Now I don't think I totally understand what a burnout is. I get that you spin your tires fast enough to burn them off and I think that ASpHole was trying to correct me on that point - fine. But is the idea not to get the car going too fast? If you're spinning your tires that fast, isn't the car eventually going to start going pretty quickly?
Now I've studied those drag racers in physics - if they're going fast enough, their aerodynamics would allow them to drive on the ceiling because they're being pushed into the surface so hard by the air. So I'll say it again - what the fuck was he doing with a stunt like that near an unprotected crowd? Please explain?
The essence of my post, in general. The drag cars use the burnout to heat up the tires, which are specifically formulated to increase traction after they are hot. When they start the burn out, usuallly they are applying the brake to the front tires, allowing the rear tires to spin like crazy and heat up.
As far as aerodynamics and downforce holding the car onto the track, that only happens at higher speeds. I don't know what the pressures are like in a Pro Stocker, but an Indy car has enough aerodynamic force to travel upside down at just over one hundred miles per hour. I would imagine that the car that crashed into the crowd would have to get well above that speed to become really stuck to the road, but, again it's done with air pressure and many things affects that to some degree.
I just can't imagine the reason for a burnout in a parade on a regular street, with spectators standing within a few feet of the road, which is how the article read.