Getting started in drag racing

Q: I just got my driver’s license and want to get into NHRA drag racing. What is your recommendation? I want to do it right and make sure I don’t waste the money I have put aside since I was 10 years old. — Gary, e-mail from Wisconsin

A: Gary, I take it you never got involved in NHRA Junior Drag Racing, so we’ll just push that aside and concentrate on full-size-vehicle drag racing. First, get involved at your local track in the bracket race division. You can use any style street car for this learning curve, and you’ll get the feel of what it’s like to be in a sanctioned drag race.

Now, once you get experience racing your fairly slow street car in the bracket divisions, I’d recommend putting the money you saved toward a real race car and not get talked into spending money on a fast street car like a Mustang or Camaro. By the time you do what you must to this street car to make it a real and legal race car, it will be much cheaper to invest in a real race car from Day One.

I’d advise looking for something affordable, like a used Altered, dragster or a purpose-built tube chassis door slammer. Make sure to check the chassis certification on anything you buy, as all race cars carry an NHRA certification sticker indicating it has passed inspection and is good until a certain date. The certifications are renewable.

The reason I point you in this direction is because this is how I did it, and I saved a bundle of money. My first race car was a used ‘72 Vega Funny Car that I bought, less engine and transmission, for $1,800 back in 1979. It was in rough shape, but I rebuilt it and put a brand-new 454 crate motor in it and an ATI racing automatic transmission and converter. I replaced the axles, re-did the steering, replaced the shocks, tires and wheels, and went racing. The car ran 9.65 at 136 mph right away, and I didn’t waste any money trying to make a race car out of a street car.

Had I tried to do this to a fast street car, by the time I got to the nine-second bracket I’d have spent two to three times as much money. I know you can’t buy a used Funny Car for $1,800 today, but I’ve seen some great buys on Altereds for less that $7,000 minus engine and tranny, and some for $9,500 ready to race. Check out National Dragster’s Dragmart for available cars on the market (nhra.com/classifieds, or check a copy of National Dragster newspaper).

As for how fast you go, you can plug in a nice small-block crate motor from Ford, Chevy or Dodge and run fast right away. Of course, work your way up to “fast,” and remember that anything faster than 9.99 seconds in a quarter-mile requires an official NHRA Driver License.

Thanks for the question, and send us a photo of your car when it’s finished.