Just a thought...
The local guys here talked about it and I was surprised to find, just like me too, hardly ANY of the Cobra owners had ever been to the drag strip. At the time the strip was open Friday and Saturday night. Friday is like "practice", $6 bucks and "run what you brung", real layed back, no pressure and very few "fans". That was perfect for us, a bunch of newbies. Saturday night is BIG, lots of fans and pressure!
We made it clear amongst ourselves we would not be racing against each other, no one "burning up" the track, just go, have a good time and see what it was like. Man we had a ball and have gone back several times since.
Maybe you Ohio guys are different and race ready! But you might consider leaving room for they guys who have never run before, encourage them and no pressure! Perhaps a more laid back Wednesday in your case would be a good approach for the "newbies". Have fun was our goal and NOT break anything!
I still ran in the 11's.