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What
is Drag Racing?
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 (1,320 feet)
or an eighth-mile (660 feet). A drag racing event is a series of such two-vehicle,
tournament-style eliminations. The losing driver in each race is eliminated, and the
winning drivers progress until
one driver remains.
These contests are started by means of an electronic device commonly called a Christmas
Tree because of its multicolored starting lights. On each side of the Tree are seven
lights: two 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 track side photocells, which
are wired to the Christmas Tree and electronic timers in the control tower. When the front
tires of a vehicle break the first light beam, called the pre-stage beam, the pre-stage
light on the Christmas Tree indicates that the racer is approximately seven inches from
the starting line.
When the racer rolls forward into the stage beam, the front tires are positioned exactly
on the starting line and the stage bulb is lit on the Tree, which indicates that the
vehicle is ready to race. When both vehicles are fully staged, the starter will activate
the Tree, and each driver will focus on the three large amber lights on his or her side of
the Tree. Depending on the type of racing, all three large amber lights will flash
simultaneously, followed four-tenths of a second later by the green light (called a Pro
Tree), or the three bulbs will flash
consecutively five-tenths of a second apart, followed five-tenths later by the green light
(called a Sportsman, or full, Tree).
Two Separate performances are monitored for each run: elapsed time and speed. Upon leaving
the staging beams, each vehicle activates an elapsed-time clock, which is stopped when
that
vehicle reaches the finish line. The start-to-finish clocking is the vehicle's elapsed
time (e.t.), which serves to measure performance. Speed is measured in a 60-foot
"speed trap" that ends at the finish line. Each lane is timed independently.
The first vehicle across the finish line wins, unless, in applicable categories, it runs
quicker than its dial-in or index (see glossary). A racer also may be disqualified for
leaving the starting line too soon, leaving the lane boundary (either by crossing the
centerline, touching the guardrail or guardrail, or striking a track fixture such as the
photocells), failing to stage, or failing a post-run inspection (in NHRA class racing,
vehicles usually are weighed and their fuel checked after each run, and a complete engine
teardown is done after an event victory). |