Yeah... unless you actually attend a Top Fuel event you still have ZERO idea how VIOLENT it all is. Spend an afternoon at the dragstrip and you will go home feeling beat up.
Exactly. People can tell you about the sound, you can watch movies and videos about top fuel, but until you FEEL that noise like someone is hitting your chest with a baseball bat, you will have no idea what it is like. It is an awesome experience.
A couple decades ago I was part of the Indy car circus. I had fun taking some ex-F1 engineers to IRP for Top Fuel races. Of course, the engineers at first really didn't want to go and though drag raci9ng was boring - until they experienced their first startup of a top fuel engine in the pits. After that, they couldn't believe what they were hearing, and their experiencing a burnout and race from right beside the cars (other side of the fence, of course),they were speechless.
The best analogy I have heard is if a F1 and a top fuel dragster had a race to 1/4 mile and the F1 car was given a run up and crossed the start line at 200mph the Top Fuel car world pass it at half track.
True, but how do you think a top fuel car would fare against an F1 for one lap at Spa (or COTA, or Silverstone, or...). Hint - even if it carried enough fuel, the engine wouldn't last for a lap.
The scenario is always described with a Lingenfelter Corvette, not an F1. I've done some number crunching on the physics and it's true, the dragster would barely win in a quarter mile race, but not in a 1000' one. But what's insane is the dragster passing the corvette at well over 100 mph greater a speed, in under 3.5 seconds from when the vette crossed the starting line. The corvette would be BLASTED by the pressure wave of the dragster passing it at so much greater a speed. ALL the physics and engineering of these machines is so outrageous as to be hard to believe. It's wonderful.
"...the ground shakes..." The whole world shakes. You shake. Your skeleton vibrates. You won't experience anything like it outside of military service. Everyone keeps their eye on the top-fuel virgins. They're going to jump out of the skin when they witness their first pass.
Don't even have to wait for the first pass, they'll jump 6 feet in the air the first time a team lights one of these off. It is the biggest sensory assault imaginable, and damn I love being out on the track. It's honestly about the same thrill as flying my UH-1H, it just never gets old.
just being in the stands, you not only hear it, you actually feel it, all the way to your bones! I kid you not, you Must go! Watch vids of people at their 1st drag race, they tell the story! Great react! Keep on!
Way back when I was able to see a space shuttle launch. In 2005 I went to my first NHRA race, the space shuttle didn’t come close! I was a tv fan of drag racing and thought I knew what to expect. When that first pair launched I darn near screamed like a little girl and ran out of the stands! I was not prepared for that! When people say it rattles your bones they are not kidding, that sound doesn’t just hit you, it goes right through you. Last night of qualifying the top fuel class set a speed record that stood for many years since it was the second to last race they run 1/4 mile.
That's the best, years ago I used to go to the NHRA Summer Nationals at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New New Jersey. There's nothing like standing next to a top fuel dragster or funny car when they first fire up, all your bones in your body just rattle. Another great motor sport you may want to look at is off shore power boat racing. That's bad ass too.
I saw my first top fuel and funny car run at Englishtown, NJ in the 1960's. It was a very memorable experience. Nothing can prepare you for the sound of a blown hemi running on nitro. Nothing.
That man with the Castol shirt on is John Force, he is a LEGEND in NHRA. Brittany Force is his daughter. She is now a LEGEND as well. It's a family thing. I can remember when I was young, we would go to Lebanon Valley in New York for NHRA drag races, or watch on "tv" every week end. When you stood behind those cars, you could feel the compression in your chest. The closest I have come to that is seeing an F-15 Eagle go vertical on take-off. Like a rocket lifting off. The same feeling in your chest. Mike from Mass.
When these things go by at 300+mph, your soul is on fire! Another cool NHRA video is 'Fastest Accelerating Vehicles On The Planet'. It features the daughters of legendary John Force, a very successful drag racer. His daughters, Brittaney and Courtney, are also NHRA racers. Very awesome!
Suz, ifn u ever get to the States, make sure u center it around an NHRA event. U can watch it till the cows come home but until u c it live, feel the ground and ur insides shake, u haven’t experienced it. U’ll LOVE it.
The HEMI engine is the staple of Top-Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars. Introduced in 1951, it was a passenger car engine with a meager 180 horsepower. Now look at what it has grown to become.
What's really insane, Suzi, is that they can actually find people who want to drive these ground rockets. Go if you can, it's a totally unforgetable experience to see it live.
When they start the engine on one of those rails, it actually registers on the Richter scale. They start the engine in the pit area and it will set off car alarms in the parking lot. Not an exaggeration.
It's one of the few motorsports in which women do quite well and often times better than the men they race alongside. Faster reaction times. These races in person are soul vibrating and will quite literally take your breath away just standing close to one launching.
This is just one of many classes in NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing. There are many stating with a class for youth racing if you would like to see it, look for JR. Dragsters. They are for kids powered by modified lawnmower engines reaching speeds of 80 MPH. many girls race JR Dragsters. Look for Pro Stock drag racing these cars reach speeds of about 208MPH and the most popular girl racing in Pro Stock is Erica Enders.
One of the MAIN reasons why I love drag racing so much is it's equality, and the NHRA has set the bar high when it comes to that, they do not care what your religion is, you sex, age, nationality skin color, or anything else, they DO NOT CARE, everyone is equal, if you can pass the testing and get your racing license for the class that you are wanting to race in, and you are not CURRENTLY pregnant, they will let you race, that might sound bad, but no one knows how being in that environment with the fuels, chemicals, extremely loud sound, and high G forces, will affect a baby in the womb, and the NHRA does NOT want to find out, so they are pretty much left with protecting the life of any unborn infant, right now this is being played out, John Force has 4 daughters, 3 of them drag race professionally with him, but now, only 1 of them does, as his daughters Ashley and Courtney have stepped away from racing to have babies, hopefully Ashley will be returning soon, but right now it is John, and his daughter Brittney, his son n law Robert Hight and 1 of his crew chiefs sons Austin Prock, the Presidents of Indy Car and Nascar once said in an interview that they have women competing in their sport, and the President of the NHRA said "We have women WINNING CHAMPIONSHIPS in our sport, which goes back to 1977 when Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to win a world championship in Top fuel drag racing, Brittney Force has now won 2 world championships, and in Pro Stock, Erica Enders now holds 6 world titles, and although NASCAR does have 1 woman driving today, and INDYCAR, I think has 1 as well, the NHRA has about a dozen or so PROFESSIONAL drivers every weekend, 3 of them are multiple world champions, neither NASCAR or INDYCAR can even come close to announcing a woman as a world champion.
Top fuel races are just unreal to experience live... Exhaust tops point upwards because it gives around half metric tons of downforce and helps preventing a wheelie. When rear wheels pass the point where front wheels were standing before launch, car is already going around 100 mph. They make the ground shake, noise is so loud that it hurts if ears aren't protected.Those who haven't seen them yet and have a chance to go watch, totally recommend!
im fortunate enough to live about 45 minutes from one of the tracks they race at, when the top fuelers stand on the loud pedal, you dont hear the cars, you feel them in every cell in your body, the first few times it rattled my chest so hard i couldnt breathe, even to this day it takes a minor amount of focus to keep breathing for the 3.7 or so seconds the cars are running wide open
Love those guys and gals! Force (all of them!), Capps, the Sarge, Antron. Saw my first drag race in 1968, grew up watching Big Daddy, Shirley, Kalitta, the Grump, Sox & Martin, Glidden. Just an incredible sport and experience. Seeing these live for the first time is like nothing you've ever experienced.
Fun facts, the cars only have 1 forward gear and slowly melt the clutch packs togeather as they go down the track. you can tell when it hits full lock up during the race. past the half way point they will start leaving black marks as the clutch locks up. Forces older daughter hold the record for the fastest pass i think still? the mechanical fuel injection is dumping so much fuel the engines run near hydro lock. no rear susension, no front brakes the list goes on and on top fuel is nuts.
Glad to see more people watch Drag Racing. As someone who's dad is old friends with a team owner, NHRA has been a constant in my house for a long time. Needless to say, this video pretty much showcases why it is so insane, and why people love it. It honestly pushes the limits of technology in such a way that I have yet to see anything like it elsewhere. And if seeing the cars go by on camera is crazy, imagine what it's like in person.
That's not the real experience you have to stand near the start line too really know. In England visit Santa Pod when a big event is scheduled. Oh and bring hearing protection, your going too need it. cheers
A film doesn't do it justice. The sound is just incredible when two top fuel cars go down the track together the ground shakes. You can feel the stands shake. as soon as the start them up. When they go down the track you feel it thru out your whole body.
Nothing can do it justice other than being there. I worked on these cars for a big part of my life and the adrenaline you feel when these cars fire up and especially run down the track never goes away no matter how long you work in the sport. It shakes your whole body and even in the stands when they run it's like someone pounding on your chest. If you can't get to the states, hit Santa Pod and check them out in person!
I don't live far from Zmax Drag strip in ConcordNC. They run 4 wide. The nitro methane they use makes your eyes burn, but when 4 11,000 horsepower cars hit gas at same time. You feel it from head to toe.
I went to watch The winternationals at Pomona when I was 7, the top fuel cars shake the entire grandstand. Me and my cousin put a water bottle down next to us and it rattled it so far it moved almost 3 feet
These cars run on Nitro Methane. Nitro Methane is on the United States Homeland Security watched chemicals list. When they rebuild an engine the spark plugs melt and the clutch plates weld together. A run actually was recorded on the Richter Scale. Its interesting that a top fuel dragster is louder than the first four rows at a Nascar race. The engines don't have a starter so the crew has to use a motor that they keep in their vehicle. The zero to 60 mph (0-96.5 kph) on those cars is about 32 feet. (9.75 meters) If everything goes right they will be going 330 mph. (531 kph)
If you want to learn about the woman that led the way in the drag racing field, please look up Shirley Muldowney. She is amazing. I am honored to say that I got to see her race as a kid.
A reference to the sound levels that everyone tells you about... if you have a full cup of water in the stands and set it down next to you before they make a pass, when they're done you might find that cup is half empty sitting in a puddle. The sound pressure is absolutely enough to shake it out. They race these in the UK, by the way. Santa Pod Raceway, in Northants (about 50mi NNW of London, outside Northampton). The "Festival of Speed" is coming up at the end of April and these Nitro burning cars will be there.
It's hard to explain the sound, you really have to be there. It goes through the ears, through the chest and into your stomach. It fills every space in your body.
Visit Santa Pod in the midlands at the big meetings they run Top Fuel and Nitro Funny car , you’ll love it you can camp for free lots of food stalls bars very trouble free . The sound of a big nitro motor is amazing
I can't remember all the statistics. Folks, help me out. A top fuel dragster engine produces about 12,000 HP now. The engine must last about 100 revolutions for the run including burnout. At TDC, the combustion chamber is almost at hydraulic lock because the fuel/air mixture almost becomes a liquid. The engine has dual spark plugs that are disintegrated by about half track (500 yds). After that, the engine primarily fires from engine heat. The exhaust headers turn up and back about 45 degrees to create forward thrust and downforce (IIRC, downforce from exhaust is over 1,000 pounds). The engine must be completely rebuilt after every run of 1000 yds. A complete rebuild, valves, rods, pistons, main bearings is completed in about 45 minutes because the next run is in about an hour - assuming that you win. The best seat/standing spot in the entire event is watching a crew tear down and rebuild a 12,000 HP engine. It's a dance everyone should witness.
For reference, those cars are going from 0-120 mph in about a second. If a Formula 1 car was coming down the track at 200 mph and a top fuel started when it drove past, the top fuel car would still win. I think there is a video called "top fuel virgins" showing fans at their 1st drag race. When those cars take off, its like getting punched in the chest.
Great reaction. The ( N-H-R-A ) Nantionall Hot Rod Association is the Governing Body for NHRA drag racing. It's tjhe counterpart to the NCAA for College Sports.
Thank you for putting this sport on your channel little lady ❤ For those of us who bleed nitromethane (fuel) we appreciate you! The force family are considered the first family in drag racing. Their is a video on them as well. Give it a look if you get the chance. Thanks again ❤ btw video is called. The fastest accelerating vehicles on the planet. It gives you a break down on what makes these cars run and a little history on John force and his two daughters. Enjoy
Back in the day, you could stand in the Barn at Santa Pod, BEHIND the jet cars when they were doing runs. A mate of mine got 2nd degree burns and most of his hair burnt off when one car accidentally deployed it's parachutes whilst doing a flame display on the start line. They caught fire and sent flames into the Barn. He came back to the bank looking rather crispy, unable to straighten his arms because his fleece had melted. Fortunately, he was wearing a thick beer coat, so he didn't feel anything until the following morning.
As an NHRA attendee since 1978, I can say one thing. To watch these cars on video or TV doesn't hold a candle to what they are like in person. You will never experience anything else on the planet like them! You must see them up close. The UK has some tracks that run these type of cars, so....?
Women excel in drag racing, they have some of the best reaction times on the planet. The video is nothing…. You need to experience Top Fuel live…. You cannot imagine the concussive force of these machines leaving the line at full power without it hitting you in the chest at a live race.
Never forget the woman who pioneered women beating the men in drag racing, Shirley “Cha Cha”Muldowney, the Queen of Drag Racing as well as the first King of Drag Racing, Don “Big Daddy” Garlits.
Drag racing is an absolute assault on the senses, you hear, smell and feel it. It is a experience no other auto sport can match. I've done rally, auto cross, dirt track, and they were all a lot of fun, but nothing can compare to the experience of drag racing. And I would put this sport way above F1, we aren't out here tuning and setting these machines up with computers and hundreds of sensors, packing it in for the day because there's a little ding in something. This is done by feel and experience.
Just for perspective vs F1 cars... Imagine an F1 car going full speed down the track and passing an NHRA car sitting still. If the hot rod didn't hit the throttle until the precise moment the F1 car pulled ahead, it would still beat the F1 to the finish.
Oh ho ho, your statement @ 2:35... These reach 100MPH in less than one second. The fuel line is as thick as your wrist. The fuel injectors don't atomize the fuel, they spray it like your garden hose. When that 12,000 horsepower explodes they'll measure 2.3 on the Richter Scale. Never been in person - yet. But all accounts say you MUST experience this at least once in your life. And bring ear protection.
The only sport on the planet where men and women of any age compete against one another on a level playing field. The shear power and sound is like nothing else. It's Crack on wheels, it only takes once to become addicted.
The below thread is around 5-6 years old, but will give you some idea of the incredible power and speed of a top fuel dragster. Enjoy! Top Fuel 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 335 miles per hour (539 km/h) and finishing the 1,000 foot (305 m) runs in 3.64 seconds. Here are some fuel facts. * One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower (11,000 HP) than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500. * Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced. * A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to merely drive the dragster's supercharger. * With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle. * At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F. * Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases. * Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder. * Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow. * If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half. * Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence. * In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acce leration approaches 8 G's. * Top Fuel engines turn approximately 480 revolutions from light to light! * Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load. * The redline is actually quite high at 9500 RPM. * THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000 per second. 0 to 100 MPH in .8 seconds (the first 60 feet of the run) 0 to 200 MPH in 2.2 seconds (the first 350 feet of the run) 6 g-forces at the starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land) 6 negative g-forces upon deployment of twin ‘chutes at 300 MPH An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates quicker than any other land vehicle on earth . . quicker than a jet fighter plane . . . quicker than the space shuttle. The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 3,628 seconds for the 1000' track (2018, Clay Millican). The top speed record is 336.57 MPH as measured over the last 66' of the run (2018, Tony Schumacher). Putting this all into perspective: You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged & ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3 seconds the dragster catches & passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it - from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 MPH & not only cau ght, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1000 foot long race! That's acceleration! Again, the above is around 5-6 years old. This is the actual fastest recorded time. "The fastest speed in a National Hot Rod Association race in the Top Fuel class is 338.94 mph (545.47 km/h), achieved by Brittany Force (USA) at the NHRA Finals on 11 November 2022 in Pomona, California, USA." Brittany and her sister Courtney are daughters of the legendary John Force. John has won 157 NHRA races and has 16 NHRA World championships. John and his daughter Courtney both race in the Funny Car class of NHRA.
Drag racing is a sport where gender is not an issue. There is no misogyny. Girls compete in all bike and car classes all the way up to the Fuel cars. And they tend to do well.
Please go to an event. Words and video are nothing compared to the violent changes in air pressure beating all the way through your body when they leave the starting line. They are far louder than jets taking off. Far louder. Once you go,you'll never forget it. Have fun!
My fav driver back in the day was Wild Willy Borsch driving the AA/FA cars (fuel altered, like funny cars only wilder to drive). Paste this link in the address bar; th-cam.com/video/3lRAX6EaM9c/w-d-xo.html
in that dragster yer not a man or a women yer someone who better keep that monster in a strait line and keep the shiny side up and hope yer one ten thousands of a second faster than the other dragster
♥♥♥ Love you!!! Acts 11:20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.
Yeah... unless you actually attend a Top Fuel event you still have ZERO idea how VIOLENT it all is. Spend an afternoon at the dragstrip and you will go home feeling beat up.
Exactly. People can tell you about the sound, you can watch movies and videos about top fuel, but until you FEEL that noise like someone is hitting your chest with a baseball bat, you will have no idea what it is like. It is an awesome experience.
Their are more women who drive in this sport than in all of the other motorsports combined!
Girl power👍
Except Dirt Bikes
A couple decades ago I was part of the Indy car circus. I had fun taking some ex-F1 engineers to IRP for Top Fuel races. Of course, the engineers at first really didn't want to go and though drag raci9ng was boring - until they experienced their first startup of a top fuel engine in the pits. After that, they couldn't believe what they were hearing, and their experiencing a burnout and race from right beside the cars (other side of the fence, of course),they were speechless.
The best analogy I have heard is if a F1 and a top fuel dragster had a race to 1/4 mile and the F1 car was given a run up and crossed the start line at 200mph the Top Fuel car world pass it at half track.
True, but how do you think a top fuel car would fare against an F1 for one lap at Spa (or COTA, or Silverstone, or...). Hint - even if it carried enough fuel, the engine wouldn't last for a lap.
I@@wwb7091it would still be more interesting than an F1 .
@@wwb7091 LOL true but how would an F1 car survive accelerating to 320MPH in 3 seconds?
The scenario is always described with a Lingenfelter Corvette, not an F1. I've done some number crunching on the physics and it's true, the dragster would barely win in a quarter mile race, but not in a 1000' one. But what's insane is the dragster passing the corvette at well over 100 mph greater a speed, in under 3.5 seconds from when the vette crossed the starting line. The corvette would be BLASTED by the pressure wave of the dragster passing it at so much greater a speed. ALL the physics and engineering of these machines is so outrageous as to be hard to believe. It's wonderful.
"...the ground shakes..." The whole world shakes. You shake. Your skeleton vibrates. You won't experience anything like it outside of military service. Everyone keeps their eye on the top-fuel virgins. They're going to jump out of the skin when they witness their first pass.
Don't even have to wait for the first pass, they'll jump 6 feet in the air the first time a team lights one of these off. It is the biggest sensory assault imaginable, and damn I love being out on the track. It's honestly about the same thrill as flying my UH-1H, it just never gets old.
Watching top fuel on video is like looking at a picture of an elephant to gauge it's size
IT's not just the sound but the physical sensation of the air blast as they go by
YOU might want to look into drag racing at Santa Pod Raceway in England. European drag racing is very similar and almost as fast as NHRA.
just being in the stands, you not only hear it, you actually feel it, all the way to your bones! I kid you not, you Must go! Watch vids of people at their 1st drag race, they tell the story! Great react! Keep on!
Not only do women compete, a woman, Brittany Force, currently holds the NHRA top speed record of 338.43 MPH
For top fuel she does
With a name like Force, would you expect anything less? She's the woman, or is it Whoa-man!
Imagine…. 338mph from ZERO…. in 1000 feet.
Way back when I was able to see a space shuttle launch. In 2005 I went to my first NHRA race, the space shuttle didn’t come close! I was a tv fan of drag racing and thought I knew what to expect. When that first pair launched I darn near screamed like a little girl and ran out of the stands! I was not prepared for that! When people say it rattles your bones they are not kidding, that sound doesn’t just hit you, it goes right through you. Last night of qualifying the top fuel class set a speed record that stood for many years since it was the second to last race they run 1/4 mile.
whats nuts that they didnt even show is there is a class to drag races motorcycles. they will hit 260 mph in about 5 seconds
That's the best, years ago I used to go to the NHRA Summer Nationals at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New New Jersey. There's nothing like standing next to a top fuel dragster or funny car when they first fire up, all your bones in your body just rattle. Another great motor sport you may want to look at is off shore power boat racing. That's bad ass too.
I saw my first top fuel and funny car run at Englishtown, NJ in the 1960's. It was a very memorable experience. Nothing can prepare you for the sound of a blown hemi running on nitro. Nothing.
@@OverlandOne Yep, those were the good old days.
I went to Englishtown 94-04. We camped at Cheesequake State Park. I met a lot of great people there. I sure do miss that place.
That man with the Castol shirt on is John Force, he is a LEGEND in NHRA. Brittany Force is his daughter. She is now a LEGEND as well. It's a family thing. I can remember when I was young, we would go to Lebanon Valley in New York for NHRA drag races, or watch on "tv" every week end. When you stood behind those cars, you could feel the compression in your chest. The closest I have come to that is seeing an F-15 Eagle go vertical on take-off. Like a rocket lifting off. The same feeling in your chest. Mike from Mass.
The sound can be euphoric, it's also so intense. Bring earplugs. Good earplugs.
Gonna be even more next year
There is drag racing ( and more ) at Santa Pod Raceway in North Bedfordshire. Depending on how far that is from you might be worth a look.
When these things go by at 300+mph, your soul is on fire! Another cool NHRA video is 'Fastest Accelerating Vehicles On The Planet'. It features the daughters of legendary John Force, a very successful drag racer. His daughters, Brittaney and Courtney, are also NHRA racers. Very awesome!
I recommend every car racing fan once in there life if you've never been to a drag strip GO THE ADRENALINE IS OUT OF THIS WORLD
Suz, ifn u ever get to the States, make sure u center it around an NHRA event.
U can watch it till the cows come home but until u c it live, feel the ground and ur insides shake, u haven’t experienced it.
U’ll LOVE it.
I'm 67 and I still get chills watching it.
The HEMI engine is the staple of Top-Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars. Introduced in 1951, it was a passenger car engine with a meager 180 horsepower. Now look at what it has grown to become.
What's really insane, Suzi, is that they can actually find people who want to drive these ground rockets. Go if you can, it's a totally unforgetable experience to see it live.
When they start the engine on one of those rails, it actually registers on the Richter scale. They start the engine in the pit area and it will set off car alarms in the parking lot. Not an exaggeration.
YES, 2 cars launching at the same time register 3.5 on the richter scale!
It's one of the few motorsports in which women do quite well and often times better than the men they race alongside. Faster reaction times. These races in person are soul vibrating and will quite literally take your breath away just standing close to one launching.
This is just one of many classes in NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing. There are many stating with a class for youth racing if you would like to see it, look for JR. Dragsters. They are for kids powered by modified lawnmower engines reaching speeds of 80 MPH. many girls race JR Dragsters. Look for Pro Stock drag racing these cars reach speeds of about 208MPH and the most popular girl racing in Pro Stock is Erica Enders.
Sitting high in the stands. The noise makes you shirt shake like wind. It's insane.
One of the MAIN reasons why I love drag racing so much is it's equality, and the NHRA has set the bar high when it comes to that, they do not care what your religion is, you sex, age, nationality skin color, or anything else, they DO NOT CARE, everyone is equal, if you can pass the testing and get your racing license for the class that you are wanting to race in, and you are not CURRENTLY pregnant, they will let you race, that might sound bad, but no one knows how being in that environment with the fuels, chemicals, extremely loud sound, and high G forces, will affect a baby in the womb, and the NHRA does NOT want to find out, so they are pretty much left with protecting the life of any unborn infant, right now this is being played out, John Force has 4 daughters, 3 of them drag race professionally with him, but now, only 1 of them does, as his daughters Ashley and Courtney have stepped away from racing to have babies, hopefully Ashley will be returning soon, but right now it is John, and his daughter Brittney, his son n law Robert Hight and 1 of his crew chiefs sons Austin Prock, the Presidents of Indy Car and Nascar once said in an interview that they have women competing in their sport, and the President of the NHRA said "We have women WINNING CHAMPIONSHIPS in our sport, which goes back to 1977 when Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to win a world championship in Top fuel drag racing, Brittney Force has now won 2 world championships, and in Pro Stock, Erica Enders now holds 6 world titles, and although NASCAR does have 1 woman driving today, and INDYCAR, I think has 1 as well, the NHRA has about a dozen or so PROFESSIONAL drivers every weekend, 3 of them are multiple world champions, neither NASCAR or INDYCAR can even come close to announcing a woman as a world champion.
“If you’re beating the best, what does that make you?” Love it.
That makes you the best and a Champion
Top fuel races are just unreal to experience live... Exhaust tops point upwards because it gives around half metric tons of downforce and helps preventing a wheelie. When rear wheels pass the point where front wheels were standing before launch, car is already going around 100 mph. They make the ground shake, noise is so loud that it hurts if ears aren't protected.Those who haven't seen them yet and have a chance to go watch, totally recommend!
They did measure a launch of 2 top fuel dragsters and it measured 2.2 on the Richter scale at the start line
im fortunate enough to live about 45 minutes from one of the tracks they race at, when the top fuelers stand on the loud pedal, you dont hear the cars, you feel them in every cell in your body, the first few times it rattled my chest so hard i couldnt breathe, even to this day it takes a minor amount of focus to keep breathing for the 3.7 or so seconds the cars are running wide open
there is drag racing in the UK.
Love those guys and gals! Force (all of them!), Capps, the Sarge, Antron. Saw my first drag race in 1968, grew up watching Big Daddy, Shirley, Kalitta, the Grump, Sox & Martin, Glidden. Just an incredible sport and experience. Seeing these live for the first time is like nothing you've ever experienced.
When those things launch you feel it in your bones and it hammers your lungs.
you feel it in your SOUL. theres nothing else like it
i went to a drag race a few years ago. i could lit feel the fat on my stomach shaking as they passed. its insane
Fun facts, the cars only have 1 forward gear and slowly melt the clutch packs togeather as they go down the track. you can tell when it hits full lock up during the race. past the half way point they will start leaving black marks as the clutch locks up. Forces older daughter hold the record for the fastest pass i think still? the mechanical fuel injection is dumping so much fuel the engines run near hydro lock. no rear susension, no front brakes the list goes on and on top fuel is nuts.
Spark plugs are melting about half way down as well.
Glad to see more people watch Drag Racing. As someone who's dad is old friends with a team owner, NHRA has been a constant in my house for a long time. Needless to say, this video pretty much showcases why it is so insane, and why people love it. It honestly pushes the limits of technology in such a way that I have yet to see anything like it elsewhere. And if seeing the cars go by on camera is crazy, imagine what it's like in person.
You feel it and hear it at the same time it's like nothing else!
That's not the real experience you have to stand near the start line too really know.
In England visit Santa Pod when a big event is scheduled.
Oh and bring hearing protection, your going too need it. cheers
A film doesn't do it justice. The sound is just incredible when two top fuel cars go down the track together the ground shakes.
You can feel the stands shake. as soon as the start them up.
When they go down the track you feel it thru out your whole body.
Nothing can do it justice other than being there. I worked on these cars for a big part of my life and the adrenaline you feel when these cars fire up and especially run down the track never goes away no matter how long you work in the sport. It shakes your whole body and even in the stands when they run it's like someone pounding on your chest. If you can't get to the states, hit Santa Pod and check them out in person!
I don't live far from Zmax Drag strip in ConcordNC. They run 4 wide. The nitro methane they use makes your eyes burn, but when 4 11,000 horsepower cars hit gas at same time. You feel it from head to toe.
yes it is unimaginable when they take off , you have to witness it. the sound goes through you lol
I went to watch The winternationals at Pomona when I was 7, the top fuel cars shake the entire grandstand. Me and my cousin put a water bottle down next to us and it rattled it so far it moved almost 3 feet
These cars run on Nitro Methane. Nitro Methane is on the United States Homeland Security watched chemicals list. When they rebuild an engine the spark plugs melt and the clutch plates weld together. A run actually was recorded on the Richter Scale. Its interesting that a top fuel dragster is louder than the first four rows at a Nascar race. The engines don't have a starter so the crew has to use a motor that they keep in their vehicle. The zero to 60 mph (0-96.5 kph) on those cars is about 32 feet. (9.75 meters) If everything goes right they will be going 330 mph. (531 kph)
If you want to learn about the woman that led the way in the drag racing field, please look up Shirley Muldowney. She is amazing. I am honored to say that I got to see her race as a kid.
I grew up next door to Bandemere!!! I've seen Shirley Muldowney make her record run...
A reference to the sound levels that everyone tells you about... if you have a full cup of water in the stands and set it down next to you before they make a pass, when they're done you might find that cup is half empty sitting in a puddle. The sound pressure is absolutely enough to shake it out.
They race these in the UK, by the way. Santa Pod Raceway, in Northants (about 50mi NNW of London, outside Northampton). The "Festival of Speed" is coming up at the end of April and these Nitro burning cars will be there.
0-100 in UNDER a second. 0 -200 in just over 2 seconds..One fuel car makes as much horsepower as the first 6 rows of an f1 race..
It's hard to explain the sound, you really have to be there. It goes through the ears, through the chest and into your stomach. It fills every space in your body.
Visit Santa Pod in the midlands at the big meetings they run Top Fuel and Nitro Funny car , you’ll love it you can camp for free lots of food stalls bars very trouble free . The sound of a big nitro motor is amazing
Here's the difference. You don't hear the cars. You FEEL the noise, in your chest, in your bones. The ground shakes.
Suzi if ever you get the chance go to one of these races!! You can feel the sound!!! The girls race the guys..... 10,000 horsepower!!!!! Later lady.
I can't remember all the statistics. Folks, help me out. A top fuel dragster engine produces about 12,000 HP now. The engine must last about 100 revolutions for the run including burnout. At TDC, the combustion chamber is almost at hydraulic lock because the fuel/air mixture almost becomes a liquid. The engine has dual spark plugs that are disintegrated by about half track (500 yds). After that, the engine primarily fires from engine heat. The exhaust headers turn up and back about 45 degrees to create forward thrust and downforce (IIRC, downforce from exhaust is over 1,000 pounds). The engine must be completely rebuilt after every run of 1000 yds. A complete rebuild, valves, rods, pistons, main bearings is completed in about 45 minutes because the next run is in about an hour - assuming that you win. The best seat/standing spot in the entire event is watching a crew tear down and rebuild a 12,000 HP engine. It's a dance everyone should witness.
I grew up in Pomona ca. if been to many races, it never gets old. Look up the schedule for the current year. If you can go, do it.
For reference, those cars are going from 0-120 mph in about a second. If a Formula 1 car was coming down the track at 200 mph and a top fuel started when it drove past, the top fuel car would still win. I think there is a video called "top fuel virgins" showing fans at their 1st drag race. When those cars take off, its like getting punched in the chest.
Seen the video,
Hilarious 😂
John Force: "It's better than sex." 16 NHRA Championships, 4 Daughters. He isn't lying. LOL
It's a shame Courtney retired she was on a role with advanced auto parts as well
At this year’s finals, Austin Prock was the first to break 340 mph.
John Force…one of the best interviews in motor sports.
I worked for a Budweiser and this was unreal. There is nothing like it.
They have to have a special license from the Dept. of Homeland Security to buy their fuel because it's classed as a high explosive.
Great reaction. The ( N-H-R-A ) Nantionall Hot Rod Association is the Governing Body for NHRA drag racing. It's tjhe counterpart to the NCAA for College Sports.
Being in the pits when they bump the throttle. It will suck the air out of your lungs then fill them with methanol fumes
It uses all your senses it's amazing
You have to experience it live when they fire off those dragsters you can actually feel it
They have to rebuild the engine and drivetrain after EVERY RUN.
Is that why when I watch nhra after the race they are working on the engines
@@AidanPilot yes
Thank you for putting this sport on your channel little lady ❤
For those of us who bleed nitromethane (fuel) we appreciate you! The force family are considered the first family in drag racing. Their is a video on them as well. Give it a look if you get the chance. Thanks
again ❤ btw video is called.
The fastest accelerating vehicles on the planet. It gives you a break down on what makes these cars run and a little history on John force and his two daughters. Enjoy
You can feel your organs vibrate when a fuel car runs.
They're so loud you feel it in your chest.
you should feel a jet powered drag car
Back in the day, you could stand in the Barn at Santa Pod, BEHIND the jet cars when they were doing runs. A mate of mine got 2nd degree burns and most of his hair burnt off when one car accidentally deployed it's parachutes whilst doing a flame display on the start line. They caught fire and sent flames into the Barn. He came back to the bank looking rather crispy, unable to straighten his arms because his fleece had melted.
Fortunately, he was wearing a thick beer coat, so he didn't feel anything until the following morning.
As an NHRA attendee since 1978, I can say one thing. To watch these cars on video or TV doesn't hold a candle to what they are like in person. You will never experience anything else on the planet like them! You must see them up close. The UK has some tracks that run these type of cars, so....?
Women excel in drag racing, they have some of the best reaction times on the planet. The video is nothing…. You need to experience Top Fuel live…. You cannot imagine the concussive force of these machines leaving the line at full power without it hitting you in the chest at a live race.
The sudden opening of the throttle at the start is called "the Hit" for a reason.
You really need to experience Top Fuel in person, there is NOTHING like it.
Never forget the woman who pioneered women beating the men in drag racing, Shirley “Cha Cha”Muldowney, the Queen of Drag Racing as well as the first King of Drag Racing, Don “Big Daddy” Garlits.
Drag racing is an absolute assault on the senses, you hear, smell and feel it. It is a experience no other auto sport can match.
I've done rally, auto cross, dirt track, and they were all a lot of fun, but nothing can compare to the experience of drag racing. And I would put this sport way above F1, we aren't out here tuning and setting these machines up with computers and hundreds of sensors, packing it in for the day because there's a little ding in something. This is done by feel and experience.
Just for perspective vs F1 cars...
Imagine an F1 car going full speed down the track and passing an NHRA car sitting still. If the hot rod didn't hit the throttle until the precise moment the F1 car pulled ahead, it would still beat the F1 to the finish.
Fun fact, they completely tear down and rebuild the motors between each round.
“Intense” is the word.
You really feel it when they take off and you're in the stands. You definitely need earplugs.
Oh ho ho, your statement @ 2:35... These reach 100MPH in less than one second. The fuel line is as thick as your wrist. The fuel injectors don't atomize the fuel, they spray it like your garden hose. When that 12,000 horsepower explodes they'll measure 2.3 on the Richter Scale. Never been in person - yet. But all accounts say you MUST experience this at least once in your life. And bring ear protection.
Fire breathing monsters baby let's goooooo😂
NHRA.
NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION.
The only sport on the planet where men and women of any age compete against one another on a level playing field. The shear power and sound is like nothing else. It's Crack on wheels, it only takes once to become addicted.
The below thread is around 5-6 years old, but will give you some idea of the incredible power and speed of a top fuel dragster. Enjoy!
Top Fuel 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 335 miles per hour (539 km/h) and finishing the 1,000 foot (305 m) runs in 3.64 seconds. Here are some fuel facts.
* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower (11,000 HP) than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.
* A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to merely drive the dragster's supercharger.
* With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.
* At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.
* Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.
* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.
* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acce leration approaches 8 G's.
* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 480 revolutions from light to light!
* Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load.
* The redline is actually quite high at 9500 RPM.
* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000 per second.
0 to 100 MPH in .8 seconds (the first 60 feet of the run)
0 to 200 MPH in 2.2 seconds (the first 350 feet of the run)
6 g-forces at the starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land)
6 negative g-forces upon deployment of twin ‘chutes at 300 MPH An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates quicker than any other land vehicle on earth . . quicker than a jet fighter plane . . . quicker than the space shuttle.
The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 3,628 seconds for the 1000' track (2018, Clay Millican). The top speed record is 336.57 MPH as measured over the last 66' of the run (2018, Tony Schumacher).
Putting this all into perspective:
You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged & ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.
The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3 seconds the dragster catches & passes you.
He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it - from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 MPH & not only cau ght, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1000 foot long race!
That's acceleration!
Again, the above is around 5-6 years old. This is the actual fastest recorded time. "The fastest speed in a National Hot Rod Association race in the Top Fuel class is 338.94 mph (545.47 km/h), achieved by Brittany Force (USA) at the NHRA Finals on 11 November 2022 in Pomona, California, USA." Brittany and her sister Courtney are daughters of the legendary John Force. John has won 157 NHRA races and has 16 NHRA World championships. John and his daughter Courtney both race in the Funny Car class of NHRA.
You must go an see it live. Get close to the start line
SHE REALLY NEEDS TO EXPERANCE IT LIVE
Drag racing is a sport where gender is not an issue. There is no misogyny. Girls compete in all bike and car classes all the way up to the Fuel cars. And they tend to do well.
Video DOES NOT DO THEM JUSTICE. You NEED to go see them LIVE.😊
Please go to an event. Words and video are nothing compared to the violent changes in air pressure beating all the way through your body when they leave the starting line. They are far louder than jets taking off. Far louder. Once you go,you'll never forget it. Have fun!
My fav driver back in the day was Wild Willy Borsch driving the AA/FA cars (fuel altered, like funny cars only wilder to drive). Paste this link in the address bar; th-cam.com/video/3lRAX6EaM9c/w-d-xo.html
just think of it 0 to over 300 in under 4 secs
Like to see you do a reaction to NHRA crashes
🤘🇺🇸Nothing more American then🇺🇸🤘
🤘🇺🇸Drag Racing🇺🇸🤘
The engine in a formula one car doesn't produce enough power to even turn the supercharger that these dragsters use.
The movie dust to glory I think it's called. React to clips!
10000hp😮
that was a few years ago - closer to 12,000 now, Obviously no dyno, so they calculate HP based on mass and acceleration
They are wrong. Top fuel drag racing is not the fastest motorsport in the world. Reno unlimited modified class is the fastest motorsport in the world.
in that dragster yer not a man or a women yer someone who better keep that monster in a strait line and keep the shiny side up and hope yer one ten thousands of a second faster than the other dragster
♥♥♥ Love you!!! Acts 11:20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.