thoughts and advice for a newbie to drag racing?

Take what you have , get to the track and figure out how to race.
There is a lot more to it that seeing green and mashing it.
Our last car was a little soft off the line....when the last yellow lit , it was time to go. Like the first hint of the last yellow. Some wait till they are getting sunburned from that bulb........each car will be slightly different.
This put the car in the low teens for a bulb.
It's best 60' was a 1.61 but typically 1.65 - 67.
Figure out how to get your best light. A softer combination will be much more consistent and give you a better shot at going rounds.
Once you get the car out of it's own way , hold it to the wood and run it out.
Do this for every time trial. If they are close to each other , I take the best one and base your dial in off of that.
Have fun , win a couple trophies and get a handle on how the game is played.
Then get aggressive about performance and maybe step up to a cash class.
But remember consistency is your friend. The more repeatable your car is , the more laps you'll be making and the more fun you'll be having.