drag racing 101
Heres what I do.... roll into the water box, I usally dont come to a full stop, I just kill my momentum and stab the gas to spin the tires then roll to a dry spot in front of the water. if you try to do the burnout in the water it will take forever... also if you dont have slicks make sure you drive around the water and reverse up to the space before the water to do your burnout or dry hop...
I usally finish my burnout in 2nd... make sure to try to release the line lock or break under full power and burn away from the box... I then come to a complete stop and shift into N... this gives me a chance to clear the motor and then pull back into first. If you dont go into N and you get flustered one day you could stage while still in 2nd..
Roll slowly to the beams, if you light the pre stage while rolling to fast you could roll right into the stage by mistake. Once the pre is on get on the brake good and bring up your revs. Its better to bring the converter up just enough of clear the idle than climb right up to the converter limit. In our race truck with a 5500 stall I get up to 2500... in my Dart with a 3000 I get up to 1500... Once your rpms are set hold your right foot steady and release the brake ever so slightly until you creep into the stage light. stab the brake and concentrate on that last yellow. dont anticipate the light, wait for it to go on and giver!
I think its important to do EVERYTHING exactly the same from burnout thru the entire run. get a routine that your comfortable with and mimick it every pass. take your time, practice makes perfect! Good luck!