instead of listing things for you to buy, 90% of drag racing is the "driver mod". Of course, modifications that increase horsepower will help you once you get rolling, but the trip past the 60' mark is the easiest part. The "skill" in drag racing is all placed on the line within the first ~2 seconds.
Learn to launch the car properly, and then you'll be able to put the "power adders" to good use.
Some simple tips from a (not so hardcore) racer:
- if your track has a "water box" (to facilitate burnouts), avoid it. Simply drive around it, and don't bother with reversing into it like the cars that are running slicks. Street tires gain nothing from the water box burnouts, because the water will stay in the treads. As you stage, the water has time to trickle down to the asphalt. And the moment you try to launch... You'll spin.
- avoiding the water box, simply do a quick standing burnout on the portion of the track behind the staging lights. All you want to do is "scrub" the tires... Leave the smoke shows to the chaps trying to impress their girlfriends in the stands
- as you stage, you'll see the lights queue up. Once the second staging light is lit, you'll see the tree countdown within seconds.
- once the last yellow light is illuminated, start to launch. By the time your brain can communicate to your right foot, and all of that process is manifested in the car actually moving forward, the green light will have been lit and (if timed right) you will have a very tidy start to the race
- don't jab the throttle -- rollllll into the throttle. Our cars are very sensitive to throttle input in 1st gear, and it only gets worse as you add horsepower.
- stay on the throttle until you clear the finish line... And then gradually begin to brake, being careful to bring the car to a halt quickly but not so quickly that you upset the balance of the car.
- collect your time slip, prepare to be annoyed at the slow time, and then return to the lineup for another run
cheers,