Drag Strip Rules/Terminology

[Ross]

For those of us who have never (yet) raced on a strip, please explain some of the things I have seen posted about racing. What is "dial in"? What does it mean to "break out"? I have seen some people talk about losing a race because they dialed in a speed, but broke out. Thanks.

[prchrman]

in bracket racing you run several runs and dial your car in to what you think you will run on average or not go below that number...like Bob M. dialed in a 13.26 but he ran a 13.04 so he "broke out"...you try to get as close to your dial in without going under your dial in...the guy or gal who runs the closest to his dial in without going under wins...that's how a 81 merc st wagon won king of the hill in atlanta...he ran the same thing all day he was out run but his dial in was right on...willie
OBTW the brackets were 14 and up, 13 to 13.99, and 12 to 12.99

[TripleTransAm]

Racing head to head only proves which car is faster, or a combination of the car along with driver skill. However, "bracket racing' eliminates the car from the equation, and it's all down to driver skill (although a consistent car is a definite plus).

So how do you take a 12.5 second car, match it up with a 14.5 second car, and figure out who's the better driver? You give the 14.5 second car a 2 second head start. Whoever crosses the finish line first wins, since supposedly the two cars will have been matched evenly with that 2 second difference.

The "dial in" is the time you aim for. So the 14.5 second guy dials in at 14.5 and the 12.5 second guy dials in at 12.5. The computer calculates the 2 second difference and staggers the lights appropriately at the tree. So, in order to gain the advantage of more of a head start, why doesn't the 14.5 second guy dial in at 15.0?

This is the "break out"... if the 14.5 car dials in at 15.0, he gets a 2.5 second head start. If the 14.5 car (dialled at 15.0) pulls a 14.6, easily beating the 12.5 second car to the finish line thanks to the head start, he's "broken out" and loses the race. This prevents dialling in at an unrealistic time in order to unfairly gain the advantage.

This method focuses more on driver's skill, since reaction time and run consistency all contribute to how "perfect" your run is. It may seem obvious that a 12.5 dialled-in car that pulls a 12.55 run against a 14.5 dialled-in car that pulled a 14.6 will have gotten to the finish line first, but if that 12.55 car left the starting line too late (bad reaction time), the 14.6 car would have crossed the finish line first.

Most tracks allow you to change your dial-in as the event progresses. This allows you to compensate for changes in the track or car's behavior. In my case several weeks ago, I found myself racing with a 14.6 dial-in but having lost lane selection against a faster car. Knowing that lane was crappy, I changed my dial-in to 14.7, and had I not redlighted, I would have pulled off a winning run (the result was a run VERY close to 14.7, too close for the other guy to have beat me, especially since he ended up breaking out himself)... unfortunately, a redlight loses to a break out. :(

Hope this helps.

[TripleTransAm]

One more comment about bracket racing...

Some folks engage in a practice called "sand bagging". In extreme cases, it can involve dialling in with a time .5 seconds to 1 full second slower than what the car is capable of. This means having to restrict the power you're delivering during a run, as you just focus on getting to the finish line barely ahead of the competitor, assuming he's not breaking out, that is. Some folks will flat out hit the brakes at the finish line if they're too far ahead.

The sportsmanship of this technique is debatable:
First off, a legitimate sand bagger doesn't necessarily imply you're trying to sneak off an easy win... I myself have been in situations where I suddenly saw myself REALLY pulling on a competitor, and wondered if it was just him that was slow or perhaps my car was in the process of pulling off a record (albeit break-out) run. So I'd tap the brakes or lift off to minimize the gap, just in case. Also, there's the possibility of using a docile dial in time to give you the possibility to manage starting line antics, such as violent wheelspin... if you mess up at the starting line, you can always dip deep into the throttle to catch up and still not break out. A local F-bud did this with his Z06... he was so bad off the line that although the car did pull a 12.7 with another club member behind the wheel, he was running all over the place from 13.1 to 13.6, depending on how bad he screwed up. So he dialled in a 13.4 and did pretty well that afternoon.

But there are those who will purposely dial in at a grossly slow ET, and will leisurely run the 1/4, pacing themselves with you. While this does take some skill, I find it takes away from the sportsmanship of racing.

Personally, my last racing outing had me dialled in at 14.6, and since I felt I had no chance of besting my 14.56 time as the evening progressed, I just focused on having fun (and actually wished I could have broken out, just to have more 14.5s under my belt).

So my advice for a fun 1/4 mile bracket experience is to have fun, be a good sport, and watch your competitor at about 1/2 track, and plan from there. Do you want to risk pulling your best time yet or keep racing into the next round of eliminations?

[Ross]

Wow, that's a lot for a beginner to think about! What about those of us who are simply interested in "racing against ourselves", and trying to better our own times, regardless of who we are put up against on the line? Do you just get out there and give it all you've got, regardless of dial ins, etc.?

[TripleTransAm]

Originally posted by Ross
Wow, that's a lot for a beginner to think about! What about those of us who are simply interested in "racing against ourselves", and trying to better our own times, regardless of who we are put up against on the line? Do you just get out there and give it all you've got, regardless of dial ins, etc.?


Yup! :up:

Most tracks start their events with "test and tune" sessions. This is a free for all... you line up at the starting line, and let her rip. This is the opportunity for friendly head-to-head clashes, self-improvement, etc... the real theory behind these sessions being that the bracket racers can "test and tune", in preparation for the bracket races to come. Gives them the opportunity to get familiar with a new mod, or just see how things are running that day.

Then at some point in the day, the track switches to bracket racing and then you put your dial-in on the window facing the tower guy (so he can program the clocks right). Then you switch to "bracket racing mode". ;)

Since it usually costs full fare to race regardless of whether you will actually participate in the eliminations, there's nothing stopping you from testing-and-tuning clear into eliminations, however you must remember to respect the competition by sitting out the event should you be eliminated.

[darebren]

The crazy thing is these line guard guys, they stand there not even watching as I'm doing a 5000rpm burnout about 10 feet behind them and i start drifting right towards them. These guys don't even flinch.... pretty funny

[stumpy]

Some folks engage in a practice called "sand bagging".

I don't like sandbagging either, but if you're good it's never going to be a problem. It's almost always a matter of RT with our cars because they are so consistent. I've sent plenty of those guys home, and lost on RT to others.

However, since you guys love those short gears, 4.10 and higher, you may want to practice a bit of this yourselves unless you have a set of DR's and get good traction. Heck, you 4.56 guys should just get some slicks, I don't know how you'll ever hook on street tires.

I have to dial high in my vette because I just can't hook with street tires. I know I can get a 13.2x but I can never count on it. If I spin like mad I'll probably be somewhere in the 13.5 to 13.6 range. Therefore I dial 13.50 and if I hook good I slow down. The down side is, that I'll never make it more than a couple rounds because some guy with an auto trans and DRs will send me home.

The biggest mistake I see rookies make is that they don't look back at the competition and break out. I saw a 4dr duelly 1 ton PU with a 9 car lead break out. I don't get it because it's not that hard to look in the mirror. However, it's almost impossible to dial in if you don't get 3 good time runs in before eliminations. So when you shift into 3rd, just look in your mirror or over your shoulder and simple slow down at the end if you're more than a car length ahead.

As for racing for a time slip, don't waste time or money going to races. Most tracks have what they call 'Test and Tune' where all cars race heads up in round robin fashion all day, or night, long. The cost is generally less and you can get in and out of line to change plugs, empty the trunk, air up the tires or whatever and still get in 6 or more runs. Most races only alow 3 time trials before eliminations. Most importantly though, you'll get to network with other drivers. Drag racing is a social event and lots of folks will show off their cars and share knowledge and mod tips with anyone.

[BillyGman]

Originally posted by stumpy
Heck, you 4.56 guys should just get some slicks, I don't know how you'll ever hook on street tires.


LOL.......this is what you were telling me when I met you at the track Stumpy. I gotta admit, you were right on, cuz I ran a 14.6, and a 14.4 and my car wouldn't hook up coming off the line. Had it done so, I would've obtained some better ET's. But I just put the 4.56's in to have some fun on the street. I plan on racing my car once or twice in the future, but it will not be a regular thing w/my Marauder. But thanks for the advice Brutha. You were definately correct on that.:D

[sailsmen]

This is an address to excellent drag racing tips, written for the novice.
http://www.musclecarclub.com/library/race/drag-racing-tips.shtml