Greetings racers- new guy here

[6Foot7Dad]

Hi everyone,

I am former drag racer that is excited to start slot drag racing with my two young sons. We are moving into a house that will allow me the space to build a slot drag track. I have just started looking into what/how to build it.

If anyone can offer some insight on what to do I would greatly appreciate it.

I am going to start with Carrera straight track but would like to know the differences between plastic track and wood that I have seen on YT. Also, what timing system is preferred?

Thanks in advance for any help you all can provide.

Cheers!

[Billy boy]

It would be great to find out what area you’ll be in,might be some racers near you.

[Billy boy]

And welcome aboard

[Fathead59]

Yes , welcome aboard , and since you are a " former " drag racer there is a forum here with that I mind

[Fathead59]

And that should have been " in mind "

[4424ever]

Welcome there’s a lot of good information here
First thing you should do is move closer to me!
First question what type of cars are you going to race. 1/32 or 1/24 (makes a huge difference)

[ZackM]

AHOY!

Zack

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Welcome.

About that track... do you have a laser to set the slots straight? It makes a huge difference, as we found out at the Land Speed Record Event in Cincinnati a few years ago. You'd be surprised how many cheap ways there are to do a laser alignment. I've done one that had 2 AA batteries, and held with a soldering "helping hand". You can use a laser level/plumb meant for hanging drywall, too.

[6Foot7Dad]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone.

We're going to be racing 1/24 and 1/32 on the track that is why I opted for the Carrera track to get us started.

[mattb]

I would build a wood track and not spend so much for the Carrera plastic track. Carrera is great, but for a simple straight drag strip it would be a lot of money. You'll have guys telling you 20 different things and shooting down other ideas, but you can easily build a dragstrip. If you can use a router, it is simple matter to rout a single 1/8 inch slot. Either buy pine 1 X10's and rout your lanes or buy a sheet of 1/2 inch MDF and cut into 12 inch wide strips and rout them. One sheet will be enough to do a 32 foot straight track. If the routing seems above your pay grade, find a cabinet shop of friend that can use a router. Being a drag racer, I bet you have decent skills with tools.

You can build this first track with copper tape as the conductor, it is easy to apply and works pretty good. You might want 2-3 electric taps for the whole track. You can paint it with simple latex semi gloss. You can build a workable track for probably $75-$100. If it works out and you keep the interest up and learn more, you may decide to eventually build a new braided track or to remove the copper foil and rout for braid. You can easily build a wood track for a lot less money and it will be so much smoother than plastic.

Guys here can answer any question and provide all the info you will need.

[Fathead59]

I would go with the sheets of 1/2 inch MDF before going with the 1x10 pine boards , there could be a lot of warpage in the boards . Cutting 12 in pieces from a 4 x 8 sheet you will get 4 strips . Just a thought

[Fathead59]

And you can do the routing before you cut the boards , but it would be how I would do it , right or wrong

[slothead]

Welcome to HRW and to this great hobby.

I agree with Matt & Fathead regarding going with a routed wood track using 1/2" MDF. A point Matt and I have differed on in the past is I recommend having it CNC routed. Very easily done for straight track and it will be laser straight without you having to manage that plus no hassle or cleanup. The 12" wide sections will even be cut out during the process. I got two 4'x8' sheets CNC routed for an oval for just over $100 by a lady at our state university's theater department. Perhaps less for all straight passes for a drag strip. Routed tracks are super smooth.

[mattb]

I mentioned using the 1X10 pine because it might be easier for the OP to handle and move, rather than a sheet of MDF. Another option is to use 1X4's. If you don't want to cut a slot at all, you can use three 1 by's spaced 1/8 inch apart and glued to an under panel. Another option and something guys have done is to cut the straight slot with a circular saw. There's a lot of options and it all works.

[4424ever]

Ok ok there are many ways to get a track built and all of them will get the job done (I won’t go into what it took us to build a professional grade scale 1/4 mile or it’s cost )
I 110% agree with going wood in the case of 1/24 cars because if the bug bites hard and and you get right into it a run of the mill hard body car can hit 40mph with a cheap motor. I’ve seen 80mph runs on an 1/8 mile and 100+ in the 1/4
As far as timing TrickTracks is the bomb as far as I know but may be hard to find and expensive (I’m sure there are others by now it’s been a while since I ran )

[6Foot7Dad]

Ok ok there are many ways to get a track built and all of them will get the job done (I won’t go into what it took us to build a professional grade scale 1/4 mile or it’s cost )
I 110% agree with going wood in the case of 1/24 cars because if the bug bites hard and and you get right into it a run of the mill hard body car can hit 40mph with a cheap motor. I’ve seen 80mph runs on an 1/8 mile and 100+ in the 1/4
As far as timing TrickTracks is the bomb as far as I know but may be hard to find and expensive (I’m sure there are others by now it’s been a while since I ran )

Thanks for the great info. I was not able to find anything about TrickTracks, however I did find a site called Dragon Racing Systems and TrackMate.

[4424ever]

Yes maybe I’ve got the name wrong but it was a very accurate timing system dedicated to drag racing. It had heads up pro tree and bracket racing in the system with stag lights ,reaction time, 60 foot, 330 660 and Finnish line with trap speed !

[Broman62]

Welcome aboard 6F7D...you will be bombarded with plenty of knowledge here...a great place and really glad to hear the youngsters will be involved...always good to hear that!!