I just signed up for the HRPT in June. Five days of drag racing, theoretically bracket racing, in four states. I have extensive SCCA solo regional experience but have never been down a quarter mile officially. I have a 92 RS with a 99% stock TPI 305 so I'm not expecting to set the world on fire and will be happy to just finish intact and have, hopefully, lots of fun along the way. I'm a little nervous and would like to ask a few questions from some more experienced types on what to expect and what to prepare for;

I am bringing some lawn chairs and a small cooler but will I have a reasonably secure place to keep my stuff? In the mountain west area, theft at the track isn't unheard of but, you can be confident while you are on track your stuff will still be there when you get back.

Will my car itself be more or less ok or should I lock it up securely whenever it's out of view? This is after all a very large event not a regional autocross.

What time in the morning am I expected to be at the track? this is likely communicated somewhere but I haven't found it yet. How long does the event go on during the day?

If my car breaks, unlikely with 170 whopping horsepower, are there repair places readily available? I suspect this one has more to do with the facilities at the particular track.

Should I generally hideout in shame, see aforementioned 170 horsepower, away from the high powered guys? In autocross generally, there isn't much of the badass guys looking down on the slow guys but I don't know drags.

Anything I should know I haven't thought of??
I'm going over the car mechanically big time before I go so hopefully I have a trip that is uneventful breakage wise. If you're going, stop by and say hi, '92 RS all white with red GFX. and CTW wheels. I'll post a pic before I go.
Thanks for any suggestions

 

Are you talking about drag week? I don't think it's been called Power Tour for a few years now.

Never done it myself. From what I've heard, a lot of people for their first time just do it in their daily driver to get a feel for what needs to be done etc. Of course every year is a little bit different using different tracks but it would give you a feel for what it takes to compete for a whole week.

Generally you can bring whatever you need as a lot of vehicles get towed to the first track. Anything you don't take with you during the week is kept at the first track and they have 24 hour security. You're only allowed to take what you can fit into a small u-haul type trailer for the road trip. Parts, tools etc that you think you'll need.

Any breakdowns along the way need to be repaired along the route you are expected to take. I'm not sure how much deviation off the route that you're allowed but if you need any parts etc, they have to be purchased along the route or brought to where you have broken down. You can't have support vehicles helping you. A couple of years ago, one of the Pro Mod type cars broke a spindle along the way. They had Summit next day freight it out to where they broke down so they could fix the car. If you look back over the years, there have been some pretty major repairs done on the side of the highway or in parking lots along the way. Just to be able to continue racing for the next day can get very expensive.

Accommodations are up to you. Generally you start off at the first track, make your best pass and hand in your timeslip then get a route map to the next track. That may mean driving all evening or night to get to the next track depending on when you decide to leave the last track. Track could be 200 miles away but the route map has you taking a 300 mile trip to get there. You would then find accommodations for the night and show up to the track for the morning runs. Tech is done every morning at each track so arriving early is recommended. You do that every day until the last day when you finally get back to the first track. Anywhere during the week, if you've had some sort of catastrophic failure and can't continue, you will need to have somebody come and rescue you and usually take you back to the first track if you have a tow vehicle/trailer parked there.

When you get a daily route map, there will be check stops along the way to ensure you have taken the designated route so if you do get a breakdown, it may not be near any towns.

There are a lot of different classes to compete in. It's always nice to be first in the class but it's more impressive if you can just make it through the week.

There are a few members on TGO who have competed in the last few years.

Drag week applications have probably already started. They will cap off the amount of vehicles trying to compete so if you don't get your application in once applications are being accepted, you may not be able to compete. Rules and regulations are generally available on the Drag Week web pages.

Canada held a drag week last year through Alberta and Saskatchewan. Due to the limited amount of tracks available, one was an airport so to keep all the timeslips the same, all racing was done on 1/8 mile even on the 1/4 mile tracks. This also brings the safety requirements a lot lower.

Here is one rule from the Canadian drag week that explains route deviation so it's probably the same in the US.

Racers must follow the entire route. If a racer deviates from the route (for parts, hotel, etc) then they must re-enter the route where they deviated from. "Short cuts" are not permitted.

 

If talking about Hot Rod Power Tour and not Drag week. My father and I went 2021.

Will my car itself be more or less ok or should I lock it up securely whenever it's out of view?

Yes, you will see all ranges from turds to new Corvettes and highly modified very expensive cars in the mix.

What time in the morning am I expected to be at the track? this is likely communicated somewhere but I haven't found it yet. How long does the event go on during the day?

So the first day is usually an all day event 9am to 6pm but the next day is travel at your leisure in the morning, event usually opens at 12pm.

If my car breaks, unlikely with 170 whopping horsepower, are there repair places readily available? I suspect this one has more to do with the facilities at the particular track.

There seems to be always people willing to help and local repair shops usually open to help. One could always get AAA.

Should I generally hideout in shame, see aforementioned 170 horsepower, away from the high powered guys? In autocross generally, there isn't much of the badass guys looking down on the slow guys but I don't know drags.

The drags are open events in which anyone can lineup and run. There are some basic rules. Need helmet

Anything I should know I haven't thought of??

Last year it was hotter than he** so make sure to pack cooler. Popup tents can be helpful. If you want to go deluxe and spend big bucks, the platinum club has air conditioned lounges with snacks (~$2K).

https://www.motortrend.com/news/hot-rod-power-tour-faq/

 

Any car is welcome on Power Tour, You will be amazed at the variety. I have done parts of 15-18 Power Tours , about 10 long hauls. It was a 7 day event but is now down to 5 days. I like to get to the first stop the night before, sometimes there is a chance to register and pick up your credentials the night before which makes the first day less hectic. Even if you are preregistered you will need to stop in your first day to pick that stuff up. It looks like there will be drag racing 3 of the 5 days this year, the rules tend to be very relaxed for the fun runs but every track is different . Be prepared with a helmet for you and a passenger , yes sometimes they allow passengers.You may be required to wear long pants as well. I have seen times when they allowed people with no helmet and no shirt make runs in an open dune buggy but be prepared for more rules than that. Once you have your sticker on the window you will just be waved into the event . When they say that the staging lanes are open, lineup and expect a tech inspection . When the weather is good lines can get very long . There have not been very many autocross events on the tour the last few years which has been a disappointment to me but it may be that they can't spare the parking lot space. Don't get to the the too event early , if they say it opens at 11 am and you get there at 9 you will just be waiting for 2 hours . Remember that after that first day every thing has to be move to the next stop, between the stage and all the venders it is a big job and takes time. Some venues have very good concessions others do not prepare for not. When you get to the venue you will be in a large parking lot or field , there will be thousands of cars around you and it is unlikely that your car would be singled out for vandals or theft but use commonsense. When you leave your parking spot to race most people, including myself put their chairs and the things they take out of their car in place to hold their spot. I am more concerned about my cars safety at hotels than at the events, I try to park in the front if I can. One of the fun parts of Power Tour is the nights at the hotels. You are more likely to get a close up look at the cars and be able talk to the owners then. Gm was a sponsor of the Tour until 2019 , they will be missed. They did provide on site repairs for minor problems but that is gone now. When I have need help I have found that there are great people allover this county. Lastly, do check out the stage show, the sponsors give away cool stuff and they had some really good bands play last year.

 

Kestel nailed it It is a great event and all forms of vehicle will be there. From McClaren's and Lambos to Homemade rat rods and mystery machines. I second that the evenings at the hotels are great. Bring water, sunscreen and a small set of emergency tools. Bring patience too, as sometimes the routes get bogged down with cars and you'll be in your car for 6 hours only to cover 135 miles.

 

Thanks guys for the info. I'm looking forward to doing some quarter miles. I've just done autocross till now. All the airconditioned tent type passes were sold out by the time I got my passes so I'm going to have to tough it out. Hopefully the high humidity won't kill me off but we'll see how it goes.

 

We are the New Owners of https://www.ctw-motorsports.com/ We would love to get some pictures of you car!