As I brainstormed this month’s tech article, I pondered what our readers might find intriguing or beneficial. One idea that stood out was offering some insights into the world of drag racing, particularly for beginners. Having been through the nerve-wracking experience of learning to race myself, I understand the apprehension and fear that can come with stepping onto the track for the first time. It’s daunting, to say the least, especially when you’re faced with crowded lanes and limited time to practice.
One invaluable piece of advice I’d like to impart, whether you’re a novice or a seasoned racer, is to seek out private testing opportunities. These sessions provide a more controlled and relaxed environment for honing your skills and gaining confidence behind the wheel.
Over the years, racing Charger and Challenger Hellcats has taught me a few tricks that can significantly improve your drag racing experience. Let’s dive into some of these techniques.
TIRE PRESSURE
First up, tire pressure. I typically max out the pressure in the frontrunner, sticking to the manufacturer’s recommendation of 40 psi for my Hoosier tires. For the rear, the majority of my experience is with a MT radial. Either the Street R or ET Street Radial Pro. I have had the best luck with around 21 psi. On both the Demon and Hellcat I run 21.5 in the rear on a Street R. Once I can get the tire to hook on a decent surface, I will typically change pressure a half a psi at a time and watch the video as well as 60 foot time without changing anything else. These cars are heavy and they tend to wad the tire pretty bad at lower pressures. I know many people will argue 19 or even 17 on this tire on one of these cars but I’d be willing to bet if they watched a slow-motion video of the tire they would see it wads quite a bit. I have personally had the best luck between 20.5 and 21.5 on either of those two tires.
LAUNCH RPM
On a stock Hellcat converter and 2.4 IHI I ended up settling at 1250 through extensive testing in the blue car. Once I got pressure dialed in, I spent almost an entire day varying launch rpm. 1250 is what I found delivered the best 60 foot on that setup. On demon/redeye combos that rpm tends to be 1400. I’ve found the same on my 170. I tried everything from 1000 to 1800 and the car would 60 the best at 1400.
BURNOUT TECHNIQUE
First and foremost, when I roll into the box, the first thing I’m looking for is where I want to line up. In a radial car on a radial prepped surface, I’m typically looking for a little bit of shine just left or right of the groove.
I’ll then roll through the water box lined up with those marks. I do not like to spin the tire over in the box. I’ve found that’s not necessary and can often sling water up into the inner fenders that may drop down on the surface or tire later.
If the car has a 3.09 with a 29.5 in tall tire or so, I typically start my burnout in 1st and shift up into 3rd to get some wheel speed. You want to get the tire spinning right away with some heavy throttle and then back the throttle down a tad. The differentials in these cars can burn up from just one bad burnout, and whacking the throttle initially to get both tires spinning is the best thing you can do to prevent that. I like to take my driver’s side mirror and point it at the tire and watch it. Once I see the tire start to smoke a bit, I let off the brake and start easing up on the throttle right until the tire catches rolling out of the box.
If you want to get a little extra glue, try and keep the car straight and go through the tire lines you had in your mind at the beginning of the burnout through the beams to try and pick up a little bit. Then roll straight back through your tire tracks past the beams and get ready to stage.
STAGING
Before I go to hit the first beam I like to give everything one last check. Seatbelt on. Face mask shut. Gloves on. Vehicle is in the right mode. Intercooler on. Etc.
Once I have everything ready I will nudge up until I hit the first beam and hit the brake hard. You don’t want to accidentally roll into the second beam. Then with my left foot I hold the brake firmly and I stall the vehicle up with my right foot to the desired launch rpm. Do this while still in the first beam. I then use my left foot on the brake to bump myself into the second beam. Just letting up on the brake pedal slightly by bumping it. At that point I’m already stalled up and ready to launch at any moment. From there, release the brake on the last yellow on a sportsman or as soon as you see yellow on a pro tree.
Of course, there’s much more to drag racing than can be covered in one article. Variables like gear and tire size will influence your approach. However, these basic techniques should provide a solid foundation for beginners looking to dip their toes into the exhilarating world of drag racing. With practice, patience, and a willingness to learn, you’ll be tearing up the track in no time.
Curt Dusterhoff | 
