Why are people scared of the drag strip?

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j par

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Is it because the common man watches drag racing on TV and they think their car is going to go up in a ball of flames? Do they realize they do not have an alcohol burning funny car? Do they realize that they have nowhere in the ballpark of that kind of power?
I think I've heard every excuse in the world. First off is I don't want to crash my car? Well who in the hell is telling you to drive into the wall? They see those High horsepower cars get out of control and go into the wall and for some reason they picture their car is being some kind of high horsepower out of control car? Or my favorite is I don't want to beat on my car. Yet when I rev my motor up next to them at a light they're more than willing to floorboard it over an intersection with curbs only a foot away from their tires with the possibility of cars turning right in front of them...
What is the picture that comes into the common man's head when it comes to going to the drag strip?
I mean people with Dyno sheets all this trick suspension super duper everything and you mentioned the track and they're like- what no way!!! I'm not going to crash my car! I'm not going to beat on my car! LOL...
 
The drag strip is the safest place to run full throttle for a 1/4 mile. No safer place that I know of unless it is an airport runway with no walls or barriers.
 
I don’t know those people.
I help a lot of people with their Restorations and when I mention it to them they get this look on their face like they just seen their car completely explode in a ball of flames LOL...
 
I help a lot of people with their Restorations and when I mention it to them they get this look on their face like they just seen their car completely explode in a ball of flames LOL...
I know some, though, that have no interest in "beating" on their cars... so to speak. I understand this as well.
 
I don't know of anyone scared of a dragstrip. Some are only scared of the TRUTH.

I think this is a huge factor. That little piece of paper with numbers on it can be extremely humbling for a lot of guys with chromed out blowers sticking out of their hood. I think a lot of people assume somethings going to break every time you go to the track.
 
For me it's looking into their eyes and seeing this picture in each eye..
Screenshot_20190514-074437.png
 
I know some, though, that have no interest in "beating" on their cars... so to speak
Yes but here's the problem with that! That same guy is the one who floor boards it next to you on the side streets but is unwilling to go to the track to do it. Going over an uneven intersection with curves just feet from his tires and good Lord knows all the other dangers and to do it somewhere where it's completely safe scares him that he's going to "beat" on his car...??
 
Yes but here's the problem with that! That same guy is the one who floor boards it next to you on the side streets but is unwilling to go to the track to do it. Going over an uneven intersection with curves just feet from his tires and good Lord knows all the other dangers and to do it somewhere where it's completely safe scares him that he's going to "beat" on his car...??
then that isn't the guy that doesn't want to beat on his car..... LOL
 
I don't know of anyone scared of a dragstrip. Some are only scared of the TRUTH.

Yup, hard numbers don't lie. The timeslip doesn't care who you are or what kind of car you are running. I really don't get why some folks are scared of the truth. The truth is that there are always cars that are faster, so don't get upset about your time. Just build it, run it, and enjoy it.....
 
  • I know some that just don't hot rod their muscle car. Period. Shows and cruises are what they do.
  • I know some that do all the talk, but never want to "measure up". Scared of the truth.
  • I know some that aren't scared of the truth. They will race anyone, but just couldn't care less what the "time" would be. I understand this also. We've had a lot of hot rods that never went to the strip. But we've raced anyone, anytime.
  • But yes, the safest place to race a car is at the track. A very controlled enviroment, ambulance, it's Legal, etc etc.
 
Some times it may be the fear of screwing up in front of a large group of like minded people that can be very critical. A friend who thinks he knows everything and anything Mopar, took his 4 speed GTX to the track for the first time.Excited he did not check and had his car in reverse.His turn to heat the hides,revs it up and dumps the clutch.Broke both motor mounts,put the fan thru the radiator and broke the tail shaft.
It happens to the best of us..........
 
I've been drag racing for over 30 years. I have a buddy with a blown big block Chevy (probably 800HP) with 33" slicks, in a 4800 pound Monte Carlo. It's his first and only big power car, and it's not built very well. So he has broken U joints, wheel studs, motor mounts, etc just driving it on the street. He drives it like he's afraid of it, never keeping his foot in it for more than a couple of seconds.
When I began building this Valiant for drag racing, he had a million comments on how tough it is to build a drag car, how frustrating it is because you break something every pass, and how expensive the whole thing is.
First he told me that my unibody Valiant would fold up like a pretzel with 700 horsepower. After I installed the back half, frame connectors, torque boxes and roll cage, he then told me the car was way too stiff. Throughout all of his critiques I just kept saying... wait till it's done, and we'll line up and see who built a faster car. Last week he came over to see the fuel cell and rear sheet metal going in, and he kept telling me how hard it was going to be to get the car to run straight, and how it was going to be too light to launch well...
I told him I have a fully adjustable 4 link, double adjustable shocks on both ends, and 12" wide M/T drag radials. We'd just have to line up and see who will win...
Then he looks at me and says... I'd never put my car on a track... all I'll do is break stuff, so you and I will likely never race.
So yeah, the comment about being scared of the truth certainly fits him.
 
There isn't a track within hundreds of miles of me that isn't 100+ degrees by 9 am for one.
I have completely the wrong setup for 1/8 or 1/4 mile.
Give me a mile.:D
 
There isn't a track within hundreds of miles of me that isn't 100+ degrees by 9 am for one.
I have completely the wrong setup for 1/8 or 1/4 mile.
Give me a mile.:D

I understand that. I live in the south and the heat and humidity can be stifling. Sitting in the staging lanes is almost unbearable. Most tracks around here are 1/8 mile. I have to go over 100 miles to the nearest 1/4 mile track. My car is set up for street driving, which lends itself more to the 1/4 mile.
 
I understand that. I live in the south and the heat and humidity can be stifling. Sitting in the staging lanes is almost unbearable. Most tracks around here are 1/8 mile. I have to go over 100 miles to the nearest 1/4 mile track. My car is set up for street driving, which lends itself more to the 1/4 mile.

As the car stands right now I'd have to run the 1/4 mile in second gear.:D
 
All of the above comments are valid and I would like to add : a lot of these so called "rods","pro-street","pro-modified" ,"rat rods" ar just plain UNSAFE . I wouldn't get within 100 feet of them . Engines in cockeyed , grape tig welds , and the biggest f-up, batteries in the trunk with 1/4" j-bolts . Get me away from these people
 
There isn't a track within hundreds of miles of me that isn't 100+ degrees by 9 am for one.
I have completely the wrong setup for 1/8 or 1/4 mile.
Give me a mile.:D

I understand that. I live in the south and the heat and humidity can be stifling. Sitting in the staging lanes is almost unbearable. Most tracks around here are 1/8 mile. I have to go over 100 miles to the nearest 1/4 mile track. My car is set up for street driving, which lends itself more to the 1/4 mile.

I agree, sitting in staging lanes on hot and humid days is undesirable. Distance to the dragway for many is a obstacle. For me personally, I have about 1 hour to the strip, my cars are highway geared (2.45's in one of them.... ??? LOL). I still go now and then. They do what they do. I have fun. But I fully understand, not sure I would do it on a 100 degree day, and drive 100 miles to get there... LOL
 
Sounds like me in the 1/8. The 1/8 mark is just about when I pull high gear. I only use 2 gears in the 1/8....
I use 2 gears in the 1/4....sometimes. most times I shift to 3rd right before the finish... LOL
:lol:
 
The biggest reason is fear of looking stupid trying something new. The second might be the car might perform less than they thought and some people just like the idea of high performance car, not the actual practice. They like saying “look I have a 600hp car” but they have NO interest is putting it to work
 
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