[woodcote]

All my hands-on experience is with HO scale strips. As Ken said, there is a considerable amount of overlap with other scales. There's a lot of info about building my HO strip here: https://slotracer.online/community/showt...p?tid=1253

   

Specifically for a 1/32 scale eighth mile, I reckon...

• The timed length for a scale eighth mile is 20 feet 7.5 inches - ie from start sensors to finish sensors. You may need to be flexible on that (as I was).
  
• The staging area needs only to be as long as the longest cars you plan to run (for my HO strip, the Auto World Top Fuelers)
  
• The shut down area is vital - and the length depends on the fastest cars you intend to run. See below.
  
• The surface needs to as flat as possible - best is routed, then hard sectional (Carrera, Policar, Scalextric START). Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX or Ninco will need considerable work to be as flat as possible.
  
• Timing - Trackmate produce the best systems - if you're serious and can afford them. Drag Race Coordinator is a good, cheap DIY alternative. Slot Dragon have a great plug & play standalone system. The Scalextric ARC Air/Pro powerbases (using the drag race option of the ARC app) are okay for a bit of fun.
  
• Sensors - Start and Finish sensors are the minimum. Trackmate and Drag RC (using an Arduino Mega board) offer more sensors - 60ft, half distance, speed trap etc.
  
• Christmas Tree lights - The software timing systems offer these on screen or as a separate physical tree. Slot Dragon has a physical tree as part of the package.
  

What you go for does depend on your budget and the electronic skills you have. Slot Dragon is the simplest to set up and use. However, you'd still need to fit the sensors to the track - drilling four holes.

Shut down length - this will depend on the cars you are planning to use and the voltage you plan to run at. If you have an eye on serious trip into 1/32 (or 1/24) scale drag racing, you will be racing some fast cars that will need maybe eight to ten feet or more to slow down, even with dynamic breaking in the shut down area. And you'll still need a well-padded box at the end, just in case. With basic Scalextric or Carrera cars fitted with magnets, you'd get away with a shorter shutdown.

With my HO strip, I was constrained by the length of the wall. I made the shortest possible staging area (the length of a top fueler) and the short shutdown (with dynamic braking) limits the types of cars we run, the modifications that can be done and the voltage we run at (12 volts as opposed to the normal HO 18 or 20 volts). I still have cars hitting the end of the padded catch box at a few mph.

Leo - Scuderia Turini - has built 1/32 scale drag strips and used one recently for his EV Proxy event. He'd be able to give you dimensions. I'm pretty sure he used the rigid Scalextric START track.

I hope that helps.