Racing the stripe if you have the lead

Hit the tree and run the dial, heck with fender racing.
I guess I'm not as good at you guys at going down the track and feeling if my car is running .01 faster than my dial. I see no point in being ahead, staying in the throttle, taking the stripe and losing if I can prevent it. So, back to the original question, for those of you who do know how to race the stripe when necessary, how do you do it?