ANDRA Drag Racing utilises a number of different formats for the various categories of racing.

The most popular area of the sport is "dial your own" competition. It handicaps fast cars or bikes against slow ones and as the name suggests, you nominate your own time. The slow vehicle gets the head start, which is programmed into the starting lights, known as the Christmas Tree. To stop someone nominating a time they can beat to gain an unfair advantage, a "breakout" rule is applied. Put simply, if you nominated 14.00 seconds as your "dial-in" and ran 13.99 or quicker, you lose the race. If your opponent does the same thing it's a "double breakout" and the person breaking out by the least amount wins. The timing equipment sorts this out immediately, but this is where the vehicle that gets to the finish first doesn't always win. Consistency is important.

Off-street meetings are where the majority of people get their first taste of ANDRA Drag Racing. You can organise things early by ringing the track office a few days beforehand, or just enter on the day at the gate. All tracks have good signage and helpful officials who’ll direct you into the paddock area. From there you’ll need to go to the scrutineering bays where a quick inspection will be carried out to make sure your car or bike is in condition suitable for the race track. Don’t forget to have an approved crash helmet, long pants and sleeves, shoes and socks. Motorcycles don’t need a seat belt of course, but helmets, long trousers and leather jackets are all required.