PHOTOGRAPH BY AUTO IMAGERY • MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY MOHNTON , PENNSYLVANIA • MONDAY , OCTOBER 8TH , 2012
TRIBUTE : BILL REICHERT
Bill Reichert , a five-time NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world champion , celebrates his victory at the 2012 NHRA Auto Plus Nationals , one of 28 national events the Michigan native won as the driver of the Rislone A / Fuel dragster . Born in 1951 , Reichert was interested in engines and racing at an early age , eventually starting Reichert Engines Inc . in 1982 . He won his first NHRA national event in 1995 , beginning a run that saw him win five consecutive national titles , numerous regional / divisional championships , three U . S . Nationals wins , and over 50 regional / divisional event wins . His last win came in 2013 at the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte before retiring at the end of the 2014 season . Reichert passed away March 26th , 2023 , at age 71 after a nearly decade-long battle with Parkinson ’ s disease .
138 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 183