Assuming you are running street radials, set your tire pressure to street pressure in the front and a little higher in the rear. DO NOT DO A BURNOUT ON STREET TIRES, OR FOR ANY REASON IF YOU HAVE THE STOCK DIFFERENTIAL. AVOID THE WATER PUDDLE. Just do a quick little dry peel out to clean any debris from the tires before you stage.
Don't worry about the reaction for now. You want to focus on your 60' time. That is the true measure of how well you are launching, and you will see the results in your overall times as you get this lower. My best run to date had a R/T of over 1 second, because I wanted to ignore the light and concentrate on the launch. The timers don't start until you leave the staging lights. R/T is only important when you are competing with someone.
Seat time is most important, really. With a little practice, you'll find the sweet spot for launches. It took me 3 trips to the strip to get a 60' below 2.4 - 2.6, and once I got that straightened out and started to put down 2.2x's, I won a small bracket event that very same day.
Most important: HAVE FUN! Don't get discouraged if you put down some bad times on your first trip. Unless you are like Iceman22 or SVT ST PETE, your first time racing will probably not be very good. At the very least, a trip to the drags will give you a chance to check out some cool cars.
