50 Fun Facts About NHRA Drag Racing

What is the nickname of the trophy given to NHRA national event winners?

A special Diamond Wally is being awarded for the NHRA's 75th anniversary in 2026.

Where was the first NHRA Nationals held in 1955?

It ran on a decommissioned airfield; the event moved to Indianapolis in 1961.

Which magazine did Wally Parks edit when he started the NHRA?

He co-founded the magazine and used it to push safety and organised racing.

Roughly how many drivers does the NHRA claim on its rosters?

That figure underpins its claim to be the world's largest motorsport sanctioning body.

How many professional classes make up the NHRA's top series?

Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

How many national events make up the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series each year?

The series draws racers from across North America and beyond.

Where are the U.S. Nationals held today?

The strip near Indianapolis has hosted the race every year since 1961, when it moved from Detroit.

What is the U.S. Nationals' nickname?

It is traditionally run over Labor Day weekend with eliminations on the Monday.

What fuel powers Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars?

Since 2015 the mix is capped at 90 percent nitro; the rest is typically methanol.

Over what distance do Top Fuel and Funny Car now race?

The quarter mile was cut after Scott Kalitta's fatal 2008 crash; Pro Stock still runs the full 1,320 feet.

What is the maximum engine displacement allowed in Top Fuel?

The engines are based on the second-generation Chrysler Hemi but built entirely from specialised parts.

Roughly how much power did 2015 sensor tests measure from a Top Fuel engine?

About 1,000 of those horsepower are needed just to turn the supercharger.

Which Chrysler engine design is the basis for Top Fuel engines?

Compression is only about 6.5:1 because of the overdriven Roots supercharger.

How many Top Fuel championships did Shirley Muldowney win?

Her 1977, 1980 and 1982 titles made her the first person to win two and then three Top Fuel crowns.

Which 1983 film told Shirley Muldowney's story, with Bonnie Bedelia in the lead?

Muldowney had mixed feelings about it but thought it was very good for the sport.

What is Don Garlits's famous nickname?

He is widely considered the godfather of drag racing.

What name did Garlits give each generation of his dragsters?

He had been dismissed as "the Floridian" by California racers before adopting the name.

What injury prompted Garlits to perfect the rear-engine dragster?

A two-speed transmission exploded in 1970 and cut his slingshot dragster in half.

Which Garlits dragster went into the Smithsonian's American History museum in 1987?

Garlits was the first to officially top 170, 180, 200, 240, 250 and 270 mph in the quarter mile.

How many NHRA Funny Car championships did John Force win as a driver?

He added a 17th title in the AHRA and 24 as a car owner.

How many consecutive championships did John Force win from 1993 to 2002?

The streak earned him the nickname "Brute Force" and accusations of cheating he offered to disprove by stripping off his firesuit.

What speed record does Brittany Force hold?

She also ran a then-record 3.676 seconds over 1,000 feet at Topeka in 2016.

Which oil brand sponsored John Force from 1985 to 2014?

Early in his career he finished as low as 26th in points before the sponsorship and Austin Coil's tuning turned things around.

What is Don Prudhomme's nickname?

He won four Funny Car championships in a 35-year career.

Who was the Snake's match-race rival, known as the Mongoose?

Prudhomme's yellow Barracuda and McEwen's red Duster became Hot Wheels toys in 1970.

Which toy company's sponsorship made the Snake and Mongoose famous in 1970?

It was one of the few major corporate sponsorships in the sport at the time.

Which beer brand gave Kenny Bernstein the nickname "the Bud King"?

He won four Funny Car titles and two in Top Fuel, 69 events in all.

Which sponsor gave Tony Schumacher the nickname "the Sarge"?

The nickname first applied to the dragster, then stuck to the buzz-cut driver himself.

Who became the first African American champion in NHRA history, in 2012?

He had raced Pro Stock Motorcycle before switching to Top Fuel in 2008.

Who became the first woman to win an NHRA Pro Stock race, in 2012?

She beat Greg Anderson in the final at Route 66 Raceway and has since won six Pro Stock titles.

Angelle Sampey won three straight championships from 2000 to 2002 in which class?

Her 46 event wins are the second most by any woman in professional motorsport.

Which Ford loyalist won ten Pro Stock championships, including five in a row from 1985?

His only non-Ford title came in a Plymouth Arrow in 1979.

Who won four straight Top Fuel championships from 2018 to 2021?

The Texan drives for his family-owned Torrence Racing.

Why is Pro Stock described as "all motor"?

The cars are factory hot rods: no turbos, superchargers or nitrous oxide allowed.

What replaced Pro Stock's hood scoops and twin four-barrel carburettors in 2016?

The change was meant to reflect cars people actually buy, which had been fuel injected for two decades.

Who is credited with coining the term "funny car"?

Mercury's racing chief reportedly said the team needed to beat "those funny cars".

What modification gave the first Funny Cars their odd look?

Moving the axles forward shifted weight onto the narrow rear slicks for traction.

What nickname did flip-top-bodied Funny Cars earn in the late 1960s?

Don Nicholson's flip-top, tube-chassis Comet arrived in 1966 and changed everything.

Roughly how much can a single carbon fibre Funny Car body cost?

Fielding a whole Funny Car team ran $2.6 to $3 million a year in 2016.

What is the starting-light system at a drag strip called?

The current NHRA design has blue staging LEDs, three ambers, a green and a red.

On a Professional tree, how long after the ambers flash does the green light come on?

All three ambers light at once; a Sportsman tree lights them one at a time at half-second intervals.

How long does a driver have to stage after the opponent stages before being disqualified?

The timeout applies even in qualifying.

What is it called when a slower car wins because of a better reaction time?

Reaction time and elapsed time are measured separately, so leaving first can beat running quicker.

What does E.T. stand for in drag racing?

It runs from the car leaving the starting line to crossing the finish line.

What replaced bleach in the "bleach box" after flame burnouts proved too dangerous?

The NHRA mandated water in the 1970s.

What are the long struts at the back of a dragster that stop it flipping on launch called?

Braking parachutes are required on any car capable of 150 mph.

Whose 2008 death led the NHRA to double the length and depth of the sand traps?

The traps went from 40 to 80 feet long and from three to six feet deep, backed by padded walls.

Where is the season-opening Winternationals held?

Until 2020 it was usually run in early February, often the week after the Super Bowl.

Which event, held each March since 1970, hosted the first 300 mph Top Fuel pass?

Gainesville Raceway also saw the first 260 and 270 mph runs.

Who was the first woman allowed to race at an NHRA national event, in 1962?

Pressure from Peggy Hart, Mickey Thompson and fellow women racers forced the change at the Winternationals.