Using guesswork to beat a stronger opponent off the line just got a lot more difficult in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing. The new wrinkle? It's all in the tree.

Drag racing's electronic starting device, also called the Christmas Tree, use calibrated LED lights to produce a visual countdown. By Susan Wade Published: Feb 05, 2021 1:21 PM EST Save Article ...

Don Garlits, one of the legends of the drag racing world, ran afoul of the timing during that first U.S. Nationals appearance and lost out to a a driver who was fairly unknown at the time.

When Was the Starting Line Christmas Tree First Used in Drag Racing? HOT ROD photographer Bob D’Olivo was at the 1963 NHRA Nationals, the first race that utilized a countdown starting system ...

There's no drop in e.t. for getting to the starting line first, so take your time, creep up to the line, and watch for the timing equipment and the stage bulbs on the Tree. See All 10 Photos 16.

Chassis: The frame of the race car. Christmas Tree: An electronic starting device incorporating calibrated LED lights displaying a visual countdown for each driver, activated by a designated official.

It wasn’t just a line-up-and-go race either; organizers had a proper tree at the starting line, with timing lights and speed readouts for both the quarter-mile and half-mile.

Head to any drag strip in America, and you'll hear all about a "Christmas tree" — but it's not quite what you'd expect. ... See, drag racing’s origins are almost inherently illegal.