Diamond Jim Racing
Racing throughout the WorldDragstrip Layout
Click on the image to the left for a larger pictorial description of the drag race track.
Burnout Area: Drivers perform a burnout before making a run down the dragstrip. They begin behind the starting line by driving through the water box, then hit the throttle and move forward to clean and heat the tires.
Starting Line: Lights flash on an electronic device called the Christmas Tree to tell drivers when to go.
Interval Timers: Elapsed-time clocking devices are posted in each lane at the 60-foot, 330-foot, eighth-mile, 1,000-foot, and quarter-mile locations for reference. Only the quarter-mile elapsed time appears on the scoreboard at the end of the race.
Finish Line: The 66 feet before the finish line in each lane is where top speed is recorded. The top speed and quarter-mile elapsed time appear on the scoreboard after each driver has crossed the finish line.
Shutdown Area: Most dragstrips allow between a half- and three- quarter-mile shutdown area to allow the cars to slow after a run and exit the dragstrip. The length of the actual racing surface at an event is a quarter-mile, or 1,320 feet. The average width of each lane is 30 feet.
The Christmas Tree is positioned on the starting line between the two lanes. The left-side lights are for the driver in the left lane, and the right-side lights are for the drier in the right lane. Infrared beams at ground level read the position of the front tires in each lane and signal when the driver is in the pre-stage positions. The beams also read when the car reacts to the green "go" signal and leaves the starting line.
Ready: Pre-stage lights in each lane warn drivers that they are approaching the starting line and are almost in the staged position. Stage lights signal that the driver is on the starting line and ready to race.
Set: When both drivers' stage lights are lit, the three-amber starting system may be activated at any time. In heads-up categories, all three lights on each side of the Tree flash simultaneously, followed immediately by the green. In others, the lights count down in sequence. In handicap categories, the countdown in the slower car�s lane begins first to give that car a head start.
Go!: When the green light flashes, the driver in that lane is free to go. If a driver "jumps the gun" and leaves the starting line before the green light, the red light flashes instead and that driver is disqualified.
Burnout Area: Drivers perform a burnout before making a run down the dragstrip. They begin behind the starting line by driving through the water box, then hit the throttle and move forward to clean and heat the tires.
Starting Line: Lights flash on an electronic device called the Christmas Tree to tell drivers when to go.
Interval Timers: Elapsed-time clocking devices are posted in each lane at the 60-foot, 330-foot, eighth-mile, 1,000-foot, and quarter-mile locations for reference. Only the quarter-mile elapsed time appears on the scoreboard at the end of the race.
Finish Line: The 66 feet before the finish line in each lane is where top speed is recorded. The top speed and quarter-mile elapsed time appear on the scoreboard after each driver has crossed the finish line.
Shutdown Area: Most dragstrips allow between a half- and three- quarter-mile shutdown area to allow the cars to slow after a run and exit the dragstrip. The length of the actual racing surface at an event is a quarter-mile, or 1,320 feet. The average width of each lane is 30 feet.
The Christmas Tree is positioned on the starting line between the two lanes. The left-side lights are for the driver in the left lane, and the right-side lights are for the drier in the right lane. Infrared beams at ground level read the position of the front tires in each lane and signal when the driver is in the pre-stage positions. The beams also read when the car reacts to the green "go" signal and leaves the starting line.
Ready: Pre-stage lights in each lane warn drivers that they are approaching the starting line and are almost in the staged position. Stage lights signal that the driver is on the starting line and ready to race.
Set: When both drivers' stage lights are lit, the three-amber starting system may be activated at any time. In heads-up categories, all three lights on each side of the Tree flash simultaneously, followed immediately by the green. In others, the lights count down in sequence. In handicap categories, the countdown in the slower car�s lane begins first to give that car a head start.
Go!: When the green light flashes, the driver in that lane is free to go. If a driver "jumps the gun" and leaves the starting line before the green light, the red light flashes instead and that driver is disqualified.
