Results for drag strip
On this page:
 
Dictionary:

drag strip


n.

A short, straight course or track for drag racing.


 
 
Wikipedia: dragstrip
Enlarge
Looking down a drag strip. Note the Christmas tree on the left
Enlarge
Looking down a drag strip. Note the Christmas tree on the left
Drag racing vehicles ready to race
Enlarge
Drag racing vehicles ready to race
Snowmobile vs. Motorcycle
Enlarge
Snowmobile vs. Motorcycle

A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing. Although a quarter mile (402 meters, 440 yards, or 1,320 feet) is the best known measure for a drag track, many tracks are eighth mile tracks. The race is generally begun with a standing start which allows three factors to affect the outcome of the race: reaction time, power and traction.

Features

A dragstrip is a straight, purpose-built racetrack, typically an eighth or a quarter mile long, with an additional shutdown area to allow vehicles time to stop after crossing the finish line. Common features also include a water box, where vehicles and motorcycles can do burn-outs to heat up their tires to improve traction. There is a set of lights known as a Christmas tree that counts down to launch time. There are one or two return lanes for the vehicles to return from the end of the track to the pit area.

Equipment requirements

Almost all sanctioned drag strips have strict rules for fast cars. Special racing safety equipment such as 10 (or more) point roll cages, windows nets, engine and transmission shielding, and protective clothing usually become mandatory for cars below 11 or 10 seconds. NHRA also requires roll cages and window nets for cars that finish a quarter mile at over 135 mph.

Dragstrip locations

See also Category:Drag racing venues

Australia

Bahrain

Belgium

Canada

Germany

  • Jerry Lackey Raceway

Japan

New Zealand

South Africa

Sweden

United Kingdom

England

Scotland

  • Crail Raceway

United States

Typical quarter mile times

1 dragstrip =
SI units
402.336 m 0.402336 km
US customary / Imperial units
1320 ft 0.25 mi

Acceleration times differ even between identical vehicles due to widely varying testing methodologies - driver/rider differences, payload, track surface conditions, weather/air temperature and launching technique.

Production vehicles

The Hurst SC/Rambler, probably the only production model made and promoted for a specific drag racing class, the NHRA F/Stock class.
Enlarge
The Hurst SC/Rambler, probably the only production model made and promoted for a specific drag racing class, the NHRA F/Stock class.
Vehicle Quarter Mile Notes
2006 Kawasaki ZX-14 Motorcycle 9.65 sec. @ 153 mph Motorcycle USA
2006 Bugatti Veyron 10.2 sec. @ 141 mph Road & Track
1984 Kawasaki ZX900R Ninja Motorcycle 10.5 sec. @ 134 mph Answers
2007 Honda CBR600RR Motorcycle 10.6 sec. @ 133 mph Motorcycle USA
2004 Porsche Carrera GT 11.3 sec. @ 131 mph Road & Track
2005 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 11.5 sec. @ 126 mph Road & Track
2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10 11.6 sec. @ 126 mph Car and Driver
2005 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG 11.9 sec. @ 123 mph Car and Driver
2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 12.2 sec. @ 120 mph Road & Track
2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 12.3 sec. @ 118 mph Road & Track
2007 Mercedes-Benz CL600 12.4 sec. @ 114.8 mph Road & Track
2007 Bentley Continental GT 12.9 sec. @ 108.5 mph Road & Track
2005 Chrysler 300C SRT-8 13.2 sec. @ 109 mph Car and Driver

Custom or racing vehicles

Vehicle seconds @ mph Notes
Rocket dragster 3.2 sec. @ 390 mph (approx.)
Top Fuel Dragster 4.4 sec. @ 335 mph [1] (approx.)
Funny Car 5.6 sec. @ 330 mph [2] (approx.)
Top Alcohol 5.2 sec. @ 250 mph (approx.)
Pro Modified 6.0 sec. @ 230 mph (approx.)
Pro Stock 6.6 sec. @ 205 mph [3] (approx.)
Pro Stock Motorcycle 7.0 sec. @ 195 mph [4] (approx.)
Electric Motorcycle 8.1 sec. @ 156 mph [5]

Living Species

Object time @ mph By Notes
human being 43 seconds @ 18 Michael Johnson *400 m, not 440 yd (402 m)
Turtle 1 to 2 hours @ 0.15[6] average adult wood turtle Speed varies greatly by species.

External links

  1. ^ On-going documentary: The Era of the Oswego Dragway, http://www.OswegoDragway.com

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

Join the WikiAnswers Q&A community. Post a question or answer questions about "drag strip" at WikiAnswers.

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dragstrip".  Read more

Search for answers directly from your browser with the FREE Answers.com Toolbar!  
Click here to download now. 

Get Answers your way! Check out all our free tools and products.

On this page:   E-mail   print Print  Link  

 

Keep Reading

Mentioned In:

 |  More >More >