As the title states how long is a car length when drag racing. I'm mostly wondering since I watch PINKS every week and they always negotiate for car lengths and I was wondering exactly how long a car length is.

 

Car length = Length of car. Usually about 8-20 ft long each consider ("Car Length")

The Cobalt is 180.5 inches long or 180in divided by 12in = 15 ft.

 

So there isn't a standard length used at tracks it just depends on how long the car is?

 

Yep!

 

Actually nobody measures "car lenghts" at the track, only a stupid tv show does that.

 

pinks actually isn't that bad... i wouldn't go out of my way to watch it, but will if it's on... and they only talk about lengths so that they can negotiate for the next race... so if one car wins by 5 car lengths, the other car can ask for a 5 car head start to even it up...

they do that because it may be a 11 sec car vs a 13 sec car

 

To put it another way, for cars like ours that trap around 100 give or take, a carlength is about a tenth of a second.

 

Why not stagger the lights like bracket racing???? I think that is a better idea.

 

As we say at work when someone suggests the obviously better idea, "Because that would make too much sense."

 

Because they are trying to appeal to street racers. Using a tree is not street racing style. Truly what they are doing is done on the street. Usually people go heads up, but when someone really wants to run and they know they have the better car they will give a car length. I like the show, but I do not like the fact it takes them 3 hours to film 1 show. It should only take 30 to film it.

 

staggering a tree would do nothing for the target audience of the show... and what would they say when they stagger the tree... i want 4.6 seconds head start.... that's gay...