first time down the track advise?

Make sure the car will pass tech. Seat belts, valid helmet, throttle return springs, battery hold downs, too much rubber fuel line, liquid fuel pressure lines running inside the car to gages, and overflow bottles are the most failures I've seen. Once you've passed tech and get the stamp, go watch a few cars before you get into the lanes. Watch what they do, and who in terms of track people are directing them. pay attention to things like where the beams are, and which beams are prestage vs stage. Roll slowly into the prestage and focus on the staging. I'm like RRR. My first run at a new track or in a new car is always a moderate launch, WOT for the first two gears, then a light throttle high gear to see where the bumps and turn offs are.
Pay attention, focus on technique and process. NOT ET.