43 replies to this topic

[William Hunt]

There are hardly ever any topics on drag racing on this forum, it's a big spot in he US and this weekend there is the opening round of the new season in Ponoma. It's probably an underestimated sport in the world of motorsport, lots of people think it's just driving straight but it's not, those dragsters are actually difficult to steer, it's a very technical sport where experience is important.

It promises to be an interesting season with John Force Racing switching from Ford to Chevrolet and Dave Connoly moving up 2 levels by going from Pro Stock to Top Fuel. Unfortunately Alan Johnson Racing lost it's main sponsor (Qatar) and as a result is unsure that they can complete the season with just 1 car for 2013 Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon and they dropped their 2nd car for the very quick Arab driver Khalid Al Balooshi.

Are there any peole here following NHRA?
What are the thoughts of the people on this forum regarding this competition?
Are there people here who have seen Top Fuel or Funny Cars in real life? I have not.

[BlinkyMcSquinty]

I have witnessed them, and they hurt. Not just the ears, but your entire body.

 

Although Top Fuel dragsters may appear agricultural and primitive, they are incredibly refined beasts. The rules limit the technology to basically mechanical systems, so they must do what in other cars is handled by computers. The ignition timing is altered as the run progresses, as well as the fuel mixture, the clutch slip, and tire growth. Those engines are run at the absolute limit of mechanical stress, hence why so many blow up. They have to be rebuilt after every run, they even have to change the oil between warm-up and the run.

 

Many people believe that all a dragster pilot requires is quick reflexes, but in fact they must posses great driving skills.

[William Hunt]

this year drivers who have blow ups will be punished with points deduction and financial penalties however, new rules. The also will reward the drivers who have the least blow ups in the season with 50.000$ though.

[William Hunt]

I assume  is not possible to watch it without ear plugs / ear protection?
And what do you mean that it 'hurts the entire body?', can you explain that more?
I assume watching a Top Fuel car is almost like hearing a bomb explode?

[Prost1997T]

http://motorsportsta...-3-700-seconds/

Nice way to qualify for the first event.

[loki]

I assume  is not possible to watch it without ear plugs / ear protection?
And what do you mean that it 'hurts the entire body?', can you explain that more?
I assume watching a Top Fuel car is almost like hearing a bomb explode?

In the stands hearing protection is about all you'll need but many don't have that.  Top fuel cars are the most pronounced in terms of being able to feel the power as a spectator.  If you are down in the paddock when they test fire the cars or next to the line where they are doing burn outs you don't want to inhale the fumes or expose your eyes.  Nitromethane burns the sinuses and causes eye irratation.  The power of the car shakes the area and you can feel the wave coming off the cars as they launch.  It's pretty intense.

 

The events are very spectator/family friendly.  Relatively low cost, the drivers are very accessable with many having autograph sessions at their merchandise trailers between runs.  Paddock access is included with every ticket and in fact at many of the events you have to walk through or right next to the paddock to get to the track.

 

And of course you get to see Ed Jones' Candyland Stage wheel stand car.  He can hold a wheel stand for most of the 1/4 mile.

 

[Donka]

There are hardly ever any topics on drag racing on this forum, it's a big spot in he US and this weekend there is the opening round of the new season in Ponoma. It's probably an underestimated sport in the world of motorsport, lots of people think it's just driving straight but it's not, those dragsters are actually difficult to steer, it's a very technical sport where experience is important.

It promises to be an interesting season with John Force Racing switching from Ford to Chevrolet and Dave Connoly moving up 2 levels by going from Pro Stock to Top Fuel. Unfortunately Alan Johnson Racing lost it's main sponsor (Qatar) and as a result is unsure that they can complete the season with just 1 car for 2013 Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon and they dropped their 2nd car for the very quick Arab driver Khalid Al Balooshi.

Are there any peole here following NHRA?
What are the thoughts of the people on this forum regarding this competition?
Are there people here who have seen Top Fuel or Funny Cars in real life? I have not.

 

Thanks for the heads up, pretty sad I didn't know the Winter's were this weekend when I live an hour away.

 

It's a good time, have been many times to Pomona for the Winternationals and Finals.  Being able to stand feet away from the car and crew in the pits.  Getting your hair blown back, feeling the heat of the exhaust and smell of nitro when they test fire the cars after teardown/rebuild.  

 

The shear force and vibration as the machines tear down the track.   Standing at the wall and having the car in the near lane's blower let go right in front of you, getting your eyebrows singed from the subsequent fireball and extreme heat.

 

This is what keeps people coming back.  Also why I think for many, including friends who go to 2-3 races a year, the new F1 engines just don't have the same appeal.  Before you knew you were at an F1 race because you could feel it and hear it, it was something different you don't experience anywhere else.

[Red17]

There are hardly ever any topics on drag racing on this forum, it's a big spot in he US and this weekend there is the opening round of the new season in Ponoma. It's probably an underestimated sport in the world of motorsport, lots of people think it's just driving straight but it's not, those dragsters are actually difficult to steer, it's a very technical sport where experience is important.

It promises to be an interesting season with John Force Racing switching from Ford to Chevrolet and Dave Connoly moving up 2 levels by going from Pro Stock to Top Fuel. Unfortunately Alan Johnson Racing lost it's main sponsor (Qatar) and as a result is unsure that they can complete the season with just 1 car for 2013 Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon and they dropped their 2nd car for the very quick Arab driver Khalid Al Balooshi.

Are there any peole here following NHRA?
What are the thoughts of the people on this forum regarding this competition?
Are there people here who have seen Top Fuel or Funny Cars in real life? I have not.

 

Drag racing isnt more mainstream because it's pretty much barebones motorsport: 2 dudes side by side (4 when they race at Zmax), wait for green, get to the line first.

 

There is also the anoyance of having a long cleanup when an engine goes bang, even with the new systems.

 

I try to follow NHRA as best as I can on this small corner of europe, but man... talk about niche audience, the only place where it's serious is the UK, Germany and Scandinavia, folks seem to be gettign their act togheter in eastern europe, but it's not something you will find in AS, actually, you will find a couple blowovers.

 

But you have to admire those teams, they don't have many runs to sort things out and the run itself is so short that TV tends to mellow the actual speed and the massive launches those machines have.

Edited by Red17, 08 February 2015 - 21:04.

[SlickMick]

If I stuck a cruise missile up my bottom, would it be racing if there was a chequered flag involved?

[chunder27]

It is a niche motorsport, even more so int he UK, but it is prety big in the USA, and unlike many areas of motorsport has also managed to corner an area of the market that is largely untapped worldwide, the ethnic so called minority.

 

Import racing is massive in certain areas of the US with massive amounts of non whote Americans running rice burners as they are often called and icnreasing participation hugely in drag racing in some areas, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, all are massively into the sport compact and import scene, and it is big business with the youth market.

 

Drag racing has always been biger in the USA for obvious reasons, but even in Europe and especially in Australasia it has got more popular in recent years, its simple, the crowd can see everything, they relate to the cars, like the noise the spectacle and ceratinly in Australis their Japanese tuning scene with WTAC and drag racing is huge.

[William Hunt]

I've been intrigued by the sport since I started watching NHRA weekends that are uploaded on youtube two years ago. There are some charismatic drivers. And the rivalry between John Force Racing (with his daughters also racing) and the other teams (especially in Funny Cars where John Force, 65 this year, is still driving) himself spices things up.
Visiting an NHRA weekend is something I would love to do 1 day.
Which event is the most recommended for someone who has never visited it, for a rookie visiter?

Edited by William Hunt, 08 February 2015 - 23:06.

[bigmack]

I follow Drag Racing and have been to lots of meetings in my country.

 

You can't beat Top Fuel and Funny Car for wild racing. There are lots of other classes of course.

[Jvr]

In my youth I went few times to local events where they even had a few Top Fuel Dragsters running. The noise and visual effect was phenomenal.

 

Your topic starter took me in those memories and went up digging some more information about these beasts. I was astonished to find out that current TF Dragsters pump out estimated (because it cannot be measured) 8 500 - 10 000 HP at full throttle. Also that it requires 600 HP just to run the supercharger with full revs and the fuel / air mix is near solid in the cylinder before being ignited!

 

Some more bits of info from this link.

http://www.albeedigi...l_dragster.html

 

"Putting this all into perspective:

Lets say the you are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z06. 

Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged & ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass by it.  You have the advantage of a flying start.  You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH.  Just as you pass the Top Fuel Dragster the 'tree' goes green for both of you.

The dragster launches & starts after you.  You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3 seconds the dragster catches & passes you.  He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just passed him."

Edited by Jvr, 08 February 2015 - 23:32.

[JacnGille]

My first motorsports attendance was at the drags. I've only been to a handful of drags since discovering road racing at the 1970 Road Atlanta Can Am though.

[loki]

I've been intrigued by the sport since I started watching NHRA weekends that are uploaded on youtube two years ago. There are some charismatic drivers. And the rivalry between John Force Racing (with his daughters also racing) and the other teams (especially in Funny Cars where John Force, 65 this year, is still driving) himself spices things up.
Visiting an NHRA weekend is something I would love to do 1 day.
Which event is the most recommended for someone who has never visited it, for a rookie visiter?

I'd suggest one of the Vegas races as you could get Vegas in at the same time.  Or Indianapolis if you wanted to check out where the teams are based, the Speedway, etc.  Charlotte if you want to get a taste of NASCAR country.  In Pomona you could do the So Cal tourism thing.

 

The race weekend starts Weds with Sportsman classes. The pros take the track on Fri and the remainder of the weekend is pro only. 

[whitewaterMkII]

My brother has been deeply involved with drag racing for years, as have I, probably over 30 years for me. My brother and I worked on blown alcohol drag boats together years ago, our record was 234mph.  That ended in tears later though when our driver died.

As a SoCal local, drag racing's sorta kinda birthplace, it's ingrained here. The guys/gals my brother is still very closely associated is BAE, who manufacturers blocks, heads and valve trains for Top Fuel, Blown Alcohol, and Pro Stock engines. Everything from billet. Check their price list and build you own motor, sorta.

Here's a shop tour vid they recently made, meet Brad Andersen, genius.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=VIkmxUFjrVs

[BlinkyMcSquinty]

I assume  is not possible to watch it without ear plugs / ear protection?
And what do you mean that it 'hurts the entire body?', can you explain that more?
I assume watching a Top Fuel car is almost like hearing a bomb explode?

 

This is a chart published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

 

 

Top fuel dragster  ... 150 dB

[chunder27]

And the laughable part is you do see silly old men and supposed hard nuts standing there watching without putting hands in their ears.

 

Dumbasses

[wonk123]

Drag Racing has always been big in Australia.

 

Top Fuel still runs a full quarter mile here.

 

My first top fuel experience was watching Eddie hill run one of the first (not the first) 4 second pass at Billie Myers Motorplex in 1990 I think

[The Kanisteri]

Drag Racing is just equal stupid sport than Ski Jumping.

But fun.

[chunder27]

Not quite sure you can compare drag racing to ski jumping. Both require insane bravery and very difficult to read skills.

 

I think any snob anywhere can say drag racing is easy, but next time you feel like doing that, go stand behind one and watch how much work those guys do to keep that thing on line. Watch a guy on a Top Fuel bike try and steer it down the strip with body weight only in 6 seconds as the front wheel never touches the ground and the rear is on a wheely bar.

 

The driver is a small part of the team, but is still exposed to what is basically a controlled explosion near his head or his feet.

 

They have brilliant reaction times and a lot of them have an acute feel for grip and what a track is doing and what a car is doing, that is pretty difficult if in essence all you are doing is going in a straight line, you get a tiny amount of feedback after a launch, and then you have to shut down or try and pedal it to the line, damned hard.

 

I am not saying it's the same as doing a triple stint in the dark at the Ring or Le Mans, but it's not as easy as people think.

[OvDrone]

I like me some Top Fuel and Funny Car action. And this year I made a resolution to follow this sport more seriously.

 

Unfortunately I caught the flu yesterday and I wasn't feeling it to watch the race at Pomona. And NHL was on, so...

 

Next time.

 

BTW: good to see a thread like this on the forum.

Edited by OvDrone, 09 February 2015 - 17:15.

[Frank Tuesday]

If I stuck a cruise missile up my bottom, would it be racing if there was a chequered flag involved?

If two or more people are going from point A to point B, at least one of them thinks it is a race.

[Gilles4Ever]

Matt Hagan engine explodes at the 2015 Circle K NHRA #Winternats:

[William Hunt]

Drag Racing is just equal stupid sport than Ski Jumping.

But fun.

 

I love watching ski jumping, extremely technical & spectacular sport, so now I'm even more interested in visiting an NHRA event one day

[OvDrone]

Just watching some youtube videos of the Pomona round. Man, I used to watch these series as a kid in the late nineties, when European channels used to show everything from drag racing, Nascar, Indy to Motocross, Truck racing and tractor pulling. It's fun as hell. Loving the Top Fuel battles.

[chunder27]

There is tons of good motorsport out there that isnt on tv much.

 

Sadly the vast majority poo poo it, and then say their stuff is better, after often only watching something on tv.

 

I am the opposite, I started off watching circuit racing, gave it a chance, realised it was garbage as a paying spectator and moved on to other things.  Some things have kept me itnerested for years, btu the things most people love to watch like track racing, endurance, F1 I prefer to dip into on tv, will never pay much to watch it as it offers me nothing, literally nothing as a fan live.

 

Stuff that makes you come back is accessible, cheap, fan friendly, spectacular, for the common man. Its why American car racing does so well in comparison currently with our racing, less snobbery, more care for fans and customers.

[Jvr]

Just watching some youtube videos of the Pomona round. Man, I used to watch these series as a kid in the late nineties, when European channels used to show everything from drag racing, Nascar, Indy to Motocross, Truck racing and tractor pulling. It's fun as hell. Loving the Top Fuel battles.

Allow me to share one of those videos, Top Fuel Qualifying action with great video quality, including Shawn Langdon making the fastest time ever 3.700 on 1000 ft track.

[krapmeister]

I just read that Antron Brown went 3.000secs @ 295mph to half track last weekend

 

That's 0 - 295mph or 475kph in 200m from a standing start. Fark me.

[Redback]

Holy snapping duck-shits, - that's 4.47G average acceleration!  Wow!

[whitewaterMkII]

Yikes!

Dixon's car literally breaks in half in the lights in Florida today, at about 280 mph...and he walks away!

I have no idea what happened, that's the first time I've ever seen that happen. I suspect the chassis runner(s) jammed.

 

https://www.youtube....0xVHPiKRec&t=31

[krapmeister]

Blimey! That would have rung his bell - especially when he came down and hit the ground.

Have seen it happen before though - almost exactly the same here in Australia a few years ago: https://www.youtube....h?v=vZVMskYdEhw

Obviously catastrophic failures of the chassis, and with all that downforce working on both ends the thing just folds up on itself...

NB: edited to correct youtube link

Edited by krapmeister, 15 March 2015 - 03:18.

[ScuderiaSV1]

I've been intrigued by the sport since I started watching NHRA weekends that are uploaded on youtube two years ago. There are some charismatic drivers. And the rivalry between John Force Racing (with his daughters also racing) and the other teams (especially in Funny Cars where John Force, 65 this year, is still driving) himself spices things up.
Visiting an NHRA weekend is something I would love to do 1 day.
Which event is the most recommended for someone who has never visited it, for a rookie visiter?

 

Hey William,

 

I'm assuming you live in the USA..  Can you let me know where you live and i'll make a recommendation.  

 

I was an F1 fan for a long, long time...  And I have a good buddy who always travels with me to the F1 race in Austin every year.  He talked me into going to the NHRA event in Houston during 2014.  Now we will be making annual F1 and NHRA trips

 

He's travelled to quite a few events.. And we have a check list going to hit most of the races across the USA.  Like I said, give me your location and I'll make a recommendation.  

 

To cover the USA.. I'd say the best ones to visit would be Pomona, Vegas, Bristol (TN) - [the sounds echo off the surrounding mountains], Reading (PA) - [temperature is usually cooler, so you'll see some of the quickest times of the year]. 

 

If you go to an event, do not miss 2nd qualifying.  They usually run the nitro cars during nightfall and the flames coming from the headers is something to witness

[Lee Nicolle]

Drag Racing has always been big in Australia.

 

Top Fuel still runs a full quarter mile here.

 

My first top fuel experience was watching Eddie hill run one of the first (not the first) 4 second pass at Billie Myers Motorplex in 1990 I think

Currently except for AIR where they run the US length as the runoff is a bit short!

[whitewaterMkII]

Blimey! That would have rung his bell - especially when he came down and hit the ground.
 

No kidding, he looks like he's about two floors up in this pic!

 

[bigmack]

[skylark68]

I have been to dozens of events. I used to go to Indy each year for the U.S. Nationals (in addition to the 500 in May). Several major problems now with the NHRA - 1) the y have become slot cars; 2) all computerized (their have 500 hp cars all competing to be closest without going over, say 10.60 ET). These terrific cars no longer tear off the track but are set to a specific quarter mile time. I prefer dial in times. 3) Too few owners. John Force has like 6 cars in FC/TF and once he lost a race against his daughter (her first win ever), complaining about clutch slip. Right. In the old days, this never happened. You had one car to an owner and lots of great chortling about how slow the other guy was. The noise and smell of nitro is awesome, though. I still follow it and will go Seattle this year but it is not as enjoyable as it was 20-25 years ago.

Oh - BTW - their Safety Safari crew are the very best in the world. Often they are following a wreck down the track. Awesome group and very quick.

Edited by skylark68, 15 March 2015 - 04:46.

[whitewaterMkII]

I have been to dozens of events. I used to go to Indy each year for the U.S. Nationals (in addition to the 500 in May). Several major problems now with the NHRA - 1) the y have become slot cars; 2) all computerized (their have 500 hp cars all competing to be closest without going over, say 10.60 ET). These terrific cars no longer tear off the track but are set to a specific quarter mile time. I prefer dial in times. 3) Too few owners. John Force has like 6 cars in FC/TF and once he lost a race against his daughter (her first win ever), complaining about clutch slip. Right. In the old days, this never happened. You had one car to an owner and lots of great chortling about how slow the other guy was. The noise and smell of nitro is awesome, though. I still follow it and will go Seattle this year but it is not as enjoyable as it was 20-25 years ago.

Oh - BTW - their Safety Safari crew are the very best in the world. Often they are following a wreck down the track. Awesome group and very quick.

The safety safari is great

There have always been bracket racers. They have had good computers forever in SuperGas. It's the reaction times than win those races. Heck it's the thousands of division racers and of the breakout racers that pay the rent, not the pros.

Edited by whitewaterMkII, 15 March 2015 - 04:57.

[Bob Riebe]

If you want to attend a drag race that is considered the big one, get to the Nationals at Indy.

 

Hot Rod magazine has spoken to retired drivers from the NHRA and there is concern about its health, it is not growing in the big ranks like it is in the smaller production based ones.

 

The 1,000 ft track is not popular and the fact Pro Stocks have nothing to do with stock cars is a big concern as the class is shrinking.

 

 

Even the Top Fuel classes have concerns but as far as racing in the USA goes drag racing and short tracks are in far better condition that anyone else.

[krapmeister]

Blimey! That would have rung his bell - especially when he came down and hit the ground.

Have seen it happen before though - almost exactly the same here in Australia a few years ago: https://www.youtube....h?v=vZVMskYdEhw

Obviously catastrophic failures of the chassis, and with all that downforce working on both ends the thing just folds up on itself...

NB: edited to correct youtube link

Unfortunately Phil Lamattina has just had *another* catastrophic chassis failure like Dixon's and his previous one at Willowbank a few years ago - he is alive but has been taken to hospital complaining of back pain. Hopefully he isn't injured too badly, although to get away uninjured from 2 of these types of incidents would've be nigh on miraculous. This was a brand new chassis too.

UPDATE: Phil Lamattina has a shattered vertebrae but is otherwise ok. Official footage of the crash has also been released - footage plus a couple of angles from the crowd can be found here: http://www.speedcafe...ationals-crash/

Official footage in the above link has been removed for some reason - can be found here: https://www.youtube....h?v=FSOBZSJAgEU

Edited by krapmeister, 07 June 2015 - 10:52.

[TimRTC]

A horrific crash, glad to hear that he is reasonably okay. Given that these cars are as complex as a military jet fighter and are being assembled by small teams under awnings, it is amazing that these sort of incidents are not more common really. Watching nitro drag racing is like watching motorbike road racing, it makes you quickly realise why so many of those who take part are religious.

 

 

Hot Rod magazine has spoken to retired drivers from the NHRA and there is concern about its health, it is not growing in the big ranks like it is in the smaller production based ones.

 

The 1,000 ft track is not popular and the fact Pro Stocks have nothing to do with stock cars is a big concern as the class is shrinking.

 

Even the Top Fuel classes have concerns but as far as racing in the USA goes drag racing and short tracks are in far better condition that anyone else.

 

I think the big issue is probably money. As the pro classes are getting more and more expensive and complex, they are out of the reach of individuals. You need a full team to support you and big sponsorship or personal wealth to make it happen. It is similar in Europe, we have tiny Pro fields - 8 Top Fuel Dragsters this year is the biggest in a long time and even then many of them are quite unreliable. Funny Car is a mere three cars and Pro-Stock just five doing the full season. None of them carry any real sponsorship at all, all are run by their drivers.

 

Yet Pro-Mod attracts a massive field and the bracket classes are growing each year. People want to go drag racing, but just can't afford to run at the highest level as it is, so they will either have to accept shrinking fields or change the regs to bring costs down - but in doing so, will doubtless reduce the speeds which will annoy the hardcore fans. Although I do question just how many of them there really are - we went to the Dallas NHRA round last September and stayed after the race for a little while to see the presentations and meet some of the drivers, by the time we got out, ours was the only car left in a multi-acre field, everyone else had already gone, which suggests to me that still the vast majority of paying fans are there to see and enjoy loud cars, but are not dedicated fans, so the trimming of a few tenths of race speeds would do nothing to put them off.

[krapmeister]

A horrific crash, glad to hear that he is reasonably okay. Given that these cars are as complex as a military jet fighter and are being assembled by small teams under awnings, it is amazing that these sort of incidents are not more common really. Watching nitro drag racing is like watching motorbike road racing, it makes you quickly realise why so many of those who take part are religious.

Considering that both himself and Dixon have collectively gone through 4 of these type of 'catastrophic' chassis failures and come out of them with *just* a broken leg and a couple of shattered vertebrae it is pretty amazing and testament to the general safety standards of the cars and equipment, considering they have been pretty close to aircraft accidents. What is a little more worrying is that I have read that the chassis (which was only 6 runs old) didn't break at the welds, which if true would explain why the NHRA and ANDRA are mounting a joint investigation into the 2 very similar incidents. I would expect that there may be some changes mandated to chassis construction once that is complete. 
 

I think the big issue is probably money. As the pro classes are getting more and more expensive and complex, they are out of the reach of individuals. You need a full team to support you and big sponsorship or personal wealth to make it happen. It is similar in Europe, we have tiny Pro fields - 8 Top Fuel Dragsters this year is the biggest in a long time and even then many of them are quite unreliable. Funny Car is a mere three cars and Pro-Stock just five doing the full season. None of them carry any real sponsorship at all, all are run by their drivers.
 
Yet Pro-Mod attracts a massive field and the bracket classes are growing each year. People want to go drag racing, but just can't afford to run at the highest level as it is, so they will either have to accept shrinking fields or change the regs to bring costs down - but in doing so, will doubtless reduce the speeds which will annoy the hardcore fans. Although I do question just how many of them there really are - we went to the Dallas NHRA round last September and stayed after the race for a little while to see the presentations and meet some of the drivers, by the time we got out, ours was the only car left in a multi-acre field, everyone else had already gone, which suggests to me that still the vast majority of paying fans are there to see and enjoy loud cars, but are not dedicated fans, so the trimming of a few tenths of race speeds would do nothing to put them off.

The European and Australian scene seems fairly similar - especially in the Pro classes. Top Fuel struggles to get an 8 car field and usually 4 of those cars are from 2 car teams (Lamattina/Rapisarda teams) and we don't have Funny Car as an official class any more. Top Doorslammer (our Pro Mod equivalent), Top Alcohol, and Pro Stock are by far our healthiest classes but even the numbers in those have dropped a bit lately. If anyone from outside drag racing had a look at the Winternationals that was run here last weekend they would assume the sport was in rude health - over 500 cars, full fields in pretty much all Pro classes and over 35000 spectators - but unfortunately the real picture isn't quite so rosy...

Edited by krapmeister, 09 June 2015 - 13:09.

[Bob Riebe]

In the new Hot Rod magazine there is an interview with a long time professional involved with drag racing.

The NHRA this year dropped the maximum revolutions on Top Fuel to 7,800 rpm to slow them down but that did not work as they are going even quicker and faster.

Edited by Bob Riebe, 09 June 2015 - 15:34.

[whitewaterMkII]

Very nasty accident at the Texas NHRA Springnationals in the Pro Mod division.

Sidnei Frigi was airlifted out, my thoughts are with him tonight.

I have a lot of close friends that race in this division, these cars are a handful.

http://www.usatoday....ital/83731176/ 

Edited by whitewaterMkII, 30 April 2016 - 04:03.