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Nothing else in the world exists for Central Coast electrician Mark Elbourn when he pulls up to the start of a drag race.
For just over seven seconds, the 29-year-old's body surges with adrenaline as his UC Torana reaches speeds of up to 158 kilometres per hour.
He would be fined for driving that fast on the road, but Mr Elbourn does his drag racing in a controlled environment at a registered speedway.
He believes the sport could play a role in reducing a climbing road toll.
Transport for NSW data shows speeding contributed to 45.5 per cent of regional road fatalities in 2022.
Mr Elbourn said speeding on a drag track fed his love of driving fast while addressing his safety concerns.
"[Driving at high speeds] scares me … because I know it can kill me, but I love it," he said.
"I can do 110[kph] on the freeway. I don't need to do more than 110 when I'm on the freeway."
Mr Elbourn admitted he did "all sorts of stupid stuff" as a young driver, but said drag racing events were a much better option than illegal street racing.
"Drag racing is a safe environment. I can come here and I feel safe. I feel protected," he said.
Martin Stevenson has been drag racing for 20 years and believes the motorsport can reduce hoon driving on public roads.
"People like going fast in cars, so you need to have somewhere to do it legally," he said.
"It gives locals something to do — go home and spend the next few months working on the car to get it to go quicker next time."
Participants risk aware
Like all motorsports, drag racing has inherent dangers that come with travelling at high speeds.
Tamworth Drag Racing Association president Bill Ausling said cars were not allowed to go faster than six seconds over the 1/8th mile race so that they could stay within safety regulations at their track.
"We have very tight rules-scrutineering related to the cars' safety, also all other conditions that we must meet by our sanctioning body who insures the event," he said.
"If we step outside of those, then we could lose our ability to ever race again."
Anyone can win
While speed is still a main factor in drag racing, rules are in place to put more focus on the driver's skill.
Each contestant submits an estimated time that they will finish the race, with the slower car getting a head start based on the difference in time.
The goal is to finish the race as close to that time as possible without going faster.
Mr Ausling said the focus was on the driver's reaction time and ability to handle their car.
"You don't have to have a million-dollar car to win," he said.
"You can win with a $50 wreck. You just need to know how to drive it."