NHRA - first timer

[turbokev]

A friend of mine works for Coke, and he got me a couple passes to the NHRA show at New England Dragway this past weekend.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, can prepare you for the top fuel cars when they explode off the line and hit over 320mph in under 4 seconds.
I was literally speechless the first time I experienced it.. What a rush!

You see it on TV.. you hear the numbers and you know that it is crazy fast.. but seeing it on the screen gives you absolutely no idea
how intense it is in person. The sonic shock is startling. I have a whole new respect for the guys that pilot the funny cars and top fuel cars..
Even the ProStocks were fantastic running low 6's at 220 or so.. If you ever get the chance to see it live, even if you don't follow the series,
it is so worth it just to experience it up close and in person.. It's like nothing else I've ever seen (or felt)~


Here are a couple of the older cars that were on display, John Forces new colors and a video of a quick run.. 3.785 @ 324.28 mph





These were my favorites~





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[waaytoomuchintothis]

Hey, what happened to the rule that you have to have that blower strapped down on both sides? When did they stop doing that?

That roadster takes me back. Thanks for the pics, Kev. That's great.

I still wonder about those 6-71's with no straps, though. Anybody know about that?

[HomeRacingWorld]

Yes sir, that's a good one. Your video is one of the best.

[Florida_Slotter]

Kev,

Pack your slot cars, then head over to I-95 and drive on down to Bellview, Florida. Give me a call and I'll meet you there. We can tour "Big Daddy's Drag Racing Museum" and go through the early days of drag racing, back before they thought of spectator safety.

Then we can go out and race Modified Slot Cars!

Yep, 20,000 horsepower can not only be heard, but felt and smelt at the same time. It is a sensory explosion!

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I remember that echo-thump in my chest, the wave of weightless disorientation after the run from the seriously loud screaming exhaust, and how everybody involuntarily screamed with them. Good days to be young.

I only saw one blower take off for Neptune, but I became a believer right away.

[sixtiesracer]

The Pure Hell Fuel Altered was part of a totally awesome drag racing class.Fast,and unpredictable !!

[mattb]

The sound and that thumping on your chest is what tv can't capture and why drag racing doesn't broadcast good on tv. TV just can't show the power and speed you see in person.

[ourwayband]

[Florida_Slotter]

[dreinecke]

I go to the MOPAR Mile High Nationals every few years - I agree that it is a BLAST! Great video.

I've done a fair share in a street car and even crewed for a buddy's Chevelle when Pinks came to town. That sucked - seriously poorly run.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Rusty, it was at Lakeland at Memphis that we raced in the 60s and 70s. We all lived in Memphis. We would waste a whole weekend trying to get another tenth out of our daily driver cars, but no matter how we ran, the big event was the Double A Altered gassers. The rails were extreme but there was a squirrelly crazy dangerous thrill seeing those brutes rip down the strip. We never missed them. We went so often, our preacher saw me headed for the parking lot, headed out, one Sunday morning and said, "So they're racing at Lakeland today, Rob?" with a big ____- eating grin all over his face. He couldn't say much, because Jimmy Garner, who owned all of Lakeland Amusements including the track complex (do you remember the road race track?) was a member of our church.

[Mayberryman]

I only live about 10 miles from Dinwiddie Motorsports Park and have been to two NHRA nationals. The memories are great and everybody is right about the sounds and shock waves that happen when the Nitro burning Dragsters and Funny cars run. My biggest memory was at the inaugural NHRA national. A Top Fuel Dragster was doing a burnout and threw a wheel weight and it shot backwards so far that it broke one of the big windows in the timing and scoring building located to the rear and above the starting line. I also found out that big name Drag Racers are much like the NASCAR drivers of the 80s in their willingness to take some time to talk to the people and actually seem to appreciate the fans taking the time to come and talk to them.

[ourwayband]

[4424ever]

Your right Kev nothing including a detailed description can prepair you for 16000 hp unleashed at the line, an experience you will never forget. The first pro event I took my son to one team was thrashing on a topfuel car and the crewchief was frustrated with the car. I happened to be recording when the engine finally fired and sounded sick, the crewchief grabbed the injector hat and without mercey cracked the throttle wide open sending people scattering but we stood our ground and damned if he didn't give it another insane blast. The second shot tore the 40 foot awning off the trailer sending it skyward into the pits next door. When I got home and played the clip back the shockwave stunned the camera and there was no sound but the image was unforgettable, sadly I lost that video to a crashed comp but the memory will last forever!!!!!

[waaytoomuchintothis]