How to Watch an NHRA Drag Race

Nothing equals the sound and sight - and the bone-rattling thunder - of an NHRA top fuel dragster launching from the quarter-mile starting line.

Things You'll Need

  • Direct Satellite Systems
  • VCRs
  • Satellite Dish Self-installation Kits
  • Televisions
  • Internet Access
  • Computers
  • Polaroid Cameras
  • SLR Camera
  • Camcorders
  • Camera Lenses
  • Digital Cameras
  • Film - Regular And Polaroid
  • Binoculars
  • eHobbies - Diecast Collectibles - dragsters, funny cars, pro stocks
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Instructions

  1. The Race

    • 1

      Watch for the NHRA pros in a 24-race tour beginning in February each year with the historic Winternationals at Pomona, California.

    • 2

      Check out races at Phoenix; Gainesville, Florida; Las Vegas; Houston; Richmond, Virginia; Atlanta; Dallas and other major venues across the nation.

    • 3

      Find the complete schedule, as well as late-breaking news, at the NHRA's Web site (nhra.com).

    • 4

      Remember that drag races are multiday events, with action lasting all day long since winners are determined by multiple elimination rounds.

    • 5

      Attend a night session. Top fuelers and funny cars running at night are a surreal visual experience.

    • 6

      Note that only the top 16 enter the final bracket.

    • 7

      Attend Friday and Saturday qualifying sessions to see every car on the track.

    • 8

      Move around the stands. Watch some runs from the starting line. Watch others from near the finish line. The effect is entirely different.

    • 9

      Visit the pit area. Fans have better access than at any other type of motor sport event.

    • 10

      Watch crews rebuild and tune engines. Top fuel and funny car engines are almost always torn down and rebuilt between runs.

    • 11

      Be prepared if a crew fires up an engine. A top fuel engine generates over 5,000 horsepower. Being close by when one is fired up is a visceral experience.

    • 12

      Stick around after the last race. Drivers and crews in the pit area are more relaxed and have more time for fans.

    Cars and Drivers

    • 13

      Remember that the king of the drag strip is the top fuel dragster - 500-cubic-inch supercharged rear-engine V-8s fired by an exotic blend of nitromethane and methanol.

    • 14

      Expect a top fueler to cover the quarter mile in less than 5 seconds at over 300 mph.

    • 15

      Watch the funny cars - put a top fuel engine in front of the driver and cover the whole thing with a cool-looking plastic body.

    • 16

      Check out the pro stockers - purpose-built stock-appearing Fords, Pontiacs, Chevys and Dodges powered by 500-cubic-inch V-8s running on pure gasoline.

    • 17

      Remember that there are pro stock motorcycles and pro stock trucks running, too.

    • 18

      Keep an eye on the bracket and amateur racers - hobbyists who hit the strip for fun and trophies in homebuilt quarter milers, some street-legal.

    • 19

      Watch for Joe Amato and Kenny Bernstein piloting top fuelers. Doug Kalitta and Scott Kalitta, Gary Scelzi and Cory McClenathan.

    • 20

      Follow pro stock drivers like 1999 champion Warren Johnson, his son Kurt Johnson, Darrell Alderman driving Mopar products, Troy and Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Jim Yates.

    • 21

      Check out funny car drivers Whit Bazemore, Scotty Cannon, Tommy Johnson and the Pedregon brothers - Cruz, Frank and Tony.

    • 22

      Smile when you see the NHRA's number one ambassador, funny car pilot John Force. The nine-time champion - voted national motor sports Driver of the Year in 1996 - never fails to amuse in interviews, whether he's dancing happily in the victory lane or lamenting another blown engine.