Unlike a typical three-hour football game or two-hour concert, NHRA Drag Racing is an all-day affair. The best advice for fans might well be the same advice given to the teams you’re coming to watch: Come early, stay late, and be prepared.

As you would for a ball game or a rock concert, plan ahead, beginning with your tickets. Fans should buy their tickets in advance, either at the racetrack box office.

What to bring: a hat, sunglasses, earplugs, and a blanket (to sit on or bundle up with during the awesome spectacle of night qualifying).

Okay, you’ve got your tickets and your car is loaded with the essentials – now what? It’s a good idea not to plan your arrival to coincide with the firing of the first pair. Believe it or not, the parking lots are full of latecomers streaming toward the main gate even as the first round gets under way. Miss the first round, and you’ve missed half the show.

At the end of the day, don’t make a headlong rush for the gates the instant the last nitro car runs. When the rest of the herd heads for parking lot, it’s a great chance to hit the pits, where the teams are relaxing after a long day and likely to be more than accommodating.