This post is intended to walk you through what to expect for your first time at the dragstrip, and how to prepare the car before arriving. It's primarily aimed at the W124 chassis and 400E/500E, but the same principles apply to almost any vehicle.
TLDR: Make the car as light as (reasonably) possible, do whatever you need to get traction, keep the engine cool, leave an automatic transmission in "D" and mat the pedal on the third yellow.
Before arriving:
1) Make SURE the car is running 100% correctly before going to the track. Shift problems? Hesitation? Misfire? Throttle oscillation? Fix this before wasting your time and $$$ at the track. Find a straight, flat, empty road away from residential areas, with good visibility and do some full throttle runs from a dead stop, through 2nd gear, so you can observe the 1-2 and 2-3 WOT upshifts. Both should occur at 6000rpm on the 400E/500E. See video below.
2) Check with your local track for safety equipment / requirements. Some tracks will not require a helmet if the car is slower than 14 seconds (any stock 400E). Most all tracks will require a helmet for cars 13.99 seconds or quicker (any good-running 500E near sea level, with "good" air). If a helmet IS required, it may need to be Snell rated and not more than 10 years old. As of this writing in 2023 that means Snell 2015 (or M2015) rated, or newer (2020/M2020). Snell ratings are updated every 5 years. Figure this out BEFORE you arrive! Some tracks may have helmets available for purchase in their souvenir shop, others may not. Shorts, sleeveless shirts, and open-toed shoes are NEVER allowed, period. You can wear shorts if you also bring a pair of loose pants to pull over them, ditto for wearing a sleeveless shirt if you put on a shirt or jacket which has sleeves, over the sleeveless shirt. This is only a concern on hot summer days, most of the time you'd want to wear jeans & a T-shirt.
3) You want the car as light as possible, within reason. Don't show up with a full tank of fuel, ideally you want to arrive at the track with 1/4 tank, which should be plenty for the test & tune (or competition), then driving to the nearest gas station to refuel afterwards. If the track happens to be far away from a gas station, either bring extra gas, or have enough fuel to get to the gas station afterwards. Gas weighs roughly 7 lbs per gallon, so on a 500E with 90L (24-gal) tank, the difference between 1/4 tank and full can be ~125 pounds.
4) Remove the easy stuff to reduce weight further: Empty the trunk of unnecessary clutter at home. If you live near the track and/or have AAA/towing, you can leave the spare tire / jack / etc at home too. Otherwise, bring the spare tire & jack, but remove it in the pits. The trunk should be completely empty, no need to have ballast. If you really are trying to squeeze the last ounce of performance (i.e., if the car is running 99.9x mph and you really want that 100mph timeslip), you can remove the back seat as well. Anything else tends to be too much work (i.e., removing the passenger seat, door panels, etc) with not enough benefit. Losing the spare tire, jack, etc can save 60-75 lbs.
5) If you want to sit outside the car in the pits, bring a folding chair. If the track has no place to sit in the shade, on hot summer days you need to bring your own shade. If you bring a folding canopy, bring weights (or a couple of spare tires) with tie-down straps so you can use the weights/tires as ballast for the canopy. If a gust of wind pops up, this WILL blow the canopy into someone else's car... don't be That Guy. Bring a cooler with lots of drinks on hot days, but most tracks will have food & drink available.
6) It can be helpful to bring some orange cones to mark your pit parking spot, so you don't return after a pass and find someone else parked in your space. This varies from track to track, and also from track day to track day, depending on car count. If the pits are full, there's more possibility of some other n00b taking your space when your car isn't there.
7) If you don't have any dial-in paint (window marker), either buy this ahead of time, or find out if the track sells it at the souvenir shop. For years I used Geddex which is what the track sold, and I always had mixed results - often it would be runny/drippy, or wouldn't write. Just recently I tried a new brand that is soooo much better... it costs more, but it's worth it: ClearOne Dial-Rite (3oz bottle). It's $13 for a bottle at Summit/Jegs, one 3oz bottle will last you many years. They also sell 1oz bottles but the price isn't much lower, get the larger 3oz bottle. Various colors are available, best to stick with white or yellow. Bring a rag to wipe off the marker afterwards.
8) Plan to arrive at LEAST one hour before the start time for the event. Usually the track will post a time when the gates open, and a time when the event begins (when cars start going down the track). There can be a long line to get in, possibly a 10-30 minute wait... this can burn up valuable prep & cooldown time. Better to arrive early than late. If it's a warm day and you want more cooldown time before the first run, arrive even earlier.
9) Cars that are NOT stock and have significant modifications / power adders like nitrous or aftermarket forced induction, may have additional safety equipment required. Contact the track before arriving and tell them what was done to your car, they'll let you know if you need an SFI jacket, external battery shutoff, or other special equipment. You don't want to find out after you show up, that the track requires equipment which you might not be able to obtain that same day. Some tracks have a "no refund" policy, don't pay and then find out you fail tech inspection. (Some tracks allow refunds if your car never staged or did a single run, but don't expect this.)
10) Optional: Remove the plastic engine encapsulation panel / splash shield and leave it at home. This is particularly important on hot summer days where you want maximum convection airflow for cooling in the pits. This is not necessary on a cool spring/fall day.
11) I shouldn't have to say this, but if your car leaks or drips any liquids, please don't go to the track until the car is drip-free. Again, don't be That Guy.
12) If at all possible, attend your local track as a spectator for a test & tune event, so you can observe how everything works before you show up with your car. Find the pit area, tech line, see how classes/brackets are assigned, watch cars in the water box / burnout area, watch staging, etc etc. It's all more complicated than it looks, best not to "wing it" if this can be avoided.
After arriving:
1) Ask a track staff member or another racer where you can or cannot park. Some tracks have paid, reserved pit spots - you don't want to set up in a seemingly open space, only to get kicked out when the owner of that space shows up. Don't argue if the rules seem stupid, just do what they say (again, you don't want to show up the first time at the local track, and already be That Guy.)
2) If there was anything in the trunk, remove it (spare tire, etc). Remove any loose objects from inside the car. Set up your chair, canopy, cones, etc in your pit area. Fill out your tech card, have your helmet ready, and figure out where Tech Inspection is.
3) Ask a staff member what number to write on your car with the dial-in window marker, this goes on the upper passenger side of the windshield, and on one or both rear door windows. Some tracks require that you purchase a competition number that is good for the full race season, if so this may be about $10. Other tracks may just assign you a random number for the season, or for that 1 day. Figure this out BEFORE you go to the tech line.
4) Drive the car to the tech line. For a stock street car in the 13-14 second range the tech inspector will usually just eyeball everything, check your helmet certification (Snell 2015 or 2020), etc. For cars with modifications (see #9 above, Before Arriving) there could be additional requirements - hopefully you asked about this before arriving. The may tell you to write a number/letter combination on the lower driver side corner of the windshield to identify the class you are running, if applicable. If there is both competition and also test+tune happening on the same date, you may have "T/T" (test / tune) or T/O" (time only) on your windshield. If it's strictly a test day, you may not have to write anything. Do what the staff tells you. After you pass tech inspection, drive back to your pit area.
5) Get the engine cooled down: For the 400E/500E, remove the airbox and set it next to or underneath the car, out of the sun. If there's a breeze, park the car so it's facing the breeze, so cool air is directly blowing on the engine compartment. Turn the heater on MAX heat (click the detent) and run the fan on max speed, with the dash end vents blowing hot air out the open front windows. Run the fan for about 3-5 minutes at most. This is a 30A-40A current draw, so don't forget to turn the fan off after a few minutes! If the auxiliary coolant pump is working, this will rapidly reduce engine temp. Check the engine temp again in 20-30 mins, if needed run the heater another 3-5 mins, repeated as needed. Ideally you want the coolant to be right at 60°C when you are called to the lanes. Don't let it get much below 60°C though, there is such a thing as too cold.
6) Tire pressure: As power levels increase, you'll need more traction. Even a stock 400E/500E may have traction problems on street tires, especially without limited-slip, or with old/hard/non-grippy tires. Try about 25psi (hot) in the rear tires to start with. If you get wheelspin, drop to 20psi. I don't like going below 18psi on street tires. Keep the fronts at 34-36psi for reduced rolling resistance.
7) If your car has ASR and you don't have an ASR defeat switch, unplug the wheel speed sensor located right next to the passenger side front strut mount. This will disable both ASR and ABS and turn on both warning lights in the cluster. This will also store a fault code which can be cleared when you're done.
8) While you are waiting around, ask another racer or the track staff what the "run order" is. Usually the track will split up cars by ET, for example, 14 and slower, 10.00-13.99, and 9.99 and quicker. This prevents the 17-second four-cylinder Camry from going down the track next to a 6-second, 200mph supercharged dragster. Some tracks only have 2 staging lanes, others have 6-8 lanes and you may be assigned to use 2 of those (i.e., lanes 1+2, or 3+4, etc).
9) Make sure you can hear the PA system announcements, follow directions from the announcer, don't follow the crowd. Listen for your lane call "Fourteen and slower, to the lanes!" and drive SLOWLY from the pits to the staging lanes. If you see a bunch of other people from your class/bracket all heading to the lanes, you might have missed the call, keep an ear out and double check. That Guy may just assume he can just go back any time, which you usually can't, unless the announcer says it's fine to come back to the lanes any time (this happens if there's a low turnout / low car count).
10) Hopefully, you have attended this track as a spectator in the past (Before Arriving, #12). If not, now is the time to try and observe what happens from the front of the staging lanes, to the water box, to the starting line.
Staging Lanes / Burnout / Staging / Racing:
1) As you enter the staging lanes, if you are in the left lane while staging, you will line up at the left lane of the track . Don't cross over lanes, you'll be That Guy... meaning if you were in the left staging lane, don't drive to the right side of the water box behind the right lane of the track. Since this is your first time, try to alternate between left and right lanes, to get practice in both.
2) When you get near the front of the staging lanes, put your helmet on and close the hood so you are ready to roll when the track official waves you forward to the water box. Don't wait for them to wave you forward and then put on your helmet (That Guy).
3) When you are motioned to the water box, if you do not plan to do a burnout, drive around the water (if possible) so you aren't tracking water up on the racing surface. If you DO plan to do a burnout: since street cars generally have wide front tires (not skinny drag tires), I prefer to drive around the water and back up to the edge of the wet area, or back just into the wet concrete. Figure out what works best for your car / your tires.
4) BURNOUT: If you have an ASR Off switch, remember to press this before starting your burnout. When you are ready for the burnout, DO NOT start until the track official gives you the signal that it's ok to start the burnout. If there's an official mopping liquid off the track ahead of the car, I wait until they are out of the way before starting the burnout - even if another official is telling you to start the burnout. Just point to the mopper if this happens, they'll usually catch on.
5) STAGING: Roll up towards the Tree. Remember what you learned from watching other cars staging. Look for the staging beams, drive up near them, but don't begin staging until the starter (track official with the start button in his hand) motions you forward to stage. NOW you roll forward, SLOWLY, until the top staging bulbs turn on. STOP COMPLETELY with the top bulbs on. (See video below.) Wait for the car in the other lane to turn on their top bulbs. (This is called "courtesy staging"). When both lanes have the top bulbs on, VERY slowly creep forward until you just barely turn on the bottom staging bulbs. This is "shallow staging", and what you should do every time. If the bottom stage bulbs flicker, that's just about perfect, move in another half-inch so the bulbs are locked on. If you accidentally move too far forward and upper+lower staging lights come on at the same time, just stay where you are and wait for the other car to finish staging. If you roll so far forward that upper+lower lights were on briefly but the top bulbs turn OFF... you accidentally "deep staged". If the other car hasn't staged yet, try to back up and re-stage. If it's too late and the Tree has already started, don't worry, just go on the third yellow. Your reaction time will be messed up but the rest of the data will be (mostly) valid.
6) LAUNCHING: With all 4 pairs of staging lights on, the Tree will start automatically, very quickly. There is very little time to power brake to bring the revs up, and preload the chassis. Don't get caught napping or looking at the gauges when the Tree starts! You want the revs around 1200-1400rpm for an M119. When the third yellow turns on, floor the accelerator while releasing the brake. You want to hit the gas right as the 3rd yellow turns on, not much afterwards. You will need to time this from the first 2 yellows, anticipating when the 3rd will illuminate. If you wait for green, your reaction time will be terrible. Pay attention for wheelspin, a chirp is acceptable, spinning one or both tires is not. For a newbie, a reaction time of 0.200 or better is good, 0.100 or better is great. Perfect is 0.000 but if you can get consistently under 0.100, you are ready for competition.
7) DRIVING: This sounds stupid, but make sure your foot is all the way to the floor, engaging the kickdown switch. This is critical to get the 6000rpm upshifts. Don't bother trying to shift manually. Keep it floored until you are confident the rear wheels have crossed the finish line. You did all that observation stuff and know exactly where the finish line is, right? You'd be surprised how often a novice mistakes the beginning of the finish line traps for the end, and lifts off the gas 60-100 feet early. The big scoreboards are usually right at the stripe, keep it floored until the car is completely past the scoreboards.
8) Lift off the gas and coast, but start braking lightly. There is usually at least 1/4 mile of shutdown area (assuming a 1/4 mile track). Slow down for the hairpin turn at the end. Avoid crossing in front of the car in the other lane, if you are in the "far" lane from which ever side the turnout is. If the other car is way behind you and you are confident they are off the throttle and won't hit you, carefully cross in front. If the other car has to cross in front of YOU, and you are behind them, you can change lanes so they don't have to turn in front of your car. In the video below, the car in the far lane crosses over, but both cars had slowed and this was safe to do. That car way back in your mirror could have a stuck throttle and come flying up at 100+mph and you wouldn't know until he hits you, if you move over. Use common sense (yeah, I know, it's a superpower these days).
9) Drive SLOWLY up the return road to the booth where you are handed a timeslip. Say "thank you" every time (don't be That Guy). The track staff have to deal with enough grumpy, difficult people... you'll make friends with the employees if you're nice to everyone. Drive SLOWLY back to your pits, park, remove the airbox, begin the engine cooldown (heater on MAX), etc and prepare for the next run.
10) Repeat.
Staging/launch to end of the track:
Long version from front of staging lanes, all the way back to the pits:
View of gauges from burnout to finish line:
TLDR: Make the car as light as (reasonably) possible, do whatever you need to get traction, keep the engine cool, leave an automatic transmission in "D" and mat the pedal on the third yellow.
Before arriving:
1) Make SURE the car is running 100% correctly before going to the track. Shift problems? Hesitation? Misfire? Throttle oscillation? Fix this before wasting your time and $$$ at the track. Find a straight, flat, empty road away from residential areas, with good visibility and do some full throttle runs from a dead stop, through 2nd gear, so you can observe the 1-2 and 2-3 WOT upshifts. Both should occur at 6000rpm on the 400E/500E. See video below.
2) Check with your local track for safety equipment / requirements. Some tracks will not require a helmet if the car is slower than 14 seconds (any stock 400E). Most all tracks will require a helmet for cars 13.99 seconds or quicker (any good-running 500E near sea level, with "good" air). If a helmet IS required, it may need to be Snell rated and not more than 10 years old. As of this writing in 2023 that means Snell 2015 (or M2015) rated, or newer (2020/M2020). Snell ratings are updated every 5 years. Figure this out BEFORE you arrive! Some tracks may have helmets available for purchase in their souvenir shop, others may not. Shorts, sleeveless shirts, and open-toed shoes are NEVER allowed, period. You can wear shorts if you also bring a pair of loose pants to pull over them, ditto for wearing a sleeveless shirt if you put on a shirt or jacket which has sleeves, over the sleeveless shirt. This is only a concern on hot summer days, most of the time you'd want to wear jeans & a T-shirt.
3) You want the car as light as possible, within reason. Don't show up with a full tank of fuel, ideally you want to arrive at the track with 1/4 tank, which should be plenty for the test & tune (or competition), then driving to the nearest gas station to refuel afterwards. If the track happens to be far away from a gas station, either bring extra gas, or have enough fuel to get to the gas station afterwards. Gas weighs roughly 7 lbs per gallon, so on a 500E with 90L (24-gal) tank, the difference between 1/4 tank and full can be ~125 pounds.
4) Remove the easy stuff to reduce weight further: Empty the trunk of unnecessary clutter at home. If you live near the track and/or have AAA/towing, you can leave the spare tire / jack / etc at home too. Otherwise, bring the spare tire & jack, but remove it in the pits. The trunk should be completely empty, no need to have ballast. If you really are trying to squeeze the last ounce of performance (i.e., if the car is running 99.9x mph and you really want that 100mph timeslip), you can remove the back seat as well. Anything else tends to be too much work (i.e., removing the passenger seat, door panels, etc) with not enough benefit. Losing the spare tire, jack, etc can save 60-75 lbs.
5) If you want to sit outside the car in the pits, bring a folding chair. If the track has no place to sit in the shade, on hot summer days you need to bring your own shade. If you bring a folding canopy, bring weights (or a couple of spare tires) with tie-down straps so you can use the weights/tires as ballast for the canopy. If a gust of wind pops up, this WILL blow the canopy into someone else's car... don't be That Guy. Bring a cooler with lots of drinks on hot days, but most tracks will have food & drink available.
6) It can be helpful to bring some orange cones to mark your pit parking spot, so you don't return after a pass and find someone else parked in your space. This varies from track to track, and also from track day to track day, depending on car count. If the pits are full, there's more possibility of some other n00b taking your space when your car isn't there.
7) If you don't have any dial-in paint (window marker), either buy this ahead of time, or find out if the track sells it at the souvenir shop. For years I used Geddex which is what the track sold, and I always had mixed results - often it would be runny/drippy, or wouldn't write. Just recently I tried a new brand that is soooo much better... it costs more, but it's worth it: ClearOne Dial-Rite (3oz bottle). It's $13 for a bottle at Summit/Jegs, one 3oz bottle will last you many years. They also sell 1oz bottles but the price isn't much lower, get the larger 3oz bottle. Various colors are available, best to stick with white or yellow. Bring a rag to wipe off the marker afterwards.
8) Plan to arrive at LEAST one hour before the start time for the event. Usually the track will post a time when the gates open, and a time when the event begins (when cars start going down the track). There can be a long line to get in, possibly a 10-30 minute wait... this can burn up valuable prep & cooldown time. Better to arrive early than late. If it's a warm day and you want more cooldown time before the first run, arrive even earlier.
9) Cars that are NOT stock and have significant modifications / power adders like nitrous or aftermarket forced induction, may have additional safety equipment required. Contact the track before arriving and tell them what was done to your car, they'll let you know if you need an SFI jacket, external battery shutoff, or other special equipment. You don't want to find out after you show up, that the track requires equipment which you might not be able to obtain that same day. Some tracks have a "no refund" policy, don't pay and then find out you fail tech inspection. (Some tracks allow refunds if your car never staged or did a single run, but don't expect this.)
10) Optional: Remove the plastic engine encapsulation panel / splash shield and leave it at home. This is particularly important on hot summer days where you want maximum convection airflow for cooling in the pits. This is not necessary on a cool spring/fall day.
11) I shouldn't have to say this, but if your car leaks or drips any liquids, please don't go to the track until the car is drip-free. Again, don't be That Guy.
12) If at all possible, attend your local track as a spectator for a test & tune event, so you can observe how everything works before you show up with your car. Find the pit area, tech line, see how classes/brackets are assigned, watch cars in the water box / burnout area, watch staging, etc etc. It's all more complicated than it looks, best not to "wing it" if this can be avoided.
After arriving:
1) Ask a track staff member or another racer where you can or cannot park. Some tracks have paid, reserved pit spots - you don't want to set up in a seemingly open space, only to get kicked out when the owner of that space shows up. Don't argue if the rules seem stupid, just do what they say (again, you don't want to show up the first time at the local track, and already be That Guy.)
2) If there was anything in the trunk, remove it (spare tire, etc). Remove any loose objects from inside the car. Set up your chair, canopy, cones, etc in your pit area. Fill out your tech card, have your helmet ready, and figure out where Tech Inspection is.
3) Ask a staff member what number to write on your car with the dial-in window marker, this goes on the upper passenger side of the windshield, and on one or both rear door windows. Some tracks require that you purchase a competition number that is good for the full race season, if so this may be about $10. Other tracks may just assign you a random number for the season, or for that 1 day. Figure this out BEFORE you go to the tech line.
4) Drive the car to the tech line. For a stock street car in the 13-14 second range the tech inspector will usually just eyeball everything, check your helmet certification (Snell 2015 or 2020), etc. For cars with modifications (see #9 above, Before Arriving) there could be additional requirements - hopefully you asked about this before arriving. The may tell you to write a number/letter combination on the lower driver side corner of the windshield to identify the class you are running, if applicable. If there is both competition and also test+tune happening on the same date, you may have "T/T" (test / tune) or T/O" (time only) on your windshield. If it's strictly a test day, you may not have to write anything. Do what the staff tells you. After you pass tech inspection, drive back to your pit area.
5) Get the engine cooled down: For the 400E/500E, remove the airbox and set it next to or underneath the car, out of the sun. If there's a breeze, park the car so it's facing the breeze, so cool air is directly blowing on the engine compartment. Turn the heater on MAX heat (click the detent) and run the fan on max speed, with the dash end vents blowing hot air out the open front windows. Run the fan for about 3-5 minutes at most. This is a 30A-40A current draw, so don't forget to turn the fan off after a few minutes! If the auxiliary coolant pump is working, this will rapidly reduce engine temp. Check the engine temp again in 20-30 mins, if needed run the heater another 3-5 mins, repeated as needed. Ideally you want the coolant to be right at 60°C when you are called to the lanes. Don't let it get much below 60°C though, there is such a thing as too cold.
6) Tire pressure: As power levels increase, you'll need more traction. Even a stock 400E/500E may have traction problems on street tires, especially without limited-slip, or with old/hard/non-grippy tires. Try about 25psi (hot) in the rear tires to start with. If you get wheelspin, drop to 20psi. I don't like going below 18psi on street tires. Keep the fronts at 34-36psi for reduced rolling resistance.
7) If your car has ASR and you don't have an ASR defeat switch, unplug the wheel speed sensor located right next to the passenger side front strut mount. This will disable both ASR and ABS and turn on both warning lights in the cluster. This will also store a fault code which can be cleared when you're done.
8) While you are waiting around, ask another racer or the track staff what the "run order" is. Usually the track will split up cars by ET, for example, 14 and slower, 10.00-13.99, and 9.99 and quicker. This prevents the 17-second four-cylinder Camry from going down the track next to a 6-second, 200mph supercharged dragster. Some tracks only have 2 staging lanes, others have 6-8 lanes and you may be assigned to use 2 of those (i.e., lanes 1+2, or 3+4, etc).
9) Make sure you can hear the PA system announcements, follow directions from the announcer, don't follow the crowd. Listen for your lane call "Fourteen and slower, to the lanes!" and drive SLOWLY from the pits to the staging lanes. If you see a bunch of other people from your class/bracket all heading to the lanes, you might have missed the call, keep an ear out and double check. That Guy may just assume he can just go back any time, which you usually can't, unless the announcer says it's fine to come back to the lanes any time (this happens if there's a low turnout / low car count).
10) Hopefully, you have attended this track as a spectator in the past (Before Arriving, #12). If not, now is the time to try and observe what happens from the front of the staging lanes, to the water box, to the starting line.
Staging Lanes / Burnout / Staging / Racing:
1) As you enter the staging lanes, if you are in the left lane while staging, you will line up at the left lane of the track . Don't cross over lanes, you'll be That Guy... meaning if you were in the left staging lane, don't drive to the right side of the water box behind the right lane of the track. Since this is your first time, try to alternate between left and right lanes, to get practice in both.
2) When you get near the front of the staging lanes, put your helmet on and close the hood so you are ready to roll when the track official waves you forward to the water box. Don't wait for them to wave you forward and then put on your helmet (That Guy).
3) When you are motioned to the water box, if you do not plan to do a burnout, drive around the water (if possible) so you aren't tracking water up on the racing surface. If you DO plan to do a burnout: since street cars generally have wide front tires (not skinny drag tires), I prefer to drive around the water and back up to the edge of the wet area, or back just into the wet concrete. Figure out what works best for your car / your tires.
4) BURNOUT: If you have an ASR Off switch, remember to press this before starting your burnout. When you are ready for the burnout, DO NOT start until the track official gives you the signal that it's ok to start the burnout. If there's an official mopping liquid off the track ahead of the car, I wait until they are out of the way before starting the burnout - even if another official is telling you to start the burnout. Just point to the mopper if this happens, they'll usually catch on.
4a) With street tires, don't back into the water unless your car doesn't have enough power to break the tires loose in the damp area in front of the water box. Hold the brake and nail the throttle to break the tires loose, hold revs around 5000rpm for a few seconds, then slowly ease off the brake so the car moves forward with the tires still spinning. This moves you from wet surface to dry surface. Ease up on the gas and let RPM's drop, you should feel the grip increase. If the track has a large burnout area, you can try a "second" short burnout to see if the tires spin up easily (if so, proceed with a second short burnout)... if not, you're good to go.
4b) With drag radials (I prefer Hoosier DR2 DOT drag radials) on a faster car, back up so the drag radials are just into the water. Do a SHORT burnout at maybe 4000rpm, roll forward as revs drop and you should feel the drag radials grip pretty hard when they hit a dry surface. Try to spin them up in the dry, as with street tires, if they spin do a short second burnout (quick spin up & down). If they don't spin, you are good to go. Hoosiers stick like glue, the burnout is primarily to clean debris off the tires, not heat them up. They don't need to be hot. Long burnouts will just wear out tires that are >$300 each.
5) STAGING: Roll up towards the Tree. Remember what you learned from watching other cars staging. Look for the staging beams, drive up near them, but don't begin staging until the starter (track official with the start button in his hand) motions you forward to stage. NOW you roll forward, SLOWLY, until the top staging bulbs turn on. STOP COMPLETELY with the top bulbs on. (See video below.) Wait for the car in the other lane to turn on their top bulbs. (This is called "courtesy staging"). When both lanes have the top bulbs on, VERY slowly creep forward until you just barely turn on the bottom staging bulbs. This is "shallow staging", and what you should do every time. If the bottom stage bulbs flicker, that's just about perfect, move in another half-inch so the bulbs are locked on. If you accidentally move too far forward and upper+lower staging lights come on at the same time, just stay where you are and wait for the other car to finish staging. If you roll so far forward that upper+lower lights were on briefly but the top bulbs turn OFF... you accidentally "deep staged". If the other car hasn't staged yet, try to back up and re-stage. If it's too late and the Tree has already started, don't worry, just go on the third yellow. Your reaction time will be messed up but the rest of the data will be (mostly) valid.
6) LAUNCHING: With all 4 pairs of staging lights on, the Tree will start automatically, very quickly. There is very little time to power brake to bring the revs up, and preload the chassis. Don't get caught napping or looking at the gauges when the Tree starts! You want the revs around 1200-1400rpm for an M119. When the third yellow turns on, floor the accelerator while releasing the brake. You want to hit the gas right as the 3rd yellow turns on, not much afterwards. You will need to time this from the first 2 yellows, anticipating when the 3rd will illuminate. If you wait for green, your reaction time will be terrible. Pay attention for wheelspin, a chirp is acceptable, spinning one or both tires is not. For a newbie, a reaction time of 0.200 or better is good, 0.100 or better is great. Perfect is 0.000 but if you can get consistently under 0.100, you are ready for competition.
7) DRIVING: This sounds stupid, but make sure your foot is all the way to the floor, engaging the kickdown switch. This is critical to get the 6000rpm upshifts. Don't bother trying to shift manually. Keep it floored until you are confident the rear wheels have crossed the finish line. You did all that observation stuff and know exactly where the finish line is, right? You'd be surprised how often a novice mistakes the beginning of the finish line traps for the end, and lifts off the gas 60-100 feet early. The big scoreboards are usually right at the stripe, keep it floored until the car is completely past the scoreboards.
8) Lift off the gas and coast, but start braking lightly. There is usually at least 1/4 mile of shutdown area (assuming a 1/4 mile track). Slow down for the hairpin turn at the end. Avoid crossing in front of the car in the other lane, if you are in the "far" lane from which ever side the turnout is. If the other car is way behind you and you are confident they are off the throttle and won't hit you, carefully cross in front. If the other car has to cross in front of YOU, and you are behind them, you can change lanes so they don't have to turn in front of your car. In the video below, the car in the far lane crosses over, but both cars had slowed and this was safe to do. That car way back in your mirror could have a stuck throttle and come flying up at 100+mph and you wouldn't know until he hits you, if you move over. Use common sense (yeah, I know, it's a superpower these days).
9) Drive SLOWLY up the return road to the booth where you are handed a timeslip. Say "thank you" every time (don't be That Guy). The track staff have to deal with enough grumpy, difficult people... you'll make friends with the employees if you're nice to everyone. Drive SLOWLY back to your pits, park, remove the airbox, begin the engine cooldown (heater on MAX), etc and prepare for the next run.
10) Repeat.
Staging/launch to end of the track:
Long version from front of staging lanes, all the way back to the pits:
View of gauges from burnout to finish line:
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