All things Drag Racing.

[regal403]

I'm hooked. Totally going back next year, and I hope to bring my daughter, wife, and nephew as well.

My boy has struggled in school and at home at times. He's smart as hell, but hates to be told what to do and has never really had a solid idea or dream for what he wants to do or be when he grows up. He loves working with his hands, is a fast and hard worker, great with math in his head, but resists authority, pushes boundaries, and if he doesn't see the benefit for himself in something, he often gives up and refuses to participate.
Typical teenage stuff to some extent, but it's been like that much of his life.

Yesterday on the way home from the strip he said out of the blue, "ok two things, that was really fun and when I grow up, I want to be a drag racer or a mechanic." That was really big for him to share those dreams. I was very proud and told him so.

 

[76zimmer]

Man you got to see one of the best performance weekends in history!
And you got Brittany to give you the time of day…she’s usually pretty secluded. But she was having one of her best days yesterday! Grubnic has that car flyin’!
Congrats on your baptism, it aint for sissies!

 

[regal403]

Top fuel is a must see.
Don't care what bad azz car you've ever seen or heard, multiply it by 30, and then add a little. You MIGHT get an idea, but it won't be top fuel lol.

As I believe it was Dave said to me.... Maybe Eric..
"It's like a thousand little monkeys beating on your chest at the same time"

This.
The first race of the day was Doug Kalitta blasting off to the 2nd quickest and 3rd fastest pass of all time (and his personal 1st race breaking 340 mph).

The burnout was loud and visceral, reminded me of tractor pulls at the state fair back in the day. Really really, really loud, but I also felt it deep in my chest like standing by pounding subwoofers at a rock concert. The smoke subsided and I looked over at my boy and his friend; our grins all matched.

I neglected to keep an eye on the Christmas tree, so I about jumped out of the stands when he exploded off the line unexpectedly.
Even though it was a solo pass, the shockwave from the launch hit me in the chest like a swinging folding chair at a WWE match, and then my whole body was rumbling. I felt my arms and legs tingling, not just the hair standing on edge, but like I could literally feel my bones rattling inside. It built and built to a whining, growling, screaming crescendo as he approached the finish line.
Then, as quickly as it started, chutes appeared and the full body assault was over. We stared in stunned silence for half a second as we began to be able to breathe and think once again.

The crowd roared. I was hooked.

 

[regal403]

After watching the teams and meeting some drivers in the pits, we opted to walk a little closer to the action.

Standing behind the starting line while eating a giant corn dog and whiffing nitro-spewing 12,000 horsepower winged automotive monstrosities is a uniquely American experience. We watched a couple launches and saw that funny cars were beginning to fill in the staging lanes. The boys wanted to head across the track and watch from the big end so away we went.





We got right up next to the fence at about the 330' mark just as a pair of floppers rocketed by. This time, their shockwave hit me with a sort of reality-distorting doppler effect that felt like I had been reborn and dropped into a new universe where everything jiggles and vibrates on a high amplitude frequency that completely overwhelmed the sense of reality I have come to know over the last 41 years. My eyeballs were shaking and I couldn't comprehend how to inhale or even think as my heart pounded and adrenaline coursed through my veins. I let out a collective whoop with the rest of the crowd as we came back to our senses 2 seconds later.

It was the same sensation for each subsequent pass of Funny Car. The in-between Pro Stocks were cool because they pull the wheels and bang through the gears, but they look and sound like a punk high school kid in a stock 5.0 fox body by comparison.

 

[76zimmer]

In that video, those look to be competition eliminator cars. Pro stock cars were running 6.40’s/6.50’s.

This description had me laughing….man thats awesome it got you that deep. When I tell people about seeing them on TV is nothing like being there, they look at me in disbelief. When they see them make a full pass for the first time, they are usually stunned.

“We got right up next to the fence at about the 330' mark just as a pair of floppers rocketed by. This time, their shockwave hit me with a sort of reality-distorting doppler effect that felt like I had been reborn and dropped into a new universe where everything jiggles and vibrates on a high amplitude frequency that completely overwhelmed the sense of reality I have come to know over the last 41 years. My eyeballs were shaking and I couldn't comprehend how to inhale or even think as my heart pounded and adrenaline coursed through my veins. I let out a collective whoop with the rest of the crowd as we came back to our senses 2 seconds later.”

Awesome!

 

[regal403]

That's my video, I fixed the title now. I can't tell some classes apart.

 

[76zimmer]

Theres a lot of classes, and trying to figure out competition eliminator is the toughest. So many combinations possible, and running off indexes based on power to weight.
Anything from 4cyl to 500+ cube V-8’s. N/A, turbo charged, supercharged, but no nitrous or nitro allowed, only gasoline, or methanol. Its a fun class to watch and just as competitive as PS.

 

[Bent77]

Theres a lot of classes, and trying to figure out competition eliminator is the toughest. So many combinations possible, and running off indexes based on power to weight.
Anything from 4cyl to 500+ cube V-8’s. N/A, turbo charged, supercharged, but no nitrous or nitro allowed, only gasoline, or methanol. Its a fun class to watch and just as competitive as PS.

Classes in stock and super stock are classified HP vs weight
Comp is cubes per pound and then cylinder

 

[folkenheath]

I always say the same thing, TV does not do Nitro drag racing justice, you have to see it in person at least once. Then you know what its really like.

And on this Sunday I took my family, and we saw another thing, I have never seen in person before, and I realized it's similar, the Blue Angels. They performed over the beach at Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, and it was awesome. Not as shocking as top fuel, but If you have not every seen them, add it to your bucket list, they are amazing. Such a combination of talent, power, machines, and technology. Watching them on video does not do it justice, when you are there and you "feel" it and watch the real speed it's another experience. Man they are talented pilots.

 

[regal403]

The Angels are incredible, I've seen them a few times. I'll never forget the first time I saw them in the summer of '90.

Here's Force's record speed run. If you listen close, you'll hear me scream like a little girl at the end.

 

[76zimmer]

One of my best drag races was in 2000.
The Strip at Las Vegas opened in the spring of that year, and was completed just in time for the NHRA race in April.
It was hot and us Casper white boys from Mi. weren’t quite prepared for 3 days in the Vegas sun. Anywho, we got there on Thursday, rented a car and went to the Hoover dam. Did a good tour of the facility (before the bypass highway was built), then checked into our rooms at Sams Town…awesome place! They had everything there! Went to the races and found out that Nellis AFB is across the street from the drag strip. Circled in blue. So all weekend while the races were going on, we got a military style airshow flying right in front of us, many fighter jets, as well as a B2 bomber. Pretty awesome show!

 

[cheavyk10]

Vegas was two lanes before the 2000 remodel with 4 lanes.
2017:

 

[folkenheath]

The Angels are incredible, I've seen them a few times. I'll never forget the first time I saw them in the summer of '90.

Here's Force's record speed run. If you listen close, you'll hear me scream like a little girl at the end.

 

[regal403]

Core memory type stuff

 

[76zimmer]

Vegas was two lanes before the 2000 remodel with 4 lanes.
2017:
View attachment 508957

Actually the complete rebuild of the strip was in 2000 w two lanes…then they tore up the racing surface to go 4 wide in 2017 for the 2018 season. The Strip at Las Vegas and Charlotte (NC) are the only two 4 wide races for NHRA. Those are both run in spring. Each track also has a 2 wide event in the fall.

 

[cheavyk10]

Actually the complete rebuild of the strip was in 2000 w two lanes…then they tore up the racing surface to go 4 wide in 2017 for the 2018 season. The Strip at Las Vegas and Charlotte (NC) are the only two 4 wide races for NHRA. Those are both run in spring. Each track also has a 2 wide event in the fall.

Ah the rest of the story...

 

[Fastereddie]

I always thought nascar was lame until I got invited to go and see it in person. All those cars going by at 200mph, inches apart is pretty damned jaw dropping.

 

[76zimmer]

I have to agree, and every motorsport has its faults, but seems Smashcar is leading in the “how to ruin your sport” race!
That and a Top Fuel engine makes more power in one engine than the first 4 rows of Nascar combined!

 

[regal403]

I always thought nascar was lame until I got invited to go and see it in person. All those cars going by at 200mph, inches apart is pretty damned jaw dropping.

I used to think NASCAR was lame.

I still do, but I used to, too.

 

[regal403]

Old nascar films are actually entertaining. Check out the 1970 Southern 500