A drag race is an acceleration contest from a standing start between two vehicles over a measured distance.   The accepted standard for that distance is either a quarter-mile (400 metres) or an eighth-mile (200 metres).   A drag racing event is a series of such two-vehicle, tournament-style eliminations.   The losing driver in each race is eliminated, and the winning driver progresses to the next round, until only one driver remains.

These contests are started by means of an electronic device commonly called a Christmas Tree because of its multicoloured starting lights.   On each side of the Tree are seven lights: two small amber lights at the top of the fixture, followed in descending order by three larger LED lights, a green bulb, and a red bulb.

Two light beams cross the starting-line area and connect to trackside photocells, which are wired to the Christmas Tree and electronic timers in the control tower.   When the front tyres of a vehicle break the first light beam the pre-stage light on the Christmas Tree indicates that the racer is approximately sixteen centre metres from the starting line.

When the racer rolls forward into the stage beam, the front tyres are positioned exactly on the starting line and the stage bulb is lit on the Tree, which indicates that the vehicle is ready to race.   When both vehicles are fully staged, the starter will activate the Tree, and each driver will focus on the three large amber lights on their side of the Tree.

Depending on the bracket being raced, all three large amber lights will flash simultaneously, followed four-tenths of a second later by the green light (called a Pro Tree), or the three bulbs will flash consecutively five-tenths of a second apart, followed five-tenths later by the green light (called a full Tree).

Two Separate performances are monitored for each run.   Upon leaving the staging beams, each vehicle activates an elapsed-time clock, which is stopped when that vehicle reaches the finish line.   The start-to-finish clocking is the vehicle's elapsed time (E.T.), which serves to measure performance.   Speed is measured in a 66-foot "speed trap" that ends at the finish line.   Each lane is timed independently and the elapsed time and speed is recorded and printed out on a time card.