Drag Racing

Scott here, perhaps Matt will have a contribution to make here if we ever get him to a strip, but it just hasn't worked out that way....I'm not much of a drag racer myself, it's a fun, quick thrill, but for me it's not nearly as interesting as autoX or track time, where you use the whole car, rather than just the gas (and of course the tranny). Like any skill, it's an art, it takes practice, and you tend to get better with time...but after the launch in your average car, there's not much to it. It's defiantely a good way to spend a nice thursday night though, watching angry cars blast down the track, and seeing how you compare to them...and there's no cops, always a perk.

The strip closest to Pittsburgh is Keystone Raceway in Reading, PA, about 30 minutes east of the city. On test & tune nights, turnout can be pretty impressive....4-5 passes are the average. I've dragged the R on two nights, the first time I pulled a 15.1, so when fellow AutoXer John Wagner (red GS-R in ST) went on a very chilly night in October, i was looking to get into 14s, just for the hell of it. Gonna post the slips first, some random car pics are below.

UPDATE: Went drag racing after installing the ATS FD, the car now has a best time of 14.52 at just shy of 98 MPH

First run was an amusing concidence, we got in line, ended up running right after geting there, and as the rush settled down i pulled up to the burnout zone and looked over to see who would be in the other lane...a new black RSX Type S (the next generation of the integra, with 5 more horsepower than my US Type R. Alot of RSX-S guys online think their car is superior to the Type R it replaces, being an R owner i of course think differently...so the tree goes green, and we answer at least one aspect of the question...

Two birds with one stone, the R gets into 14s very firmly, and the RSX-S is a second behind. I later find out it's a girl's car, and her boyfriend, who has drag experience, is trying it out...he ran 15.6s all night, every run. RSX-S is faster my fanny :)

On my second run, I didn't do a burnout, and i think i payed the price in off-the line traction...the GS-R next to me was a novice, his first time..we talked for a bit afterwards, he said "i was amazed how your car just walked away"....just what anyone wants to hear :).

Almost back in 15s, and the temperature is getting pretty damn low...near freezing, in fact.

This time, i look over to see a prety angry looking american sedan, 80s design, with some beefy tires and a visible drag suspension from the rear...a buick (i was behind him before we staged). Didn't know what it was...later found out it was a Grand National, which is a turbo beast (the GNX variety is super-angry)...i figured i would get smoked this time...he nailed me on the hole shot, but the R crawled back from behind to take the win....

And my best time so far. Not bad for 1.8 liters, normally aspirated...i was pretty happy after this run.

movign along, the temperature drops to about 30 degrees while we wait for the track to be cleaned up after a guy in a camaro tags the wall...John W. is on the brink of 14s, and we decide to drag together so he has a target...after an hour of dallying, we run:

I completely botch my launch, hitting the gas late and spinning uselessly for what feels like an eternity....John's GS-R is very fast, with every bolt on that's legal in ST and a custom computer that gives him a few hundred more RPM before redline...still, the R comes from behind...john tells me later "I'm going along, and i see you, and i'm like "there goes R (yes, he calls me R)", and while i'm lookin at you i forget to shift and hit the limiter...both of us have our worst runs of the day, but i still get to give him grief.