Launch!
Don't wait for the green light at the bottom; leave on the last yellow because your vehicle will have to break the last staging beam 12 inches away before your time is started. So, in effect, your vehicle will get a 1-foot head start at the quarter-mile, and you'll be timed over 1,319 feet. Once you're confident with your launches, you can start staging farther in and leaving on the last yellow to try and better your reaction time (a time of 0.00 is perfect). For hard-core racers, a 0.01-0.09-second reaction time is good; track regulars will usually be at 0.1-0.2, and anything above 0.5 is considered "sleeping at the lights."
This is a good example of a launch sequence. You can see where the truck is prestaged, staged, the turbo is spooled up, and then launched. This was at an event where reaction time didn't matter. Otherwise, the truck would've been spooling up while staging.
With diesels, solid dragstrip results can be achieved by just leaving the vehicle in Drive and letting the transmission do the work. If you have a manual transmission, you'd better learn how to shift. We've seen drivers be up to two-tenths quicker (about two car lengths) in the same car just by shifting faster. Also, with 2WD, you'd better learn throttle control. Otherwise, your tires will go up in smoke and your times will be horrible. If you want to be on easy street at the drags, use a 4WD automatic. With that type of truck, the launch is still the most important, but after that, it's just stab and steer.
When you're making a run, try not to pay attention to the next lane; it won't make you go any faster down the track. If your diesel is all hot-rodded up, you may be reaching speeds greater than 100 mph, so make sure your brakes are in decent shape. There will be cones marking your progress, with the finish line coming usually right after the last cone. Get on the brakes as soon as you can, but don't slam them on. There will be plenty of space to stop. Make sure you're not cutting anyone off in the process of slowing down. There will be a turnout on either the left or right side of the dragstrip (check beforehand) where you will exit. There is also a second-chance turnout farther down in case you miss the first one. Somewhere along the return road, there will be a timeslip booth where you can check out your time. Happy racing.
Why Dragstrips Are Better Than Dynos
Note the cones all the way down the track. These will mark your 330-foot, 660-foot, and quarter-mile distances and give times at each point.
Another dragstrip benefit is that it's a good way to benchmark any performance modifications you might have done. Chassis dynos are also a good way to measure power, but dragstrips are a much more real-world driving situation to evaluate performance. Point A to Point B is as basic a method to measure performance as you can get, and it's hard to fool the clock and make things look better or worse than they really are. Just by its nature, a dragstrip will keep drivers honest.
The aftermarket has exploded with performance products, making diesels at the drags a reality. While diesels remain heavy, their enormous power potential combined with 4WD have made diesels seek out the dragstrip to find a place where their owners can experience full-throttle launches and diesel torque without worrying about the law.