Faq’s
What is GIRA?
The Garden Isle Racing Association, incorporated in 1999, is a not-for-profit corporation which promotes safe Motorsports and responsible street driving. GIRA hosts NHRA-sanctioned drag racing at Kauai Raceway Park in Mana. GIRA races include classes for street-legal cars, imports, Jr. Dragsters, and professional race cars.
How much does it cost to race?
Race entry fee:
Top Gun, Super Pro and Pro - Member $55, Non-member $75
Street, Motorcycle, Sport Compact, Muscle - Member $35, Non-member $55
Junior Dragster - Member $15, Non-member $25
Gate entry fee: $15 - advance purchase only at The Foat. Purchase tickets here!
I’m not a racer - can I still come out and watch?
YES! We love spectators & they are always welcome at GIRA events!
Gate entry fee:
$15 in advance at The Foat - Purchase tickets here!
$20 cash at the gate.
Kids 11 yrs & under free
No refunds or rain checks.
Do I need to be a GIRA/NHRA member to race?
No, you do not need to be a member of GIRA or NHRA to come out and race. However there are added benefits to becoming a GIRA member. You can read about them on our Membership Page.
When & how often are there race days?
We race once a month. Check out the current Race Schedule!
How old do I need to be to race?
You must have a valid driver’s license to participate in racing. We also offer a Jr. Dragster class for ages 8-15 years of age.
How do I know what class to race in?
There are several different classes, including Motorcycles! Please read about the Race Classes here & Contact Us for any additional guidance. New racers are always welcome!
Is Alcohol sold or can I bring my own?
NO! Possessing or consuming alcoholic beverages while on the grounds at Kauai Raceway Park is never permitted.
Can I bring my pet/animal?
NO! Animals are never permitted on the grounds at Kauai Raceway Park. This is for everyone’s safety.
How can I keep up to date with GIRA info?
Please Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at dragracekauai
What is the NHRA?
The National Hot Rod Association was founded 1951 to get racing off the city streets and highways and into safe, organized venues. Now in its fifth decade, the NHRA is the world's largest motorsports sanctioning body with more than 85,000 members, 144 member tracks, 32,000 licensed competitors, and nearly 4,000 member-track events.
What is Drag Racing?
Drag racing is a race between two cars accelerating in a straight line for ¼ mile on a closed race course. NHRA sanctioned drag racing includes classes for slower street cars that cover the ¼ mile in 20 seconds and achieve 75 MPH and classes of extreme race cars that cover the ¼ mile in a standing start in 4 seconds and achieve 330 MPH. All cars are subject to thorough technical inspection to insure the safety of all participants and races are run in strict compliance with safety standards.
What is Street Racing?
Street racing is any illegal demonstration of unwarranted, flagrantly excessive speed on public roads. Street racing may involve several cars racing each other, perhaps in an organized fashion, or perhaps completely impromptu. Street racing may also involve just a single car whose driver is trying to see how fast he can go. Street racing is the bane of all motorsports supporters since it gives us all a bad name.
What is NHRA Jr. Drag Racing?
Jr. Dragsters are half-scale dragsters powered by five-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engines that produce speeds up to 85 mph, driven by 8 to 17 year olds.
RACING TERMINOLOGY
Breakout: A racer running quicker than he or she “dialed in” his or her vehicle. Unless your opponent commits a more serious foul (e.g., red-lights, crosses the centerline, or fails a post-race inspection), the driver who breaks out loses. If both drivers break out, the one who runs closest to his or her dial-in wins.
Burnout: spinning the rear tires to heat and clean them prior to a run for better traction.
Christmas Tree / Tree: The electronic starting device between the lanes on the starting line. It displays a light countdown for each driver.
Deep stage: to roll a few inches farther into the beams after staging, which causes the pre-stage lights to go out. In that position, a driver is closer to the finish line but dangerously close to a foul start.
Dial-in: The time you pick as your handicap. You want to run as close to this time as possible without going faster.
Elapsed time / ET: The time it takes a vehicle to travel from the starting line to the finish line. ET doesn’t include reaction time.
Eliminations: Vehicles race two at a time, resulting in one winner from each pair. Winners continue in tournament-style competition until only one remains.
Full Tree: used in classes with a handicap start. The three yellow bulbs on the Christmas Tree flash consecutively .5 seconds apart, followed .5 seconds later by the green starting light. A perfect reaction time on a full Tree is .500.
Holeshot: when a driver reacts quicker to the Christmas Tree to win a race against an opponent with a quicker E.T.
Interval timers: part of a timing system that records elapsed times at 60 and 660 feet.
Pre-stage: to position the front wheels about seven inches behind the starting line so the uppermost small yellow lights atop that driver’s side of the Christmas Tree are glowing.
Pro Tree: used in heads up professional racing. All three large amber lights on the Christmas Tree flash simultaneously, followed four-tenths of a second later by the green starting light. A perfect reaction time on a Pro Tree is .400.
Reaction time: the time it takes a driver to react to the green starting light on the Christmas Tree, measured in thousandths of a second. The reaction-time counter begins when the last amber light flashes on the Tree and stops when the vehicle clears the stage beam.
Red Light / Foul Start: Indicated by a red light on the Christmas Tree when a car has left the starting line before the green light.
Sixty-foot time: the time it takes a vehicle to cover the first 60 feet of the racetrack. It is the most accurate measure of the launch from the starting line.
Stage: Positioning the front wheels right on the starting line so the second row of small yellow lights are on. Once both drivers are staged, the calibrated countdown (see Christmas Tree) may begin.
Trap: the final 66 feet to the finish line where speed is recorded.