Drag Illustrated Issue 112, August 2016

OUTLAW DRAG RADIAL ELIMINATOR QUICKEST DRIVERS who waged performance war six months earlier to bring the TF and FC classes to within only 0.167 seconds. At the 1986 NHRA U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Gwynn wheeled his family-funded Top Fuel team to a new NHRA National Record of 5.342 seconds while Bernstein’s world-changing “Budweiser King” Ford Tempo rocked the sport with the quickest Funny Car run ever by five hundredths of a second at a speed five miles per hour faster than any FC before it, a 5.509 at 271.41 mph, which was Top Speed of the Meet for all classes, (an extreme rarity in the 1980s). At the same Indy showdown in 1982, Gary Beck drove Larry Minor’s blue Top Fueler to a 5.484 all-time best while Don “the Snake” Prudhomme was busy clocking what many people still consider the greatest run in drag racing history, a coasting 5.637, in his engine-exploding “Pepsi Challenger” Pontiac Trans Am which exceeded the quickest FC run prior to the U.S. Nationals, (Billy Meyer’s 5.829), by almost two tenths of a second. The margin between Beck and Prudhomme was only fifteen hundredths of a second, (0.153). However, the smallest performance gap between Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars came in the winter of 1971-1972, a brief period which is still considered to be one of the darkest in the sport for the supposed “Kings of the Sport”, the supercharged, nitro-burning dragsters. At the NHRA U.S. Nationals in 1969, California legend John “Zookeeper” Mulligan drove the front-engined Beebe & Mulligan AA/ Fuel Dragster to the top of qualifying with an incredible 6.437-second pass which was the quickest of all time and exceeded the current NHRA World Record by a full quarter of a second. Sixteen days later, Mulligan succumbed to PRO EXTREME ELIMINATOR QUICKEST DRIVERS (eighth-mile) RANK E.T. 1 3.485 DRIVER Frankie Taylor SITE STATE DATE Rockingham NC 4/5/2014 2 3.486 Brandon Snider Tulsa OK 3/18/2016 burns suffered in a clutch and engine explosion during the first round of eliminations. However, his elapsed time mark stood as the sport’s best performance for one month shy of two full years when Don Garlits finally unleashed the full power of his first rear-engined “Swamp Rat” in August of 1971, (6.35). While the front-engined dragsters showed no performance gains for more than a year, the nation’s Funny Cars were moving into dragster territory quickly. The “front-motor cars” were already suffering from a lack of individual personality and could not provide the showmanship of the Funny Cars, (long burnouts and unpredictable runs), until Garlits led the rear-engined dragster revolution in late 1971. In the winter of 1970-1971, the sport’s print media was announcing the death of the Top Fuel Dragster and almost had it ready for burial when Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen drove his blue “Hot Wheels” Plymouth Duster to a 6.550 blast at the AHRA Grand American at Lions Drag Strip in Long Beach (CA) on January 9, 1971. That brought the gap between the AA/FD and AA/FC contingents to only eleven hundredths of a second, (0.113). It was Garlits alone who saved the Top Fuel dragsters in 1971. It was sweeping technology which revitalized the dragsters in each of the other three instances, as well. If the Funny Cars continue to erode the performance gap with the dragsters in 2016, history tells us we can expect another leap of progress to come from the sport’s finest minds. The questions remains, how close WILL the Funny Cars get to the Dragsters? If nothing else, this battle royale is just another reason the 2016 NHRA season is garnering record attendance and viewership. - BRET KEPNER It’s a fight worth watching. EXTREME TURBO ELIMINATOR QUICKEST DRIVERS (eighth-mile) RANK E.T. 1 3.527 DRIVER SITE STATE DATE Jose Gonzalez Dinwiddie VA 10/23/2015 2 3.540 Kevin Fiscus Benson NC 4/5/2016 X275 ELIMINATOR QUICKEST DRIVERS (eighth-mile) (eighth-mile) RANK E.T. DRIVER SITE STATE DATE RANK E.T. Steve Jackson Denton TX 4/24/2016 1 4.372 Jared Johnston Harvest DeWayne Mills Madison IL 7/16/2016 2 4.379 Rich Bruder Budds Creek MD 4/17/2016 3 3.800 Rob Valden Denton TX 4/24/2016 3 4.396 Rob Goss Cecil GA 2/18/2016 4 3.812 Kyle Huettel Tulsa OK 4/2/2016 4 4.399 Chris Groves Tulsa OK 4/1/2016 5 3.876 Jason Michalak Cecil GA 2/19/2016 5 4.403 Jamie Stanton Cecil GA 2/19/2016 6 3.894 Keith Haney Cecil GA 2/17/2016 6 4.418 Dean Marinis Cecil GA 2/18/2016 7 3.894 Brandon Pesz Tulsa OK 4/1/2016 7 4.432 Charles Hull Holly Springs MS 10/16/2015 8 3.894 Daniel Pharris Madison IL 4/22/2016 8 4.444 Ron Rhodes Cecil GA 2/21/2016 OUTLAW DRAG RADIAL ELIMINATOR FASTEST DRIVERS (eighth-mile) RANK M.P.H. DRIVER SITE STATE DATE SITE STATE DATE 1 212.29 Shawn Ayers Tulsa OK 4/2/2016 1 169.05 Jared Johnston Holly Springs MS 10/17/2015 2 212.26 Rob Valden Denton TX 3/27/2016 2 168.48 Rich Bruder Holly Springs MS 10/17/2015 3 211.96 Josh Klugger Bowling Green KY 5/15/2016 3 166.85 Shane Fisher Harvest AL 4/30/2016 4 210.21 Millington TN 3/19/2016 4 166.23 Charles Hull Cecil GA 2/20/2016 5 210.97 Daniel Pharris Harvest AL 4/30/2016 5 166.19 Rob Goss Budds Creek MD 11/8/2015 6 205.98 Kevin Mullins Millington TN 3/18/2016 6 165.97 Dean Marinis Cecil GA 2/20/2016 7 204.70 Mark Micke Millington TN 3/19/2016 7 165.48 John Ashnault Budds Creek MD 10/10/2015 8 203.21 Chris Daniel Cecil GA 2/22/2015 8 165.29 Vince Palazzolo Budds Creek MD 10/10/2015 DeWayne Mills RANK M.P.H. PRO NITROUS ELIMINATOR QUICKEST DRIVERS (eighth-mile) RANK E.T. 1 3.686 DRIVER Tommy Franklin SITE Tulsa (eighth-mile) RANK PERF STATE DATE OK 180.81 John Montecalvo 2 3.694 Pat Stoken Martin MI 6/26/2015 3/18/2016 3/18/2016 3 3.561 Eric Dillard Dinwiddie VA 10/14/2015 3 3.697 Steve Jackson Tulsa OK OK 3/19/2016 4 3.566 Carl Stevens, Jr. Dinwiddie VA 10/24/2015 4 3.701 Khalid Mohammed Doha QAT 2/5/2014 5 3.512 Mustafa Buhumaid Tulsa OK 3/18/2016 5 3.654 Turki al Zafiri Tulsa OK 8/16/2014 5 3.703 Travis Harvey Madison IL 5/31/2015 6 3.513 Randell Reid Martin MI 6/27/2015 6 3.732 Anthony DiSomma Bradenton FL 1/26/2014 6 3.709 Lizzy Musi Dinwiddie VA 10/24/2015 7 3.514 Bubba Stanton Rockingham NC 4/5/2014 7 3.747 Paul Mouhayet Dinwiddie VA 10/24/2015 7 3.711 Jay Cox Bradenton FL 8 3.518 Alex Hossler Doha QAT 1/25/2013 8 3.781 Danny Lowry Rockingham NC 9/7/2013 8 3.720 Tim Savell Ennis TX 1 231.24 Jose Gonzalez Rockingham NC 4/10/2016 1 231.44 Kevin Fiscus Benson NC 4/5/2016 2 231.24 Jose Gonzalez Rockingham NC 4/10/2016 5/1/2015 3 230.10 Carl Stevens, Jr. Dinwiddie VA 10/14/2015 4 225.33 Turki al Zafiri Gilliam LA 224.92 Eric Dillard Dinwiddie VA 2 230.10 Carl Stevens, Jr. Dinwiddie VA 10/24/2015 3 225.33 Turki al Zafiri Gilliam LA 4 224.92 Eric Dillard Dinwiddie VA RANK M.P.H. 1 DRIVER 204.98 Lizzy Musi SITE Ennis SITE STATE DATE David Pearson Harvest AL 10/30/2015 Shelby NC 4/23/2016 1/29/2016 3/21/2015 1 190.35 Tim Kincaid OUTLAW 10.5 ELIMINATOR QUICKEST & FASTEST DRIVERS (quarter-mile) RANK PERF DRIVER SITE Richard Sexton Budds Creek MD 11/7/2014 Commerce 4/13/2013 5/20/2016 1 6.081 1 241.50 David Hance 2 204.40 Tommy Franklin Bradenton FL 1/30/2016 10/24/2015 3 203.83 Steve Jackson Tulsa OK 3/18/2016 5/1/2015 4 202.88 Khalid Mohammed Doha QAT 2/6/2014 10/14/2015 5 223.54 Jason Scruggs Tulsa OK 3/19/2016 5 202.79 Dean Marinis Rockingham NC 221.56 Brandon Snider Tulsa OK 3/19/2016 6 217.88 Paul Mouhayet Las Vegas NV 11/21/2015 6 202.55 Jay Cox Rockingham NC 4/11/2015 7 218.94 Bubba Stanton Rockingham NC 4/5/2014 7 216.86 Todd Tutterow Farmington NC 6/13/2012 7 202.30 Keith Haney Rockingham NC 9/11/2015 1 3.879 8 217.70 Paul Mouhayet Dinwiddie 10/24/2015 8 216.41 Las Vegas 11/22/2015 8 202.18 Pat Stoken Madison 5/31/2015 1 204.82 Nick Agostino NV “SMALL TIRE” CLASS LEGEND Outlaw 10.5 Eliminator: 10.5W rear tires; 3000 pound weight minimum. Outlaw Drag Radial Eliminator: Any Drag Radial tires; no other rules. Outlaw 275 Eliminator: 275 mm rear tires; no other rules. August 2016 X275 Eliminator: 275 mm rear tires; X275 association. IL 4/8/2015 STATE DATE GA OUTLAW 10.5 ELIMINATOR QUICKEST & FASTEST DRIVERS (eighth-mile) 6 Troy Coughlin 4/5/2014 DRIVER 5 VA 10/19/2013 (eighth-mile) RANK PERF 4.103 STATE DATE TX Rockingham NC OUTLAW 275 ELIMINATOR QUICKEST & FASTEST DRIVERS 1 PRO NITROUS ELIMINATOR FASTEST DRIVERS (eighth-mile) STATE DATE TX 1 OK SITE STATE DATE Baytown 3/18/2016 Tulsa DRIVER SITE Cary Goforth 4.009 Tulsa RANK M.P.H. DRIVER 1 Khalid al Refaei STATE DATE DRIVER EXTREME PRO STOCK ELIMINATOR QUICKEST & FASTEST DRIVERS Jason Scruggs SITE 10/30/2015 X275 ELIMINATOR FASTEST DRIVERS (eighth-mile) 3.510 DRIVER AL 3.751 3.799 3.492 RANK M.P.H. STATE DATE 1 3 EXTREME TURBO ELIMINATOR FASTEST DRIVERS (eighth-mile) SITE 2 4 PRO EXTREME ELIMINATOR FASTEST DRIVERS (eighth-mile) DRIVER RANK PERF DRIVER SITE STATE DATE Mustafa Atat Doha QAT 1/22/2016 Dinwiddie VA 10/24/2015 FOR THE COMPLETE TOP 8 AND MORE, C H E C K O U T: RED HIGHLI GHT INDICATES NEW PERFORMANCE MARK DragIllustrated.com | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 113

Drag Illustrated Issue 112, August 2016 | Page 113