Popular Hot Rodding
Oct, 2001

50 Years of NHRA Drag Racing.

Author/s: Randy Fish

The Original "Extreme" Sport in a Nutshell

EDITOR'S NOTE: When one looks back at 50 years of anything, whether it be lawn bowling, shuffleboard, or wheelbarrow racing, it's impossible to recount all the memories in just a few pages. This overview will serve to shed some light on what many feel is the most intense form of motors port this planet has ever witnessed. NHRA Championship Drag Racing has always been a festival of speed, color, and characters that is unparalleled in any other competitive automotive arena. We sincerely hope you enjoy the images and facts presented here. Happy anniversary, NHRA.

From an abandoned airport runway in Great Bend, Kansas (circa 1955), to our familiar megaplexes of the new millennium, NHRA Championship Drag Racing has evolved into an amazing sport. While other types of promoters strive to "invent" new and dangerous "extreme" sports, it's no secret that drag racing is the nation's first and foremost extreme sport. Back in the '50s, there was only one event (The Nationals), and founder, Wally Parks ran the organization on a part-time basis. However, the Safety Safari was already spreading the message about organized, quarter-mile acceleration contests, and while doing it, civic leaders and law enforcement departments quickly recognized the NHRA's goal to help eradicate speeding on city streets across America.

The message of the NHRA Safety Safari was heard loud and clear, because it was their job to influence the "city fathers" in several different geographical markets of the organization's long-range goals. Calvin Rice, at the wheel of a flathead-powered, "slingshot" dragster was the top dog at the first Nationals. He rocketed through the quarter-mile in a blistering 10.30 seconds at 143.95 mph.

In 1961, the one-race schedule was doubled, with the addition of the Winternationals in Pomona, California. The '60s proved to be the decade of Top Fuel dominance, following a short-lived ban on the use of nitromethane. Many advancements were made in areas of chassis construction, rollcages, and bodywork. However, as speeds increased, so did the occurrence of drivers being bathed in hot oil, as early Chrysler Hemi engines were being run on the ragged edge. On May 16, 1964 Bobby Vodnick went 7.96 at Bayview Maryland, and by 1965, AA/Fuel Dragsters were running in the mid-7s at over 200 mph.

At roughly the same time, a new breed of altered wheelbase, Factory Experimental Super Stockers hit the scene. In an attempt to increase weight transfer, the front and rear wheels were moved further forward, lending a "funny" look. Hence, the name "Funny Car" was born. They, too, went through a rapid evolution of design, fabrication, and speed. Many of the early Top Fuel pioneers switched to Funny Cars, and the rest is history. However, from the early Stock and Super Stockers, up to, and including the Funny Car, we experienced what was known as "The Factory Wars." Rivalries were intense, as fans packed the grandstands to cheer for their favorite brand of automobile.

The '70s began with "Big Daddy" Don Garlits suffering a horrendous transmission/clutch explosion just off the starting line at Lions Drag Strip in Southern California. Not only did it cut his "Swamp Rat" dragster in half, it took half of Garlits' right foot with it. That very incident led the crafty veteran to design a better mousetrap. In 1971, he debuted a revolutionary rear-engine dragster at the Winternationals, and immediately dominated the scene, winning in Pomona and Bakersfield within a month of each other. On November 17, 1972 Mike Snively broke the 6-second barrier, running a 5.97 in Top Fuel at Ontario, California. And the rest is history.

Throughout the decade, Funny Cars became more noticeable than the quicker and faster Top Fuel Dragsters. Granted, space for sponsor signage was much more abundant, and the rivalries between drivers had a tendency to endear fans to the "Floppers." The "Snake" and the "Mongoose." USA-1 versus "Jungle" Jim. The Hawaiian against the "Orange Baron," Somehow, those early Funny car match-ups provided the fans with more sizzle and pop than did Top Fuel, Also, it seemed as if Funny Cars were everywhere at the time, as match races were abundant from coast to coast. Dragstrips dotted the American landscape with much more frequency than they do today It was nothing for a racer to compete in three different states on any given Friday, Saturday and Sunday To put it in perspective, Leroy Goldstein drove the Ramchargers Funny Car to a 6,92-second elapsed time in 1970, and in 1975 Don Prudhomme recorded a 5.98. That's technology!

The '80s saw Pro Stock times range from 7.77 to the 7.20s with household names such as Bob Glidden, Lee Shepherd, Frank Jaconio, Joe Lepone, and Warren Johnson. Personal gains in this difficult eliminator came in 1 or 2 horsepower increments on the dyno, and hundredths of a second on the racetrack. However, all major automotive brands were still well represented, which added greatly to the fan appeal. The sport was gaining professionalism in the '80s, as well. Corporate positioning became the focal point, with national brands lending their support in a much more open fashion. Names such as Faberge, Pioneer, Budweiser, Old Milwaukee, and Wendy's became synonymous with our sport. Drivers had to quickly learn how to become "personalities" and "spokespersons." The era opened up a whole new cadre of necessary personnel, such as public relations people and marketing specialists, and suddenly, drivers found themselves traveling with an entourage of hired help.

Performance didn't suffer, however. The decade saw Top Fuel times plummet from a 5.57 in 1981 to Eddie Hill's histrionic 4.99 in 1988. If speed is your game, Joe Amato debuted a revolutionary tall, laid-back rear wing, which immediately produced a 260.11mph blast at the Gatornationals in 1984. That incredible accomplishment was bookended by Connie Kalitta's 291.54 in 1989. Likewise, the Funny Car contingent was also turning in stellar performances. Raymond Beadle's 5.868 e.t., recorded in 1981 was improved to the tune of a 5.193 by Don Prudhomme in 1989, and speeds increased by a bit more than 30 mph, ranging from 250 to over 280 mph. Along with the sport's prominence and professionalism, payouts increased in the '80s, as well. In 1980, the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Point Fund totaled $236,000, and was split among the professional categories with $25,000 each for Top Fuel and Funny Car Champions and $15,000 for the Pro Stock Champ. In 1989, the total increased to $1,016,600, as Top Fuel and Funny Car C hampions got a check for $150,000 and the Pro Stock kingpin took home $100,000.

The '90s saw very few "privateers" left in Top Fuel and Funny Car. Sponsor dollars became increasingly competitive to secure, while the cost of running a top-notch operation escalated immensely. We were now in the era where fuel crewchiefs could earn millions themselves. To quote an old song, professional drag racing became a sport where "only the strong survive." Back in the '70s very few dragstrips would qualify to be called "Super Tracks." Englishtown, Gainesville, Ontario, and Indy are a few that always seemed to live up to (and exceed) the day's performance expectations. However, the National Hot Rod Association fought long and hard to gain respect within the auto racing community. The '90s saw more professional facilities, which served to catapult the NHRA from a competition-driven sport to the lofty status of "family entertainment." Corporate sponsorships became more 'frequent, as well, such as the "Official Vehicle of the NHRA," the "Official battery of the NHRA," or the "Acme Auto Nationals, present ed by Speedy Spark Plugs."

Perhaps the biggest news in the sport was ushered in with the new millennium, when NHRA decided to limit the percentage of nitromethane allowed in its two premier categories--Top Fuel and Funny Car. While the main focus was safety the necessary by-product came in the form of less downtime for track clean up. The job of speeding up the show so fans would see less track cleaning became the crewchief's responsibility Even though fines (and points deductions) were also handed out, things did improve, and the fans noticed. NHRA also sought a new qualifying format, whereas time schedules were tweaked in order to provide the fans with a more constant program of "must see" on-track action.

All in all, the first 50 years of NHRA Championship Drag Racing has produced volumes of excitement. During its formative years, you could make an argument that soundly supports the fact that the NHRA helped create the entire high-performance aftermarket explosion. Countless crafty racers began to design better parts that eventually would launch their careers in manufacturing. Look around. Many of those early racers are some of the most successful entrepreneurs in America. It seems fitting that the Land of the Free is also the place where many passionate and inventive hobbyists have turned their dreams into reality

This was all made possible thanks to the vision and determination of Wally Parks, founder of the NHRA, which has become the nation's largest motorsports organization. It was Wally's "need for speed" that helped create an arena for men to test their ideas, which later became "must have" products for many a power-hungry high school kid. Today, with NHRA action reaching millions and millions of households through ESPN2, its momentum is still building. Many insiders feel this momentum can only serve as a springboard to the next 50 years.

NHRA RACING

1955: 1 Events

1965: 4 Events

1976: 9 Events

1986: 14 Events

1997: 22 Events

2001: 24 Events

NHRA's founder, Wally Parks, was like many of us--a true automotive enthusiast who had a passion for success. With a penchant for racing on Southern California's dry-lake beds, Parks took the idea of safely staged, quarter-mile acceleration contests and turned it into the largest motorsports organization in the world.

In the '50s, a young racer from Seffner, Florida, began to make a name for himself. Don Garlits, later known as "Big Daddy" quickly became the most feared competitor, as well as the most respected innovator. It would take volumes to list the many "firsts" "Big Daddy" is credited with.

The phrase "acceleration contest" was not generally met with approval in the early '50s, until NHRA's Safety Safari visited various geographical markets to convince the "City Fathers" that illegal street racing could be reduced significantly.

In the early '60s, electronic starts became the new wave. Gone were the days of the flag starter, and as a result, drag racing became foolproof and much more consistent.

The fabled "Parker Avenue," named for Chief Parker of the Los Angeles Police Department, easily became known as the most famous quarter-mile in the nation. The site of NHRA's second "national" event (the Winternationals) rests on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Fairplex in Pomona, California, and is still considered an extremely special strip of asphalt.

Aside from Top Fuel, many other classes are also credited with their fare share of innovators, as well. For full-bodied, carbureted cars, such as Super Stock and Pro Stock, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins (shown here circa 1970) was always at the forefront of technology, pushing the limits and forging new ways to develop horsepower (and still does to this day).

Don "The Snake" Prudhomme is yet another icon of drag racing as we know it, and one of the handful that could be considered "household" names in America. After switching from Top Fuel to Funny Cars in the early '70s, The Snake began a reign of terror with performances that were unmatched at the time. This photo captures one of those "shot heard 'round the world" runs, where Prudhomme became the first Funny Car driver to break the 6-second barrier in 1975.

Over the years, Gainesville Raceway, located in north central Florida, became one of the most talked-about venues on the entire NHRA calendar. Its late winter race date, coupled with premium traction always made for a much-anticipated happening. In 1984, the innovation brought by Joe Amato and (then) crewchief Tim Richards proved this facility's legacy, as Amato became the first driver to exceed 260 mph. His innovative, tall, laid-back rear wing was credited as providing greater down force, due mainly to its lofty location which allowed it to cut through "clean" air.

While Pomona has its "Parker Avenue," Indy is considered the Granddaddy of all drag races, as illustrated in this photo from 1968. The year 2001 marks the 47th U.S. Nationals, an event in which winning means more to a competitor than any other race on the calendar.

What began with a bunch of Chrysler Corporation engineers running in Stock Eliminator and Super Stock, the Ramchargers became one of the first successful multicar teams. These now infamous candy-striped cars were well represented in Top Fuel, Funny Car (with Leroy Goldstein driving here), and Pro Stock.

Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois, is but one shining example of the newest way to expose NHRA Championship Drag Racing to the world. Its "stadiumstyle" presentation ensures a great view from any seat in the house. Many of today's megaplex facilities capitalize on multivenue attractions in order to capitalize on the optimum usage of their seasonal real estate.

Darrell Gwynn turned heads by joining forces with the New York Yankees and the Steinbrenner family. Driven by veteran handler Mike Dunn, Gwynnl Steinbrenner Racing is always poised to defend the "pride of the pinstripes," and recently served notice by setting the NHRA National Speed Record with an incredible 330.55-mph charge.

John Force has positioned himself at the top of the heap in Funny Car by assembling a top-notch group of tuners and a three-car team to wreak havoc on the competition. Rumors persist of him fielding a Top Fuel Dragster for 2002, as well.

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COPYRIGHT 2001 McMullen Argus Publishing, Inc
in association with The Gale Group and LookSmart. COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group
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Dragsters keep breaking speed barriers

By BOB ARNDORFER
Gainesville Sun staff writer

Kenny Bernstein founded drag racing's 300 Club at the 1992 Gatornationals. Driving a Top Fuel dragster, he was the first person to break through the 300 mph barrier.

Is a 350 or 400 Club next?

Bernstein's feat was the motorsport equivalent of Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager flying through the sound barrier in 1947. They said it couldn't be done.

Today, drag racing speeds in the 320 mph range are routine, and the 330-mph barrier has even been broken; all from a standing start on a quarter-mile track, shorter than the distance between the corner of University and Main and the Seagle Building.

As each milestone speed barrier is breached in drag racing, the question emerges: Just how fast can they go?

Is 350 or 400 even possible?

"Back in the '50s and '60s, they said the laws of physics wouldn't allow you to go 150 miles an hour," said Mike Dunn, another member of the 300 Club who is competing in the Top Fuel class during this weekend's Gatornationals. "I think shortly after they made that statement, somebody broke 150."

Back when the sport was closing in on the magic 300, few people thought it wouldn't happen, Dunn and others said. As the speed records inched up from 250 to 270 to 290 in the 1980s, the question became not if they could go 300, but who would do it.

Nine years after Bernstein broke 300, however, the tone in the pits has changed. Drivers and crews are suggesting that speeds may have peaked. And that, they say, may be good for the sport.

"I think 400 (mph) is technically not impossible," Dunn said. "I don't think we'll see it happen, though. . . . Whether NHRA or the insurance companies would let us run 400 is the question. Obviously, safety is the biggest concern, as it should be."

Three weeks ago in Phoenix, Dunn hit a speed of 328.22 mph, breaking his official career best of 321.42 mph. The 328 wasn't official, however, because Dunn wasn't able in the same event to follow it up with a run within 1 percent of the speed.

The fastest unofficial speed ever recorded in an event sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association was 330.23 mph. It was set in 1999 by Tony Schumacher, who also is in town competing in the Top Fuel shoot-out. Schumacher's speed is unofficial because he, too, wasn't able to back it up at the same event.

NHRA's fastest official speed is 326.91, set by Gary Scelzi in October 1999.

Dunn said that a decade ago, insurance companies didn't want racers running 300 mph. Changes in NHRA rules and advances in safety technology, he said, helped convince insurers that the risk isn't as great as the speeds suggest.

"Today's cars are safer at 320 than back in 1980 when I was driving Funny Cars at 250," Dunn said.

In an effort to rein in the horsepower, NHRA rules now restrict the size of engines in the top classes to 500 cubic inches. Restrictions also have been placed on the size of superchargers -- the device that blows huge doses of air into an engine -- and the types of ignition systems that can be used.

Another major rule change affected the fuel mixture for the top classes. Instead of gasoline or alcohol, Top Fuel and Funny Cars burn nitromethane, a highly volatile fuel. In the past, NHRA allowed the use of 100 percent nitro in the engines. It delivered enormous power, but also often resulted in engines exploding during a run.

Today the 90 percent rule has been adopted, which mandates that nitro can comprise only 90 percent of the fuel mix, with the remainder made up of less volatile methanol.

Dan Olson, crew chief for Schumacher, has been in drag racing for 36 years. He said he remembers how difficult it was to get into the "200-miler" club.

"They thought there was no way you'd ever go faster than 200," he said.

For most of his three decades in the sport, he thought the sky was the limit. Today, he said, he thinks the technology and rules may have caused speeds to top out. "With what we have today to work with, I don't think we'll see much more than 330 (mph)," Olson said.

Technology today has caused such increases in power that the biggest challenge now is controlling it efficiently. With so much power -- Top Fuel cars have 6,000 horsepower, more than a dozen Corvettes combined -- the trick is keeping the wheels from spinning on the track. A car without traction doesn't win races.

"In the past, we could never overcome the track," Olson said. "Now we've got the power, but the problem is overcoming the track, or keeping the car from spinning its tires."

Tim Richards, co-crew chief with Johnny West for Bernstein's team, said he thinks the new rules will keep speeds in check.

"I think everybody agrees these cars go fast enough to be entertaining," he said. "There was a time when the technology was moving a lot faster than it is today, and there were a lot of big jumps that could be made in speeds.

"Today, I think what we're striving for is more competitiveness and more consistency," said Richards, who started in the sport in the early 1970s when 200 mph was the brass ring. "That's more important than getting a car to 340."

Anthony Vestal, a spokesman for NHRA, said the new rules "sort of slowed down speed a little bit the last year or so." But Dunn's performance in Phoenix, he said, "shows that these guys are mechanical geniuses and they'll figure ways within the rules to achieve the speeds."

Speed is secondary to the main goal in drag racing, Olson said.

"My goal is to win rounds and win races," he said. "The speeds and (elapsed times) will come along."

Here is a link to good article in the October 2002 Popular Science .