I grew up on the west side of Denver. For my whole life I was within 15 minutes of one of the most iconic tracks that has or ever will ever exist, Bandimere Speedway.

“Wheels are put on cars to take ‘em down the road, pool tables are meant to sit in your garage and talk about.” 

Once upon a time, NHRA added maybe the most ground-breaking class to its offerings since its inception. Pro Mod? Top Fuel? Funny Cars? Nope — Junior Street.

G’day mate!  Let’s go for a skid or two and talk about Australian-style burnout competitions in the USA! 

Ask any seasoned drag-and-driver and they’ll tell you that the road portion is the hardest part of these events.  Sucesses on the drag strip are easily put into check if your street drive ends your hopes of completing the event, and the age-old adage comes violently into focus: to finish first, first you must finish.

Like most things motorsports, a transmission is all about the combination — not the individual parts — to create a winning and trouble-free race car. 

So if you made it through part one of this series of this series then I assume you’re intrigued about the swap to a manual transmission. Well, that’s kind of the point, so good for you for sticking with it!

If you’ve been at a drag-and-drive, you’ve undoubtedly heard the announcer(s) talking about stick shift cars more than at a typical track day.  You aren’t hearing things, because it’s absolutely true: there are more stick shift rides per capita at a drag-and-drive than other typical drag races you’ve seen. Even if they’re not specifically in a stick shift class, there are more stick cars peppered throughout all the classes at an event. 

I know what you’re thinking: Adam has lost it now. How in the heck can a guy drag-and-drive into financial security? Well kids, it’s true, and if you buckle up, I’m going to show you how!  Warning, this does involve selling some of your stuff and creative accounting. If you’re a hoarder of things with engines and tires, you may not qualify for this process.

So your buddy just called and said, “I’ve got a race car, I’ve got a week off work and I’ve got a passenger seat.” Sounds like you just got roped into a drag-and-drive! He might have even convinced you to pay for half the hotel bill…but you’d better take him or her up on the offer because co-piloting for a drag-and-drive event could be some of the best damn automotive fun you’ve ever had.

Maybe you’ve been a lurker, a live stream viewer, a magazine reader, or all of the above and you convinced yourself to procure an entry into your closest or favorite drag and drive event. Great job getting in, because most of these events sell out in minutes and you’ve completed your first task. But now comes the next stage: panic. How the heck do you drag-and-drive?

You’ve just got into your favorite drag and drive for 2024. You paid the entry fee with excitement, without so much thought as: “SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!” But what’s it going to set you back?

The world of drag-and-drive just keeps growing.

Both racing and watching heads-up is a day full of edge-of-your-seat fun. But there’s also many of us that don’t have the cubic dollars to compete in races like these, where the old saying comes into play: “Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?”