Or , perhaps , going 3.21 at 265 mph in the eighth mile in an 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster at Eddyville Raceway Park .

Palmer did that in 2021 and also helped bring Alex Laughlin into the Top Fuel ranks as well . Laughlin got licensed in Palmer ’ s dragster , raced a handful of races last year and will compete in a good chunk of events in 2022 as well .

Palmer showed him the ways of the throttle whack , too , a must when you ’ re in the Palmer pits . “ Every time he does it , he just looks up and smiles ,” Palmer laughs .

Palmer ’ s not done putting on a show , either . He ’ s got big plans for 2022 and that will be apparent in a number of different ways . His quest in life is to get his nitro Studebaker Pro Mod to go 300 mph in the quarter mile , while you can expect to see plenty of big eighth-mile runs in his Top Fuel dragster as well , along with much more .

“ I ’ ve got some crazy stuff going on this year ,” Palmer hints . “ It will be a pretty good story . It ’ s going to be awesome .” – JOSH HACHAT DI

ALEX LAUGHLIN , STEVIE “ FAST ” JACKSON , MATT HAGAN , AND LYLE BARNETT

Like just about every year since he started in the sport , Palmer put on a show in 2021 and was the obvious choice to earn the inaugural John Force Showmanship Award . Palmer was his usually entertaining self , going 3.21-seconds in his Top Fuel dragster in a stunning and mind-blowing show at Eddyville Raceway Park , racing his head-turning nitro Pro Mod , and delivering all the pit throttle whacks a fan could ever want as drag racing ’ s ultimate showman .

“ This is an awesome award and really means a lot to me ,” Palmer says . “ My entire life , all the way back to racing street cars , I ’ ve always been the one doing big burnouts and trying to put on a show . I know my place in racing and my goal has always been to do what I ’ m doing now and trying to put on a show .”

Palmer is an unequivocal winner in that regard , putting on a show in a multitude of ways . From his days match racing in his Top Alcohol Funny Car , Palmer has done everything he could to send people home happy .

That means letting people sit in the car , inviting people into his pits , massive burnouts , throttle whacks and anything else he can think of to make it an enjoyable show . It ’ s led to him meeting everyone that ’ s ever been a part of his Top Fuel operation , a surefire sign that it ’ s all worked almost perfectly .

Palmer has done it for the right reasons , too , as it comes from his passion for putting on a show and putting a smile on the face of those in attendance .

“ I ’ m still a fan and if I was going to a track , that ’ s what I would want to see ,” Palmer says . “ It takes a lot to entertain me , so I want to see something cool , whether it ’ s a big-ass burnout or a huge wheelie , or something like that .”

PHOTOS : JOE MCHUGH

100 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 174