For the entire time I’ve been breathing on this earth, drag races…well, professional drag races on an actual dragstrip, anyways…have been started with the electronic system and light feature that we all know as a Christmas Tree. The system is simple enough: break one beam, pre-stage. Break second beam, you’re staged. Three amber bulbs lead up to one green bulb, and if you try to hot-shoe your way down the track before the green is on, you get the red bulb. But that wasn’t always the case…prior to the 1963 U.S. Nationals at Indy, starting was done via the starter, who doubled as a flagman. The starting system was rudimentary, at best: the starter was responsible for lining up the cars, then after making sure the drivers were ready, would momentarily pause, then drop the flag (or do all sorts of crazy things with it) that would be the sign for go. There was no way to really tell who got the jump on who, which led to arguments, re-runs, and so on. See how the Tree came to be in this clip, courtesy of the NHRA:
A Christmas tree decked out with all the baubles and tinsel would make a great Christmas tree!
Especially if it was at the beginning of a drag race with a Pro Mod sleigh pulled bu Nitro-breathing reindeer – now with that remark I’ll go back to my usual role as a card-carrying Christmas hater who only lives for New Year’s Eve and the taste of fine old malt whisky washing over the tongue as the clock chimes 12 midnight….
Geordie, in all seriousness, do you post your rambling bullshit just to see what you have written?
I suggest you go back and read what people think of your posts that you put up yesterday on the Corvette and flamed Chevy truck.
I am not the only one who is fed up with your shit.
Well said Duster, very well said.