Drag Racing Glossary

Drag racing has its own language, and a lot of it makes no sense until someone explains it. This glossary covers the terms you'll hear most around a drag strip, from the staging lanes to the top end, plus a few that come up in The Drag Car Racer. Where a topic has its own article, the entry links to it.

A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · L · M · N · P · R · S · T · W

A

Amber lights

The three large yellow-orange bulbs on the Christmas tree that come before the green. On a Sportsman tree they light one after another; on a Pro tree all three flash at once. See How the Christmas Tree Works.

Auto-start

A system that starts the tree automatically once both cars are staged, and disqualifies a driver who takes too long to stage.

B

Bleach box

An old name for the water box, from the days when racers used bleach to help their tires spin during the burnout.

Bog

When the engine drops too low in its rev range, usually at the launch or after an early shift, and the car hesitates before pulling.

Bracket racing

A handicapped form of racing where each driver picks a dial-in and the slower car gets a head start. See Bracket Racing and Dial-Ins.

Breakout

Running quicker than your dial-in in bracket racing. It usually loses the round.

Burnout

Spinning the rear tires before the run to heat and clean them for better grip. See Burnouts and Traction.

C

Center line

The line separating the two lanes. Crossing it is a foul, and in most rules it's even worse than a red light.

Christmas tree

The tower of lights between the lanes that starts each race. Usually just called the tree.

Courtesy staging

The unwritten rule that you don't fully stage until the other car has pre-staged.

Cutting a light

Getting a very quick reaction time. "He cut a .010 light."

D

Deep staging

Rolling further into the stage beam after the stage bulb lights, usually until the pre-stage bulb goes out. Improves reaction time but costs a bit of ET.

Delay box

An electronic device, allowed in some bracket classes, that holds the car's launch for a preset time after the driver releases the button.

Density altitude

A single number describing air conditions. Higher density altitude means thinner air and less engine power.

Dial-in

The ET a bracket racer predicts they'll run. It sets the handicap start.

Double breakout

When both racers run under their dial-ins. The one who broke out by less wins.

E

Eighth mile

660 feet. Some tracks race only this far, and quarter-mile slips report the time and speed at this mark.

Elapsed time (ET)

How long the car takes from leaving the starting line to crossing the finish. It doesn't include reaction time.

Eliminator

A class of competition, run as a single-elimination ladder. Lose once and you're out.

F

Foul

Any rule violation that loses the round, like a red light, crossing the center line, or not staging in time.

Full tree

Another name for the Sportsman tree, where the ambers count down one at a time.

G

Guard beam

A beam just past the stage beam that fouls a car that rolls too far forward while staging.

Green light

The signal to go. Your reaction time is measured from it.

H

Heads-up

Racing with no handicap. Both cars get the green at the same time and the first to the stripe wins. This is how races work in The Drag Car Racer.

Holeshot

Winning a race with a slower ET thanks to a quicker reaction time.

Hook

When the tires grip well at the launch. "It hooked hard."

I

Index

A fixed target ET for a class, used instead of a driver-chosen dial-in.

L

Launch

The first moment of the run, when the car leaves the starting line.

Lb/hp

Pounds per horsepower, the power-to-weight ratio used to class cars. See Power-to-Weight and Your ET.

M

MPH

Usually means trap speed, the car's speed at the finish line.

N

NHRA

The National Hot Rod Association, the largest drag racing sanctioning body in the United States.

P

Package

In bracket racing, reaction time plus how far over the dial-in a driver ran. The lower package wins.

Peak power

The RPM where the engine makes its most horsepower. The best shift point is usually a little past it. See Shift Points.

Perfect light

A reaction time of .000, leaving at the exact instant of green.

Pre-stage

The first staging position, about seven inches behind the line. It lights the top bulb on the tree.

Pro tree

A tree where all three ambers flash at once and the green follows after a fixed gap, usually 0.4 seconds. The Drag Car Racer uses a Pro tree.

R

Reaction time (R/T)

Time from the green light to the car leaving the stage beam. See Reaction Time Explained.

Red light

Leaving before the green. It's a foul and usually an automatic loss.

Rev limiter

A device that cuts power at a set RPM to protect the engine. Sitting on it wastes time.

Rollout

The distance the tire travels between first moving and clearing the stage beam.

S

Shallow staging

Stopping the instant the stage bulb lights. Gives the longest rollout and a slightly better ET.

Shift light

A bright light on the dash that tells the driver when to shift.

Short-shifting

Shifting before the ideal shift point, which drops the engine below its power band.

Sixty-foot time

Time to cover the first 60 feet. The best measure of the launch.

Slicks

Treadless racing tires made of soft rubber for maximum grip on a dry, prepared track.

Sportsman tree

A tree where the ambers light one at a time, half a second apart, then green.

Stage

The final starting position, right at the line. It lights the second bulb on the tree.

Stripe

The finish line.

T

Taking the stripe

In bracket racing, easing off near the finish to win without breaking out.

Time slip

The printout of your run's numbers. See How to Read a Time Slip.

Tire shake

A violent vibration when the tires repeatedly grip and slip right after the launch.

Top end

The far end of the track, and the last part of the run.

Track prep

Cleaning the track surface and spraying traction compound on the launch area.

Trap speed

The car's speed at the finish line, averaged over a short timed section just before it.

W

Water box

The shallow puddle behind the starting line where drivers wet their tires before a burnout.

Wheelie bars

Small wheels sticking out the back of a race car that stop the front end from lifting too high at the launch.

Wheelspin

When the drive tires lose grip and spin faster than the car is moving.

Win light

A light at the finish line, or a mark on the time slip, showing which lane won.