Drag racing terms

[Plex]

Air foil: the same as a wing � a stabilizer, generally used to create downforce, which increases stability and tire-to-track adherence at high speeds.

Bang the blower: an explosion inside the supercharger caused by a flame from the combustion process accidentally re-entering the supercharger, where fuel and air are present. Generally caused by a stuck or broken intake valve that normally would be closed during the combustion sequence.

Breakout: Used only in handicap racing, �breakout� refers to a contestant running quicker than he or she �dialed� his or her vehicle (predicted how quick it would run). Unless the opponent commits a more serious foul (e.g., red-lights, crosses the centerline, or fails a post-race inspection), the driver who breaks out loses. If both drivers break out, the one who runs closest to his or her dial is the winner.

Burned Piston: When a cylinder runs lean (too much air in the air-to-fuel mixture) and excessive heat burns or melts the piston.

Burnout: spinning the rear tires in water to heat and clean them prior to a run for better traction. A burnout precedes every run.

Christmas Tree: Also called the Tree, it is the noticeable electronic starting device between the lanes on the starting line. It displays a calibrated-light countdown for each driver.

Clutch Can: The bell-shaped housing, or bellhousing, used to encase the clutch and flywheel.

Clutch Lockup: The progression of clutch-disc engagement controlled by an air-timer management system.

Deep stage: to roll a few inches farther into the beams after staging, which causes the pre-stage lights to go out. In that position, a driver is closer to the finish line but dangerously close to a foul start.

Dial under: when drivers in Super Stock and Stock (handicap categories) select an elapsed time quicker than the national index. Drivers select a dial-under, or e.t., that they think their cars will run based on previous performance. The breakout rule is in effect.

Diaper: an absorbent blanket made from ballistic material, often Kevlar, that surrounds the oil pan to contain oil and parts in case of an engine explosion; required for Top Fuel, Funny Car, Top Dragster, and Top Sportsman.

Dropped cylinder: when a cylinder runs too rich (too much fuel in the air/fuel mixture) and prevents the spark plug(s) from firing.

Elapsed time: the time it takes a vehicle to travel from the starting line to the finish line. Also called e.t.

Eliminations: After qualifying, vehicles race two at a time, resulting in one winner from each pair. Winners continue in tournament-style competition until one remains.

Foul start: indicated by a red light on the Christmas Tree when a car has left the starting line before the green light, or starting signal.

Full Tree: used in Top Dragster, Top Sportsman, Super Stock, and Stock, for which a handicap starting system is used to equalize competition. The three amber bulbs on the Christmas Tree flash consecutively five-tenths of a second apart, followed five-tenths later by the green starting light. A perfect reaction time on a full Tree is .500.

Header(s): a fine-tuned exhaust system that routes exhaust from the engine; replaces conventional exhaust manifolds.

Hemi: A Hemi engine has a hemispherical shaped cylinder-head combustion chamber, like a ball cut in half.

Holeshot: when a driver reacts quicker to the Christmas Tree to win a race against an opponent with a quicker e.t.

Hydraulic: when a cylinder fills with too much fuel, thus prohibiting compression by the cylinder and causing a mechanical malfunction, usually an explosive one

Index: the expected performance for vehicles in a class as assigned by IHRA. It allows various classes of cars in the same category to race together competitively.

Interval timers: part of a secondary timing system that records elapsed times, primarily for the racers� benefit, at 60, 330, 660, and 1,000 feet.

Nitromethane: Produced specifically as a fuel for drag racing, it is the result of a chemical reaction between nitric acid and propane.

Pre-stage: to position the front wheels about seven inches behind the starting line so the small yellow lights atop that driver�s side of the Christmas Tree are glowing. The next step is to stage and be ready to race.

Pro Tree: used in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro-Mod, Quick Rod, Hot Rod, Stock, Super Stock, which feature heads-up competition. All three large amber lights on the Christmas Tree flash simultaneously, followed four-tenths of a second later by the green starting light. A perfect reaction time on a Pro Tree is .400.

Exummotorsports

[NarendZORCE]

Nice find there Plex
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I like 'bang the blower'
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[Red Dawg]

Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3NO2. It is the simplest organic nitro compound, it is used widely in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, explosives, fibers, and coatings.

Nitromethane is used as a fuel in racing, particularly drag racing.
In racing, nitromethane is commonly referred to as "nitro," "top fuel," or just "fuel". The oxygen content of nitromethane enables it to burn with much less atmospheric oxygen in comparison to hydrocarbons such as gasoline:

14.6 kg of air are required to burn one kg of gasoline, but only 1.7 kg of air for one kg of nitromethane. Since an engine�s cylinder can only contain a limited amount of air on each stroke, 8.7 times more nitromethane than gasoline can be burned in one stroke.

Nitromethane, however, has a lower energy density:
Gasoline provides about 42-44 Millijoule/kg whereas nitromethane provides only 11.3 Millijoule/kg.
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