What is Drag Racing?​

 

Simply put, Drag racing is a straight‑line motorsport where two vehicles or bikes compete side by side to cross a finish line first—typically over a quarter-mile (1320 feet/402 metres).

Highly tuned cars, from street-legal to purpose-built machines, race head-to-head against the clock.

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What is an 'Altered'?

 

An Altered race car is a purpose-built drag machine designed for extreme speed and performance. These cars feature bespoke tubular chassis and can exceed 230 mph, running either on injected nitrous with high-octane racing fuel or as supercharged methanol-fueled beasts. Cloaked in replica street car bodies—with styles ranging from the 1930s to modern designs—Altereds are engineered for one thing: raw acceleration. They can cover the quarter mile in around six seconds, delivering a spectacular show of power and precision.

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What is a burnout? 

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Before each run, the driver passes through the water box and performs a burnout.

 

This process heats and cleans the rear tyres while laying down a layer of rubber on the track surface, improving traction for the launch.

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What is the Christmas Tree?

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The electronic starting system used in drag racing is called the Christmas Tree. Each side of the tree features six lights:

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• A pair of small lights at the top (upper for pre-stage, lower for stage)

• Three larger amber bulbs

• One green bulb

• One red bulb

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Two light beams cross the starting line and connect to trackside photocells wired to the tree and timing system. When a car’s front tyres break the first beam (the pre-stage beam), the pre-stage lights illuminate, signaling the driver is about seven inches from the starting line. Rolling forward into the second beam (the stage beam) lights the stage bulbs, indicating the car is ready to race.
Once both cars are staged, the starter activates the tree. Drivers focus on the three amber bulbs on their side. In Pro classes, all three ambers flash simultaneously, followed four-tenths of a second later by the green light.

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​​What do reaction time, elapsed time, and trap speed mean?

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• Reaction Time (RT): Time from green light to when the car leaves the line

• Elapsed Time (ET): Time from launch to crossing the finish line

• Trap Speed: The speed recorded over the final 66 ft (20 m) before the finish line

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​What is bracket racing vs. heads-up racing?

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• Bracket Racing: Races based on predicted ET, aiming to beat your own dial-in without going too fast

• Heads-Up Racing: Both cars start at the same time; first to cross the line wins

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What type of fuel do you run on?

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Methanol fuel is a colorless, flammable alcohol (CH3OH).