| Alcohol |
methanol when used as a fuel in an engine. |
| Altered |
a car based on a known body type but changed of radically customized. |
| Blower / Supercharger |
a crank driven air-to-fuel mixture compressor. It increases atmospheric pressure in the engine giving extra horsepower. |
| Bang the Blower |
explode the supercharger. |
| Bracket |
the upper and lower ET index limits on a class. |
| Breakout |
running faster than the index in handicap racing. |
| Burnout |
spinning the driving wheels in water prior to the run, it heats and cleans them giving better traction. |
| Burst Plate / Panel |
pressure relief plate in supercharger and or bodywork. |
| Bye run |
a single when no competitor is available. |
Christmas Tree or Tree |
the starting lights controlled by the timing computer. |
| c.i. (Cubic Inch) or cc (Cubic Centimetre) |
a measure of engine capacity. |
| Deep Stage |
a driver is deep staged when, after staging he/she rolls forward a few inches further, causing the pre-stage light to go out. The vehicle is nearer the finish line but is dangerously close to a red light. In some classes the act is illegal. |
| Dial-in |
in handicap racing, the time the racer considers is the most consistent he can achieve. |
| Dialed-in |
a vehicle is said to be dialed-in when driver/rider and crew are happy it will run consistently. |
| Doorslammer |
a full-bodied racecar with operable doors. |
| DNQ |
Did Not Qualify |
| Eliminations |
tournament style competition, the losers are eliminated and the winners progress until only one winner remains in each class. |
| ET or e.t. |
means Elapsed Time. The total time taken to travel frm the start line to the finish line. |
| Flopper |
a Funny Car |
| Fuel Coupe |
a nitro (Fuel) Funny Car |
| Foul |
an infringement of a rule during a run. This may be pulling a red light, crossing a lane boundary, or running under an index. |
| Headers |
fine tuned exhaust system, routing exhaust from engine. Replaces conventional exhaust manifolds. |
| Heads-up |
non-handicap racing, where both competitors start together. |
| Hemi |
an engine, which has hemispherical shaped cylinder-head chambers. |
| Holeshot |
an advantage gained by a quicker reaction time on the start line. |
| In Pre-Stage |
a racer in in pre-stage when the front wheel has interrupted the first light beam just before the start line. Full-stage is only inches ahead. |
| In Stage |
a racer is in stage when the vehicles front wheels have interrupted both light beams at the start line. |
| Index |
an elapsed time establishing the limit for a handicap class. |
| Light Up (Tyres) |
generally too much power is used, causing the tyres to spin in smoke instead of gripping the track. |
| Methanol |
pure methyl alcohol produced by synthesis, primarily associated with Top Methanol Dragsters and Top Methanol Funny Cars. |
| NHRA |
National Hot Rod Association. Major U.S. Drag Racing governing body. |
| Nitro |
nitromethane the ultimate fuel specially produced for Drag Racing. It is a result of a chemical reaction between nitric acid and propane. |
| Nitrous |
Nitrous Oxide. Gives added horsepower when injected with fuel into the engine as it contains accessible oxygen. |
| Qualifying |
before eliminations begin racers must qualify. If a field is too large only the quickest qualifiers will make up the number in the elimination, generally eight or sixteen. |
| Reaction Time or r.t |
the time it takes a racer to react to the green starting light. It is measured in thousands of a second. The r.t. counter begins when the last amber flashes and stops when the vehicle clears the stage beams. |
| Slick |
smooth tyres with no tread giving maximum traction of rubber to track. |
| Staging Lane |
designated assembly area for competitors, also known as the pairing lanes where competitors are paired prior to racing. |
| Stock |
standard factory appearance. |
| Street Legal |
a car or bike, which could, or does qualify for an MOT and can run legally on the road. |
| Supercharger |
see Blower / Suercharger |
| Terminal Speed |
the speed through the finish line. |
| Traction Compound or Trackbite |
a kind of liquid rubber that is sprayed onto the track providing added grip or traction when dry. |
| Wheelie Bars |
bars with small wheels protruding from the rear of some vehicals preventing excessive front wheel lift. |
