To win consistently you must remember that there is a lot more to drag racing than just the "quarter mile". Consider this when it gets to be time for eliminations. First of all, make sure that you can hear the tower when they call your class. When we got to a new track out of our geographic area, we walk around in the pits before unloading the car. It is very important to be able to hear information from the tower. Pit near a PA speaker that works.

When your class is called, make sure that you line up in the staging area in the proper lane. We will assume that your car is mechanically ready to go and any necessary tuning was handled in the pits. The last thing that we do before leaving our put area is to check the tire pressure. We do this as soon as the class is called to the staging area. The only item that we take with us to the staging lanes is a good tire pressure gauge and a Moroso tire sun shield. These sun shields are held onto the rear quarter panel with a magnetic strip. Since there is a good chance that you will be in the staging lanes for awhile, you don't want the sun to heat up your drag slick on the sunny side and raise the tire pressure. These tire shields are cheap.

If you are required to wear any kind of protective clothing, you may think about getting a two piece suit (pants and jacket) rather than a one piece set-up. In this way, you can leave the jacket off on a hot day, until you are ready to run. When you lane is called or when it starts to move, it is time to pull the tire shield off, put on your jacket and helmet, and strap in the seat. DO NOT RUSH. It is better to take your and make sure that everything is done right. Just because some guy in charge of the front of the staging lanes is jumping up and down, don't let him rush you when it comes to putting on your safety equipment. It's not his ass that's on the line.

Now is the time for any butterflies that may develop to come to the surface. You are about to perform in front of a tough audience; your 5.0 Mustang peers. So take a few deep breaths and relax. By this time you will probably be at the back of the ware box or burn out area. There will probably be one pair of Mustangs running down the track, one pair of Mustangs in the water box, and you and your competition waiting your turn.

As you are waiting to do your burn out, take a last check of your oil pressure and water temp gauges. If you engine is cold, wait until it is warm enough to run hard. Don't let anyone rush you at this point. Take your time. It is easy to make a mistake when you feel pressured to rush through these preliminary procedures.

Relax and take your time. Or, take your time and relax. Remember, they can't hold the race between you and your competition until you are read to stage, right? So now that you are ready to move into the ware box, you are relaxed and ready to go. You are totally focused on what you have to do. Everything in your mind is removed except the concentration for this round. It is too late to worry about the car anyway. At this point, it is totally up to you. Why worry about the other guy? He races his side of the tree, and you race your side.

When told by the starter to commence your burn out, do it. Don't try to psych the other guy out by delaying the burn out. Usually, thinking about the other guy at all just breaks your concentration. After the burn out, move to the line at your own speed, which for me is "slow motion". Don't let the starter rush you into the staging lights. Make the staging lights "come to you". I like to stage first, at least for the pre-stage lights. I don't know if staging first or last makes any difference, but what ever you do, do it the same every time, if possible.

When you creep forward to light the final stage light, you had better be ready to go. If you are using a manual trans, the clutch is in and the revs are up. If you have an automatic, the brakes are on and you are on the converter. If you are concerned about building up to much heat in your converter, maybe you should make a habit of staging last. Of course, if your opponent knows this, he may try to rattle you by not lighting the final stage light. In any case, you are focusing only on the tree in your lane.

If during the burn out or staging process, there is a problem on the track that requires the starter to "hold everything up", I would recommend backing up either behind the burn out box, or so that the rear tires are in the ware box. When the starter gives you the "all clear" signal, you can go through your entire burn out and staging process in your normal sequence. This will ensure a familiarity that will enhance your relaxation.

Drag racing is really a simple sport. In no other sport that I am aware of, do half of the participants go home after the first round. Drag racing is, however, made up of multiple segments of events. There is the preparation process at home before the race, the loading up of tools and spare parts and transportation to the race, going through tech, qualifying, getting ready for eliminations, ect. We have discussed only going from the pits to the starting line in this article, and as you can see, there is more to getting to the starting line than you may have thought.

Think about each segment separately and try to improve each segment. The consistent winners realize that there is a lot more to drag racing than the 1320 feet between the start and finish line.