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‘ Dragster Genesis’
New book offers illustrated look at drag racing’ s evolution By Nate Van Wagnen
In his 192-page, illustration-driven new book, Dragster Genesis: The Formative Years of Fearsome Acceleration, author and artist Barry John traces drag racing’ s lineage from crude“ gow job” hot rods to the purpose-built machines that came to define the quarter-mile, blending meticulous research with more than 300 detailed drawings that give form to the sport’ s most influential cars, characters, and turning points.
From an early age, John was fascinated by the cars he saw on the pages of HOT ROD magazine in the early 1960s. The earliest forms of dragsters were like nothing he’ d ever seen before, and he wanted more. He read about the exploits of pioneers like“ Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Don“ The Snake” Prudhomme, and Chris“ The Greek” Karamesines as they achieved new benchmarks and developed their cars – and the sport – into something much more than the original SoCal
hot rodders could’ ve ever imagined.
Inspired by the cars he saw in magazines, John studied at London’ s Harrow School of Art and pursued a career as a graphic designer. After retiring, John merged his passion for drag racing with his professional talents to create Dragster Genesis.
John’ s vibrant and detailed illustrations – more than 300 of them throughout the book’ s 192 pages – tell the story of how the“ gow job” Ford Model
Ts of the Roaring Twenties evolved into the 340 mph Top Fuel dragsters that headline the sport today. John pairs these illustrations with wellresearched essays on the cars, people, brands, and trends that make up drag racing’ s history.
Drivers featured include the aforementioned legends along with“ Jungle Jim” Liberman, Dale“ The Snail” Emory,“ Slam’ n Sammy” Miller, and“ Dandy” Dick Landy, while groups like the Ramchargers and Stone, Woods & Cook are also represented. Influential figures like Wally Parks and Mickey Thompson get their due, as do manufacturers like Isky, Edelbrock, Hurst, and Simpson. John also dives into the introduction of superchargers, nitromethane, rear-engine dragsters, and more.
The comprehensive look at drag racing’ s evolution closes with chapters on recent history makers like John Force, Tony Schumacher, and even Larry Larson and his drag-and-drive Nova.
Priced at $ 70 USD, Dragster Genesis is now available in the U. S. from specialist and online booksellers, as well as on EvroPublishing. com. DI
Hood Scoops Set to Return to NHRA Pro Stock in 2027
By Josh Hachat, NHRA Communications
NHRA officials announced April 8 that hood scoops will return to Pro Stock bodies beginning in the 2027 season, along with removing the single forward-facing throttle body and replacing it with two top-mounted 4-barrel style throttle bodies. This comes from the NHRA Technical Department’ s continued effort to add more parity, continue to increase participation, and reduce overall long-term costs for teams.
This announcement comes a decade after the Pro Stock category transitioned from two carburetors and hood scoops to electronic fuel injection( EFI) and flat hoods in 2016.
EFI will remain for 2027, but hood scoops will return to the popular category, which has seen strong participation in recent seasons. After extensive discussion with teams, racers, engine builders and crew chiefs, the strong majority were in favor of adding a hood scoop air entry back to Pro Stock cars, starting next season.
By adding the hood scoop back, along with the new dual throttle body EFI setup, the consensus is
it will provide a more beneficial and efficient way to tune the cars, with less variation from car to car.
“ The general feeling among competitors and stakeholders is the current low / front air-entry setup makes the engines more difficult to tune and creates more variation from car to car than it should,” said Clinton Snead, NHRA Director of
Engineering.“ By adding the hood scoop and topmounted / dual throttle bodies, it should eliminate those issues, which should help all teams, but especially the smaller and lower-budget teams.
“ We’ re excited about the return of hood scoops and the addition of dual throttle bodies in Pro Stock,” Snead added.“ There was considerable momentum from teams, racers and engine builders to make this move, and we believe this should draw added interest from fans as well, returning to more of the classic look fans have associated with the category.
“ The class is in a strong place as far as overall participation, and we’ re confident this move will only continue to add to the depth and interest in Pro Stock,” Snead concluded
Along with the strong visual element of hood scoops, the addition was made with an eye on increased E. T. performance.
Hood scoops will only be required to meet a limited number of measurement rules, similar to previous guidelines. The 2027 rules package for Pro Stock will also include loosened rules on throttle bodies, manifolds, and air inlets.
The new top-mounted dual throttle body rules will be based on dimensional requirements, allowing teams to build their own units or work with outside companies. The manifold rules will also be opened up to allow for increased innovation and performance. DI
PHOTOGRAPH BY NHRA( BOTTOM)
32 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 200