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BASICS
DRAG RACING MADE SIMPLE
The sport of drag racing is an acceleration contest between two cars racing from a standing start
over a straight course. The NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx competes
to a race distance of 1,320 feet.
An NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx race is made up of a series of
individual two-car races called eliminations, with competing machines divided into four categories.
Class eligibility is governed by criteria that limit engine size, type of fuel, vehicle weight, allowable
modifications and aerodynamics.
The main object is to get to the finish line first, which may not necessarily be the quickest time or
fastest speed. Sound confusing It really isn’t.
A set of lights, commonly called a Christmas Tree, is used at the starting line. There is a
0.4-second difference between the flash of all the amber lights and the flash of the green light in
the pro start system. Any time a driver leaves the line before the green, the red light illuminates to
signal a foul. The offending driver is disqualified.
Sometimes a driver can win despite a slower elapsed time and speed than their opponent. That’s
because the winning driver had a quicker reaction time to the green light at the starting line, and
that advantage was greater than their opponent’s performance advantage on the track. Remember,
the elapsed-time clock in each lane doesn’t start until the car moves past the starting line.
PRO MODIFIED CLASS DESCRIPTION
With an eclectic mix of vehicles that range from ’41 Willys coupes to ’63 Corvettes and late-model
Ford Mustangs and Dodge Vipers, few classes offer as much diversity and excitement as Pro
Mod. There are multiple engine choices to help teams churn out an estimated 2,000 horsepower.
Competitors can use any of three approved combinations, including high-revving superchargers,
loud-popping turbochargers or the easy purging of nitrous-oxide injection to post performances in
the high five-second zone at speeds of more than 250 mph. Pro Mod cars are wildly popular with
fans and have a reputation for powering to impressive burnouts and offering spectators views of
some crazy wild rides down the quarter-mile during qualifying and elimination runs. After several
years as an exhibition at NHRA events, Pro Mods now have their own series, the NHRA Pro Mod
Drag Racing Series, which will be featured at 10 NHRA national events in 2013.
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