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Old 02-16-2018
a9127 a9127 is offline
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The fastest and most powerful cars in racing, Top Fuel dragsters actually make only a very short run (now at 1000 feet in the US due to a fatal accident several years ago). The standard track had always been ¼ mile (402 meters). Speeds approach 340 MPH (547.177 km) and the race lasts only 3 to 4 seconds. Unlike F1, NASCAR, or IndyCar, it is a flat-out speed contest. If you’ve ever wanted to blow away the car next to you at a stop light, that’s pretty much what it is all about. Evolved from the “slingshot” style cars of the 50’s and 60’s today’s modern dragster is a highly advanced piece of technology. It is also incredibly dangerous mainly due to the unbelievable speeds. To generate this kind of power nitromethane fuel is used. Explosions are common, and engines are required to be covered with a “Kevlar” blanket to keep shrapnel from going into the crowd. Here’s a look at some facts behind Top Fuel drag racing:

One Top Fuel dragster outfitted with a 500 cubic-inch (8.2 liters) Dodge Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.

An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates faster than any other land vehicle on Earth.

The current speed record is 337.58 MPH (Tony Schumacher, who’s car is pictured below).

For comparison, you're driving, say, a new Lingenfelter twin-turbo Corvette Z-06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to "launch" down a quarter-mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard, through the gears, and cross the starting line passing the dragster at 200 MPH. The light goes green for both of you at that exact moment. The dragster departs and starts after you. You keep your foot to the floor, and within a mere 3 seconds he catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just passed him.

(The Labor Day weekend before we moved here from Michigan, our family came down to Indianapolis to look at houses. Me, my dad, and my girlfriend went to the US Nationals. They were less than enthusiastic. Still in high-school, when I expressed an interest in learning how to do this, my dad just said “no” and she said it was “fucking crazy.” )
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Last edited by a9127; 02-17-2018 at 12:38 AM.
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