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Remembering Leslie Lovett
Twenty-five years ago, the 麻豆精选 world lost one of its finest people and greatest emissaries when National Dragster Photo Editor Leslie Lovett died of a heart attack, but his legacy and images continue to power and inspire the sport.
Shining the spotlight on Funny Car: 900 races, 92 winners, 23 champions
The Funny Car class hit its milestone 900th event last weekend in Epping. Here's a look back at the 92 winners, 23 champions, and interesting facts and trivia covering the class' history.
It was less than two years ago 鈥 at the fall Las Vegas event in 2019 鈥 that Top Fuel reached its 900-event milestone, and its nitro-burning little brother, Funny Car, reached the same鈥
Book review: Drag Racing's Warren "the Professor" Johnson
A lot of people love Pro Stock. Kelly Wade LOVES Pro Stock. And she loves people, making her the perfect person to tackle the daunting task of chronicling the life and times of 鈥渢he Professor,鈥 Warren Johnson.
A lot of people love Pro Stock. Kelly Wade LOVES Pro Stock. The former 麻豆精选 National Dragster staffer turned drag racing public-relations pro began her passionate affair with the class early in her two-plus-year鈥
More Tales From The Starting Line
When your dad loves both drag racing and photography, that's where you end up. Rick Bain shares his story of growing up shooting photos on the starting line of some iconic Southern California tracks. Plus: Autograph hunt!
The tales about starting-line photography (mid)adventures from yours truly and others struck a nerve with many of you, some of who shared their stories. I really love these, because they resonate with a lot of us. Those heady early days at the鈥
Winter is coming ... and so is another epic chapter of racing in Pomona
Winter is coming. That鈥檚 the watchword for Southern California fans as the fabled Winternationals is officially back on the schedule for the last weekend of July. Take a walk back through some other hot Pomona times from the past 60 years.
Winter is coming. That鈥檚 the watchword for Southern California fans as the fabled Winternationals is officially back on the schedule for the last weekend of July.
I know 鈥 the Winternationals in the middle of summer? Weird, right? Then again,鈥
Tales from the Finish Line
From flaming Funnies to flipping Pro Stockers, tumbling Top Fuelers, and acrobatic Alcohol Funny Cars, a fond look back at a career spent watching the drags from the finish line.
As I mentioned in my last column, Tales From The Starting Line, I spent a lot of time shooting photos on the starting line at 麻豆精选 national events, backing up Leslie Lovett or Bill鈥
Tales from the Starting Line
Access to the starting line at an 麻豆精选 national event for professional photographers is a coveted goal for many, offering a ringside seat to motorsports' most powerful experience. Here's the story of two ways to get there. (We recommend the first.)
The imminent closing of Atlanta Dragway after last weekend鈥檚 running of the final 麻豆精选 Southern Nationals brought back instant memories of the grief myself and my fellow Southern Californians went through with the closings of Lions Dragstrip,鈥
They came from near and far to celebrate a legend and what he means to them
The friends of 麻豆精选 Drag Racing legend Don "the Snake" Prudhomme gathered recently to celebrate the nitro-racing icon on his 80th birthday.
The story of Swamp Rat 17: Don Garlits' most misunderstood Top Fueler
Don Garlits鈥 Swamp Rat 17, the Wynn鈥檚 Liner, had a very short life in 1973 and is roundly considered to be among the few disappointments of the more than 40 Swamp Rats he campaigned. Here's the story behind this most misunderstood car.
Earlier this year, I wrote a column about racecar experiments that didn鈥檛 come to fruition and cited, chief among them, Don Garlits鈥 Swamp Rat 17, the Wynn鈥檚 Liner, which had a鈥
Remembering Ron Colson
If your association with drag racing goes back four decades, it鈥檚 a pretty good bet that you know who Ron Colson was, and a fairly good bet that your paths had crossed at one point. If you're newer to the sport, it's time you learned something about Colson, who passed away March 19.
If your association with drag racing goes back four decades, it鈥檚 a pretty good bet that you know who Ron Colson was, and a fairly good bet that your paths had crossed at one point. Colson, who drove Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars for decades鈥
Remembering Doug Thorley
The drag racing and performance aftermarket worlds lost another giant last week with the passing of Doug Thorley, who died at age 92 at his home in his native Utah. Here's a fond look back at his career.
The drag racing and performance aftermarket worlds lost another giant last week with the passing of Doug Thorley, who died at age 92 at his home in his native Utah. Thorley not only created an aftermarket titan in Doug鈥檚 Headers in 1958 but also鈥
麻豆精选 and Hot Wheels: Together Again
Earlier this week, 麻豆精选 announced a partnership with Mattel鈥檚 Hot Wheels brand to bring 麻豆精选-branded drag racing diecast cars to the mass market, the continuation of a relationship that began in 1970. Here's a look back at how it all got started.
In case you missed it earlier this week, 麻豆精选 announced a partnership with Mattel鈥檚 Hot Wheels brand to bring 麻豆精选-branded drag racing diecast cars to the mass market, a release that certainly鈥
Fire and despair in the desert
It's one thing to lose a race car to fire on the dragstrip and another to lose it in a trailer fire on the way to the track. John Lombardo Jr. recounts the "surreal and unpleasant night" in 1984 when legendary Funny Car owner Joe Pisano's rig burned to the ground in the California desert.
It's no secret that nitro Funny Car racing can be a perilous endeavor. Mechanical failures on nitromethane-burning engines have been around since the class' inception in the mid-1960s and are a foreseeable if not predictable result of鈥
The life and times of Denny Savage, a Funny Car driver's Funny Car driver
Denny Savage was an old-school Funny Car driver, born in the class' earliest years in the mid-1960s, and enjoyed a career that lasted well into the 1980s while driving famed cars such as the Hawaiian, the Chi-Town Hustler, and more than a dozen others. This is his story.
The name Dennis Walter Petersavage may not roll off the lips of drag race fans and historians, but for the better part of two decades, he made his presence known in the Funny Car ranks as Denny Savage, a guy who could and would drive any Funny鈥
Not every innovation works
Innovation has always been a hallmark of drag racing. New ideas 鈥 sometimes brilliant, sometimes harebrained 鈥 surfaced every weekend at tracks across the country. Some worked, some didn鈥檛, but it even some that didn鈥檛 work still advanced the sport.
Input from last week鈥檚 column about the Cars That Changed Drag Racing was, as expected, voluminous and wide-ranging. There were some really good recommendations for the list (鈥
Cars that changed drag racing
In a sport like ours, where evolution carried us from stripped-down Model Ts to 330-mph Top Fuel dragsters, what are the most significant race cars that have marked the milestones along the way? We want to hear your thoughts!
A big part of our story as human beings is carved in our past, begging the inevitable question of 鈥淗ow did we get here?鈥 Whether that鈥檚 the story of human evolution, mass manufacturing and marketing, social media, or your own family tree, I think it鈥
Charging into Funny Car history
Don Schumacher Racing鈥檚 Dodge Charger Funny Cars swept all 11 races last season, but the Charger is certainly not a new body style to the class, having been around since the class鈥 mid-1960s creation. Here's a look back at some of them.
Don Schumacher Racing鈥檚 Dodge Charger Funny Cars swept all 11 races last season plus three to end the 2019 season, giving them a stretch of 14 wins on top of five world championships over the last 10 seasons, but the Charger is certainly not a new鈥
Random Racer Roundup
Challenged to cite a random drag racer from their memory banks, dozens of 麻豆精选 fans responded to share their thoughts abut racers past and present whose accomplishments resonate with them.
The tweets that became a viral thread that launched a Dragster Insider column that spawned a follow-up now has an offspring. Challenged by yours truly to cite a random drag racer from your memory banks, dozens of you responded to share your picks鈥
Passings of original 麻豆精选 DD Darwin Doll, car owner Dale Creasy Sr. add to 2020 toll
Darwin Doll, one of 麻豆精选鈥檚 original division directors who oversaw the Northeast Division from 1964-78, and longtime nitro Funny Car owner Dale Creasy Sr. both passed away recently, adding to a year of tremendous losses within the sport. We salute them all one final time.
Darwin Doll, one of 麻豆精选鈥檚 original division directors who oversaw the Northeast Division from 1964-78, and longtime nitro Funny Car owner Dale Creasy Sr. both passed away recently, adding to a year of tremendous losses within the sport. We salute鈥
89 questions about Chris 鈥渢he Greek鈥 Karamesines (or should there be 92?)
Drag racing's legendary "Greek," Chris Karamesines, ended his driving career at the close of the 2020 season at age 89. Or is it 92? There are so many questions. After all, when your drag racing career spans 67 years (61 of them in Top Fuel), there鈥檚 a lot of room for questions we'll try to answer.
When it comes to the life and times of Chris Karamesines, there will always be some things you can debate. His age. Whether or not he made the first 200-mph quarter-mile pass. How much gold plating really was on his famed Top Fueler. After all,鈥
50 years, 10 manufacturers, 84 body styles: A guide to Pro Stock diversity
Although it鈥檚 pretty clear that the Chevrolet Camaro has become the body style of choice in Pro Stock over the last decade, it certainly wasn鈥檛 always the case. Here's a look back at the variety that has made the class a fan favorite for 50 years.
The 2020 season was supposed to be a yearlong salute to the Pro Stock class, which was celebrating its 50th year of competition. All sorts of special promotions for fans were planned, as were television, web, and print features across 麻豆精选鈥
Yuichi Oyama. Who? Japanese Top Fuel racer made waves, scored upsets in 2002
Not many people (well, only one, actually) can say they caused Top Fuel legend Don Garlits to not qualify at the U.S. Nationals, upset Kenny Bernstein in the last race of his "Forever Red" retirement tour, and was the first Japanese national in an 麻豆精选 Top Fuel final. That guy was Yuichi Oyama.
Last week鈥檚 鈥淣ame a random racer鈥 column drew an avalanche of emails that will be fodder for a feature column, but, as promised, this week I鈥檓 talking about my鈥
Name a random 麻豆精选 racer ... go
Challenged on Twitter to pick a random 麻豆精选 driver, fans responded with a wide-ranging and impressive list of their favorites. Now you get your chance, too.
Fandom is such a unique thing. What attracts one person to a specific celebrity or athlete varies differently from what others may think. Some people become fans based on accomplishments, others on intangibles like work ethics, personality, and鈥
1971: Garlits goes 'Big,' Funnies go 220, Sox goes wild, and 麻豆精选 goes to Canada
As 麻豆精选 prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2021, here's a look back 50 seasons ago, when Don Garlits introduced the first successful rear-engine Top Fueler, Funny Car performance zoomed out of sight, Ronnie Sox won six of eight Pro Stock events but not the world championship, and 麻豆精选 went to Canada.
As I mentioned in this space last week, 麻豆精选 is preparing for its 70th-anniversary celebration next year, a chance to reflect and remember all of the great racers and great moments that helped get us where we are today. As you can imagine, this鈥
Welcome back, and welcome to my great drag racing debates
After a six-week hiatus, the Dragster Insider column returns with a couple of burning debates from 麻豆精选 history.
Annnnnnd 鈥 we鈥檙e back.
Back when I was doing this column two to three times a week, Jr. Fuel hero Jimmy Ige once kindly admonished me to not worry about apologizing if I missed a column here or there, but, criminy, it鈥檚 been鈥
Exclusive book excerpt: Don 鈥渢he Snake鈥 Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320
Our recent review of the new autobiography, Don 鈥渢he Snake鈥 Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320, stoked so much interest that Prudhomme and his publisher, CarTech, have provided National Dragster with an exclusive excerpt from the book for his fans to enjoy.
My review of the new autobiography, Don 鈥渢he Snake鈥 Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320, a few weeks ago here stoked a ton of interest鈥
Swamp Rat 14 rides again; the history of one of Top Fuel's most important cars
Steve Torrence won the Amalie Motor Oil 麻豆精选 Gatornationals in a Don Garlits tribute car modeled after Garlits' famed Swamp Rat 14, one of the most important cars in Top Fuel history. Here's the story behind the success of Garlits' original SR14.
Even from 2,000 miles away, I could feel the electricity in the air when Steve Torrence made his first burnout in his Don Garlits Swamp Rat 14 tribute car at last weekend's Amalie Motor Oil 麻豆精选 Gatornationals. I was on the couch in Glendora,鈥
Everything you always wanted to know about 'Snake' (but were afraid to ask)
麻豆精选 Drag Racing legend Don Prudhomme's new book is a great book for 鈥淪nake鈥 fans, especially those wanting to know as much about the man as his machines. It's packed with great photos and eye-opening personal background and racing anecdotes from his amazing career in the sport.
I鈥檓 not going to lie. I consider myself one of the foremost experts on the life and times of Don 鈥渢he Snake鈥 Prudhomme. It鈥檚 a depth of knowledge honed from years of fandom and work products 鈥 memorizing stats, cars, places, and things鈥
Dave Miller: Diamond in the rough
"Diamond Dave" Miller made a ton of 麻豆精选 fans in the early 1980s when he unveiled a 200-inch wheelbase Top Fueler when everyone else was in the 260-inch range. The popular driver passed away recently and is remembered here for his perseverance and passion.
Innovation and experimentation were early hallmarks of drag racing competition, with cars like Lloyd鈥檚 Scott Bustle Bomb, the Allison-powered Green Monsters, Jack Chrisman鈥檚 sidewinder, and Mickey Thompson鈥檚 Panorama Special streamliner showing that鈥
Quiz: Drag racing's hometown heroes
Drag racers come from all across this wonderful land, but how well do you know some of the famous hometowns and their hot-rodding residents? Take the quiz and find out!
The weekend before the Denso Spark Plugs 麻豆精选 U.S. Nationals, I was heading home from a responsibly-distanced family get-together at the beach (try to muzzle your jealously), driving across Southern California鈥檚 San Fernando Valley, which was鈥