Advice for beginner wanting get into drag racing?

Taking a slower car is a great tip. Thank you. No pressure and no expectations other than learning. Thanks for all the tips guys please keep them coming.

It is the "controlled" burnout that concerns me. Only ever done them in abandoned parking lots with wide open space and lots of room. Some are good some are very bad.

Not trying to be a jerk here but how is a burnout bad. For drag racing you just power brake it for a few seconds then pull forward. And for your first time just out the car in drive, don't worry about shifting.