Racers do burnouts before a drag race mainly to heat and clean the tires. Spinning the tires rapidly against the track raises their temperature, making the rubber softer and stickier so it can grip the pavement better when the car launches. Burnouts also remove dust, dirt, and bits of old rubber from the tire surface. At the drag strip, racers usually do this in a designated wet burnout area because water helps the tires spin easily while they build heat. The result is a tire with a better chance of hooking up when the driver hits the throttle—although too much heat or an overly aggressive burnout can actually hurt traction.
