The 10: Don Prudhomme
The second installment of a new feature, chronicling the 10 greatest career moments of some of 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖's greatest racers. This week, it's legendary Top Fuel/Funny Car owner/driver Don "the Snake" Prudhomme.
Last week I compared some of the great individual seasons in 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖鈥檚 recent history with the 1976 season of Don 鈥渢he Snake鈥濃
Comparing great seasons: Force vs. Anderson vs. Schumacher vs. Herrera vs. 'Snake'
Gaige Herrera's championship-winning season in Pro Stock Motorcycle was the best in class history, but how does it stack up against the other by-class greats, including Don Prudhomme's amazing 1976 Funny Car season? Let's find out.
Newly crowned Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Gaige Herrera had a season for the ages, scoring 11 times in 15 events to set a new class record and also set another record for most No. 1 qualifying efforts (14 of 15) that will go in the鈥
A look back at some thrilling winner-take-all championship-winning final rounds
Just five times in 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Professional-class racing has the final round of the season finale been a winner-take-all for the championship, including Top Fuel at last weekend's In-N-Out Burger 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Finals. Here's a look back at those five nailbiters.
Drag racing, by its very nature, is a series of single-elimination contests. Win and move on to the next round; lose and go home. But what about when there is no next round, when the final round is the final round of the season, and the two鈥
A tale of two Walts
When it comes to famous Walts in the world, movie lovers have Walt Disney, bookworms have Walt Whitman, and basketball fans have Walt Frazier. Drag racing recently lost two of its favorite Walts, Walt Austin and Walt Stevens, within a month over September and October.
When it comes to famous Walts in the world, movie lovers have Walt Disney, bookworms have Walt Whitman, and basketball fans have Walt Frazier. Drag racing recently lost two of its favorite Walts, Walt Austin and Walt Stevens, within a month over鈥
Blast From the Past: More fire burnouts
If the volume of email is any indicator, fire burnouts, which were made illegal decades ago, are still very much a hot topic among race fans of yore who witnessed the planned pyrotechnics on dragstrips across the nation.听
If the volume of email is any indicator, fire burnouts are still very much a hot topic among race fans of yore who witnessed the planned pyrotechnics on dragstrips across the nation.
Following up on my鈥
Flaming hot magazine covers, cooked to order, sometimes overcooked
And as long as there have been photographers submitting photos to publications, they鈥檙e all in pursuit of the Holy Grail known as the elusive 鈥渃over shot," and for drag racing magazines, that meant a fire burnout (back when they were still legal). Here's the story of one that went amusingly wrong.
As long as there have been drag racing magazines, there have been photographers itching to illustrate their pages with the photos of far-away dragstrips you may never visit and cars that you may never see at your local track doing things that you鈥
500 races and counting: A short history of 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖's Pro Stock Motorcycle class
The Betway 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Carolina Nationals marked the 500th Pro Stock Motorcycle race of the modern era, which began in 1987 with the crowning of the first world champion, Dave Schultz.听Here's a quick history of the 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Pro Stock Motorcycle class from 1987 to present.
The Betway 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Carolina Nationals marked the 500th Pro Stock Motorcycle race of the modern era, which began in 1987 with the crowning of the first world champion, Dave Schultz.
(Prior to 1986, the class was contested only sporadically,鈥
It was just another case of Indy magic, courtesy of Ron Capps and 'the Snake'
Ron Capps' Funny Car victory at the Dodge Power Brokers 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 U.S. Nationals brought a tear to the eye of many 鈥 Capps included 鈥 as well as the thousands of Don Prudhomme fans around the globe.
In 41 straight years of attending the 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 U.S. Nationals, I鈥檝e stockpiled a ton of memories from the Big Go, far too many to detail here, but Ron Capps鈥 win in his Don Prudhomme/Hot Wheels tribute car at this year鈥檚 event probably easily cracks my鈥
When it comes to 300 mph, I feel The Need: The Need To Talk about Speed
The old saying, "Speed is not just about going fast; it's about going faster than anyone else鈥 certainly applies to drag racing. As we sit on the cusp of the first 300-mph eighth-mile pass, here鈥檚 a look back at the history of speed in drag racing.
At last year鈥檚 Dodge Power Brokers 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 U.S. Nationals, Brittany Force鈥檚 David Grubnic-tuned Monster Energy Top Fueler reached a speed of 299.73 after covering just 660 feet of racetrack, falling just shy of the magic and lucrative 300-mph speed.鈥
Drag books, drag movies, drag nicknames, and heroes that we鈥檝e lost
In this week's Dragster Insider, we get a first look at a new Funny Car book and the proposed "Big Daddy" Don Garlits movie, take a look at drag racing nicknames, and offer remembrances of a trio of nitro racers who recently left us.
The Western Swing is history, and my bags are unpacked for a couple of weeks, allowing me to play a little catchup. A lot has happened since my last column three weeks ago, so here we go.
Steve Reyes鈥 newest drag racing history book arrived鈥
Girl power! The big list of female firsts in 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Drag Racing history
In no other motorsport have women accomplished as much as they have in 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Drag Racing. The female drivers of the 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 have racked up scores of firsts in the sport that place them head and shoulders above their peers in other motorsports. Here's a look at some of those firsts.
Lauren Freer earned a piece of 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 history at the Summit Racing Equipment 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Nationals in Norwalk when she became the first woman to win in two classes at an 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 national event. Freer, who previously had collected four wins, scored first in鈥
The Dual-Fuel Club: 18 drivers who have won in both Top Fuel and Funny Car
Eighteen Funny Car drivers have done something that even the great John Force never has (and likely never will) do: Win in both Funny Car and Top Fuel. With his Funny Car win at the Summit Racing Equipment 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Nationals, Blake Alexander became the latest driver to win in both classes at an 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 national event.听
Eighteen Funny Car drivers have done something that even the great John Force never has (and likely never will) do: Win in both Funny Car and Top Fuel. With his Funny Car win at the Summit Racing Equipment 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Nationals, Blake Alexander became the鈥
The 10: Don Garlits
Drag racing legend Don Garlits will be the grand marshal at this weekend's inaugural Wally Parks 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Nostalgia Nationals in Bowling Green, Ky. Here's a look at 10 magical moments from the career of "Big Daddy."
In 2001, as part of its 50th-anniversary celebration, 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 created a list of the Top 50 Drivers of its first 50 years, with a panel of experts weighing in based on criteria that included on鈥
Getting off a fast start: A historic look at early-season dominators
Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Gaige Herrera has won the first three events of the 2023 campaign, marking only the 13th time in 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 history that a driver won three or more events to start a season. Here's a historical look back at other fast starts to seasons.
The 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 world is abuzz this season with the fast start of second-year Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Gaige Herrera,鈥
John Jodauga's illustrations, words, and spirit were part of the 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 for 50 years
John Jodauga, the talented motorsport artist, longtime former member of the 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 National Dragster staff, and the man with the most mispronounced last name in motorsports, passed away May 11, and he and his artwork are remembered by his friends and colleagues.
John Jodauga, the talented motorsport artist, longtime former member of the 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 National Dragster staff, and the man with the most mispronounced last name in motorsports, left us last week, passing away May 11 at age 77 after a鈥
From Half Day to Route 66, from 'the Greek' to 'Wilk,' an Illinois drag racing primer
Next weekend, the 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Camping World Drag Racing Series will take its official return to Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., to continue the state鈥檚 70-year love affair with drag racing.
Next weekend, the 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Camping World Drag Racing Series will take its official return to Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., to continue the state鈥檚 70-year love affair with drag racing.
According to Mel Bayshore鈥檚 encyclopedic鈥
From Sweden with love: An artistic salute to Funny Cars of the 1970s and '80s
Swedish artist Lars 鈥淟oors鈥 Svensson has created a very cool 1970s Funny Car poster that faithfully shows the flanks and noses of 24 recognizable floppers. It's his tribute to those colorful and memorable cars of the era.
A few years ago, I wrote a Dragster Insider column about drag racing fans who collected shards of shattered Funny Car body parts to adorn their man caves. Funny Cars were much more鈥
Remembering Bill Mullins
Veteran racer Bill Mullins, the only driver in 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 history to win in Top Gas, Top Alcohol Dragster, and Top Fuel, passed away April 10 at age 88, and his story and life are remembered here.
Over the course of 40-plus years on the job, you meet a lot of racers. The overwhelming majority of them are nice, friendly, and open and accommodating of our probing and sometimes difficult questions. And then there was Bill Mullins, Southern鈥
The Magnificent 11: The short list of non-U.S. born racers to qualify No. 1
At the recent 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Arizona Nationals, Cristian Cuadra became the first Mexican-born racer to qualify No. 1 in a Pro class at an 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 national event. Only 10 other non-U.S.-born racers have accomplished the feat. These are their stories.
The Insider is back in the saddle after back-to-back weekends in Phoenix and Pomona, and it was Phoenix and the final 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Arizona Nationals that provided the genesis for today鈥檚 column. Before we get there, let me tip my hat to the history of鈥
Remembering Doug Kerhulas and Dave Hough
It鈥檚 been a sad parade of losses in the sport here lately, but two recent ones struck deep nerves as we lost 1980s Top Fuel star Doug Kerhulas and Fuel Altered icon Dave Hough in the span of 10 days.
It鈥檚 been a sad parade of losses in the sport here lately, but two recent ones struck deep nerves with me as we lost 1980s Top Fuel star Doug Kerhulas and Fuel Altered icon Dave Hough in the span of 10 days.
As a young fan in the 1970s in鈥
Remembering Walt Rhoades
Walt Rhoades, who had a successful 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 career in nitro-, alcohol-, and gas-burning dragsters, passed away earlier this week, bringing to a close an amazingly diverse career.
Whether you love your dragsters with nitro in the tank, alcohol flowing through the fuel lines, or gasoline combusting in the cylinder, Walt Rhoades was probably your kind of guy. Rhoades, who had a successful 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 career in nitro-, alcohol-,鈥
More early-1970s Funny Cars
The Funny Cars of the early 1970s were a wild breed, with everything from Volkswagen Beetles to Ford Mavericks and Pintos to GTOs and topless Corvettes rolling down the highway to match races near and far.
Last week鈥檚 roundup of East Coast Funny Car heroes of the early 1970s stampeding across their home turf included a promise to showcase the out-of-town competition, too, the鈥
East Coast Funny Cars of the 1970s
The West Coast may have been Ground Zero for the Funny Car population explosion of the late 1960s and early 1970s, but the East Coast also had its share of memorable early floppers. Here's a look back at some of those wild rides.
Funny Car icon Bruce Larson: 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖's original triple-threat Pro driver
When Alex Laughlin, the new driver of Jim Dunn鈥檚 Funny Car, races at the Amalie Motor Oil 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Gatornationals, he鈥檒l become just the second driver in 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 history to have competed in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock at an 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 national event. Meet Bruce Larson, who did it 30 years before.
When Alex Laughlin, the new driver of Jim Dunn鈥檚 Funny Car, takes the green light for his class debut in qualifying at the Amalie Motor Oil 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Gatornationals, he鈥檒l become just the second driver in 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 history to have competed in鈥
Frank Mancuso: Some good trips and some bad ones for the 'Travel Agent' driver
For every Don Prudhomme and John Force, there's a Funny Car guy who never quite made it to the top, but nevertheless was part of the fabric of the sport. Meet Frank Mancuso, whose Travel Agent Funny Car experienced the ups and downs of the sport.
When it comes to 1970s and 鈥80s Funny Cars, especially the privateers and 鈥渓ow-buck鈥 cars, I know I have a 鈥淲est Coast bias.鈥 Guilty as charged. I grew up at Irwindale Raceway and OCIR, so you can鈥檛 blame me, but I know that for every鈥
澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 history: Is it real or Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial intelligence has come a long way and plays a role in our daily lives, but what does it know about 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 Drag Racing history? Let's find out!
Whether you like it or not, the robots are here. They have been for years, assembling everything from your cars to your cupcakes faster and probably more precisely than any human. You probably got your first real taste of processor power with鈥
Fifty years ago: A look back at the highlights from the 1973 澳门六合彩直播最快开奖 season
Fifty years ago may seem like a long time ago to some, but for many loyal followers of this column, it鈥檚 either about the time you started getting hooked on the sport of, for our less-senior members of the Insider Nation, it鈥檚 that wonderful place to dream of having been.
Fifty years ago may seem like a long time ago to some, but for many loyal followers of this column, it鈥檚 either about the time you started getting hooked on the sport of, for our less-senior members of the Insider Nation, it鈥檚 that wonderful place鈥
All the world was a colorful Circus when Bob Gerdes painted race cars
When it came to painting race cars, Bob Gerdes was the East Coast's Rembrandt, especially in the 1970s heyday of Funny Car. We lost Gerdes Jan. 2, but offer a fond look back at his history and the magic captured at his shop, Circus Custom Paints.
Although today's performances and packed fields might make an argument otherwise, for many (including most readers of this column, I鈥檇 surmise), the glory days of the Funny Car class were the early- to mid-1970s. It wasn't just the sheer number of鈥
A Little Christmas Miracle
Now that all the drama has died down and the worry beads have mostly been put away, I'd like to share my little Christmas miracle with you.
Over the last 15 years in this column, I've had the honor of eulogizing a lot of drag racers鈥
Top Fuel dynasties: Torrence, Schumacher, Dixon, Garlits, Amato, Shirley, Beck
Brittany Force鈥檚 2022 championship season brought to an end one of the most dominating eras in Top Fuel drag racing as Steve Torrence鈥檚 four-year reign as world champion was finally ended. But how does Torrence's streak compare to some of the other great Top Fuel domination in history?
Brittany Force鈥檚 2022 championship season brought to an end one of the most dominating eras in Top Fuel drag racing as Steve Torrence鈥檚 four-year reign as world champion was finally ended.
In his 2018 through 2021 championship seasons, Torrence鈥