One of the most common questions I receive is: "My child wants to be a NASCAR Sprint Cup race car driver. How does (he, she) get started?"

The first thing is that it is never too early to start. All of the drivers you see on TV every week, no matter the type of cars, started out young (some as early as 4 years old) at their local race track or in karts. The hard part is to prove that you have some ability there, prove yourself there and you'll quickly find yourself moving up through the ranks. Keep it up and you'll find yourself catching the eye of a big name car owner.

The First Step

Go to your local race track (dirt or asphalt doesn't matter) and buy a pit pass if possible. Then go in and strike up a conversation with someone. Drivers, crew members and officials are all great resources with different perspectives on what it takes to get started at that track.

As long as they don't have pressing work to do most people will be more than happy to talk to you, but please be courteous.

Ask if they have a minimum age. Many tracks' age limit is lower than the state driving age. If your child is too young to race at that track then someone will probably direct you to a local karting association.

There are definitely no "gimmies" here. Hard work, practice, natural skill, luck and money all play a roll in your ability to catch a break.

Becoming a NASCAR driver is not just about your raw racing talent. There are a number of other factors that will determine whether or not you will ever see a green flag in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Physical Characteristics

Racing at it's highest level is a physically demanding sport. 500 miles with a 120 degree track temperature can be brutal. A regular exercise program will improve your stamina and help you stay sharp over the course of a long hot race.

Also, a slim and toned driver will have an advantage over one that's heavier. In racing every pound counts and that includes the driver as well as the race car.

Get A Good Education

In NASCAR sponsors are the true key to success. You need every possible advantage in order to represent the sponsors well.

A good education gives you the ability to speak well in front of the camera.

A racer represents his sponsor everywhere he goes. If you want a quality ride then you need the sponsors' money. Before they will write a check the sponsor needs to believe that you will represent them well.

In the early days of NASCAR you could drop out of school and be successful, with today's high-tech race cars and the ever increasing business side of the sport a high school education is the bare minimum. 1992 Winston Cup Champ Alan Kulwicki was the first ever to have a college degree, now it's becoming more and more common as drivers are realizing the importance of a good education.

Go For It!

Getting all the way to Sprint Cup is hard work. If you want to do it there is no "little bit." You've got to give it your all, all the time. If you make it you can be a legend, but if you don't make it you'll still have a bunch of fun and learn a lot along the way.

Good luck! And don't forget me when you become rich and famous.

The average speed of the top fuel dragster is around 315.67mph and 3.928 seconds.

Back in automotive history (Approx. 1930s) the method of testing car speed was to have newly built, stopped test vehicle with engine running at ready. Then another very fast car would pass the test vehicle at 100 mph and measure how many miles it took for the New car to catch up.

Speeds and Times are important but are sometimes difficult to visualize.

Hence, using those old methods, take a modern top fuel Dragster at the starting line waiting for a 100 Mph car to pass the dragster, thus tripping the green light for the dragster. (This is for the standard old distance of a 1/4 mile dragstrip)

After the dragster dropped the clutch to speak) it would pass the 100 Mph car at about 1/3rd the length of the 1/4 mile distance.

By the time the 100 Mph car reached 1/2 (1/8th mile) of the length of the 1/4 mile track, the top fueler would be crossing the finish line.

I find this to be impressive and easier to visualize.

They are noew regulated to 45.5lbs of boost

Dale Earnhardt Sr.

it all depends. i drive bracket races. that's not as easy. its not who gets to the finish line first its who races closest to their time. lets say i dial in at 7.90 and run a 7.92 and the other guy dials in at 7.92 but races a 7.95 i win because i was only .2 seconds away from my time the other guy is .3 seconds away. or theres the wholeshot win, when one person wins because he got the better reaction time by alot. if you leave before the light turns green that's called red lighting in wich case you lose. in a speed race the first person to reach the finish line wins. all wholeshot wins and redlights are the same in either race.

Top Fuel dragsters are limited to a 300 inch sheel base. The car would be over 30 feet long.

Both cars are given the Green Light (GO signal) at the same time. There is no handicap start (when one car gets to leave before the other) involved.

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To extend the analogy of the answer above, it is an advance warning (such as an amber light at a traffic signal) that the go signal is about to occur.

Some idiot named Cherry Bolt started it

it was very ODD

it all started in Antartica

K BYE PEACE OUT

it got started in the south when all the moonshine runners got together to see who had the fastest car it all evolved from there.

more than 330 miles per hour and 100 mph in .8 seconds!!!

It means that a driver gets way ahead of the other car, and lets off of the throttle before the finish line, thus running a slower time, than capable. The advantage is a quicker car, racing a slower one.

Rear Engine Dragster (engine behind the cockpit) Cockpit is where the driver sits. Front engine dragster (engine in front of the cockpit) Top fuel Dragster (pro level) Jr. Dragster (for kids ages 8 to 18)

a catapult drags you across the track

2 ways, 1-make friends with someone with a drag racing team. 2-get a car, go to the track, and get some sponsers, congrats you now have a drag team

1300-1400 Horse Power

Larry Dixon was top fuel dragster champion in 2010, finishing the year with 2684 points. He beat 2009 champion Tony Schumacher by 102 points. Dixon won 12 races in 2010, including 3 in the Countdown to the Championship

the IAAF does not require tracks to have exactly 100m straight aways. but on tracks there are starting lines marked and from the 100m start to the common finish is exactly 100m

Aside from a legally sanctioned event, YES, it is generally illegal as well as DANGEROUS.

Tony Schumacher, 2005, 337.58 mph, top fuel dragster,

Assuming you mean production cars, it is the SSC Ultimate Aero at 257 mph+, 0-60 in 2.7 secs. Twin-Turbo V8 Engine with 1183 hp, base price is $654,400. Tested in March 2007 by Guinness world records, The SSC Ultimate Aero takes the lead as the fastest car in the world beating Bugatti Veyron.

In the NHRA people can make between 1 million and 2 million dollars a year....but after paying the crews and everything....probably about 400,000 a year or 500,000 a year. In some semi-pro class's people can make about 50,000 to 100,000 dollars a year, depends on how many races they do

quarter mile gas class

1000 feet all fuel

Anywhere from a couple hundred dollars for a driving uniform and a helmet to drive the car you have in a "run what ya brung" race at a local drag strip, to many millions to set up an operation like Schumacher or Force have.

500 cubic inch V8

Most, if not all, of the original strips were no more than abandoned WWII air field runways. I remember running on strips that every once in a while, we had to clear the track and let a plane land. C J 'Pappy' Hart, an old-time promoter, is acknowledged as putting on the first race where he actually charged people to watch the cars run. It was somewhere in southern California in the late '40s. Maybe Fontana.