drag racing 101 I
n simple terms, a drag race is a tournament- style competition that pits two competitors
against each other. The competitors accelerate their vehicles from a standing start over a measure distance, usually a quarter-mile, or an eighth-mile. Each race is a round of eliminations. The com-
petitor who loses the elimination is finished for the remainder of the event. The winner goes on to compete in the next elimination. Competing ma- chines are divided into a variety of classes, and these classes are regulated by sanctioning-body limitations of engine size, car weight, modifica- tions, and type of fuel. Vehicles must first qualify for an event to ad-
vance to eliminations, and must be quick enough to make the field. For example, if 23 cars are vying for a place in a 16-car field, the seven slow- est cars will not make the elimination rounds. Cars in eliminations are paired by officials in a
procedure commonly known as a ‘ladder.’ Each pair races against each other, with one advancing to the next round; the other is finished for the day. The winner of this final round is declared the win- ner, or top eliminator. Drag racing is controlled by electronic lights
and timing systems. Two cars enter their lanes, and slowly approach the starting line until the top
Formed in 1970, the IHRA grew from its south- organized drag racing haS been going Strong Since the ‘40S
lights on the ‘Christmas Tree’ are lit. The cars are then ready, or ‘staged.’ The starter will then begin the race, and the amber
bulbs on the ‘tree’ will descend. When the green bulb flashes, the cars head way down the track. If a driver moves before the green light, a red bulb in that lane comes on, and that driver is eliminated. There have been several major drag racing
sanctioning bodies since the time the sport was organized in the late 1940s, but the two major bodies today are the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA). The NHRA was formed in
Southern California in 1951, and has been the dominate body since that time, with thousands of competitors and racing tracks throughout North America.
The NHRA holds not only re-
gional events, but sanctions major national events show- casing the best drivers in the best cars for the largest purses.
QuiCK 32 SPorTSmAN SerieS ToP DrAgSTer ComPeTiTor SCoTT WilDguST. PHoTo by breNNAN SHorTAll
eastern US roots and continues to this day with many regional and several national events in North America. The IHRA has featured classes similar to the
NHRA, but it has promoted unique classes such as large-engined Pro Stock cars and the popular Pro Modified cars. The PMRA, Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and PBSS compete on tracks of both sanctions. In 2014, the series race at the IHRA-sanctioned facil- ities such as the Grand Bend Motorplex, US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, Empire Dragway in Leicester, New York, and Maryland In- ternational Raceway. •
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pBSS.ca
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