What are some of the common courtesies and unspoken rules at dragstrips that some people(like me) don't know about?

For instance, in a close race who should pull off of the track first after finishing? Is it the guy in the inside/outside lane, the guy who won/lost? Is there even a rule/courtesy?

Isn't it a general courtesy to not set the 2nd staging lights until your opponent has set his/her 1st set of lights? Or am I just letting the voices in my head tell me what to do again?

Englighten me please,

Mook

 

dont drive through the water box without slicks, the guy in the lane closest to turns offs go first cuz hes closer to the turnoffs

 

At the tracks I've raced at (2) ... Most people abide
by the "don't stage until your opponent pre-stages"
but some people don't. It's bad for your truck to sit there
all cranked up anyhow, and then the guy that waits
gets the shortest time to the launch.

On the exit thing, it is "the rule" according to my track
that the lane closest to the exit goes first. This means
that if the exit is on the right side, the car in the left lane
won't cut the right lane cara off.

Common sense, really ... But when I started I didn't know
anything. There's a WEB site that has all this info, if I can
find the link ....

Cliff

 

Courtesy whats that??

Well here are some of them

you should wait to turn on the 2nd light untill uour opponent has turned on the first light.

Some people take so long to stage, that drives me nuts. You have to remember there are tons of cars wanting to race, so if lots of people are slow staging, it can take forever to make a run.

The person who is in the inside(side of track turn off) has the right of way. The other person should slow down and let them turn off first. This is true even if the outside person wins the race by a ton. They should slow down and let the inside person pass them and then turn in behind them.

 

As for who turns off first, it is ALWAYS the person closest to the turn off road.. ALWAYS!!!

Come to a complete stop if you have to (I have). Wave/point to let them know THEY are to pull off first. The timeslip monkey may bitch at you but when you counter with the following example, they usually ****.

You may have beaten them but if their brakes fail and you've begun to cross their lane... Not me chief.

Your voices are correct. Common courtesy dictates not completely stage until your opponant pre-stages. If they do stage completely and it is a money/points race, you can have the starter MAKE them back up thereby throwing off their concentration. But thats another topic.

Bob

 

It's a general unwritten rule of safety and courtesy that the person with the lane in the dirtection of the turn off, gets to make the turn off first. In other words, if your turn off is to the left, the guy in the left lane should go first. The reason for this is basically so that if the guy on the inside lane can't stop for some reason, the person turning across his lane to the turn off won't get rammed. Many people don't know this, and I often find myself letting people go, and they have no clue what I'm doing. But it's a good habit to get into.

As for staging, that's strictly courtesy. You don't have wait for the other guy to light his prestage lights, but it really is the right thing to do. I'll tell you this- if you start double bulbing people (the slang term for putting both sets of yours on before the other guy lights his first set), people will catch onto that fast, and you will get a reputation for being a dirty player. Then people will start playing staging games with you, and if you start racing against verterans, they can make you lose the race before the light even goes green .

 

Here's a few ...

http://www.geocities.com/rlapkoff/dragfaq.htm#crossed

http://www.dragracingreview.com/Features/feat0310b.htm

 

Thanks guys. Great replies. I "thought" the guy in the lane closest to the turn off went first but I wasn't sure about what to do when you win by 8 bus lengths . Anything else you guys can come up with?

Thanks for the links SVT_KY

Mook

 

Just slow down if they don't know the rules, or wave them by
you. Much safer that way ... Just don't stop ... Sal's right, there
would be a GANG coming after you.

 

one other thing...

if you have more than one turn off, use the one furthest from the finish line.

Standing on the brakes to make them happy, screw that.

 

I always gave the right of way to the guy closest to the turning lanes................ This is a nice post.........

PEaCE..........

 

Here's a few more...

Always be polite to the tech inspectors, their job is to make sure your car is safe, so don't argue.

Don't use your AC in the staging lanes or starting line (dripping water).

And if you happen to find yourself standing at the starting line, NEVER, EVER put your foot where the tire goes. In faster cars, we don't want the oil/grease/crap from the sole of your shoe polluting the groove.

 

You now I have to say, in my case, if I win by a ton the other car has turned off before I'm even done slowing down. Pretty funny.

 

SAFETY FIRST!

If you miss the first(or second--my track has three) turnoff, NEVER turn around on the track to go back to the turnoff. Don't laugh, I've seen it happen.

Don't look back at the guy you're ahead of. You will pull towards the direction you are looking in. A guy did this at Jackson, South Carolina last year and was killed as his Mustang veered off and rolled. If you have to see him, just glance at your mirror(s).

Don't do a burnout while there is still a vehicle in front of you at the 'tree'. Wait until he has launched.

Pull your seatbelt TIGHT across your lap. Make sure your floor mat is 'hooked' to the floor or, better yet, remove it so it doesn't get tangled up with your feet or the pedals.

If you start to loose the rear end, don't slam on the brakes, just come off the throttle and it should straighten on its own.

Dan

 

Do NOT park your vehicle in the staging lanes and abandon it!!! At least don't go too far. Especially when the track is crowded. This screws up the people behind.