I have the Hurst Comp shifter....Im thinking i need to change the tranny fluid.... ANY SUGGESTIONS on what to change it out with?

Grabber07' wrote:

Revit wrote:

Grabber07' wrote:

Revit wrote:Alot of good info in here. But what you need is to get out there and get some seat time. I would buy a set of cheap aluminum 15" wheels and a set of ET Streets 26X10.5. This will give you more side wall for bite, and give you a better lower gear. Also the 15's will be lighter and less rotating mass (free up robbed HP)

Very good advice. The ET Streets will be my next tire

alot of records have been set with them!

I believe they are making 2 different ET Street tires now...One Bias-Ply and the other a true street tire.

I am sure you are referring to the Bias Ply. I have seen them hook at the track...very nice! But like all slicks get a little floaty at the Big end

They are making two different radial tires (not the one's I was talking about). But still a very good tire. Ya the taller the tire, the more fun the big end becomes. This is when suspension tuning becomes your best friend!!

Have a link to the ET Streets you are talking about? Not sure how strong our rearends are on the S197s...Ive seen Gregs 07 GT run 11s on a full slick and lots of BITE. Broke a few teeth on motive gears....switched to FRPP and no problems since.

Just dont want to break the daily driver

I concure Dr. Jerbear

I dont know if a 15" steel wheel can be fitted to the back end of the new cars. The brakes are too big......If there are any I would like to know what they came off of to fit up.......I would scour the salvage yards to get a couple. Bogarts fit and I know some had issues with the 15" Greg Welds not working. So a 15" in the rear is tricky on the S197. I too will most lilkely use the MT or M&H my next time around with the tires.

I suggested the DS loops because with that much power and that sticky of a tire the weak links will become apparent real quick. Would hate to see a car destroyed because a small measure was overlooked. On a N/A car its not that important with low HP.

If it was me I would also get a rear end cover with the bearing supports. This will help your rear end from trying to exit the back of the car.

No substitute for seat time for sure!

I like my m/t et streets,but are loose feeling on the track at 15lbs.They lay down a 9'' patch.

Tony... get the tune working??

NO and NO I sent it to you on a e-mail.I'll keep trying.

ET Streets



ET Street Radial


ET Street Radial II



First one is the one setting the records for the fastest D.O.T class race tire

The Street is the only one I have ever used. Sticky as hell! its a slick with treads cut into it. Great tire.

Like you David I will be going with the Street next!

Revit wrote:
ET Streets



ET Street Radial


ET Street Radial II



First one is the one setting the records for the fastest D.O.T class race tire

Thanks for the pics Ronny!! I do appreciate it