A Top Fuel dragster, the ultimate in drag racing. Get too close without ear protection and it will cause deafness. Drag racing is a form of auto racing in which cars or motorcycles attempt to complete a fairly short, straight and level course in the shortest amount of time, starting from a dead stop. Drag racing originated in the United States and is still the most popular there. The most common distance is one quarter of a mile (1320ft/402m), although one-eighth of a mile (201 m) tracks are also popular. The dragstrip extends well beyond the finish line to allow cars to slow down and return to the pit area. While usually thought of as an American and Canadian pastime, drag racing is also very popular in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Caribbean, England, Mexico, Greece, Malta, South Africa and most European and Scandinavian countries. At any given time there are over 325 drag strips operating world-wide. Contents 1 History 2 Racing organization 3 Drag racing performance facts 4 Drag racing strategies and methods 4.1 The burnout 4.2 Staging 4.3 The nitrous purge 4.4 The race 5 An amateur "Day at the races" 5.1 Getting ready 5.2 What to bring 5.3 When you first arrive 5.4 The pit area 5.5 The timeslip 5.6 Dialing in 5.7 Time to race 5.8 After the race 6 Glossary 6.1 A few famous names of drag racing 6.2 External links History The origins of the sport lie in illegal street racing in the United States. The format of the sport shows these origins: two cars line up next to each other, and await a green light as the signal to start, just as if they were sitting next to each other at a stoplight. The straight course mimics the straight streets of most American cities. By the 1930s, hot-rodders had begun to race away from the roads, on Southern California's dry lake beds, and by the late 1940s, attempts to codify the sport were underway. The first drag strip opened on a Santa Ana, California airfield in 1950. Southern California was the hot bed for development of the sport in the 1950s as various clubs organized races. Hot Rod magazine and its editor, Wally Parks began to promote racing safety and standardization. The magazine sponsored national "Safety Safari" tours to spread drag racing to other parts of the country. The NHRA was founded as a national sanctioning body and Parks eventually left the magazine to head the organization. Initially contests were between modified street vehicles, but over time racers got more innovative and classes proliferated to reflect the different approaches. Racing organization Most (although not all) drag racing involves two cars racing each other to the end of the measured distance. The elapsed time from the light turning green to the car's front end passing through the "traps" at the other end ("far end") of the track determines the winner; this is the "E.T." or "time". In practice, it is necessary for the driver to "jump the gun" by a faction of a second, starting the car during the split-second interval between when the yellow light goes out and the green light goes on. However, if the car crosses the electric eye ("the beam") in front of it before the green light comes on, the driver has "red-lighted" and is disqualified. (If both cars "red-light", only the first car to cross is disqualified.) A driver who gets a substantial lead at the start is said to have gotten a "holeshot". The driver's reaction time and the car's top speed are also recorded, in addition to the e.t., on the "timeslip". The car that crosses the finish line first wins. A car can actually blow an engine part way down the strip and coast to the end of the track at a (relatively) lower top speed than the competitor, and still win with a lower elapsed time. This is called "heads-up racing", and is used in all professional ("pro") classes. In the common Eliminator racing format, the losing car and driver are removed from the contest, while the winner goes on to race other winners, until only one is left. There are some instances where there are 3 cars remaining, and in this case one car, either chosen at random or the car with the fastest elapsed time thus far, gets a "bye run" where his or her car goes down the track by itself (in order to at least partially eliminate the advantage that would otherwise come from the engine having one less run on it), and then awaits the winner of the other two for the title. However, in most Eliminator formats, the bye runs take place only in the first round. Drivers are about equally divided between making a nice easy pass on the bye run so as not to stress the car unduly, or making a real effort for the benefit of the spectators. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) oversees the majority of drag racing events in North America. The next largest organization, the International Hot Rod Association, (IHRA), is about one-third the size of NHRA. Nearly all drag strips will select one or the other of these sanctioning bodies to be associated with. The NHRA is more popular with large, 1/4 mile nationally-recognized tracks, while the IHRA is a favorite of smaller 1/8th mile local tracks. One reason for this (among others) is the IHRA is less restrictive in its rules and less expensive to be associated with. There are literally hundreds of different classes in drag racing, each with different requirements and restrictions on things such as weight, engine size, body style, modifications, and many others. The NHRA and IHRA share some of these classes, but many are solely used by one sanctioning body or the other. The NHRA boasts over 200 classes, while the IHRA has fewer. There is even a class for aspiring youngsters - Junior Dragster. In 1997, the FIA began sanctioning drag racing in Europe with a fully established European Drag Racing Championship, in cooperation with the NHRA with rules established from the NHRA. The major European drag strips include Santa Pod Raceway in Podington, England and the Hockenheimring in Germany. However, there are only 5 pro classes (4 NHRA, 4 IHRA), which are: Top Fuel Dragster (TF/D) The rail dragsters, or "diggers", the fastest class. (NHRA and IHRA both). There are also a Top Alcohol and Top Gas Dragster. Top Fuel Funny Car (TF/FC) Nearly as fast as the rails, the "floppers" (marginally) resemble actual cars. IHRA will be bringing back Top Fuel Funny Car in 2006, and Alcohol Funny Car is already a pro category in IHRA. (NHRA and IHRA both) Pro Modified (Pro Mod) Some engine restrictions, very high power. Cars can run superchargers or nitrous oxide. Cars running blowers are limited to 527 cubic inches (8.6 L) while cars with nitrous oxide can run up to 740 cubic inches (12.1 L). Pro Stock Must maintain stock appearance. NHRA cars can run no more than 500 cubic inches (8.2 L) while IHRA cars can run a maximum of 820 cubic inches (13.1 L) ("Mountain Motors"). (NHRA and IHRA both) Pro Stock Bike Heavily modified motorcycles. (NHRA only) In addition to the above professional classes, these are some other popular classes: Top Alcohol Dragster Top Alcohol Funny Car Super Comp/Quick Rod Super Gas/Super Rod Super Street/Hot Rod Super Stock Stock Sport Compact (Smaller cars, with smaller engines) Top Sportsman (IHRA only, but at NHRA Divisional Races) Top Dragster (IHRA only) A complete listing of all classes can be found on the respective NHRA and IHRA official websites (see external links). To allow different cars to compete against each other, some competitions are raced on a handicap basis, with faster cars delayed on the start line enough to theoretically even things up with the slower car. This may be based on rule differences between the cars in stock, super stock, and modified classes, or on a competitor's chosen "dial-in" in bracket racing. A "dial-in" is a time the driver estimates it will take his or her car to cross the finish line, and is generally displayed on one or more windows so the starter can adjust the starting lights on the "Christmas tree" (commonly just "tree") accordingly. The slower car will then get a head start equal to the difference in the two dial-ins, so that if both cars perform perfectly, they would cross the finish line dead even. If either car goes faster than its dial-in (called breaking out), it is disqualified regardless of who has the lowest elapsed time; if both cars break out, the one who breaks out by the smallest amount wins. This eliminates any advantage from putting a slower time on the windshield to get a head start. The effect of the bracket racing rules is to place a premium on consistency of performance of the driver and car rather than on raw speed, in that victory goes to the driver able to precisely predict elapsed time, whether it is fast or slow. This in turn makes victory much less dependent on large infusions of money, and more dependent on skill. Therefore, bracket racing is popular with casual weekend racers. Many of these recreational racers will drive their vehicles to the track, race them, and then simply drive them home. Most tracks do not host national events every week, and on the interim weekends host local casual and weekend racers. Organizationally, however, the tracks are run according to the rules of either the NHRA or the IHRA (for the most part). Even street vehicles must pass a safety inspection prior to being allowed to race. Besides NHRA and IHRA, there are niche organizations for muscle cars and nostalgia vehichles. There is even an organization called the National Electric Drag Racing Association, (NEDRA), which races electric vehicles against high performance gasoline-powered vehicles such as Dodge Vipers or classic muscle cars in 1/4 and 1/8 mile races. Drag racing performance facts The fastest top fuelers can attain terminal speeds of over 330 mph (530 km/h) while covering the quarter mile (402 m) distance in roughly 4.45 seconds. It is often related that Top Fuel dragsters are the fastest accelerating vehicles on Earth; quicker even than the space shuttle launch vehicle or catapult-assisted jet fighter (however this ignores the rocket dragsters). In fact, if you take a vehicle traveling at a steady 200 mph (322 km/h) as it is crossing the start line, a top fuel dragster starting from a dead stop at the same moment will beat it to the finish line one quarter of a mile (402 m) away. Additionally, through the use of large multiple braking parachutes, the astounding performance of 0 to 330 mph (531 km/h) and then back to 0 in 20 seconds can be obtained. Deceleration of up to five "gee" can be attained, enough to cause separated retinae in TF drivers. The faster categories of drag racing are an impressive spectacle, with engines of over 7000 horsepower (4.5 MW) and noise outputs to match, cars that look like bizarre parodies of standard street cars (funny cars), and the ritual of burnouts where, prior to the actual timed run, the competitors cause their wheels to spin while stationary or moving slowly, thus heating up the tires and laying down a sticky coat of rubber on the track surface ( which may have been coated with VHT Trackbite or similar to increase traction) to get optimum grip on the all-important launch. The Blown Alcohol and Nitrous Oxide injected Pro Modifieds with their 2000 horsepower motors are capable of running in the low six second range at over 230 miles per hour. The IHRA Pro Stocks are just behind, running in the 6.3 second range at over 210 miles per hour, while the NHRA Pro Stocks run in the high sixes at over 200 miles per hour. Top Sportsman and Top Dragster, the two fastest sportsman classes, run a bracket style race and can range from the 6.4 second range at 210 miles per hour to the high sevens at over 170 miles per hour. Cars in Super Comp/Quick Rod are either dragsters or doorcars, but run with a throttle stop. Some cars can run as low as a 7.50 at around 180 miles per hour without a throttle stop, but use it in order to hit the 8.90 index. Super Gas/Super Rod and Super Street/Hot Rod run with a 9.90 and 10.90 index respectfully, but they both run with a throttle stop. Drag racing has traditionally been the domain of big - usually American - cars with high capacity engines. However, the power to weight ratio of lighter, usually imported, cars has allowed them to be successful when their engines are modified and bodies lightened. The VW Beetle was one of the first to be exploited this way. Recently there has been an increase in Sport Compact racing, where smaller cars, especially Japanese, but recently some American and European, are raced. Use of a turbocharger or supercharger is very common, and often necessary to break through the 12-second quarter-mile barrier. In 2001, the NHRA formed the Sport Compact category featuring such cars, and while Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Subaru are very popular, the NHRA has also permitted General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler cars to participate in Sport Compact. With NHRA rule changes in recent years making Pro Stock cars more compact, a change from a 500 cubic inch (8.2 L) V8 engine to a modified factory four or six cylinder double overhead camshaft engine can easily convert a Pro Stock car to Sport Compact Pro Rear Wheel Drive car. The cars are separated by performance, and since 2003 categories have been split based on the car's drive wheels. Ironically, most NHRA Sport Compact records for elapsed time and speed are held by General Motors cars, rather than the imports. One of the negative side-effects of sport compact drag racing is that the cheaper cars involved are often raced (illegally) on the street, where they cause trouble, with many drivers making a public nuisance of themselves. Illegal street racing was glamorised in the movie The Fast and the Furious. This phenomenon is just a resurgence of the problem, which has existed ever since there have been cars and "hot rodders" (cf. American Graffiti, Rebel Without a Cause, etc.). Closure of many dragstrips has contributed to its resurgence; many drag racers and fans consider street racing a plague. Drag racing strategies and methods The various strategies used in drag racing begin with the car itself. Performance enhancements must comply both with NHRA/IHRA rules and restrictions based on the class the car is running in. Some common enhancements include the use of slicks (smooth, soft tires that grip the track), methods for introducing more air into the motor such as turbos, superchargers, and nitrous oxide, specialized fuels (higher octane gas, methanol, etc...), improved suspensions, and a multitude of others. The burnout Example of a burn-out before staging. Note the amount of smoke. When approaching the starting line (also known as the staging area), most racers will apply water (formerly bleach) to the rear tires either by backing into a small puddle (the "water box") or having it sprayed on. The car then exits the water and does a burnout to heat the tires, making them even stickier. Some cars have a mandatory "line-lock" which prevents the rear brakes from engaging when the brake pedal is depressed (which can be toggled on and off). This allows the car to remain stationary (with the brakes applied) without burning up the rear brake pads while doing a burn-out. Cars in street classes (which must be street legal) are the only exception to this pre-race ritual, as the grooved tires tend to retain some of the water. Staging After the burn-out comes the "staging phase", where the cars pull up to the starting line. Each lane has its own string of lights on the "christmas tree", with two small orange lights on top. These are the "pre-staged" and "staged" lights. The two cars will slowly creep forward until the first (pre-staged) orange light is lit. This means they are very close to the actual starting line (a mere 7 inches). Then the cars will nudge forward until the second (staged) light is lit. This indicates they are at the starting line. When both cars have lit both bulbs, the starter will begin the christmas tree. The nitrous purge Only cars running nitrous oxide can do this. The drivers push a button that activates a solenoid called a purge valve, which clears the nitrous in the line out into the atmosphere without entering the motor. This allows compressed air that accumulates in the line out of the system and pulls the liquid nitrous towards the motor, ensuring a correct mixture of nitrous and fuel when the system is activated. The race Several things are important on the way down the track in drag racing. The first is not to cross into your opponent's lane, as this will result in disqualification. In case of a double disqualification in which one driver commits a foul start and the second driver crosses into his opponent's lane, the driver who committed the foul start wins. Another important consideration is when to shift gears. Most drag cars are shifted manually by the driver, and there are optimum times for shifting that vary with each car. Typically, power will increase as the engine RPMs (revolutions per minute) increase, but only up to a point before power begins to taper off. The ideal time to shift is at the peak power point. Most drag racers use a tachometer to judge shift points. In Fuel classes especially, "pedalling" the car (adjusting the throttle) to prevent loss of traction is often important, one measure of how good a driver is. Strategies for crossing the finish line usually only involve bracket racing (see above). If one car has a huge lead, it may slow down before crossing the finish line to prevent a breakout. Especially in bracket racing, it is not uncommon to see the leading vehicle's brake lights come on briefly before the finish line. If both cars break out, the car closer to their dial-in wins. In NHRA Junior Dragster racing, however, there is a maximum elapsed time where a car which is faster than the maximum permissible time is ejected from the entire race. This is faster than the official break out elapsed time. An amateur "Day at the races" This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. {|then=This article has been tagged since December 2005. |else=}}See Help:Editing and Category:Wikipedia help for help, or this article's talk page. While the professional and other faster classes get all the attention on tv and in the press, there are far more casual and weekend racers for whom it's just an enjoyable hobby. Many potential first-time amateur drag racers are put off by their lack of knowledge as to what to do. Assuming a 13.0 second or slower car (most unmodified street cars other than Corvettes, Vipers, certain Camaros/Firebirds/Mustangs), it is relatively easy to have an enjoyable Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday afternoon (differs by track). Other cars running at the sportsman race other than the street cars are Super Comp/Quick Rod cars, Top Dragster vehicles, Top Sportsman cars, Cars that run in Super Gas/Super Rod and Super Street/Hot Rod, and vehicle built specifically for bracket racing. Each track usually has three car categories and a Super Pro Bike category. The car categories are Super Pro (any electronic devices are allowed, from 7.00 to 12.99 or depending on the track), Pro (doorcars with no electronics except for a transbrake, 9.00 to 14.99), and Street (no electronics allowed, full street equipment, must be street legal, 12.00 to 17.99). Getting ready The first requirement is locating a nearby drag strip. Whether it's NHRA or IHRA is unimportant in the beginning, any track will do. Web searches, going to the NHRA/IHRA sites, asking friends, or even the yellow pages should locate one reasonably close. They will be able to tell you on the phone what dates/times they have races for street cars, and the cost to race (watching is cheaper, be sure to mention you'd like to race your vehicle). Also be sure to get the two most important times - the time they open, and the time actual racing starts (usually 2-3 hours later). The difference is so amateurs can have "practice runs" to determine what kinds of times their cars will achieve. Street classes are always bracket racing (see above). There are two reasons to try to arrive right as the track is opening. First, the "pit area", where all cars that will race initially congregate offers better spots (closer to the track) early on, and secondly, there is the opportunity to get more practice runs in. What to bring An automobile racing crash helmet, Snell Foundation approved, and white shoe polish in an applicator-type container (discussed later). Alcoholic beverages are not allowed. Snacks and some beverages are acceptable. (At many NHRA tracks, Pepsico products are prohibited, as Coca-Cola is a sponsor of the NHRA's national series.) Some people enjoy using a digital camera to capture the action. Many amateur enthusiasts enjoy bringing friends, especially in another vehicle, to enjoy the racing with and to assist with picture-taking. Earplugs are also a wise choice, as are glass cleaner and paper towels. When you first arrive Depending on the track, you may need to have the car "teched", which means inspected. Gate attendants (where you enter and pay) are used to this question, and know whether a street car needs to be teched or not. Two things can happen here. First, you need to have the car teched and should go to this area. Second, there is no tech requirement for street classes (mostly IHRA tracks), and so you simply head for the pit area. In the case of a tech requirement, you will have to have an official look over the car and be sure there are things such as seat belts, a correct helmet (if required), street-legal tires, a correct exhaust, and other street-legal items. The tech official (assuming the vehicle passes) will then use his white shoe-polish (or other substance) to paint an identifying number on your upper-passenger windshield, and possibly on a side window as well. The official will then give you a slip verifying you have been teched and you may then proceed to the pit area. In the case of no tech requirements, be sure to save the stub you got at the gate, since you will be asked for it before being allowed to race. The pit area Unlike NASCAR, the pit area in amateur drag racing is a huge parking lot. If your car didn't need to be teched, you will need a number on your windshield. Although most tracks have an official who will supply the number, not all do. Use the shoe polish up high on the passenger side, then draw a line under it (explained later). The pit area is where everyone in amateur drag racing walks around and enjoys talking to other people, seeing cars that are similar, and generally just "talking trash" with others over performance. Arriving early, as mentioned, means you can get in line to do a few practice runs down the track. During these runs, it's only practice so you could conceivably be paired up with a much faster car. The object here is not to win, but to simply get a feel for how your car performs. All tracks have a place back around the pits where you can get a "timeslip" after a run. The timeslip Years ago, timeslips were written out by hand, but now they are computerized. A quarter mile is a fair amount of distance, and after slowing down the car will need to turn around (not on the track - there are roads leading back to the pit area, called "return roads", as you would expect). There will be a small building or other place (just ask) where you will get a slip of paper with your number at the top (and the one you raced against as well). Aside from winning or losing, practice runs are the same as the real thing. You'll get your ET, your average speed through the final 66 feet of the track (MPH at finish, or "trap speed"), and your reaction time. Most tracks also include your time at various intervals on the way down the track. One of the most common is the "60 foot" time. The 60 foot time is a good indication of how quickly you got off the line. Dialing in Before actual racing begins, drag racers will need to dial-in, or put their estimated time on their windshield underneath the ID number. The time is to the hundredth, as in "14.55". After a couple of practice runs most racers have an idea of how their vehicle is going to perform. It is worth noting that the time you put up there is an estimate of the quickest time your car will achieve, since going faster than your dial-in will result in disqualification, called a breakout. You are allowed to change this number as many times as you like, right up until you actually stage for the race. Shoe polish is easily removed with windex and a few paper towels. A common ego trip for many weekend racers is to paint a ridiculous dial-in (say, 8.45) on a car that can barely do 17s and watch as people walk by and wonder what you have under the hood. Smart racers dial in more to their real times. For example, a Super Comp/Quick Rod Corvette in Super Pro ran two practice runs of 8.18 and 8.16, so the driver believes an 8.17 dial-in is good. His opponent in a 1967 Mustang ran times of 11.13 and 11.16, so he believes that an 11.14 is a good dial-in. The driver in the Mustang leaves three seconds before the Corvette, making it fair. Time to race These cars are running 12s. The Viper is stock, right off the showroom floor. Eventually, the loudspeakers will begin calling various classes to line up for the race. There will likely be 3 or 4 lanes to line up in. Be sure to know what class you are running in. For example, it is unwise to drive a stock Dodge Neon into a Top Fuel lineup. As a rule, one class at a time is called. Everyone else comes to watch, take pictures, or tweak their cars until it is their turn. When your turn comes to get in line, the adrenalin starts. A track official will point to the two cars he or she wants on the line, and the racing process (see above) begins. One or two lanes are kept empty for winners to re-line up in. After the first round, the winners race again. This goes on until someone wins the class and gets either a trophy or some money. Some tracks are generous and award trophies to anyone who simply wins a single race. Other tracks require the racer to win it all before getting anything. Most fall in between. After the race If you wait until the very end, the pit area will likely be almost empty, since most people just leave after they lose. Many ego types will re-paint a wild time on their cars and head for the local 7-11 to brag. Others will simply go home. Either way, casual drag racing is fun and millions do it each and every weekend. Glossary Beam—starting line electric eye controlling "pre-staged" and "staged" lights Blow—supercharge; wreck. Said of an engine. Blown—supercharged; wrecked. Said of an engine. Blower—supercharger (occasionally turbocharger); in '90s, generally grouped as "power adder" with turbocharger and nitrous Breakout—running quicker than dial-in; also "breaking out". This is grounds for disqualification if opponent does not commit a foul start or cross boundary lines. Christmas Tree (or tree)—the Chrondek timing lights Digger—dragster (as distinct from a bodied car or flopper) Doorslammer—Pro Stock car, Pro Mod car or any car with doors, from the requirement to have working doors. Flopper—Funny Car, from the flip-up fiberglass bodies; does not apply to the early FCs. Fuel—mix of methanol and nitromethane ("pop", nitro) Holeshot—getting a significant advantage off the starting line. The other driver gets "holeshotted" or "left at the tree" Grenade—wreck an engine (the engine "grenaded") due to internal failure. Distinct from "popping a blower". Lit the tires—lost traction, causing smoke Nitro—nitromethane Pedalling—working the throttle to avoid lighting the tires; "pedalled" it, had to "pedal" it Pop—nitromethane Pop a blower—suffer a backfire through the supercharger, causing a spectacular explosion. Usually results in loss of engine and race. Pro tree—timing lights which flash all three yellow lights simultaneously, and after four tenths of a second, turns green. Put on the trailer—lost (got "put on the trailer") or won (put the other driver on the trailer). From the obvious, losing drivers trailer their cars home Rail—dragster (as distinct from a bodied car or flopper). From the exposed frame rails of early cars. Redlight(ed)—jump(ed) the start Slicks—rear tires with no grooves, for increased traction Slingshot—early front-engined dragster, named for the driving position behind the rear wheels. Erroneously attributed to the launch speed. Standard tree - timing lights which flash five-tenths of a second between each yellow light before turning green. A few famous names of drag racing Joe Amato Art Arfons Walt Arfons Raymond Beadle Gary Beck Kenny Bernstein Brandon Bernstein Arnie "Farmer" Beswick "Dyno Don" Nicholson Al Eckstrand Erica Enders John Force Mendy ("mindy") Frey "Big Daddy" Don Garlits Bob Glidden "TV Tommy" Ivo Lori Johns Warren Johnson Kurt Johnson Conrad "Connie" ("Bounty Hunter") Kalitta Scott Kalitta Tom "Mongoose" McEwen Shirley Muldowney Danny Ongais Hayden Proffitt Don "The Snake" Prudhomme Angelle Sampey Gary Scelzi Tony Schumacher Mickey Thompson External links NitroFlames.com - Drag Racing Message Board and Resource Center Suped Up Cars - Modified Cars www.dragracecanada.com news and infos about Drag Racing www.nhra.com Official site of the NHRA www.ihra.com Official site of the IHRA Dragracecentral.com News, photos, and live timing of drag races. www.eurodragster.com Guide to drag racing in Europe. www.vwdrc.com Home of VW drag racing in the UK. Werner Habermann Racing Team - german Top Methanol Dragster team, competing in the FIA Championship. www.wediditforlove.com Site dedicated to the 'golden age' of drag racing. drag racing photos Pictures of drag racing published on USENET stored with an search function. Drag Racing Podcasts POWERade NHRA Podcasts from the races with Bob Frey Erica Endersde:Dragster fr:Dragster pt:Dragster fi:Kiihdytyskisat sv:Dragracing Search Term: "Drag_racing" Categories: Cleanup from December 2005 | Wikipedia cleanup | Drag racing | Articles to check for link ordering