Top Fuel Dragster passes

Rolling earthquakes. The shockwave they produce is amazing.

 

That video was actually better than the TV broadcasts. Neat to see the whole pass from the side, instead of multiple camera changes during the run.

Watched the Summit Nationals last Sunday.

 

If you ever get a chance to drive one at a drag racing school, do it. I drove a modified rail at Frank Hawley's school in California a few years ago. And while it was governed to top out in the mid-100 MPH range, getting to drive something with wheels that are 18 feet in front of you and doing burn-outs before lining up for a run was an incredible rush. It may not have the earth shaking power of a fuel car, but I felt like Don Garlits for a few minutes.

 

Great job on the video! Thanks for posting it. During the Friday track day portion of this year's Cavallino at Palm Beach International Raceway, a/k/a Moroso, the top NHRA fuel and funny car teams were having their version of spring training. This was the first time I've seen these "cars" run in person. Just f'n incredible!!
You have to wear ear protection. Without it, it is painful (and potentially damaging) to your ears. Some guys from the Ferrari factory walked over to watch and were really impressed.

TV / ESPN just can't convey the earthshaking power of the engines. You have to see these cars run in person. When I first became interested in drag racing in the late '60s, funny cars were turning E.T.s in the low 7s and top fuel dragsters were in the high 6s. The improvements in technology (tires, transmissions, etc) have really bumped-up the speeds.

You can poo-poo drag racers all you want, but I can tell you it takes some huge cahones for John Force and other funny car pilots (including his daughters) to nearly straddle an 8000 horsepower hand grenade when competing!

KevFla

 

I raced fuel altereds for a number of years and can certainly attest to the improvements in technology. Our engines only produced 3000 to 3500 hp compared to more than double that now. The feelings you experience when accelerating one of these brutes is tremendous. The best I ever did back in the mid 80's was upper 7 second ets and a little over 200 mph in the true quarter mile of 1320 feet. Today they run only 1000 feet because of the safety concerns of these cars speeds climbing to over 325 mph......Truly awesome beasts......A couple of my old racers from the 70's and 80's below....
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www.70sfunnycars.com

It will take you months to go thru them all.

 

Chris, did YOU shoot that video?

If so, what kind of camera, lens did you use?

 

Oh great; thanks for that! There goes my weekend. Now I have to get out my Hot Wheels Dragstrip Demons as I read that page.

I need to get down to the lower 48 and catch one of these races soon. F1 this year, NHRA next year.