Talk:Drag racing

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"Opening Paragraph/Record"

In the opening paragraph, the drag racing record is listed as "4.428 seconds with a speed of 336.15 miles per hour." I don't know what the REAL record is, but it sure isn't that. NHRA's website lists a 3.835 s ET and 319.75 through the trap at the Thunder Valley event. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.239.173.129 (talk) 23:24, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

In 2008, after the death of Scott Kalita in a funny car crash the NHRA changed the distance for top fuel and funny cars from the 60 year old standard of 1320 feet to 1000 feet. This is what has caused the seeming two record records. contributed by topenddave (who attended his first dragrace at the santa ana, ca wwII airport in 1949 at the age of five) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.105.13.191 (talk) 10:44, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

"Stock" link

The link to "Stock" in the list of drag racing classes goes to "Stock" as the shares you own in a company, shares bought on the stock market. I don't know enough about Wikipedia to fix that. Editor1023 (talk) 14:12, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

Photos

I've been drag racing for over 25 years now, and I'm also somewhat of a writer. I think if we clean it up a little and add some pictures and a couple of more sections, this could make the 'featured article' list. Cliff is cool

I was thinking about grabbing a picture of a christmas tree today, but since it's late I couldn't think of anywhere to get it that wouldn't be a copyvio. I'll do some searching when I'm more awake. Mo0[talk] 05:13, 12 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Sounds cool, Mo0. I can scan in some pics of a car doing a serious wheelie, and probably any other drag racing thing you can think of. But my scanner's not hooked up. These are all my pictures, so no copyvi problems...more later. Cliff clifffster@earthlink.net

Well, I got registered and uploaded one of my pics. I hope it doesn't get deleted, I couldn't find all those copyright or copyleft (or whatever, that stuff confused the hell me) forms are. Some of the pics I have are mine, and some I got years ago off the 'net, but have no clue where they came from or when exactly I got them. --Cliffster 16:43, 12 Mar 2005 (UTC)

For further explanation, the photo of the dragster engine should also mention "note ballistic blanket, driver protection shield," etc.68.97.87.243 (talk) 02:59, 23 February 2014 (UTC)

Recent adds

Good work, Cliff. --Pmeisel 22:15, 12 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Well, thanks, I appreciate it, Pmeisel. I'm old, but I'm trying. I'm shooting for the "Featured Article" thing. I'll do my best, but I need help (isn't that what this is all about?). The Holy Grail of articles. I've seen some of the critics of potentials, and we need to fillin the red links with blue (I'll fix that). Also, we're gonna catcb hell for "too long" and "not enough detail", which is typical.

BTW, I didn't start this article, I'm just adding on. No matter how you cut it, the original poster gets the credit, one way or the other. I'd just be happy to be a piece of it :) --Cliffster 23:23, 12 Mar 2005 (UTC)

I added a glossary of terms, not necessarily in the article. Anybody want to add? Trekphiler 20:16, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

I notice "any car with doors" added to doorslammer; I've never heard it applied to non-Pros. Clarify? Or delete? Trekphiler 05:04, 10 December 2005 (UTC)

l love drag racing (live near commerce); i will write history, can include citations and quotes, but can't (won't) put things in correct wiki format. my laziness is why i dropped out of UGA (conformist factory)... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.31.240.184 (talk) 17:15, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Photo caption

Just a point - the picture which claims to be of a Top Fuel dragster is actually a Top Methanol dragster raced out of Malta and shown performing a burnout at Santa Pod, the UK's main drag strip.

Martin

The driver of the Top Methanol dragster on the picture is actualy Peter Beck from Switzerland. The dragster has then been sold to Malta. Andrea

Popularity

Some more information on the popularity of the sport would be nice. Also, I'm a bit confused by the sentence "Drag racing originated in the United States and is still the most popular there" in the first paragraph. The most popular what there? Kind of car race? Or does it mean "and is still most popular [relative to other countries] there"? --LostLeviathan 14:24, 4 May 2005 (UTC)

I was going to comment on the same part of the intro. I really don't think drag racing is extremely popular in the US, and if not I don't see how it woud be "very popular" in the countries listed if it's not as popular as it is here. The article doesn't really provide any support for the claims of popularity given in the intro, either --Sketchee 19:29, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

NHRA Drag Racing has the second highest attendance per event in the US. Number one is NASCAR, number 3 is NFL football, so your assessment that it is not popular is incorrect. This statistic is available many places on the internet www.ipi.com.au/ipi/IPI.nsf/LookupPDF/kmsb/$file/kmsb.pdf is one such spot. 2003 Drag Race attendance was about 93,000 per event, higher that NFL football event attendance. Jcurtis3 11:33, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Mistake in sentence

I get no sense in the sentence " the astounding performance of 0 to 330 mph to 0 in 20 seconds can be obtained! " I suppose it should be "... 330 to 0 mph in 20 seconds..." ? In particular as it seems to be obtained by using parachutes... \Mikez 19:27, 13 Jun 2004 (UTC)

I belive it is 0 to 330 to 0 in 20 seconds and have changed it accordingly. Also some infomation about .5 and .4 trees should be added and infomation about how racers may be disqualfied --2mcm 08:34, 31 Dec 2004 (UTC)

It's been done - check out "Drag racing strategies and methods. (I wrote it) Cliff

in this old version of the page it explains the 0 to 330 to 0 correctly. --2mcm 08:40, 31 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I don't really understand the "20 seconds" part. The article says they can reach 320mph in 5 seconds, so it doesn't make sense for braking back to 0 to take 3 times more (15 seconds).. The math confirms this: 320mph to 0 in 5 seconds requires ~4G deceleration on average; the article says that with multiple parachutes the deceleration can be up to 5G. So I would expect the braking time to be close 5 seconds, making the total (0 to 330 to 0) time ~10 seconds. 76.24.221.26 (talk) 23:52, 13 November 2010 (UTC)

You're assuming the driver would tolerate such rapid G changes, which most don't. The 'chutes deploy first, and that brings the speed down substantially, but in short order there isn't enough airflow through the 'chutes to maintain that level of deceleration. At that point the driver begins applying the wheel brakes. Also, applying the wheel brakes too early and/or too hard can cause loss of control of the car.

The simplest answer, of course, would be to watch some Top Fuel or Fuel Funny Car passes and actually observe the time it takes to bring the car to a near stop after they pass through the traps at the top end of the run. I say "near stop" because in almost all cases the driver is expected to maintain enough speed to make the turnoff at the end of the track and onto the return lanes. --Alan the Roving Ambassador (talk) 01:33, 14 November 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! 76.24.221.26 (talk) 13:04, 15 November 2010 (UTC)

More cleanup needed

the whole drag racing section, this article, the individual top fuel, top alcohol, etc. articles, etc. really need a big reorganization. I might get around to it sometime, but if anyone wants to jump in now, feel free.......Gzuckier 03:32, 10 May 2005 (UTC)

There's still some needed. Does NHRA allow nitrous now? Has Top Gas disappeared? Super Gas, too? And how 'bout a para on records? Or a beefed historical section? I'd love to see mention (& pix!) of the Allison diggers. And mention of who got 1st 200, 250, 300mph pass; 1st in 6s, 5s, 4s in TFD/TFFC; 1st FC, 1st flopper; Big's 1st rear-engined digger (& how it wasn't 1st ever!); 1st in 8s, 7s, 6s in ProStock; win strings (Glidden in ProStock, Force overall, Shirley's 3 national titles). I'm a fan, but not a big enuf one to try this. And, what about a special page on racing/rodding &/or customizing terms? Trekphiler 15:50, 3 December 2005 (UTC)

For trivia buffs: TFDs pull 5g off the line, -4g when the chutes pop (enuf to cause retinal separation, which I understand ended Big's career...) And first TF/FC in 4s was Chuck Etchells. Trekphiler 05:08, 10 December 2005 (UTC)

>No, the NHRA does not allow Nitrous in pro classes, and probably never will. That is why I think there is WAY too much reference to nitrous in this section. Note that Pro Mods can use either nitrous or a blower. There is no class called top gas.

Also, the "also popular in" sentence is a bit weird. When did greece join the Carribean? --{{User:Coryma}} 01:26, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

yes it needs care full organisation

i have started some sections on electric dragsters.

we need "electric drag raceing" as a main branch (not yet done)( being defined by fuel type) from this we need a page for cars & a page for bike which i have created in scruffy from to get things going

jets needs a main page with branches off like jet bike & jet cars (divide & conquer)

rockets the same again

steam rockets prolly need their own page

way i see it - lets get it all divided up and carefully cross linked

im a bit of a noob at wiki but i can see what needs to be done (ive attcked the first paragraph - so the UNINFORMED reader doesnt have to go past 1000!! words before he encounters words like 1/4 mile ! so in the firs paragraph ive covered what when n where n how (im sure it can be made crisper still)—Preceding unsigned comment added by Wiseman2001 (talk • contribs) 09:20, 14 March 2009 (UTC)

Selected Records

I added the section, based on a piece in CC or HR (I forget which). Early & more recent records would be welcome! How 'bout it? Somebody who's been a fan longer than me (& with better records!) must know this stuff! Trekphiler

Verifiable?

The sentence "At any given time there are over 325 drag strips operating world-wide." is interesting but is it verifiable? --antilived ^{T | C} 09:35, 22 December 2005 (UTC)

I would doubt that it's verifiable. Although I would be interested in finding out what is the oldest continuously operating dragstrip; as my local dragstrip Great Lakes Dragaway (www.greatlakesdragaway.com) makes that claim (50 years, 1955-2005) although I'm wondering if there isn't a track who's been running longer.. J. Straub 16:08, 22 December 2005 (UTC)

The name sounds familiar. Is that a narrow 2-lane, no tree, Deep South? I've heard that's the last "original" strip still operating, heads-up only, RWYB. If N, I'd compare Pomona or Ontario; could be Great Lakes is oldest still in operation. Trekphiler 04:31, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

The Great Bend, Kansas World War II military training facility airport (laid out as a very large triangle, as was the design of many of these central states facilities) was the site of the first NHRA national drag racing meet in 1955, and one of the three runways has been used for drag racing continuously, since then. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.97.87.243 (talk) 03:07, 23 February 2014 (UTC)

Great Lakes Dragaway is in Union Grove, Wisconsin... don't know if it is the oldest but it has a good claim. I know Inyokern Airport held that distinction for many years but according to its article drag racing no longer takes place there. As for the Deep South strip, you may be thinking of George Ray's Wildcat Hot Rod Dragstrip in Arkansas, not the oldest (opened 1961) but perhaps the most old-fashioned. Great Bend, KA [1] hosted the first NHRA Nationals in '55 (same year Great Lakes) but I don't know if it has been continually operating. Cdh1984 15:43, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

George Ray's sounds right. I caught a TV piece on it. I guess it meant the oldest (or only) still running "classic" style races. (I gotta say, that kind of track looks mighty damn dangerous to me, raised on mod NHRA style, complete with Safety Safari!) Trekphiler 12:12, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

The NHRA has about 140 tracks, a quick count on the IHRA website showed a little less than a hundred, so 350 worldwide is probably close.

"At any given time" reads oddly, I think, as if dragstrips are continually popping in and out of existence. Surely all this sentence needs to say is "There are over 325 operating dragstrips in the world.". 132.244.246.25 (talk) 08:14, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

-Actually its a combination of going in and out of business of marginal strips as well as a bunch who change sanctioning bodys to get a better deal.On top of that there are actually closings and newly built ones. Our local strip has had several different owners open it and has at various times been NHRA, IHRA, AHRA and independant. So I cant fault the any given time phrase.--=Motorhead (talk) 23:54, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Silhouette?

Has anyone ever heard "silhouette" used in a drag racing context? Here in the UK I've only ever heard it used with regards to circuit racing, in particular GT cars. I've been a regular at drag racing meetings for 17 years and have never heard a commentator, fan or racer use the expression. Cdh1984 15:19, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

I've heard it (rarely, on U.S. TVcasts) to describe the Pro Stock cars because they resemble stockers (the same way NASCAR racers are silhouette cars). It's not common even here. Trekphiler 12:18, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Never heard that term in relation to drag racing. Just sayin. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.29.173.120 (talk) 08:24, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

Look at the current bodies being used on NHRA Funny Cars. They're all virtually identical, no resemblance at all to any production vehicle. It's like how NASCAR has gone to using identical bodies for "Dodge", "Ford", "Chevy" and "Toyota". The only differences are the engines, but the way the rules are the engines are becoming closer to identical. Now they've gone to 1,000 foot, I don't care to watch it anymore. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.232.94.33 (talk) 04:52, 6 June 2010 (UTC)

"Drag Racing For The Uninformed"

Sounds awkward. Shawnc 03:41, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

Sand Drag

Does someone want to add a section on sand drag racing? I am creating the page sand drag, describing a pile of sand at the end of a railway siding, and intend to disambig link it here. FiggyBee 12:53, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

well i think that you should give information about junior drag racing and the n you can start but i cna't find any information about it —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.188.82.243 (talk • contribs) 15:32, July 17, 2006 (UTC).

Dragster - no definition

For some reason there is no description or definition of a Dragster anywhere - the word "dragster" leads to the "Drag racing" page, and the different classes of vehicles are defined but there does not seem to be a way for anyone not acquainted with the sport to find out:

• what a dragster IS
• what a dragster LOOKS like
• how a dragster differs from similar vehicles (e.g. Funny Cars, Hot Rods)

Simon Beck London, UK

The definition and appearance of a dragster has been rather consistent over several decades of drag racing: 1) all wheels are open, that is no fenders; 2) the wheelbase is substantially greater than any production automobile; 3) the engine is open to view; 4) often, only the driver's compartment is enclosed with a body, though the lengthy, narrow nose may be enclosed, as well; 5) the rear tires are the widest and largest of all drag racing tires; 6) the front tires are the narrowest of all drag racing tires; 7) the front wheels do not have brakes.68.97.87.243 (talk) 03:20, 23 February 2014 (UTC)

---

definition for "dial-in" needed, too. currently circularly defined with "breakout."

According to http://www2.newton.mec.edu/~mike_sylvia/DRAGSTERS/glossary.html : "A type of car designed for a quarter-mile race from a standing start, against time or another car." Crabapplecove 23:40, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

Good catch. I added dragster & dial-in to the glossary. Hope it helps. Trekphiler 12:35, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

if you added it, someone took it back out.--199.243.252.196 17:55, 17 June 2007 (UTC)

There is still (2011) no definition of "dragster" on Wikipedia. This looks like a great oversight, as there is little indication under "drag racing" of the type of vehicle used. Could somebody with the necessary technical knowledge put together a "dragster" page with a couple of photos and a short history? Simon (talk) 11:48, 16 July 2011 (UTC)

Seat ejector?

The article says Jrs that breakout are "ejected from the entire race". Meaning the event? Or what? (I'm unfamiliar with Jr, but I'd guess "event".) Can somebody who knows clarify? Trekphiler 12:20, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Ejected is the wrong word. Breaking out will "eliminate" you from the days competition--the same as losing. 68.97.87.243 (talk) 03:13, 23 February 2014 (UTC)

Give him a citation

The article says:

"The sport has taken off so much in recent times areas with no drag racing facilities have converted urban roads into drag strips."

Where? In the U.S. in the last couple of decades, tracks have been closing all over the place. Has something changed? What's the source for that claim? (From the tome & emphasis on European racing, I'd guess Britain or Sweden.) Trekphiler 13:03, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

The Pomona sanction

Are Pro Mod IHRA only, or what? Clarify? Also, are turbos banned entire? I seem to recall IHRA allows them. Trekphiler 13:21, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Altered states

I added this:

"The FIAT Topolino was the first to be exploited this way, in the notoriousAA/FA, or Altered, followed by the more conventional modified VW Beetle."

Altereds are still being run in nostalgia events; I don't know who sanctions them. NHRA banned them long ago. Trekphiler 13:40, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

What does AA/FA stand for? FA is Fuel (nitromethane) Altered, but what's the AA? There was also AA/FC. 66.232.94.33 (talk) 04:55, 6 June 2010 (UTC)

It's a class identifier. Exactly what the limits are, you'd have to ask NHRA, but it appears to be the top class for fuel cars; the gas & alky cars seem to be "A"s, AFAI can tell. (By no means expert.) TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 07:25, 6 June 2010 (UTC)

As I recall from the old days...The "AA" denotes supercharged with nitromethane "A" denotes naturally aspirated with nitro. "BB" would be gasoline supercharged and so on.=Motorhead (talk) 01:51, 7 June 2010 (UTC)

That sounds right, except I think BB was alky; IIRC, the gas classes were "ranked" lower. "G"? Or "C"? TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 01:24, 9 June 2010 (UTC)

Planting a bulb

Since when is redlighted ="bulbed"? I've never heard it. Trekphiler 07:20, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I think there is probably a lot of terminology or "slang" that is regional. I race NHRA tracks in the PNW of the US and I've heard many racers say: "I bulbed it" when they foul (red-light). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.191.61.254 (talk) 18:10, 14 November 2010 (UTC)

Outdated/inaccurate information

Supercharged 8 cyl. engine* (typical) = 350hp-765hp [260kW-570kW]

These make up to 7500 HP these days

"Top Fuel" 8 cyl. engine (typical) = 5,500hp+ (these are 500 cubic inch V8 Hemi Engines running on a mix of 95% Nitro Methane to 5% petrol - they produce phenomenal power and propel the vehicle to speeds of over 300mph (500+kmh) in under 5 seconds

The do not use "Petrol", they use Methanol. Top fuel engines are generally limited to 450 cid, and generally are limited to 80% nitromethane (NHRA allows an increased amount of Nitromethane at Denver Colorado, to compensate for the high altitude of the track). There used to be no limit to the amount of nitromethane used. This is straight out of the 2004 NHRA rulebook.

In fact, most of the information under four, six, and eight cylinder vehicles are grossly innacurate, or at least extremely modest in terms of horsepower ratings. There are normaly asperated, nitromethane burning 8 cylinder engines that make a few thousand HP, much more than the 550hp listed. 550 is a VERY modest number for an American V-8 that is used, even very casually, as a Drag car. Unfortunately, this is not the type of information one can find from any written source.

In the "The Race" section, some verbage regarding "pedalling" a top fuel car is injected right after talk of shift points. To make this less mis-leading, it should be mentioned that Top Fuel cars have no transmissions, thus do not employ "shift points". This is what makes "Pedalling" nessisary, since there is no option of depressing the clutch to allow the tires to regain traction.

Under "Racing Organization" TA/D and TG/D should be removed from the "Top Fuel Dragster" line, as those are not pro catagories.

This line, also under "Racing Organization": The NHRA is more popular with large, ¼ mile nationally-recognized tracks, while the IHRA is a favorite of smaller 1/8th mile local tracks. Is Mis-leading, it implies that IHRA only incorporates 1/8 mile races.

This line, under "The Burnout", is not entirely accurate: Some cars have a mandatory "line-lock" which prevents the rear brakes from engaging when the brake pedal is depressed (which can be toggled on and off).

"Line Lock", when mandatory, is required to be on the FRONT brake system. It HOLDS the pressure in the font brakes, leaving the driver free to operate the clutch and Gas pedals. The only may it coukld be used on the rear brakes is in a car with an automatic transmission (else one would need an extra foot for the brake), but there are no classes (that allow automatic transmissions) that require it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.63.253.240 (talk • contribs)

Re: Outdated/inaccurate information

I agree, this article could benifit from a rewrite, and the estimated horsepower stuff NEEDS TO GO ENTIRELY! In response to your issue with the numbers being underated, I think the author was trying to give an estimate for STREET cars that you would see at the drag strip. BMan1113VR 01:53, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

I agree, the estimated horsepower section is really bad. Jcurtis3 11:58, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Reaction times are reported several ways, frequently not by the time from green light illumination to leaving the starting line, but from the last amber to leaving the starting line. Therefore on a 0.5 second light interval tree, a perfect reaction time is 0.5 seconds, and perfect is 0.4 seconds when that is the interval between last amber and green. This seems to be the norm at US drag strips, though televised NHRA events report green light to start as in this article. I don't know when one convention vs the other is used.

Huecodoc (talk) 04:12, 4 June 2009 (UTC)Scott Greene (aka, Huecodoc)

Is that a ?

The article claims:

"One of the negative side-effects of sport compact drag racing is the cheaper cars involved are often raced (illegally) on the street,"

If this was true, the existence of bracket racing would have created a persistent, mass menace. It seems to me somebody's drawn a false causality, but I don't know enough about the history of the sport compacts to correct it. If somebody does, please fix this. Thanks. Trekphiler 07:40, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

IMO, It should just be taken out completely, it's pretty much based on backward logic. In Drag Racing, unlike Nascar, Formula 1, IRL, and other auto racing, one can easily race their daily-driver in sportsman bracket races, making it one of the few racing organizations that involve all levels of involvement, from Child-level, to hobbyist, all the way up to professional level. The requirement to have a valid driver's liscense makes street racing unattractive to the enthusiast. If one is a IRL, Nascar or Formula 1 fan, there is no way for one to get involved with whatever vehicle they may have (unless they happen to have an IRL-class car sitting around). If one is going to race on the streets, they will do so without motivation from the existance of organized racing of any kind.

Major Problems

I have been driving super comp and super pro for 6 years now.

From beginning to end, I just don't think this whole article is very good. It doesn't seem to really have that much to do with U.S. drag racing.

The NHRA has a pretty good description of drag racing on their site. Maybe they would let you copy it.

The section on the power of various engines is just nonsense.

Nitrous Purge is stated like a part of the race. NHRA doesn't allow nitrous.

Also, maybe we could split somehow into a U.S. section and an international section. There are just too many term in this article that nobody in U.S. drag racing would be familiar with.

"most will not have cooling radiators or fans" What??? That's not correct.

"The sport has taken off so much in recent times areas with no drag racing facilities have converted urban roads into drag strips." I don't think there is a single case of this in the United States

Do you really need blow, blower, and blown as three unique terms in the glossary.

I would be happy to contribute and make some corrections, but I don't want to jump into someone else's project. Let me know?

Jcurtis3 15:28, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm generally agreed. It sounds like it's written by a teen in Sweden or someplace. I've been a casual drag racing fan & hot rod buff for years, but I don't know enough to fix many of the problems; I'm doing what I can. That glossary is mainly mine, & I presumed a reader with total ignorance. If you can help, Jcurtis, jump in! It's not "someone else's project", it's for everybody. Welcome! Trekphiler 07:17, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

I think one of the issues is that Drag Racing encompasses far more than, say, NASCAR or Formula 1. Having a page called Drag Racing is akin to having a page called Circuit Racing - which is fine - but then there needs to be further breakdowns such as:

• Drag Strips
• Sanctioning Bodies
• Classes (Professional vs Sportsman)

• International Differences (e.g. sanctioning bodies, classes, etc)
• Championships / Series

This list could go on for a while but I am no Information Architect. Some sub-pages do exist - e.g. for Jet Dragster and Top Fuel and these should all be reorganised under a greater organised scheme. Otherwise there will be more lost opportunities to accurately show Drag Racing for what it is, from the Mom who races her Station Wagon to the team owner with multiple cars. It also needs to be careful not to express a bias in any particular direction - the NHRA in the USA, the FIA series in Europe, ANDRA in Australia etc.

213.143.17.58 (talk) 13:01, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

The Race

A sentence in this section claims "The ideal time to shift is at the peak power point." Any one care to comment on this, or even better provide a citation? 190.124.23.21 18:12, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Performance facts

I'd love to see some 0-60 times. —Steve Summit (talk) 18:34, 3 November 2007 (UTC)

I don't believe they have a way to measure that- I've never seen such times given with drag racing results. Automotive magazines test that of course but they're not generally testing drag cars. Friday (talk) 18:53, 3 November 2007 (UTC)

Well, I'd say it's time for some enterprising Wikipedian to do some Original Research, then! 0-60 is just one data point; what we clearly need are some graphs of typical velocity and acceleration as a function of distance (or of course distance versus time, from which the other two could be derived), for both the eighth mile and quarter mile, for various classes of dragsters. Anybody game? —Steve Summit (talk) 19:05, 3 November 2007 (UTC)

Could be that's a request for 60' times, which are on the NHRA timeslips. (IHRA, too, I'd guess.) TREKphiler ^{hit me ♠} 12:14, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Cooling

How does a dragster's engine keep cool if there's no radiator? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.101.104.50 (talk) 23:49, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

Cars are towed to the starting line (actually the area behind the starting line) started, do a burnout, than finish the race in less than 5 sec. The whole process takes less than 60 sec. Then they are towed back to the pit area. No need for cooling or a radiator. In fact engines are machined from a solid aluminum billet with no areas machined for cooling. This not only makes them stronger but reduces cleanup after some major engine failures when internal parts become external. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.245.69.235 (talk) 09:52, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Merger Abu Dhabi Drag Race

• Disagree - The merger between this article Drag racing and Abu Dhabi Drag Race is not appropriate for this article. -Signaleer (talk) 21:15, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Factcheck

Lifted this from here, but can't source it. Anybody?

"Variants of the Chrysler Hemi are still used today by Top Fuel and are now producing over 8000 horsepower (6 MW)."

It looks right, & I know aluminum hemis are still in common use. TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 20:18, 18 February 2010 (UTC)

1000 ft tracks

Haven't the tracks been shortened to 1000 ft? What's this 1/4 mile stuff? I thought that was all changed long ago. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.122.62.231 (talk) 01:13, 22 February 2010 (UTC)

Only Top Fuel and Fuel Funny Car classes in NHRA run a 1000-foot pass. All other classes still run the full quarter mile. --Alan (talk) 05:05, 22 February 2010 (UTC)

Ah! very good sir. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.122.62.231 (talk) 13:08, 22 February 2010 (UTC)

I'm watching NHRA qualifying right now, June 5, 2010 at Joliet, IL and it looks like they're running all classes including Pro Stock (doorslammers) and bikes at 1,000 feet. Is 1,000 feet new for 2010? I'm hoping the fans demand a return to 1/4 mile! 66.232.94.33 (talk) 04:59, 6 June 2010 (UTC)

Merge proposal - Outlaw 632

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section. A summary of the conclusions reached follows.

The result was No consensus.

---

Seem sensible to centralise minor articles on different forms of drag racing here, at least until the section develops. --Haruth (talk) 08:17, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

Yeh, it's pretty stubby, doesn't even mention which sanctioning body. Merge it in. TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 17:07, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

• Concur - the section needs references to support it first, though. --Alan (talk) 18:19, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

I've never heard of this category and I've been reporting on drag racing since 1972. There are outlaw classes, and some of the cars use 632 cubic inch motors, but this is by no means a widely known category of racing. Bill Pratt, draglist.com 72.83.255.56 (talk) 02:30, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

If nothing more is put into this thread in 72 hours, I plan to close it, with a result of No consensus. --Alan the Roving Ambassador (talk) 02:40, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Fastest Accelerating?

rocket sleds? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_sled —Preceding unsigned comment added by TheGARBAGEmanCAN (talk • contribs) 04:04, 17 September 2010 (UTC)

What part of that qualifies as drag racing...? TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 14:05, 17 September 2010 (UTC)

Besides, last I knew, rocket sleds were no longer manned. In fact, from what I've been able to glean from a really fast 'Net search, they're only still in use in one place: Great Britain, at the Martin-Baker company when they're testing new ejection seat designs. And they use mannequins. At any rate, I changed the wording to "fastest accelerating manned vehicles" to avoid potential issues about this. --Alan the Roving Ambassador (talk) 15:44, 17 September 2010 (UTC)

Trivia

Just noticed that Google Earth caught a drag racing event in progress at Odi Raceway/Airfield in South Africa. 25°32'59.34"S 27°56'49.67"E --NJR_ZA (talk) 15:23, 31 October 2010 (UTC) The Strip at Las Vegas Motorspeedway too!75.45.97.159 (talk) 06:10, 24 March 2011 (UTC)

Import Drag Racing

There is the IDRC (Import Drag Racing Circuit) that holds events around the country that is becoming popular, why is this not on the list of Drag circuits?

www.importdrag.com —Preceding unsigned comment added by 139.102.16.186 (talk) 21:42, 4 December 2010 (UTC)

More Clean Up

Suggest removing classes and other rulebook quotes- they do not define drag racing. Entire entry needs to be trimmed and rewritten to not look like a car magazine article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Faris oxide (talk • contribs) 11:33, 7 April 2011 (UTC)

Disagree on classes. This is an important aspect of the sport, & leaving it out is incomplete at best. Some of the detail might go, but all of it? No. TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 12:21, 7 April 2011 (UTC)

Four-wide racing

There's only one major race event in the United States that runs four-wide, and that's the NHRA VisitMyrtleBeach.com Four-Wide Nationals at Zmax Dragway in Concord. There may still be some local-level snowmobile races scattered around, but those would be hard to track down or verify since they'd only get coverage in local newspapers (if even there). Four-wide racing might be worth a line or two of mention in the main article, but since it's so limited in scope, maybe it would fit better in either the NHRA article, or just in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season article (where it gets a good description now). --Alan the Roving Ambassador (talk) 13:27, 8 April 2011 (UTC)

It wasn't unheard of in the early days, but since it's gotten organized & there've been actual rules, no. Worth mention, yes, but I really doubt it's common enough to put in the lead. TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 21:21, 8 April 2011 (UTC)

Classes

Classes should be removed as they do not add to the definition drag racing any more than any sports rule book adds to the definition of the sport (example: a ground-rule double does not in any way define baseball). — Preceding unsigned comment added by Faris oxide (talk • contribs) 01:37, 10 April 2011 (UTC)

Since the page is supposed to be something like comprehensive coverage of the subject & not just the very bare essentials, I'd disagree. Would you omit the divisions or leagues in an article on baseball? I doubt it. That's the equivalent. TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 01:45, 10 April 2011 (UTC)

In the right lane...

While Daniyal Fateh, Ali Haider (evidently a different one...), Shahryar Mirza, Zohaib Ahmed, Hassan Jutt, & Ch Hashem may not strictly need to be named on this page, if they're really significant in North Asian drag racing circles, they deserve their own pages. TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 18:21, 12 September 2011 (UTC)

World records

Why does this article have no mention of the world record times, except for the electric record? David W. Hogg (talk) 21:05, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

If you've got a reliable source with the current record(s), feel free to add 'em. TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 21:13, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

Basic question from a casual spectator...

I don't know that this question should necessarily be addressed by this entry, though I think it probably should be. In any case, I've been wondering about it for decades now: just what the heck does it mean when the Such-and-Such Raceway stages its "nationals"? Actually, it seems that darned near every drag race I've ever watched on TV, large or small, is termed "nationals". Well, national WHAT? And "nationals" as opposed to WHAT? That is, I never see any drag race series called "locals", so what's the deal with all this "nationals" stuff? I've even heard one trophy described as being for the "U.S. Nationals" competition--isn't that seriously redundant? And why oh why is it plural (i.e., nationals, rather than national) ? Again, you don't have to adjust the article to account for this--I'd just be happy if one of you dragster buffs would satisfy this long-held curiosity of mine!

Oh, and one comment: above it's cited that drag racing is the #2 spectator sport in the country. I too have often heard that NASCAR is #1--alas, from my perspective!--but if drag racing was indeed truly #2, wouldn't ESPN have a LOT more coverage in high-visibility timeslots, instead of only featuring it on ESPN2, and only off-hours during weekends, or sometimes during the week, but only during the overnight?

Thanks in advance for any answering data regarding both subjects! [signed] FLORIDA BRYAN

♠The Nats are just an event name, the NHRA marker for an event they're running (IDK if IHRA does this, too), rather than an event run by the local track owner or a local/regional organizer, or an exhibition. It means national names are coming, & the points chase is in play.

♠Spectator counts are a bit suspect, so I'm not sure I'd give it much credence. Also, what gets on ESPN is about ratings, not number of spectators; if it was, shooting sports would trump the likes of golf, since there are more competitors for them than spectators for golf (among numerous others). Golf, however, has great demographics, & advertisers love it...& that gets, & keeps, keeps it on. TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 05:22, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

Christmas tree

The description given for a christmas tree in the article seems to be for a pretty rare light set. The only kind i've ever seen and the kind that'll show up in the majority when you do a google search is the kind that has two sets of two small lights for pre stage / stage. As seen here: http://evostreetracers.org/christmas_tree.jpg
Could this be incorporated into the article? Dwerg85 (talk) 17:49, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Agreed (& I should have changed it long ago :( ). I've never seen the blue light tree anywhere, & your linked one is nearer the one in the lead photo (& much more typical AFAIK). If you've got a good, clear shot of the tree (& no copyvio ;p), add it in. TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 18:24, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Well i'm the photographer for our local track, so I'll take one next time I'm there and release it so there's not copyright issues. --Dwerg85 (talk) 21:58, 11 May 2014 (UTC)

Added the image to the christmas tree standalone page. Feel free to add it to this one if you wish. --Dwerg85 (talk) 23:55, 3 July 2014 (UTC)

But whence the word "drag"?

Seriously, isn't that the simplest question here? And it is not answered. Huw Powell (talk) 06:33, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

• http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/drag-race.html or http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=drag might have a hint. Dennis Brown | 2¢ | WER 15:31, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

Breakout

I reverted this edit, which removed a bunch of breakout content from the article (but missed some, which could make the article confusing). I don't see a problem with including breakout rules in this article, but maybe it could be done in a better way - maybe in a separate section? --Fru1tbat (talk) 13:31, 12 October 2015 (UTC)

The section could be better organized, but a separate one for breakout exceptions seems a bit off. What might be useful is subheaders for class descriptions, since breakout doesn't apply in all of them. That gets away from the basics, tho... TREKphiler ^{any time you're ready, Uhura} 17:46, 12 October 2015 (UTC)

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1000 feet and speed et record

Neither is the record and 100 foot record and 1/4 mile record are 2 different things.

Everyone seems to havbe forgotten that fuel prices contributed to the 1000 ft idea also.

Also no one does 1000ft except top fuel in nhra. 67.246.120.54 (talk) 02:41, 8 December 2021 (UTC)

turbos

turbos are banmed from promod?? lay off the meth.(don't mean methanol either) 67.246.120.54 (talk) 02:43, 8 December 2021 (UTC)

US 30 Dragstrip Location

US 30 dragstrip was not located in Gary, Indiana. Technically it was in unincorporated Lake County, but it was closest to Merrillville, Indiana. I suggest changing the reference to "near Merrillville, Indiana". --Westwind273 (talk) 04:55, 29 August 2022 (UTC)