"You have to make sure the clutch is all the way to the stop, too, because if you don't, the car will probably creep through and make you redlight. That's another thing that really works your leg. You also have to make sure there's 250 pounds of brake pressure held on with the line lock, because if you don't, that'll let you creep forward, too.

"Then, when the light flashes yellow, you better be off the clutch and on your way in between yellow and green. I don't even remember releasing the line-lock button or letting out the clutch. It just kind of comes natural; one of those deals that happen but you don't consciously make it happen."

Osborne says he goes through first gear in less than a second and a shift light flashes at about 9,000 rpm to signify he needs to shift to second.

"So I'm in second and the third gear change will come on roughly 1.55 (seconds) into the run," he continues. "The shift points, we've kind of got them staggered because by the second one you're kind of settled down and looking for a gear change, so the light comes on at about 9,300 rpm and I try to snag it at about 9,400 or 9,450. The fourth gear change is basically the same deal, and when you hit fifth gear, probably at about 800 feet or so, you're hoping you're sitting a little bit ahead of your competitor. With our team, we usually have enough power that if we're ahead at the 1,000-foot mark, they're not going to be able to drive around us."

On a good pass, the car will still be accelerating at the finish line, he says.

"When you hit high gear, it's just like hitting second gear. It's taking off. We'll cover the back 1/8th mile in about 2.47 seconds, which is pretty fast," he states matter-of-factly. "The motor's winding up and we'll go through the lights at about 9,450 rpm and that's when you pop the 'chute. You want to run into the 'chute before you push in the clutch pedal."

Counteracting the 2.5 G-force he experiences on the launch, Osborne says he pulls about 2.7 to three negative Gs when the parachute extends. The levers in his cockpit are situated so that with "one swat" he can release the parachute and switch off the ignition and fuel pumps.

"I don't ever remember turning those things off; it's another one of those deals. I always look around when I get to the other end, just to make sure I turned them off, and they always seem to be off, so I guess I'm getting them," he says.

Finally, when the cars are coasting to an exit beyond the finish line, Osborne says it's another matter of driver courtesy to simply fall in behind whomever is farther down the shutdown area. That's also when he turns his attention back to the radio.

"Hopefully, at the end of the run, you're listening to your crew chief tell you that you've qualified or won the round and you get to race some more," he says.

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