What do the lights in drag racing mean?

NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

What are the lights called at a drag race?

Depending on the type of racing, all three large amber lights will flash simultaneously, followed four-tenths of a second later by the green light (called a Pro Tree), or the three bulbs will flash consecutively five-tenths of a second apart, followed five-tenths later by the green light (called a Sportsman, or full, ...

What does it mean to red light during a drag race?

RED LIGHT: When the front wheel of a vehicle leaves the starting line before the green light comes on, the red light will flash in that lane to indicate that the driver in that lane has been disqualified. During competition, only one red light will flash, thus eliminating only the first offender.

What does double bulb mean in drag racing?

Essentially, when staging, you turn on the first staging bulb or your opponent does and waits until the other racer turns on their first bulb. Then both racers in turn push in to turn on their second stage bulb. The opposite of courtesy staging is generally called double bulbing.

Why do drivers do burnouts?

Burnouts can help remove unwanted debris

Performing a burnout can help to remove any foreign matter or unwanted debris that may have collected on the tires before the race, particularly if the vehicle was coming from the pits.

What is considered a perfect light in drag racing?

(. 500 is a perfect light on a sportsman tree, . 400 on a Pro tree.) What this really means is that your front tire(s) left the stage beam .

What does deep stage mean in drag racing?

Deep staging is the practice of rolling forward enough to turn off the prestage light. The thought behind this is you are closer to the finish line than your opponent.

How do you stage a car in drag racing?

To deep stage, roll the car up until you trigger the prestage and stage lights, then move forward slowly until the prestage bulbs go out. This puts more of your front tires ahead of the stage beam—and less tire that needs to go through the stage beam and trigger the ET clock.

What does et stand for in drag racing?

Car with doors. Elapsed Time (E.T.) The time it takes a vehicle to travel from the starting line to the finish line. Eliminations. When vehicles are raced two at a time, resulting in one winner and one loser.

How does the Christmas Tree work in drag racing?

Drag racing's electronic starting device, also called the Christmas Tree, use calibrated LED lights to produce a visual countdown. The Christmas Tree is the NHRA's electronic starting device that uses calibrated LED lights that produce a visual countdown for each pro driver in a pairing.

What does it mean to knock the tires off?

Knock the tires off/blow the tires off - Spinning the tires during the pass. Tree'd [someone]/Treeing [someone] - Getting off the starting line first without jumping. Rotating the Earth - Making a fast pass. Jump - Leaving before the flashlight is turned on (false start), usually resulting in an instant loss.

How do race lights work?

The stage bulbs light, indicating that the vehicle is ready to race. When both vehicles are fully staged, the starter will activate the Tree, and each racer will focus on the three large amber lights on his or her side.

What is the best RT in drag racing?

You want your RT to be at or as close to . 500 as possible. If you react faster than that, you've just red lighted. These figures give you the elapsed times at the 60 foot, 330 foot, 660 foot or eighth mile, and 1,000 foot marks.

What is staging a car?

The state of a car with no performance modifications. Stage 1. The state of a car after simple modification, which can be just a tune, or a tune with simple supporting modifications such as an aftermarket air filter or intake.

Why do drag racers bump in?

Bumping is when the transmission releases all the pressure on the reverse gear for a specified amount of time, allowing the car to "bump" forward. "Creep" is allowing the transmission to release some of the pressure for the duration of the time the driver holds the Secondary button.

What is the advantage of deep staging?

Deep staging is rolling into the beams more so you get out of them beams quicker. The advantage of this is may be to help your reaction time, but be careful, this will also slow down your ET's.

What is a good drag reaction time?

400 seconds is considered a perfect Reaction Time). Leave too soon and you "red light," or foul and are disqualified. Leave too late and you may give your opponent a head start that you can't overcome, even with a quicker and faster car.

What is a good reaction time on a pro tree?

500 reaction time is perfect. (In the same way, the four tenths delay of the Pro Tree makes a . 400 a perfect light on that one) Now, the reaction timer stops when the car leaves the starting line.

What do street racers use for burnouts?

VHT is what the drags use. If you want extra traction buy some Tracbite and put it on your tires for awhile. This will soften your tires and help out with traction. Tracbite will not clog up with rubber ***** like the VHT does on the surface.

Why do people do a burnout before a drag race?

Burnout helps warm up the tires for the race and create better traction for the tires on a specific racetrack. The skill with which the burnout is executed can determine whether the racer wins or loses. To produce an effective burnout, racers will drive their car through a light pool of water.

How hot does a tire get during a burnout?

During a burnout, a car's tires can reach over 400F depending on the length and ferocity of the burnout. These high temperatures are caused by the friction of the rubber against the road surface.