Drag Week 2016 registration date has been announced!

[AlanCasida]

March 5th 9:00am Pacific time.     GAME ON!!!! 

http://www.hotrod.com/news/1602-hot-rod-drag-week-registration-goes-live-here-march-5-2016/

[jayb]

All right!  I'm pumped up about this year's race already 

[AlanCasida]

Me too! It is my plan to finally be FE powered this year with my 65 Mustang. I am trying to get the body finished up now. It is real slow when you don't really know what you are doing! Things will go much quicker after that.

[cjshaker]

I have a question about registration day (well, actually several). I remember Jay saying that he was sitting there hitting the refresh button to get ready. Was he referring to refreshing the page to see when the registration became live...then entering the information required as fast as possible, then hitting enter to register?

I just want to be prepared with any info I might need to make sure I can get in on time. So it would seem the smart thing to do would be to have all your info laid out in front of you, in the correct order (according to what they list on their site now) to be able to do this as quickly as possible. Is that a correct assumption? Is there any other advice for registration that you DW vets can offer?

I was also curious how many "waiting list" people typically get invited. I remember Kevin was on that list. So Kevin, How late did you register that you didn't make it on the original list? Just trying to get an idea of timelines here.

[jayb]

I just got the advance registration link and am now registered for Drag Week 2016    I'm fired up LOL!

Doug, what you said is exactly what I was doing, and for some reason last year I was having trouble finding the link.  It turned out to be down the page somewhat, and I just hadn't scrolled down far enough to see it at first. 

FYI the limit this year is 350 cars, and as far as I know in the whole history of Drag Week, no one who has showed up at the first track has ever been turned away.  Last year all 350 spots were filled in something like 16 minutes during registration, and the waiting list was over 100 people long.  But lots of people drop out, and many folks on the waiting list don't show up at the first track.  If I recall correctly, last year's event started with something like 320 cars.  So, my advice, especially as close as you are to the first track, is to just show up no matter where you are on the waiting list (assuming you don't get in during the registration process).  I think that the odds are you will be allowed into the event.

Cost for registration, including the fees and taxes, is $342.13.  This is non-refundable.

To make the registration process itself go faster, what I did last year was create a text file with all the information needed in it.  So, when I got onto the registration page, I was just able to copy and paste from the text file into the boxes on the registration page.  When I registered a few minutes ago I wrote down the required information:

First Name
Last Name
Street Address
City
State (this is a drop down box)
Postal Code
Email
Cell Phone #
Birthdate (M/D/xxxx)
Gender (click radio button)
Are you the owner of the car (Yes/No radio button)

Vehicle Year
Vehicle Make
Vehicle Model
Vehicle Color
License Plate State
License Plate Number
Auto Insurance Company (not the Agency)
Auto Insurance Policy Number
What Class will you be running? (drop down box)
What ET will you be running (drop down box)
Initials (You have to read the disclaimer and type your initials into the box)

That's it.  Hope that helps, Doug.

[cjshaker]

According to the Hot Rod link above, there will be 400 cars allowed this year. But maybe you were discounting the pre-registered winners from last year?

Thanks for that insight. I'll have all the info ready, so hopefully I won't have to rely on a waiting list. Either way, worse case scenario, I will show up at the track like you said. And actually, every track is nearly the same distance from my house. I'm perfectly centered within the circle   I'm really looking forward to this!

[cjshaker]

That's funny, they said the previous winners would receive their pre-registration forms on Saturday, February 26th. Since today is Saturday, February 27th....I hope they are correct on their pre-registration date and time

Edit to add, I also noticed that it's listed as 9:00am Pacific Time, which means I'll need to get up pretty early to be on their time.

[AlanCasida]

I am going to try my best to get pre-registered but if I don't I am going to roll the dice and show up anyway. 

[jayb]

According to the Hot Rod link above, there will be 400 cars allowed this year.

That's interesting, in the email I got today they said the limit was 350 cars.  Maybe they cut and pasted from last year, and missed the increase to 400, or maybe it really is 350.  Go figure...

[thatdarncat]

Doug, I had issues getting the link to work last year and reading some comments on the internet afterward it sounds like I wasn't the only person. Eventually I did get the link to connect and entered my info, but literally missed getting in by a couple minutes. I don't remember where I saw the info Hot Rod posted on how to get on the waiting list ( you send them an email ), but I did that right away and I ended up being #25 on the list. If I remember it maybe took a while until Hot Rod replied by email with my waiting list number ( a week or so? ). At some point late last summer Hot Rod sent emails that they were starting to register people on the waiting list. My number came up and I registered on Sept 2nd, about a week before Dragweek.

A couple observations, you may want to follow the Unofficial Drag Week board on Bangshift. Sometimes there is good info there, it's fun to follow how people are doing getting ready, and it's a good source of some fun reading during & after the event. It's also a good place to hear when people start getting called up on the waiting list.

Also, and not necessarily for you Doug, but for anyone contemplating on going, but thinking they may not have their car finished in time, or able to get time off work, etc., getting on the waiting list is probably the best plan - that way you don't have to pay a non-refundable entry fee you can't use. By late summer a person might have a better idea.

Back in I believe 2012, when Jay was going to bring 3 cars and I was going to particiapate I was also on the waiting list with a very high number. I don't remember what my number was, but I got on the waiting list a month or more after registration closed and they still ended up getting to my number before Dragweek started. Back then the entry fee was refundable though.

If you are still on the waiting list when Dragweek starts on Sunday Hot Rod does have those people wait until everyone pre-registered gets through the line, then they start registering those people, but like Jay said, I also have heard Hot Rod has never turned anyone away.

[cjshaker]

Thanks, Kevin. I've already got the time scheduled off work, if that tells you anything about my expectations

I'm sure their servers get hit pretty fast and that may account for some problems accessing the registration page. Either way, along with the info made out on a file to access, I've already got an email wrote out to send, just in case I don't make the cutoff. I'll be there at Wayne Trail regardless. I also just ordered some subframe connectors for the car.

[AlanCasida]

Hey Jay. Did you have to clear your browser cookies/cache on your computer as HotRod advised?

[jayb]

Nope - Jay

[JERICOGTX]

HEMI Joel is in! I can't wait for DW2016!

[AlanCasida]

I'm in too.  As usual I couldn't get on the link for about 5 mins so it was a little nerve wracking. I went through the reg form a little fast and put my estimated et down as 12-13 sec by mistake but at least I got in.