How to Lay Out a Drag Strip

Drag strips are two lane strips of road in an enclosed area for legal drag racing. Drag racing is an extreme sport that can be performed by professionals and amateurs alike where wagers might be placed on who will win the race. Fastest speeds are recorded and documented, as well as the types of cars and equipment used under the hood. You can set up your own drag strip by making sure the key components of the drag strip are in place.

Things You'll Need

  • 10 electrical speed radars
  • Scoreboard
  • 4 Christmas trees
  • Pre-stage lights
  • Stage lights
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make the racing part of the drag strip 1/4 of a mile long, with a starting area at the front and a shut-down area after the finish line. Make sure that the drivers have adequate room to burnout as the race begins and adequate room for the drivers to slow down after the race is complete.

    • 2

      Set up the pre-stage lights right before the starting line to allow drivers to know that they are approaching their starting position. Set up the stage lights right at the starting line so that drivers will understand when they are in official racing position.

    • 3

      Position the first set of Christmas tree lights at the starting line on each side of the track so that you have one set of Christmas lights for the driver in the left lane and one set for the driver in the right lane. Set up the other pair at the finish line so that the drivers know when to slow down and turn around.

    • 4

      Set up the electrical speed radars at the 60-foot marker, 330-foot marker, 1/8-of-a-mile marker, 1,000-foot marker, and the 1/2-mile marker. Make sure there are two speed radars for each marker, one for the left side and one for the right. Position them to catch the speed of each car on the way down the track. You can use motion sensors for this.

    • 5

      Display a scoreboard to keep the score of the drag races. When the speed from the 1,000-foot marker is recorded, it should be posted on the scoreboard to see who is going the fastest speed. This will typically denote who the winner is.