Multi-series champion Tony Stewart, who has wins in nearly every racing series in the US and who is the only racer with season titles in both NASCAR and IndyCar, said NHRA drag racing is an island unto itself. And he is right on so many levels.
From a driver’s standpoint to a fan’s perspective, nothing else on Earth is like it. It’s a quick, fast, noisy, stinky, sometimes-confusing but always-amazing, sensory-overload experience.
Funny Car champion Matt Hagan said he couldn’t get this kind of thrill anywhere else. The same goes for the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series fans.
Here’s why:
Racers Go So Fast They Use Parachutes to Stop
A Top Fuel dragster or Funny Car launches at about 5 gs, and a parachute deploys at a negative-5 gs to slow it to a stop from a pass of more than 300 mph. So it’s a frightening moment when a parachute fails to pop out (and a disheartening one when it drops out too early).
Racers Enjoy Helping One Another, Even Rivals
It isn’t unusual for teams to share insight, parts or even a Funny Car body—even if the driver is the next-round opponent. And if a team is in a panic with a starting-line glitch, the opponent will wait, choosing not to take advantage so they can race fair and square.
Drivers have Plenty of Time to Spend With Fans
With just two or three rounds of less than four seconds in a car or on a motorcycle each day of a race weekend (okay, up to four rounds on a winning race day), drivers have plenty of time to spend with the fans and sneak in naps between sessions.
If a driver won every single one of the 20 races on the schedule, he would race his car approximately only 320 minutes (5.3 hours) a year. The action isn’t continual. Teams service the car between rounds, and oftentimes drivers have their roles on the rebuilds Alexis DeJoria, for example, will fold and pack her own 'chutes during rebuild time. Some drivers might even turn a wrench, and several drivers will mix their own fuel.
Sportsman Racers Don’t Always Have a Desire to Move to the Pro Ranks
The camaraderie in the sportsman (non-professionals) class pits is remarkable. The schedule (NHRA national tour has just 20 official race weekends during the year) suits their budgets and their disposable-time limitations.
Fans Flock to Inhale the Fumes
Fans flock to whatever Top Fuel pit is warming up the dragster, inhale the nitromethane fumes with gusto, cough, cry, gag, then dash to the next one to get as close to they can to do it all over again. Really, this is a common occurrence. The smellier and louder the better. Go figure.
Sometimes the Quickest or Fastest on the Scoreboard Loses.
Reaction time is key when the electronic “Christmas Tree” flashes three amber bulbs, then a green light indicating it’s time to go. Elapsed time—the time it takes to run from the starting line to the finish line—is what counts, not speed. Winning with a slower elapsed time is called “a hole shot.”
Drivers Aren't In It for the Money
Eight-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher said, “[Fans] think we do this for money. I'll guarantee you we don't. We're putting our lives on the line because we love doing it. We're not getting paid that much.
"None of us does this for the money. There's just not enough budget in it for that. We do it because it's truly, in our minds, the greatest sport in the world, period. And we stand at the ropes all day, signing autographs. We love what we do. Find that in another sport.”
A Three-Time Champion Can Walk Away Under Mysterious Circumstances and Fans Shrug and Move On
The intrigue surrounding the mysterious exit of Funny Car ace, three-time champion and President of John Force Racing Robert Hight after the final race of the 2023 season has worn off. The performances of his replacement, 2024 champion Austin Prock, have made fans quickly forget.
Licensed Drivers Can Pop in and Race When They Feel Like It
Drivers like Pro Stock's Stephen Bell (pictured) aren’t forced to commit to the full national schedule. Many regional racers help fill the fields.
It’s akin to a house-league hockey player deciding on a whim to skate one weekend against the Boston Bruins or a pretty-decent baseball player at one time saying, “I think I’ll go take a few at-bats against the Dodgers this homestand.”
A Four-Time Champion Can Skip a Race or Two (or Four!) and Still be Championship-Eligible.
Four-time Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence has skipped four races this season alone and still is in line to qualify for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. His father, Billy Torrence, has finished twice in the top five, running at selected races in Steve's place.
Perhaps they’re just proving a point—that the six-race playoffs is all that really matters.
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