On the starting line are two beams: the pre-stage and stage beams. Each is placed about 6 inches apart from each other, and both are vitally important when it comes to starting-line procedure and recording your elapsed time.
"Typically, when we see a car that has a nitrous kit on it, we like to see the bottle outside of the passenger compartment," Romano says. Make sure the nitrous bottle is bolted down using NHRA-approved, manufactured hold-downs. We seriously frown on homemade bottle brackets and zip ties keeping the nitrous bottle in place."
Another item you will probably need is a driveshaft, or safety, loop, which is a simple metal device that is bolted or welded to the underside of a car to keep the driveshaft from falling to the ground in the event it or the U-joint breaks. The safety loop is required on cars running slicks and going quicker than 13.99 seconds, or on cars that go 11.49 seconds or quicker.
In most cases, you will be assigned a staging lane according to category. When you are ready to race, cruise into your assigned staging lane. We say cruise because there are certain things that are a big no-no in the pit area, such as excessive speeding, and doing burnouts or practice launches. Such things put serious frowns on the faces of track officials, and could cause them to end your night prematurely.
Once in the lanes, it is a good idea to stay with your car as your lane might be pulled quickly. When your lane starts to move, put on your gear and strap in. Make sure your helmet is tight, your seatbelt is on, and your window is rolled up. Go with the flow until you are next to go into the burnout box. Pay close attention to the track official, as he will signal you when to proceed to the burnout. When he gives you the go ahead, roll forward. If you do not want to do a burnout using water, then drive around the burnout box. If you do want water, then slowly roll through the box and stop when the official tells you to do so. We recommend that you position the mirrors of the car so you can see the rear tires. Whatever you do, do not open the door, lean out, and look backwards at the tires as you do a burnout. It is unsafe, to say the least.
Most every track in the United States and abroad is of the same layout, though distance may vary from eighth-mile to quarter-mile. In the center of the track you have the Christmas Tree and centerline, complete with Styrofoam timing blocks. The centerline separates the right and left lanes, and on the edge of each lane is a retaining wall.
A burnout is used to clean off and heat the rear tires for maximum traction on the starting line. While not as difficult as staging the car, the burnout can be a difficult part of the run as well. One of the decisions you have to make is whether or not you need to use water to do your burnout. The easiest way to know this is by looking at the type of tires you are running. If they are drag radials, slicks, or a tire composition that is made to maximize traction on the starting line, then using water to do a burnout is recommended. Trying to spin the rear slicks on dry pavement is possible, but difficult. If you are running regular street tires, it's probably best to drive around the water, as in most cases it's not needed. Also, water will stay within the treads themselves, and you will track it all the way to the starting line, where it will hurt you hooking up the rear tires. By the way, John Force-style burnouts are generally not needed. Most slicks, drag radials, and street tires need only a small burnout to clean them off and sticky them up. If you overdo the burnout, though, you will burn off more rubber than you need to, and you will draw the oil in the rubber to the surface, which will make the tires greasy. All that smoke may look good, but practicality will keep you and your wallet happy.
When the burnout is complete, slowly roll up to the starting line, as it is time to stage-the most difficult part of a run for any new driver.
On the starting line are two infra-red beams: the pre-stage and stage beams. The pre-stage and stage beams are what signal to you and the starter that you are ready to race. They are each spaced about 6 inches apart. The stage beam starts the elapsed timer on the run, and is located after the pre-stage beam. To properly stage, roll forward slowly into what is known as the pre-stage beam. When you break this beam, a set of bulbs will illuminate on the top of the Christmas Tree, indicating you are almost ready. Then, gently roll forward until you see the stage bulbs light up. These bulbs are located directly underneath the pre-stage bulbs on the Tree. If this is a bit heavy for you, then it might be a good idea to let a track official know this is your first time and you need some help. Give the official your car number and ask to have the starter help you stage. This way, when you get to the starting line, the starter will be able to wave you forward.
In this series of photos, you can see the staging procedure and how the Christmas Tree operates. In the first photo, you see both pre-stage bulbs lit on the top of the tree. This indicates that you are 6 inches away from being staged, or ready to race. In the second photo, both of the stage bulbs are lit. | 
At this point, both cars are in the proper position, and the starter will activate the countdown on the Tree. In the third photo, you see the last amber bulb on the Tree lit. On a normal street-legal night, the Tree will run on a 0.500 Full Tree setting, meaning each of the three amber bulbs will come on for 1/2 second, one after the other. |
As soon as the third amber lights, most competitive racers plant the loud pedal to achieve a good reaction time. | |