First time going to the track. Any advice?

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doopdoop67

doopdoop67

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I am finally going to take my dart to the track for the first time (if governor newsom doesn’t shut the county down) Do you guys have any advice for me? It’s my first time ever taking a car down the track. It’s a 1967 dart with a 360 with flat tops and an edlebrock rpm heads and cam. 727 with a full manual valve body and an 8 3/4 with a mechanical locker. Running a 245/60r15 street tire so I really am not sure what it’s going to run. I guess I’m hoping to see a 13.70??? Maybe I’m out of my mind we’ll see what happens.
 
Have fun, don't worry about looking like a fool, don't crash, don't dump fluids on the ground!
 
Go watch a few cars run so you get a visual that day of how things go and whereabouts of where you will trigger the beams. Definitely put the effort in to make sure hoses and such are tight. Make sure you have your gear (helmet, etc.) in the car and definitely throw a Fire extinguisher in the car.

Try to relax and have a good time. Any pressure put on your is from yourself. It sure looks easy enough and like anything else if you do it some there will be "your" routine and away you go. If the car doesn't perform like you want so what.... Go get comfortable making laps...

Enjoy,
JW
 
Don't do your burnouts in low gear.. just in case you didn't know. It's real hard on the trans.
 
SLOPAR72 said:
Go watch a few cars run so you get a visual that day of how things go and whereabouts of where you will trigger the beams. Definitely put the effort in to make sure hoses and such are tight. Make sure you have your gear (helmet, etc.) in the car and definitely throw a Fire extinguisher in the car.

Try to relax and have a good time. Any pressure put on your is from yourself. It sure looks easy enough and like anything else if you do it some there will be "your" routine and away you go. If the car doesn't perform like you want so what.... Go get comfortable making laps...

Enjoy,
JW
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I am going to give the car a safety check this weekend and make sure everything is good to go. I keep a fire extinguisher in my car at all times
 
doopdoop67 said:
I don’t have it on currently but it’s on my list before I go to the track.
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I made this video about passing tech at the drag strip. It may help you. I'm thinking you are going faster than 13.7's..... Good Luck :)

 
Maybe a trans guru will explain it better than I. But yes start the burnout in 2nd , get tires spinning and go to 3rd. You can blow out the sprag gear in the trans and that's no good. Lol.
 
The most common thing I see with new Mopar drag.cars is the transmission fluid coming out of the vent inside the bell housing when up in the rpms during the burn out and during the pass.make sure fluid level is not to high and dust cover is sealed up.maybe do a trial burnout and check it.
 
I'll pass on what I did, with the caveat that I am the least knowledgeable drag race person on the forum. I went down last year to get a baseline on my car. I bought it and spend a while getting it from questionable to truly road worthy. When I got there I had to ask directions and procedure from everyone. The cashier pointed me to tech, and thanks to the video from @318willrun I was good to go. I proceeded to the gate leading to the start lines. When I got to the guy directing traffic I told him this was my first trip and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. He was quite helpful letting me know the procedure.

And then I proceeded to get my *** kicked all night long, which I expected. A 66 Valiant, stock slant six, three-on-the-tree, original survivor from the factory isn't going to scare anyone. I made 8-10 passes and was getting the hang of it when I quit. It's a mighty 20 second car. As mentioned above, a first trip isn't about setting the world on fire. It's about learning the ropes, getting some practice in, and seeing what happens.

Good Luck!
 
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Let some air out those back tires, hardest part is the launch. I like to take off on the second to last light that way my mind is a little quick lol
 
Just wait till the 3rd or 4th past to try and set the world on fire. your first couple passes just relax and drive down the track...
 
Ask somebody who knows, which side of the track the turnoffs are, and how many. At my local track we have at least ten cars a night on test-n-tune night, doing u-turns on the track because they think they passed the return road. They apparently dont know there is another one, even though lots of fast cars dont use the first one. (Doing a u-turn on the track is a HUGE no-no!)
Also ,if you are gonna do a water burnout, pay attention to the track personnel! They will tell you when to go. Do NOT start your burnout with a car in front of you!
The rookies i see that crash their cars all do the same thing wrong. They'll leave the starting line spinning the crap out of their street tires till they get out of shape, correct for the sideways motion, take their foot out of the gas, and then the tires hook up and they drive straight into the wall. Dont be that guy. If you spin hard off the starting line , pedal immediately, and then get back in gradually, the pass is ruined anyway, and means nothing. Dont ruin the car.
Observe. Watch what the fast guys do, cause they know what they are doing. Try to do what they do. They will show you how to stage, etc.
Almost forgot: the lane on the return road side has the right-of-way to the exit. Unless you are way ahead or way behind, yield to the racer on the return road side.
 
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1st pass 1/2 throttle , you want to get a feel for the track before a full pass.
It might take a few before your ready for a full out run.
 
I assume you are going to Sears Point?......really long shutdown plus it goes up hill
 
When you pre-stage (1st lite ) take a breath to calm yourself. If you are first in, let other car prestage. Then final stage and be ready. With street tire you will probably spin so don't overpower them. Have fun. Also if you have deep grooves on rear tires, drive around the water box. The grooves will carry water to start line and ruin traction.
 
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