round 1 Winter Nats, Top fuel, James Stevens had a nasty crash @ 270 mph. The dragster went sideways, then slid over the K rail, then flew backwards down the trackside. He's in the hospital

 video at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=959720213108864

the crash resulted in a broken forearm, broken left wrist, broken C-7 [vertebra], bruised lung, rib fractures, and possible broken back (again).

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/violent-crash-stopped-nhra-action-231200152.html

I was just reading.... about Edelbrock intakes, and the NHRA, and Mopar - they have the Chrysler part number on them so NHRA would recognize them for "stock" racing classes

The LD4B was the small block intake, the DP4B was the 383 intake, and the CH4B was the 440 intake, and it was sold as a part in the Direct Connection magazine in 1968

NHRA just beat NASCAR in weekend TV ratings - 1.87M viewers tuned in on FOX, making drag racing the most-watched motorsport in America.

 

compliments to Cornwell Tools, they are partnering with the Susan G Komen Foundation to raise money in the fight against breast cancer.

The logo is incorporated into the Cornwell Tools Funny Car paint scheme during the October NHRA races in Dallas and Las Vegas. 

 Also, Cornwell Tools will donate 5% of all sales this month with a minimum commitment of $20,000. A portion of proceeds from every USA-made Tool Cart sold in their Starfire “Pink” Color will be donated back to the Susan G. Komen foundation.

https://www.nhra.com/news/2025/cornwell-tools-partners-susan-g-komen-foundation-prock-funny-car

in 1982 Prudhomme and crew chief Bob Brandt bolted up a fake nitrous bottle with a clearly plumbed line running from an nitrous bottle to the fuel pump– and the team made a great show of “turning on” the bottle on the starting line in front of everyone – the bottle was empty, the system a ruse

Even though there was a clearly plumbed line running from an nitrous bottle to the fuel pump – and the team made a great show of “turning on” the bottle on the starting line in front of everyone – and even though they had done basic experimentation with nitrous in testing, Prudhomme and crew chief Bob Brandt

The fake setup was a smoke screen to mask the new vane-style aircraft fuel pump – as opposed to a traditional gear pump -- that the team had begun running

https://www.nhra.com/news/2012/1982-indy-nitrous-nationals-or-not

how cool! I didn't know that the NHRA sent a support truck to the '54 La Carrera Panamerica

https://thegentlemanracer.com/2017/12/1954-la-carrera-panamericana/

A single-engine plane crash in a motorhome lot near the top end of the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip halted Sunday’s championship finale for almost two hours. (thank you George! )

The plane ended up nose-first into an RV, which was moved out of place by the incident. The cause of the crash is unknown and the investigation continues. The NTSB and the FAA have been notified.

“From what we know, the units rendered life-saving emergency medical services as well as mitigating any fire potential from the surrounding vehicles, generators, and things of that sort,” engineer Jonathan Torres, the public information officer for L.A. County Fire, told media at the scene. “From what we know, we have two critical patients and two moderate that have been transported to local emergency rooms.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/plane-crashes-nhra-finals-pomona-201052384.html

https://racer.com/2024/11/17/nhra-finals-temporarily-halted-due-to-plane-crash-in-pomona/

The NHRA Nationals Oct 31 - Nov 03 2024 at at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the weekend before SEMA, and 75-year-old member of every major auto racing Hall of Fame, John Force, will be there to support his team and family

Las Vegas is close enough to Force’s Yorba Linda, CA home that he can drive over. “I want to show my support for our race teams the fans and all our sponsors,” he said in making the announcement of his return to the community. “They stuck with me during a hard time, and I want them to know that I haven’t forgotten them and I haven’t gone anywhere. I’ve just been doing my rehab, trying to stay strong.”

Force has been treating both his physical injuries, the TBI and the successive effects of many incidents and violent crashes that have been part of his 50-year career. 

“I want to be there for Brittany and that team with (David) Grubnic and John Collins. They’re gonna win a race, and I want to be there when they do. I really can’t wait to see all my guys,” Force continued. “I love them and I’ve missed them and can’t wait to be with them again!”

https://www.nhra.com/schedule/2024/nhra-mission-foods-drag-racing-series/ford-performance-nhra-nationals

https://www.racingjunk.com/news/force-to-attend-24th-ford-performance-nhra-nationals-at-las-vegas

Jack Beckman has been named as the replacement driver of John Force’s car for the remainder of the 2024 season

https://www.nhra.com/news/2024/jack-beckman-named-replacement-driver-john-force-balance-season

Thank you George! 

John Force crashed hard, but was able to exit the wreck, and was alert while transported to a local hospital. No news outlet has ANY thing more to say at this time

 

hard to believe that after that crash, not a single news outlet, blogger, tweeter, etc is at the hospital, on the John Force team, in the family, and able to post a single word that describes his condition...

It would take less than a minute to say if he has broken anything, if he is lucid, if he was able to use his arms and legs to get out of the wreck? 

Not a damn word online. Ridiculous! 

A new milestone in drag racing has been reached: Mike Salinas is the first person in NHRA history to go 300 mph in the 1/8th mile.

Best I've ever done was 100, in 9 seconds, in the 1/8th

If you've drag raced, or been to an NHRA top fuel or funny car race, you know how mind blowing they shoot down the track. 

Since the NHRA cut the quarter mile race to 1,000 ft in 2008, racers have been developing cars reach the same top speeds in 1,000 ft that 2007-era cars reached in the quarter mile. 

So, we knew it would happen eventually, all records eventually fall as someone comes along with more determination, more money, more engineering, or better tech. 

Frickin remarkable power and traction. 

What makes Salinas unique in Top Fuel is that he owns and operates Scrappers Racing without a major full-time sponsorship. The name Scrappers comes from his career as an owner of a San Jose, California recycling business called Valley Services.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/nhra-drag-racer-broke-300-mph-in-the-1-8-mile-for-the-first-time-ever

Antron Brown and Ron Capps swept U.S. Nationals for the second straight year, winning in Top Fuel and Funny Car

Capps went 3.986 at 323.27 Sporting a special Don Prudhomme Hot Wheels throwback this weekend.

 Capps, who drove for the legendary Prudhomme early in his career, reveled in the magical moment as Prudhomme was in attendance all weekend to witness the victory. 

https://autos.yahoo.com/brown-capps-m-smith-repeat-234043098.html%20l

Family owned Bandimere Speedway's last NHRA race will be the Mile-High Nationals on July 14-16.

The race track has been open since 1958 under the ownership of the Bandimere family.

The drag racing final race, Pure Speed, is scheduled for October 28-29 and that will be the last use of the speedway, the surrounding development over the years is part of the reason 

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-first-18-wheeler-ever-used-to-haul.html

https://kdvr.com/news/local/bandimere-speedway-closing-at-end-of-drag-racing-season/

cool car, cool name

 http://www.overdrive.fi/forum/threads/vanhoja-valokuvia-ameriikan-raitilta.267070/page-1303#post-3500134

the "Eddie Hill Rule"

Eddie Hill was qualifying for a 1997 event at Sonoma when his car suffered severe vibration as he crossed the finish line. The car went out of control and was completely destroyed.

Hill had two broken toes and a shoulder contusion, which were not serious injuries.

The run had been fast enough to make Hill the fastest qualifier, and Hill wanted to race his backup car in the first round on the day after the accident. The NHRA had a rule that the car used for qualifying had to be used in the event, so instead of doing something smart and keeping the racing going and making the fans happy, they said no.

The reaction was so bad to that botched call, the rule was changed to allow racers to race on race day even if they do not use the same car.

Eddie was 60 when he won his last top fuel race. 

How in the hell did he stand up after this crash? Beau Layne crashed into the wall at 215mph due to the front wheel coming back down at a slight angle

Beau Layne stood up to show there were no life threatening injuries so his family and team wouldn't freak out, but he was rushed to the hospital to surgery, "... he's got most of the skin and the tendons scraped off down to the bone," Capps explained.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/29284/video-nhra-harley-davidson-rider-beau-layne-suffers-violent-crash-at-215-mph

During the first round of qualifying at the Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals

https://www.nhra.com/news/2019/top-fuel-harley-rider-beau-layne-involved-top-end-accident-northwest-nationals

https://www.facebook.com/BeauLayneTFH/

Did you know that the NHRA adjusts it's traction compound, based on factors like the horse power of the race cars?

The NHRA adjusted its traction-compound-to-alcohol ratio, and it took several races into the 2018 season before it settled on a reduction from 75 percent compound, 25 percent alcohol to 65/35.

“We made some changes at the (season-opening) Winternationals to reduce the amount of track prep at the top end of the track, which seemed to be the root of the problem.

“But then we reset the record four times in Phoenix, and speeds were continuing to climb. So we had to make more adjustments, which we did going into Houston (in April). The momentum is slowly shifting because the single-car teams know they don’t have to go out and run that quick (elapsed time) or fast (speed). It’s saving those teams that don’t have a vast resource of parts or money.”

 https://autoweek.com/article/nhra/2019-nhra-preview-steve-torrence-jr-todd-put-traditional-powers-notice

Know what the alternative is? Fewer racers, less attraction, NHRA withers and dies. How about that. So, just like Nascar has carb limiters to keep speeds from, getting much over 200, NHRA doesn't want speeds much over 320. I do believe that was shy they cut the track to 1000 feet distances vs the traditional 1320 feet. to prevent higher speeds. 

Coffee and donuts video for Saturday: NHRA mayhem, 2018. They are pushing the envelope of possible racing to the ragged limit, and often, blowing the engines up

Don Garlits' 1st Swamp Rat... so sketchy and ugly, that Hot Rod wouldn't run a photo of it. Possibly the origin of the term Rat Rod

“I learned later that the guys in the California office of HOT ROD…took one look at my heap and laughed out loud,” Don Garlits asserted in his 1967 autobiography, “King Of The Dragsters” (coauthored by Brock Yates).

 “They decided it was just too ugly to deserve a picture.”

Then again, perhaps that improvised rollbar scared stiff a staff led by Wally Parks, the safety-obsessed HRM editor and NHRA president who’d renamed 1954’s initial Drag Safari as the Safety Safari this year.

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/unpublished-photos-capture-don-garlits-first-nhra-win-1955/

Hot Rod March 2018 issue

John Force Racing won a pair of titles in November... that's pretty cool, taking the season championship in 2 catagories, with one family owned and operated company

Brittany Force won Top Fuel
Robert Hight won Funny Car

The last time a woman won Top Fuel was 1982, Shirley Muldowney, 4 years before Brittany was born. At the cost of racing top fuel now? It might be another 35 years until it happens again, if ever. Is it even likely that Top Fuel will be a competitive race that can field enough teams to make racing a sport in 10 years? 20?