
Top Fuel is a type of
drag racing
Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...
whose
dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.641 seconds.
A top fuel dragster accelerates from a standstill to in as little as 0.8 seconds (less than one third the time required by a production
Porsche 911 Turbo to reach ) and can exceed in just . This subjects the driver to an average acceleration of about over the duration of the race and with a peak of over .
Because of the speeds, this class races a distance, not the traditional drag-race length of one-fourth of a statute mile, or . The rule was introduced in 2008 by the
National Hot Rod Association after the fatal crash of
Funny Car driver
Scott Kalitta during a qualifying session at
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in
Englishtown, New Jersey. The shortening of the distance was used by the
FIA at some tracks, and as of 2012 is now the standard Top Fuel distance defined by the FIA. The
International Hot Rod Association
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) is the second-largest drag racing sanctioning body in North America after the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
The Carrier Era 1971-1987
The IHRA was formed in November 1970 by businessman Larr ...
, which at the time sanctioned Top Fuel in Australia, dropped the 1/4-mile distance in September 2017 after a campaign by Santo Rapisarda, a car owner who often runs NHRA races in the United States.
Top Fuel racing

Before their run, racers often perform a
burnout to clean and heat tires. The burnout also applies a layer of fresh rubber to the track surface, improving traction during launch.
At maximum throttle and RPM, the exhaust gases escaping from a dragster's open
headers produce about of
downforce. The massive airfoil over and behind the rear wheels produces much more, peaking at around when the car reaches about .
The engine of a Top Fuel dragster generates around 150 dB of sound at full throttle, enough to cause physical pain or even permanent damage. Before a run, race announcers usually advise spectators to cover or plug their ears. Ear plugs and even earmuffs are often handed out to fans at the entrance of a Top Fuel event.
Dragsters are limited to a wheelbase of .
The most prolific active driver in Top Fuel is
Tony Schumacher and the most successful crew chief is Alan Johnson, who was the crew chief for six of Schumacher's championships, the back-to-back titles won by driver
Gary Scelzi and was the crew chief for his brother
Blaine for his entire professional career. The first female driver in the Top Fuel category is also the most associated female in the drag racing world,
Shirley Muldowney, who won three championships during her career.
Fuel
Since 2015,
NHRA regulations limit the composition of the fuel to a maximum of 90%
nitromethane
Nitromethane, sometimes shortened to simply "nitro", is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in ...
; the remainder is largely
methanol
Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...
. However, this mixture is not mandatory, and less nitromethane may be used if desired. While nitromethane has a much lower
energy density
In physics, energy density is the quotient between the amount of energy stored in a given system or contained in a given region of space and the volume of the system or region considered. Often only the ''useful'' or extractable energy is measure ...
() than either gasoline () or methanol (), an engine burning nitromethane can produce up to 2.4 times as much power as an engine burning gasoline. This is made possible by the fact that, in addition to fuel, an engine needs oxygen in order to generate force: the stoichiometric ratio of petrol is 14.7:1 air to petrol, and 1.7:1 air to nitromethane, which, unlike gasoline, already has oxygen in its molecular composition. For a given amount of air consumed, this means that an engine can burn 7.6 times more nitromethane than gasoline.
Nitromethane also has a high latent
heat of vaporization
In thermodynamics, the enthalpy of vaporization (symbol ), also known as the (latent) heat of vaporization or heat of evaporation, is the amount of energy (enthalpy) that must be added to a liquid substance to Phase transition, transform a qua ...
, meaning that it will absorb substantial engine heat as it vaporizes, providing an invaluable cooling mechanism. The laminar
flame speed and combustion temperature are higher than gasoline's at and respectively. Power output can be increased by using very rich air-fuel mixtures. This also helps prevent
pre-ignition, which is often a problem when using nitromethane.
Because of the relatively slow burn rate of nitromethane, very rich fuel mixtures are often not fully ignited, and some remaining nitromethane can escape from the exhaust pipe and ignite on contact with atmospheric oxygen, burning with a characteristic yellow
flame
A flame () is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction made in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density, they are then considered plasm ...
. Additionally, after sufficient fuel has been combusted to consume all available oxygen, nitromethane can combust in the absence of atmospheric oxygen, producing
hydrogen
Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...
, which can often be seen burning from the exhaust pipes at night as a bright white flame. In a typical run the engine can consume between and of fuel during warmup, burnout, staging, and the quarter-mile run.
Top Fuel engines
Rules
Like many other motor sport formulas originating in the United States,
NHRA-sanctioned drag racing favors heavy restrictions on engine configuration, sometimes to the detriment of technological development. In some cases, teams are required to use technologies that may be decades old, resulting in cars that may seem substantially less advanced than the average family car. However, while some basic facets of engine configuration are heavily restricted, other technologies, such as
fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All c ...
, clutch operation, ignition, and car materials and design, are under constant development.
NHRA competition rules limit the
engine displacement
Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as an indicator of the ...
to . A bore with a stroke are customary dimensions. Larger bores have been shown to weaken the cylinder block.
Compression ratio
The compression ratio is the ratio between the maximum and minimum volume during the compression stage of the power cycle in a piston or Wankel engine.
A fundamental specification for such engines, it can be measured in two different ways. Th ...
is about 6.5:1, as is common on engines with overdriven
Roots-type supercharger
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement (engine), displacement. It is a form of forced induction that is mechanically ...
s.
Engine
The engine used to power a Top Fuel drag racing car is based on a second generation Chrysler RB Hemi, but is built exclusively of specialized parts. It retains the basic configuration with two valves per cylinder activated by
pushrods from a centrally-placed camshaft. The engine has
hemispherical combustion chambers, a 58-degree in. to ex. valve stem angle; bore pitch.
The
block
Block or blocked may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting
* W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...
is
machined from a piece of
forged
Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compression (physics), compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die (manufacturing), die. Forging is often classif ...
aluminum. It features press-fitted, ductile iron cylinder liners. There are no water passages in the block, which adds considerable strength and stiffness. The engine is cooled by the incoming air/fuel mixture and the lubricating oil. Like the original Hemi, the racing cylinder block has a deep skirt for strength. There are five main bearing caps, which are fastened with aircraft-standard-rated steel studs, with additional reinforcing main studs and side bolts ("
cross-bolting"). There are three approved suppliers of these custom blocks;
Keith Black, Brad Anderson, and Alan Johnson.
The
cylinder heads are machined from aluminum
billets. As such, they, too, lack water jackets and rely entirely on the incoming air/fuel mixture and lubricating oil for their cooling. The original Chrysler design of two large valves per cylinder is used. The intake valve is made from solid
titanium
Titanium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...
and the exhaust from solid
Nimonic 80A or similar. Seats are of
ductile iron.
Beryllium-copper has been tried but its use is limited due to its toxicity. Valve sizes are around for the intake and for the exhaust. In the ports there are integral tubes for the push rods. The heads are sealed to the block by copper gaskets and
stainless steel
Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
o-rings. Securing the heads to the block is done with aircraft-rated steel studs and stud nuts.
The camshaft is billet steel, made from 8620 carbon or S7 through-hardened tool steel or similar. It runs in five oil pressure lubricated bearing shells and is driven by gears in the front of the engine. Mechanical roller lifters (
cam followers) ride atop the cam lobes and drive the steel push rods up into the steel
rocker arm
A rocker arm is a valvetrain component that typically transfers the motion of a pushrod in an overhead valve engine, overhead valve internal combustion engine to the corresponding intake/exhaust poppet valve, valve.
Rocker arms in automobiles are ...
s that actuate the valves. The rockers are of roller tip type on the intake and exhaust sides. Like the cam follower rollers, the steel tip roller rotates on a steel roller bearing and the steel rocker arms rotate on a pair of through-hardened tool steel shafts within bronze bushings. Intake and exhaust rockers are billet. The dual
valve springs are of coaxial type and made out of titanium. Valve retainers are also made of titanium, as are the rocker covers.
Billet steel
crankshaft
A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a reciprocating engine, piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating Shaft (mechanical engineering), shaft containing one or more crankpins, ...
s are used; they all have a
cross plane a.k.a. 90 degree configuration and run in five conventional bearing shells.
180 degree crankshafts have been tried. Due to ease of laying out an exhaust system with even pulsation, the 180 degree crankshaft can offer increased power in engines with interacting exhaust. However this does not concern Top Fuel engines with separate exhaust pipes for each cylinder. A 180 degree crankshaft is about lighter than 90 degree crankshaft, but they create a lot of vibration. Such is the strength of a top fuel crankshaft that in one incident, the entire engine block was split open and blown off the car during an engine failure, and the crank, with all eight connecting rods and pistons, was left still bolted to the clutch.
Piston
A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder (engine), cylinder a ...
s are made of forged aluminum. They have three
rings and aluminum buttons retain the steel wrist pin. The piston is
anodized and
Teflon coated to prevent
galling during the high thrust load operation encountered. The top ring is an L-shaped section "Dykes" ring that provides the best seal during combustion, but a second ring must be used to prevent excessive oil from entering the combustion chamber during intake strokes, as the Dykes-style ring offers less than optimal reverse gas/oil sealing. The third ring is an oil scraper ring whose function is to scrape the majority of the oil film off the cylinder wall as the piston descends from top dead center (TDC), to prevent oil being exposed to combustion heat and contaminating the upcoming round of fuel/air. This "oil scraping" also provides a key heat removal step for the cylinder walls and piston skirts; the oil film is renewed as the piston moves upward after reaching bottom dead center (BDC).
The
connecting rod
A connecting rod, also called a 'con rod', is the part of a reciprocating engine, piston engine which connects the piston to the crankshaft. Together with the crank (mechanism), crank, the connecting rod converts the reciprocating motion of the p ...
s are of forged aluminum and do provide some shock damping, which is why aluminum is used in place of titanium, endangering the bearings and thus the crankshaft and block. Each con rod has two bolts, shell bearings for the big end while the pin runs directly in the rod.
Superchargers
The
supercharger
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement (engine), displacement. It is a form of forced induction that is mechanically ...
must be a 14-71 type
Roots blower. It has twisted lobes and is driven by a
toothed belt. The supercharger is slightly offset to the rear to provide an even distribution of air. Absolute
manifold pressure is usually , but up to is possible. The manifold is fitted with a
burst plate. Air is fed to the compressor from
throttle
A throttle is a mechanism by which fluid flow is managed by construction or obstruction.
An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases (by the use of a throttle), but usually decreased. The term ''throttle'' ha ...
butterflies with a maximum area of . At maximum pressure, it takes approximately to drive the supercharger.
These superchargers are in fact derivatives of
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
scavenging-air blowers for their
two-stroke diesel engines, which were adapted for automotive use in the early days of the sport. The model name of these superchargers delineates their size – the once commonly used 6-71 and 4-71 blowers were designed for General Motors diesels having six cylinders of each, and four cylinders of each, respectively. Thus, the currently used 14-71 design can be seen to be a huge increase in power delivery over the early designs, purpose-built for the GM Detroit Diesel truck powerplants.
Mandatory safety rules require a secured Kevlar-style blanket over the supercharger assembly as "blower explosions" are not uncommon, from the volatile air/fuel mixture coming from the
fuel injectors being drawn directly through them. The absence of a protective blanket exposes the driver, team and spectators to shrapnel in the event that nearly any irregularity in the induction of the air/fuel mixture, the conversion of combustion into rotating crankshaft movements, or in the exhausting of spent gasses is encountered.
Oil and fuel systems
The oil system has a
wet sump which contains of SAE 70 mineral or synthetic racing oil. The pan is made of titanium or aluminum. Titanium can be used to prevent oil spills in the event of a blown rod. Teams are fined and points are lost if oil is spilled on the track surface, so all teams make provision for absorbent blankets/diapers below the engine.
Oil pump pressure is somewhere around during the run, at start up, but actual figures differ between teams.
Fuel is injected by a
constant flow injection system. There is an engine driven mechanical fuel pump and about 42 fuel nozzles. The pump can flow per minute at 7500 rpm and fuel pressure. In general 10 injectors are placed in the injector hat above the supercharger, 16 in the intake manifold and two per cylinder in the cylinder head. Usually a race is started with a leaner mixture, then as the clutch begins to tighten as the engine speed builds, the air/fuel mixture is enriched. As the increased engine speed builds up pump pressure, the mixture is made leaner to maintain a predetermined ratio that is based on many factors, especially race track surface friction. The
stoichiometry
Stoichiometry () is the relationships between the masses of reactants and Product (chemistry), products before, during, and following chemical reactions.
Stoichiometry is based on the law of conservation of mass; the total mass of reactants must ...
of both
methanol
Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...
and
nitromethane
Nitromethane, sometimes shortened to simply "nitro", is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in ...
is considerably greater than that of racing gasoline, as they have oxygen atoms attached to their carbon chains and gasoline does not. This means that a "fueler" engine will provide power over a very broad range from very lean to very rich mixtures. Thus, to attain maximum performance, before each race, by varying the level of fuel supplied to the engine, the mechanical crew may select power outputs barely below the limits of tire traction. Power outputs which create tire slippage will "smoke the tires" and as a result the race is often lost.
Ignition and timing
The air/fuel mixture is ignited by two
spark plug
A spark plug (sometimes, in British English, a sparking plug, and, colloquially, a plug) is a device for delivering electric current from an ignition system to the combustion chamber of a spark-ignition engine to ignite the compressed fuel/air ...
s per cylinder. These plugs are fired by two 44-
ampere
The ampere ( , ; symbol: A), often shortened to amp,SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of abbreviations for units. is the unit of electric current in the International System of Units (SI). One ampere is equal to 1 c ...
magnetos. Normal
ignition timing
In a spark ignition internal combustion engine, ignition timing is the timing, relative to the current piston position and crankshaft angle, of the release of a spark in the combustion chamber near the end of the compression stroke.
The need ...
is 58-65 degrees
BTDC (This is dramatically greater
spark advance than in a petrol engine as "nitro" and alcohol burn far slower). Directly after launch the timing is typically decreased by about 25 degrees for a short time as this gives the tires time to reach their correct shape. The ignition system limits the engine speed to 8400 rpm. The ignition system provides initial 60,000 volts and 1.2 amperes. The long duration spark (up to 26 degrees) provides energy of . The plugs are placed in such a way that they are cooled by the incoming charge. The ignition system is not allowed to respond to real time information (no computer-based spark lead adjustments), so instead a timer-based retard system is used.
Exhaust
The engine is fitted with eight individual open exhaust pipes, in diameter and long. These are made of
steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
and fitted with
thermocouple
A thermocouple, also known as a "thermoelectrical thermometer", is an electrical device consisting of two dissimilar electrical conductors forming an electrical junction. A thermocouple produces a temperature-dependent voltage as a result of the ...
s for measuring of the
exhaust gas temperature. They are called "zoomies" and exhaust gases are directed upward and backwards. Exhaust temperature is about at idle and by the end of a run. During a nighttime event, the slow-burning nitromethane can be seen to extend flames many feet out from the exhaust pipes.
The engine is warmed up for about 80 seconds. After the warm up the
valve covers are taken off, oil is changed and the car is refueled. The run including tire warming is about 100 seconds which results in a "lap" of about three minutes. After each lap, the entire engine is disassembled and examined, and worn or damaged components are replaced.
Performance
Measuring the power output of a top fuel engine directly is not always feasible. Certain models use a torque sensor incorporated as part of the RacePak data system.
Dynamometer
A dynamometer or "dyno" is a device for simultaneously measuring the torque and rotational speed ( RPM) of an engine, motor or other rotating prime mover so that its instantaneous power may be calculated, and usually displayed by the dyna ...
s that can measure the output of a Top Fuel engine exist; however, the main limitation is that a Top Fuel engine cannot be run at its maximum power output for more than 10 seconds without overheating or possibly destroying itself explosively. Making such high power levels from such relatively limited displacement is a result of using very high boost levels and running at extremely high RPMs; both of these stress the internal components to a high degree, meaning that the peak power can only safely be achieved for brief periods of time, and even then only by intentionally sacrificing components. The engine power output can also be calculated based upon the car's weight and its performance. The calculated
power output of these engines is most likely somewhere between , which is about twice as powerful as the engines installed on some modern
diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...
s, with a
torque
In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...
output of approximately and a
brake mean effective pressure of .
In late 2015, tests using sensors developed by
AVL Racing showed peak power of over .
For the purposes of comparison, a 2009
SSC Ultimate Aero TT, which at the time was among the world's most powerful production automobiles, produces of power and of torque.
From start to finish the engine will turn 240 revolutions. Including start up, burnout, staging and the race, the engine must survive just 500 revolutions before being rebuilt. This calculation assumes an average racing engine speed of roughly 3,800 revolutions per minute over a period of 3.8 seconds.
Engine weight
*Block with liners
*Heads each
*Crankshaft
*Complete engine
Mandatory safety equipment
Much of organized drag-racing is sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association. Since 1955, the association has held regional and national events (typically organized as single elimination tournaments, with the winner of each two car race advancing) and has set rules for safety, with the more powerful cars requiring ever more safety equipment.
Typical safety equipment for contemporary top fuel dragsters: full face helmets with fitted
HANS device
A HANS device (head and neck support device) is a type of head restraint and a safety device in motorsports. Head restraints are mandatory when competing with most major motorsports sanctioning bodies. They reduce the likelihood of head or neck ...
s; multi-point, quick release safety restraint harness; full body
fire suit made of
Nomex or similar material, complete with face mask, gloves, socks, shoes, and outer sock-like boots, all made of fire-resistant materials; on board fire extinguishers; kevlar or other synthetic "bullet-proof" blankets around the superchargers and clutch assemblies to contain broken parts in the event of failure or explosion; damage resistant fuel tank, lines, and fittings; externally accessible fuel and ignition shut-offs (built to be accessible to rescue staff); braking parachutes; and a host of other equipment, all built to the very highest standards of manufacturing. Any breakthrough or invention that is likely to contribute to driver, staff, and spectator safety is likely to be adopted as a mandated rule for competition. The 54-year history of NHRA has provided hundreds of examples of safety upgrades.
In 2000, the NHRA mandated the maximum concentration of nitromethane in a car's fuel be no more than 90%. In the wake of a
Gateway International Raceway fatality in 2004, involving racer
Darrell Russell, the fuel ratio was reduced to 85%. Complaints from teams in regards to cost, however, has resulted in the rule being rescinded starting in 2008, when the fuel mixture returns to 90%, as NHRA team owners, crew chiefs, and suppliers complained about mechanical failures that can result in oildowns or more severe crashes caused by the reduced nitromethane mixture. They also mandated enclosed roll cages.
The NHRA also mandated that different rear tires be used to reduce failure, and that a titanium "shield" be attached around the back-half of the roll-cage to prevent any debris from entering the cockpit. This also was the result of the fatal crash at Gateway International Raceway. The rear tire pressure is also heavily regulated by
Goodyear Tire and Rubber on behalf of the NHRA, at , the absolute minimum pressure allowed.
At present, final drive ratios higher than 3.20 (3.2 engine rotations to one rear axle rotation) are prohibited, in an effort to limit top speed potential, thus reducing the level of danger.
History
In 1958, NHRA banned nitro in all categories; the American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) still allowed it, and Fuel Dragsters (FD), Hot Roadsters (HR), and Fuel Coupés (FC): this led to
Fuel Altereds (AA/FAs),
Factory Experimentals (A/FXs), and (ultimately)
Funny Cars (TF/FCs).
Independent drag strips, not NHRA sanctioned, offered venues for the fuel racers.
Smokers Car Club hosted the first U.S. Fuel and Gas Championship at
Famoso Raceway
The Famoso Bakersfield Raceway dragstrip is located in McFarland, California just north of Bakersfield, California, and is known historically as the home to the annual March Meet, also known as the U.S. Fuel and Gas Championships.
The strip, loc ...
in March 1959.
Bob Hansen won Top Fuel Eliminator (TFE) in his A/HR, with a speed of .
Jimmy Nix, who previously ran a Top Gas dragster;
Jim Johnson, who ran a
Dodge Polara
The Dodge Polara is an automobile introduced in the United States for the 1960 model year as Dodge's top-of-the-line full-size car. After the introduction of the Dodge Custom 880 in 1962, the Polara nameplate designated a step below the full-size ...
stocker, and who had won the B/SA title in 1963;
Jim Nelson; and
Dode Martin pioneered TF/FC. (Nix tried to persuade Chrisman to get Mercury Racing Director Fran Hernandez to allow him to run his Comet's 427 on nitro, as a way to gain leverage on NHRA, so Nix could use nitro himself). These cars ran in NHRA's S/FX class, variously defined as "Super Factory Experimental" or "Supercharged Factory Experimental".
They were shortly turning in E.T.s in the low 11s and trap speeds of over ; at Long Beach on 21 March, an 11.49 pass at was recorded.
Bob Sullivan's
''Pandemonium'' (a '65
Plymouth Barracuda
The Plymouth Barracuda is a two-door pony car that was manufactured by Chrysler Corporation from 1964 through 1974 model years.
The first-generation Barracuda was based on the Chrysler A platform, Chrysler A-body and was offered from 1964 unti ...
) joined about six other nitro-fuelled early funny cars facing fuel dragsters in the 1965 season.
In 1971,
Don Garlits
Donald Glenn Garlits (born January 14, 1932) is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. Born in Tampa, Florida, Garlits is considered the father of drag racing, he is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. A pion ...
introduced the ''Swamp Rat XIV'', a rear-engined Top Fuel dragster. While others had been developed in the previous decade, it was the first successful one, winning the
1971 NHRA Winternationals
The 1971 NHRA Winternationals were a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing event, held at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Pomona, California on 7 February.
Background
The Funny Car Eliminator title at the 1971 Winternats would go to Rola ...
.
In 1984, Top Fuel was at a low point. It was having trouble attracting full sixteen-car fields, leading to cutting back to eight-car rosters, while the
International Hot Rod Association
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) is the second-largest drag racing sanctioning body in North America after the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
The Carrier Era 1971-1987
The IHRA was formed in November 1970 by businessman Larr ...
dropped Top Fuel entirely. The same year,
Joe Hrudka offered a major purse, the
Cragar-
Weld Top Fuel Classic and
"Big Daddy" Don Garlits returned to Top Fuel full-time. By 1987, NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car was drawing twice as many entrants as positions available.
In 2012 enclosed cockpits were allowed to be used regularly in top fuel by the NHRA.
Most NHRA Top Fuel wins
See also
*
ANDRA Top Fuel
References
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Restored Top Fuel Dragsters from the 60s & 70sNHRA National Hot Rod Association WebsiteWSID Website
IHRA International Hot Rod Association WebsiteSanta Pod Raceway- the home of European Drag Racing
{{Class of Auto racing
Drag racing classes