Drag Illustrated Issue 117, January 2017 | Page 129

PHOTO: CHRIS SEARS

the cars in the division have improved exactly a quarter-second in the incredibly brief span of twenty-seven months. Likewise, racers have increased the top end speeds of the class a full thirteen miles per hour in the same duration. In the twenty-first century, no other category in the sport has seen such rapid improvements.

Ziff Hudson Hits Four Seconds Flat on 275 Tires!

Perennial Outlaw 275 standout Ziff Hudson rode an emotional roller coaster when, in the span of a week, his Chevy-powered Mustang went from the precipice of the three-second barrier to a 192 mph fireball during a test session at Orlando SpeedWorld Dragway. Hudson’ s single turbocharger-equipped 1990 Ford opened with a 4.09 on his own 4.053 Outlaw 275 World Record and then blasted to a 4.010 with a 191.54 mph speed which eclipsed Tim Kincaid’ s 190.35 mph standard from early 2016.

On his third pass, however, Hudson was en route to possible history when the 524-inch Chevy pushed out a head gasket and coated the engine bay with oil which ignited as the car crossed the finish line at a staggering 4.006 seconds at a slowing 191.02 mph.

Hudson corralled the Mustang to a safe stop and the fire was extinguished by the OSW Safety Crew. The team quickly retreated to Concord, North Carolina, to rebuild the powerplant and the wounded body panels. Ironically, the incident occurred three years to the day after Ziff became the first 275 racer under 4.5 seconds,( in his memorable Ford Fairmont), and four years after David Hance’ s Mustang recorded the first three-second Outlaw 10.5 pass.

NHRA Pro Stockers Back Under 6.5 Seconds?

If winter testing is any indication,( and it almost always is), NHRA’ s revamped Pro Stock category may once again be sporting 6.4-second elapsed times closer to the records of 6.45,( Jason Line), and 215.55 mph,( Erica Enders), produced in the days of carburetors and hood scoops. While NHRA Pro Stock is one of the few divisions in the Drag Illustrated Top 8 for which performances from test sessions are not eligible for consideration, two different drivers recorded 6.50-second, 213 mph passes in preseason action which bodes well for runs at the NHRA’ s traditional season-opener at Pomona, California,( a track which runs nineteen feet downhill), which should better last season’ s bests of 6.519,( Jason Line), and 212.83,( Greg Anderson).

While improvements in the fuel injection systems will be responsible for some performance increase, body panels with dramatically better aerodynamics will be the biggest contribution to a more efficient product especially in light of the“ box standard” rules which maintain aero-parity in Pro Stock.

- BRET KEPNER

OUTLAW DRAG RADIAL ELIMINATOR QUICKEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

OUTLAW DRAG RADIAL ELIMINATOR FASTEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

X275 ELIMINATOR QUICKEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

X275 ELIMINATOR FASTEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

PRO EXTREME ELIMINATOR QUICKEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

EXTREME TURBO ELIMINATOR QUICKEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

PRO NITROUS ELIMINATOR QUICKEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

EXTREME PRO STOCK ELIMINATOR QUICKEST & FASTEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

OUTLAW 275 ELIMINATOR QUICKEST & FASTEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

PRO EXTREME ELIMINATOR FASTEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

EXTREME TURBO ELIMINATOR FASTEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

PRO NITROUS ELIMINATOR FASTEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)

OUTLAW 10.5 ELIMINATOR QUICKEST & FASTEST DRIVERS( quarter-mile)

OUTLAW 10.5 ELIMINATOR QUICKEST & FASTEST DRIVERS( eighth-mile)