So, you've bolted up that sewer-pipe exhaust, plugged in that fancy new tuning gizmo, and your rig has been walking over every rice-burner and Mustang in town. That was fun for awhile, but ever since that first speeding ticket, you've been looking for an alternative. Luckily for you, there is a land full of potential victims and devoid of law enforcement. It's called your local drag strip.
For a lot of you, a drag strip may seem like a strange place to run a pickup truck. Many of us have probably seen a drag race on TV. And most of us have raced a buddy or two up a highway on-ramp. But, only a few of us have ever had any real drag strip track time. That's where we come in.
Running down a drag strip is pretty straightforward-sorry, we had to. There are some nuances and pointers that first-time racers need to be keen on, and that's the point of this story. We'll serve as your guide through the process of tech inspection, through the staging lanes, and down the strip.
On a typical "grudge night" at your local track, there are no restrictions on what or who can run down the track. Many strips require that all vehicles be muffled, run on DOT-approved tires, and have the proper safety equipment. That's what tech inspection is for. When you enter the strip, you will be given a tech card, and this card is what the tech inspector will use to look over your rig. Normally, you need to fill out your personal information at the top of the card and wait patiently in the tech area with the other racers until the inspector looks at your truck.
Here's tip number one. Have your act together. A tech inspector is the drag strip's last line of defense with regard to compliance to their insurance regulations. Therefore, they are going to give your truck a thorough look. If the truck is a bone-stocker, you will need virtually nothing out of the ordinary to run down the track. Your truck will need all its wheel lug nuts, a secured battery, operational seatbelts, and a clean bed. As the driver, you'll need to be wearing long pants.
If it happens that you are running a modified diesel truck, you will need to have all the stuff listed above, plus a Snell-approved helmet as soon as you dip below the 14-second barrier. Make sure to buy a helmet from a reputable company and not a flea market. We have seen many people rejected or even tossed off the track for having a non-Snell helmet. Your life is worth more than 10 bucks.
Once you've passed tech, it is onto the staging lanes. This is the area where all competitors line up and wait to make a pass on the drag strip. Most competitors will pop their hoods to let the engines cool down for a little while. You can too, if you like. It was here in the staging lanes that bench-racing was born. Here, racers will be making last-minute changes to their vehicles, talking with other racers, or trying to make a side bet with the racer they are squaring off against. Keep in mind that grudge nights are all about having fun and running hard, not about who is winning and losing. Although winning is way more fun.
When your lane is pulled, it's time to get your race face on. If it is your first time to the track, do not hesitate to ask fellow racers or officials what to do next. In fact, while you are waiting for your line to run, it is a good idea to observe what happens at the starting line, so you have a clue when you get there.
So, let's say you're making your way to the starting line, watching each pair ahead of you roar down the strip, and you look over and see a Pro Street '69 Camaro with a big blower coming out of the hood. Do not panic. Remember it's all about fun and running your personal best time, not beating the guy in the other lane. The best drag racers in the world will often say that they do not care who is next to them-instead, they race the lane they are in.
You've now made it to the water box, which is the area that competitors running slicks use to clean off their tires prior to the burnout. Tip number two. Do not drive through the water, if at all possible. Most tracks have enough room to pull around and back into it, if necessary. Why not drive through it? Those big front tires on your truck will carry that water forward making the starting line an ice rink for you and the next few cars behind you. Most tracks will have someone working in the burnout area. All you need to do is point around the water and that person will guide your truck on dry pavement.
As you pull around the water, the thought strikes you: Should I do a burnout? (as a matter of enhancing performance.) The reality is you can probably skip it, aside from a quick scuff of the tires to clean them off. Unless you are running slicks, a burnout is not really necessary-especially if you have four-wheel drive. Radial tires turn quickly to grease when they are heated up in a big smoky burnout. That small scuff will clean off any junk on the tires and wake the rubber up just a little.
So, by now, the Camaro next to you has finished his big smokey burnout and your blood is really beginning to pump. You creep your truck toward the starting line, the lights flicker, and you roll up right next to the Christmas Tree. Something catches the corner of your eye as you concentrate. It's the starter, knocking on your window, motioning you to back up because you have driven 30 feet past the starting line. This is the most common mistake first-timers make. It's called missing the beams. A drag strip timing system is triggered by two light beams that you stage into at the starting line. There are two sets of yellow bulbs correspond to each beam. Ask the starter to guide you in the first couple of times, until you get comfortable with the arrangement of things at the line. They will be more than happy to because it saves them time, and typically starters do not like to leave their center spot on the strip to retrieve a wayward racer.
With a death-grip on the steering wheel, you wait for the bulbs to come down, the light turns green, and you hit the gas, but unfortunately, you are already too late. Tip number three. Leave on the last yellow, possibly earlier, depending on how much tire is under your truck. As the tree comes down, floor it and release the brake when the last yellow light comes on at the bottom of the tree. This will give you a better reaction time because of the way the timing system functions. The timer starts counting the moment your front tires roll out of the staging beams. This means that you can actually be moving before the green light because of the tiny delay for your brain to tell your foot to hit the gas and the truck to start moving. We could go into the physics of it all, but trust us on this-leave when the last yellow comes on.
So, you're hurtling down the strip when a thought strikes you. How do I know when the race is over? That's an excellent question, because the only thing more important than launching well on the strip is stopping before you run out of asphalt. Pay attention to the blocks in the center of the track. When you stop seeing blocks, it's time to stop accelerating and begin the slow-down process. Most strips have a shut-down area that is as long as or longer than the track itself, so there is no need to slam on the brakes immediately after the finish. A controlled deceleration is the best tactic.
Turning off the end of the track leaves you with one last stop, the time slip booth. This is where you get the fruit of your labor, the time slip validating you as a real, USDA Grade-A drag racer. It also brings you back into reality about how quick your rig really is.
Messing around on the street is one thing, but the drag strip is the great equalizer and the great humbler. Many a local hero has been shown the taillights during a quarter-mile sprint. That's the nature of the beast, and that's why it is so much fun.
Time slips have sold more speed parts over the course of time than any other invention on Earth. Your quest for more power and quicker elapsed times has now begun, and typically, it is an addiction that lasts a lifetime. This often results in uncut grass, empty wallets, and slightly perturbed spouses. It's worth every second, though-trust us.