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The Final Installment
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Learning to Drag Race, Part 4, carries you to the final part of the educational journey
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By Matt Zapp |
Here we are again, back at the track for a bit of bracket racing. In our last installment, we discussed the importance of starting line procedures, recording our data in a Summit Racing logbook, and the process of selecting a dial-in. Things were easy back in our third meeting, but now it is time to sharpen your pencils and learn how to sharpen your drag racing skills.
The information you are about to read is simply the top layer of a deep subject. Here is your warning; racers have competed for many years at the sport in which you are just beginning. The ones that are tough competitors got that way by paying hard-earned dues. Often, they will refrain from sharing information. The true keys to becoming a serious threat on the track are being observant and patient. The first place to begin is at the starting line. More races are won and lost at the starting line than any other point on the track. A consistent driver on the starting line is often times a consistent face in the winner's circle. So begin at the beginning. If you can afford to race three times a week, than do so. Goal-specific seat time will provide you with results. Stage your car slowly, develop a procedure, and then concentrate upon your spot on the tree. For most of us, time and money will not permit such a frequent racing schedule. A second solution is the purchase of a practice tree. A practice tree is a $200 investment. It is a miniature christmas tree that allows you to fine-tune your starting line consistency, without being at the track. Practice trees are available with foot pedals for the no box competitors, and with a push button for delay box racers. When at all possible, actually sit in your car (or a similar seated position) to develop an actual 'feel' for your spot on the tree. This will not take the place of seat time, but it is a good start to becoming a consistent starting line menace for your opponents. As your reaction times start to average in the .530 to .550 range (or better), round wins will start to come. Reason being, others will not be practicing as often. Their average lights will be in the .550 and over zone, leaving you with a starting line advantage and a 'window' for a true win. For example, car A leaves the starting line with a .585 light. Car B leaves the line with a .530 light. Chances are greater that car B will win the race because she has a window of .055 to take the finish line. This margin at the finish line is quite large, fifty-five thousands equates to over 17 feet. Here is how it might work out. Car A has dialed a 15.10, and runs dead-on his number 15.10 with a zero. Car B runs only a 14.03 on her 14.00 dial-in. Due to the starting line difference, car B still wins the race by .025 of a second. Twenty-five thousands of a second does not sound like a lot, but in racing terms that equates to about 8 feet at the finish line.
The object in bracket racing is to have a better light, and then go through the finish line only a few feet ahead of your opponent. The reason for taking a small amount of a lead through the finish line is to avoid going under your dial-in. Many things can make the car change over the course of the day. Weather conditions such as sun, wind, and barometric pressure affect a racecar's consistency. Remember though, both cars are affected at the same time. They may not be affected to the same degree, but your opponent is racing at the same time you are. If your car is going to speed up due to the temperature change of the air or increased starting line traction, more than likely your opponent will go faster too. And when you have room at the finish line to lift your foot off of the gas because you had a starting line advantage of .055, you are avoiding a break-out. Even if both cars break out at the finish line, your car should still be closer to the dial-in because you 'lifted' off of the gas (or lightly applied break pressure). If both cars go under their intended dial-ins, the car that comes closest to their prediction is awarded the victory. If you lift on a pass and still brea kout, consider dialing a faster prediction. This is called dialing down. For example, the car was running 14.02 all afternoon, and in the first round of eliminations you went a 13.99 on a 14.00 dial-in. Factors to consider are air temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and the position of the sun.  You may want to dial down to a 13.98 or 13.97 for the following reasons. The air temp is 8 degrees cooler than earlier in the day. In a naturally aspirated car that is ran on gasoline, a cooler temperature will often allow the motor to make more power and thus speed the car up.
Also, be sure to watch the humidity. Higher humidity means that more water is in the air. Water in the air will most likely slow the car down. This is especially true for racecars that run alcohol as fuel. Barometric pressure is an easy way to watch or calculate changes in the amount of oxygen in the air. More oxygen means more power in the motor. And more power means that you will go faster. A higher barometric pressure means that the air is gaining density. Traditionally, when the air increases density, the car will go faster. The trickiest part of the whole equation is going to be the starting line traction. The better the starting line is, the faster the car will perform. One thing to watch here is sunshine. If the sun has been beating down on the track during a mid-summer day, as it sets the starting line temperature will cool. To a point, the track will tend to become 'better'.
If you know the traction is going to improve, you may want to consider choosing a faster dial-in and avoid a breakout loss. Just remember at the finish line that the car will most likely be traveling faster and that you will have to lift (or slow down). One thing that can sneak up on a drag racer is dew. When racing at night, watch for dew to settle on the track grounds. Dew will cause the track surface to become slightly slower. Depending upon your track's geographic location (and the time of year), the surface can get increasingly faster after dusk until around 10:30 or 11:00 PM . If the dew settles in, the car will slow down. Well, that is quite a large chunk of information to process. The important factors are to be observant and patient. Watch as often as possible at the track. Sit one week at the starting line, and then watch at the finish line the following week.
See how certain racers choose to stage or drive the finish line. This may not be how you drive either end of the track, but it pays to study your competition! As soon as possible in your racing career, try to record all of your runs. Buy an inexpensive weather station at the hardware store. Mark down the temperature, barometric reading, and the humidity after you complete each run. In addition, be sure to record the direction the wind is blowing and the position of the sun for later reference. These factors will all start to make a major difference when you begin to fine tune and dial your car more specifically. For the mean time, run your racecar as often as you can. Fine-tune your reaction skills on the portable practice tree. Remember that you are only as good as your last pass.
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