A few years back I am at an IHRA national event with a buddy and the Nitro Harley's were running.
I notice a puff of smoke out about the 1000 foot mark seemingly with every pair going down the track.
I said to my friend, " are they running those things so hard they are coming apart"
He says, no, you dummy, that is the front tire coming down you are seeing.
I was like.......... Wow.......

I learned about "back pressure" and tires needing "griptions" to work right......

motors blow up.

Some people will sell you no good used parts at the track

When your kid has diarrhea don't take him. Lol

When I first started drag racing we had lots to learn, at the track with a big block Chrysler that gave us trouble for months we learnt it had a small block points distributor, they are opposite rotation !!! Top that off with a timing tape that was on backwards !!! Holding on to the timing light dumb and dumber .

When you break a u joint on the starting line, don't reach under the car to pull the driveshaft out so it pushes backward easier. 2 things will happen:

1: you'll burn the )$&@ out of your arm
2: a quart of gear oil will leak out of the trans onto the starting line area, causing a half hour cleanup and evil looks from everybody stuck in the staging lanes due to your stupidity.

Haha.... Good... Lol

Forty years ago I learned it was better to lift if you wound up in the other lane after launch!
It is also a good idea to disable the column lock if you want to cut the motor clean for a spark plug reading. It can get exciting at 118 mph if you don't.
If Ronnie Sox tells you to short shift your 440, listen to him! You might go faster!

Put ramps down, then back car off trailer. Luckily I was early, and there wasn't many people there to see this, and it did no damage.

Jumped into the right hand side of my lhd 63 Ply (im Aussie rhd is normal)during a night meeting, no passenger seat so ass on the floor and smacked my head on the cage, looking up over the dash to see who was looking I slithered across to the drivers seat.

Don`t pull UP TO the tree.............

Don't bypass the neutral safety switch.

the learning curve from a manual valve body..... to a reverse manual valve body.

When driving backwards out of control... turn your head around to see where you are going.

I will also "second" the steering lock thing

Don`t forget your neutral safety switch isn't hooked up and start your car in 1st when they pull you into the burnout box...........

Hood pins, especially with hemi hood.

Ouch

LOL! @ hood pins.... was rolling in the lanes in Vegas once night when I noted what was missing. Left my hood up against the wall and made a pass.

Fuel is ALWAYS required for proper operation of a motor vehicle. Seriously, no kidding, if you don't put fuel in the tank, it will cease to opertate.