You think you're smart and that's when you get a ticket. As Gulliford's car creeps to the starting line for the first of two trial runs, fans are still making their way into the stadium. They've passed monster trucks, funny cars, motorcycles, and the highlight of Raceway Park's Night of Thrills, legendary driver Shirley Muldowney. Her hot pink dragster approaches speeds of 300 mph. He slams the pedal to the metal, travels about 100 yards, then comes to a screeching halt.
Nothing's wrong with the car.
Gulliford is simply laying tread, a racing term for burning rubber onto the asphalt to improve traction. Ideal temperatures for fast racing are about 120 degrees. Tonight the track is about 25 degrees shy of a perfect Michelin melt. Gulliford backs up through the cloud of smoke he just created and returns to the line. While yellow means proceed with caution on Route 18, it now tells Gulliford to hit the gas.