In the stands

Unlike a typical three-hour football game or two-hour concert, drag racing is an all-day affair. The best advice for fans: Come early, stay late and be prepared.

* Plan ahead: Don Kraushar, National Hot Rod Association vice president of national-event business, recommends that fans buy tickets in advance, either at the racetrack box office, by phone or online at NHRA.com.

* Gear up: Bring a hat, sunglasses, earplugs and a blanket to sit on or bundle up with during the spectacle of night qualifying.

* Come early: At some tracks, race-day attendance totals often exceed 40,000, so it’s a good idea not to plan your arrival to coincide with the first race. The first round of Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock comprises 24 heats: the remainder of eliminations consists of 21. Miss the first round, and you’ve missed half the show.

* Stay awhile: At the end of the day, don’t make a headlong rush for the gates. Instead, think about going to the pits, where the teams are relaxing after a long day and likely to be more than accommodating to race fans.

* Three-day affair: The action on Sundays determines who wins and who loses, but if you attend only the final day, you'll miss the spectacle and variety of qualifying. At most events, Friday and Saturday afford two qualifying shots per day, and most feature a Friday night session that transforms fuel-car racing into an ethereal sight. Qualifying is your chance to see all of the cars run, not just the quickest 16.

* Move around: Try watching the races from different spots in the stands. Seeing a race unfold from a finish-line vantage point is a world apart from watching it from the starting line.

In the pits

Drag racing is unique among motorsports because fans have direct access to the teams, watching from as close as 5 or 10 feet as the highly skilled mechanics “twirl the iron.”

* Front-row action: Some of the most frantic action takes place in the first 30 minutes after a car returns to the pits. If you want a front-row seat to watch the teams at their best, head for the pits a little early. The lack of crowds also provides a good chance to snag some autographs at other pit areas.

* Feel the burn: If you want to get a real feel for the power of a fuel-burning engine, hang out until a team test-fires its engine, generally 45 minutes to an hour before it expects to run.

* Beyond the Pros: You shouldn’t restrict your pit-area adventures to the Pro classes. Cruise the Sportsman pits. The drivers in those classes are more likely to have time to answer your questions.

* Get the lay of the land: Every drag strip and every drag race is different. Take the time to scout the track layout, talk to fans who have attended the race before and listen to the buzz in the pits.