Nhra star courtney force steps away from funny car racing. The winningest driver in funny car is no surprise to anyone who. Jan 24, 2020 on 16time world champion john forces peak bluedef chevrolet camaro ss funny car, danny hood, soninlaw to john force, will take as crew chief with assistant crew chiefs ronnie thompson, who helped tune austin procks dragster in 2019, and tim fabrisi, who was forces car chief in 2019. Ratt and top fuel funny car driver owner jeff nitro surfer. From 1966, the first year of the class, through 1979, there were more than 500 licensed funny car drivers competing at nhra events. Jack beckman suddenly on track for nhra funny car title. In 1969, abandoned campaigning top fuel dragster in favor of the burgeoning funny car class.
Louis first funny car driver to reach 335 mph 2016, topeka named autoweeks funny car driver of the decade for his stellar ontrack performance throughout the 2010s. He now has 16 career triumphs in mello yello drag racing series nitro competition. On sunday, todd again made history by becoming only the 19th driver in nhra history to get a no. Oct 09, 2017 nhra funny car driver alexis dejoria will retire after end of 2017 season. Courtney force ends successful nhra funny car driving career. Dec 15, 2019 driver of the motorcraftquick lane ford mustang funny car. Bottom line, the nhra and moose saved the money from the funny car purse, densy and i looked like we knew what we were doing and the funny cars ultimately got their purse increase. She was also the first female funny car driver to break the foursecond barrier and the first woman to compete in 100.
I always played with matchbox cars as a little girl, the nhra mello yello drag racing series funny car driver said. Crew chief john medlen explains what happened to jack beckmans funny car in. Feb 09, 2020 young trystin greenberg with nhra funny car driver bob tasca iii at pomona, california, on saturday. There was a tom frazier who ran a udra alcohol funny car in 1976, not sure if this is the same guy. Alexis dejoria says she always knew she would return to.
Dec 26, 2019 another dsr driver, another big decade. In march of 2007 bob tasca iii broke the world record, recording the quickest pass in alcohol funny car history at 5. The win is the seventh funny car victory of his career, all coming in the last 33 races. Thats of 40 races, roughly 33% of the races that nhra has won. This is the 24th and final in a series of exclusive autoweek blogs by 2016 nhra funny car champion ron capps. Las vegas motor speedway eerily quiet on nhra race weekend. Leah christine pruett formerly leah pritchett, born may 26, 1988 in redlands, california is an american drag racer, currently driving an nhra top fuel dragster for don schumacher racing after previously being employed at bob vandergriff racing before the company closed in april 2016. Jan 29, 2019 one week after the departure of courtney force, john force racing announced tuesday its driver and crew chief lineup for the upcoming 2019 nhra mello yello drag racing series season. Shawn langdon the driver of the dhl top fuel dragster and winner of 16 national events in two categories is a noted big fan of fast cars. John force racing announces driver and crew chief lineup for. Drag racing pictures of front engine fuel dragsters.
Thats how the 2010s shook out for 2012 nhra funny car champion fast jack beckman. He said, so you want to come to the races and see that car run. Shawn langdon races to funny car win at nhra midwest nationals. After some time passed, they did talk again and move forward from the incident, but it just goes to show how tense some of these races and rivalries can get. Funny car enjoyed more parity as a category during the 2010s than at any point during the modern era. Of that total 30 drivers only won one race in their funny car career. Jack beckman, ron capps, matt hagan, tommy johnson jr. Watch john force take home his 149th career funny car win at the dodge milehigh nhra nationals. After 47 years as both a driver and a car owner, nhra drag racing legend don the snake prudhomme retired from the sport on thursday. When alexis dejoria racing invited us up to englishtown to meet nhra nitro funny car driver alexis dejoria and watch her compete in the nhra mello yello drag racing series, i wasnt quite sure what to expect, as i had never attended an nhra race before. Alexis dejorias sponsorship for nhra funny car return nbc.
They also have the engine placed in front of the driver, as opposed to dragsters, which place. Ap shawn langdon beat kalitta motorsports teammate j. Grandson of tom prock driver of detroit tiger funny car and son of jimmy prock roberts crew chief. Thats the good news if you dont work for john force racing. Napa auto parts dodge charger srt hellcat funny car. The differences between a funny car and a top fuel. Aug 21, 2019 thats of 40 races, roughly 33% of the races that nhra has won.
Mar 15, 2020 the rear tires on a funny car only last about 4 to 6 trips down the quarter mile race track. Autoweeks top 10 nhra funny car drivers of the decade. Cruz pedregons car lifted forcing him to drive in a wheelstand through the finish. Robert hight raced to his third funny car season title and second in three years sunday by advancing to the final round of the seasonending auto club nhra finals. It is the top competition series of the nhra, comprising competition in four classes, including top fuel dragster, funny car, pro stock, and pro stock motorcycle. Auto racing, motorcycle racing, arca, nhra, drag racing, weathertech sportscar, monster.
Napa auto parts dodge charger srt hellcat crew chief. In 1997 at the nhra winston championships award ceremony he was honored by receiving the blaine johnson award. Defending funny car world champ hight excited about oldschool points race ahead. Only nhra pro driver with 100 race wins or more 149. Check here often to get all of the latest updates on team wilk, including race results, stats, press releases, photos and more. Was car craft magazines 1979 allstar racing team funny car driver of the year. Div 1 nhra fc driver numbers drag racing, dragsters. Dejoria last competed in the 2017 season before announcing she was. On july 2, 2008, following the death of funny car driver scott kalitta, the nhra announced that race distances for top fuel and funny. Nhra mello yello the nhra, the largest auto racing organization in the world.
John force racing shuffles 2019 crew chief lineup, adds. The national hot rod association, or nhra, divides professional race vehicles into 12 categories. Team wilkerson racing nhra nitro funny car drag racing. Heres a look back at some memorable funny car images from the 1970s, as seen through the lens of longtime lensman ron lewis. Nhra drivers find information on your favorite nhra drivers. Following a twoyear hiatus from drag racing, funny car driver alexis dejoria will return to the sport fulltime in 2020. Racing anything and everything, computer racing games, golf, attending supercross, mixed martial arts events, and concerts preferably rock brother jon capps of las vegas is a parttime funny car driver in nhra. John force scores 149th career funny car victory 2018. Funny car driver jack beckman waits in his hot rod prior to qualifying in pomona on friday, november 9, 2018 at the 54th annual nhra. Cant read the name painted on the roof over the window, and the driver number on the car doesnt match any in the drag racing list site. Erica enders, steve johnson, shawn reed, and paul lee all took to the texas motorplex stage during prerace activities at the aaa texas nhra fallnationals to discuss their careers and their race weekends with host alan reinhart. However, to the folks who ran them, these floppers were anything but obscure.
A resident of austin, texas, dejoria has earned five nhra national events, including the prestigious 2014 u. He came out, he had fun, he didnt look stupid, he saw funny cars and he never once mentioned the word boycott in the paper. Jan 22, 2020 returning to nhra funny car competition after a twoyear hiatus, alexis dejoria has announced her new team will be sponsored by abk beer and rokit phones for the full 24race 2020 nhra national. Known in the drag racing community as fast jack, jack beckman is a professional drag racer in the nhra funny car category. Nitro funny car racing has never been more competitive than since 2006. Louis victory, langdons goal is to become only the fourth driver and first since worsham to earn series titles in both top fuel and funny car. At the age of 15 became the youngest person to hold an nhra competition license has competed in seven nhra categories. Sep 29, 2019 shawn langdon races to nhra funny car win ap madison, ill. I was confident coming into here after the way we tested here last week. Shawn langdon won the funny car title in the ngk spark plugs nhra fourwide nationals on sunday to become the second driver to win in both the top fuel and funny car categories at zmax dragway and. Courtney force, the winningest female funny car driver in nhra history, is leaving drag racing to pursue the next chapter in her life. The following fcs represent some of the forgotten funny cars from the 70s with what information was found.
Todd in the funny car final sunday at the aaa insurance nhra midwest. Nhra drivers listing the nhra, the largest auto racing organization in the. Convertible tops are allowed but must be closed at all times. Funny car owner driver jeff nitro surfer deihl was more then ready again to lay it down with the mighty ratt. Ron capps and the napa auto parts funny car team raced to victory three times during the 2018 nhra mello yello drag racing series season to secure a fourthplace finish, capps 14 th consecutive top 10 yearend ranking. Division 1 nhra funny car drivers numbers 1966 1979. Funny car is a type of drag racing vehicle and a specific racing class in organized drag racing. Here are the shows and films some sports related, some not nhra drivers like to watch when they arent at the track. Brother jon capps of las vegas is a parttime funny car driver in nhra. Ride along with funny car driver jack beckman youtube. After dismissing fellow funny car driver jeff arend in. Nationals wins, team kalitta also won the funny car event in 2014 with nowretired driver.
Has been licensed in 12 different nhra competition categories. Nationals, before stepping away from her 11,000 horsepower funny car. Cruz pedregons car lifted forcing him to drive in a wheelstand through the finish line. An 11yearold girl reminds us whats good about the nhra. The dominance of john force racing ended in 2006 and between 2007 and 2015 was equaled by don schumacher racing dsr. Russell james liberman september 12, 1945 september 9, 1977 was an american funny car drag racer, nicknamed jungle jim. John force scores 149th career funny car victory 2018 nhra. San rafael it became very apparent early in alexis dejorias life that she was fascinated with cars and racing. For our catching up with capps column, ron sends us occasional updates on his life as a professional racing driver from his own unique perspective. In addition to winning event titles in seven countries united states, canada, england, finland, sweden, australia and united arab emirates he is one of only 17 drivers to win nhra events in top fuel and funny car and one of only 18 to qualify no. Dec 10, 20 ron capps is the napa funny car driver in the nhra mello yello drag racing series.
Browse through latest information on your favorite nhra drivers, including full biographies, latest news, highres photos and high quality videos. Top fuel, funny car, nostalgia funny car, top alcohol funny car, top alcohol dragster, super gas and super comp first nhra national event trophy was for winning top alcohol funny car in 1988 near columbus, ohio. Todd in the funny car final sunday at the aaa insurance nhra midwest nationals at world wide technology raceway. Driver of the motorcraftquick lane ford mustang funny car. Prohibited vehicles include opentop suvs or opentop suvtype vehicles. Nhra drivers listing the nhra, the largest auto racing organization in the world.
We had the opportunity to experience an nhra drag racing event to what. Inside the cockpit of a funny car with jim campbell duration. Horan establishes new aafc record republished from competition plus tv see link at end of article nostalgia funny car racer dan horan jr. Eventually we would like to have the names and numbers of everyone in every division who drove fuel funny cars between the year nhra started issuing licenses 1966 and 1979. Jul 22, 2018 watch john force take home his 149th career funny car win at the dodge milehigh nhra nationals. Nhra standings the nhra, the largest auto racing organization in the world. The nhra funny car generates 7,000 horsepower and can go down the quarter mile in 4. Doug kalitta, 02, august 20, 1964, ann arbor, michigan, mac tools dragster. Hagan was once again a funny car force to be reckoned with this past season. The nhra mello yello drag racing series is a drag racing series organized by the national hot rod association nhra. Liberman was known for driving backwards at 100 miles per hour 160 kmh after doing his burnout.
Owns and operates a 2,100acre cattle and hemp farm in rural virginia. First funny car driver to reach 330 mph on 1,000foot track 2015, st. Jun 16, 2015 when alexis dejoria racing invited us up to englishtown to meet nhra nitro funny car driver alexis dejoria and watch her compete in the nhra mello yello drag racing series, i wasnt quite sure what to expect, as i had never attended an nhra race before. Tasca also holds one of the quickest passes in fuel funny car at 3. He was the second of only two funny cars to join the 300 mph club 301. Beckman led all drivers with three season runnerup finishes in the decade. Feb 10, 2016 ride along with funny car driver jack beckman. Don the snake prudhomme win his final top fuel race at the 1994 aaa nhra fallnationalsrare photos and broadcast.
Last time out, capps qualified eighth at pomona before falling in the. Entering the 2020 season, he has eight career nhra nitro victories and is one of only 17 drivers to earn both funny car and top fuel wins. Oct 30, 2016 check out one of the most amazing nhra funny car runs in history. The winningest female funny car driver in nhra history is calling it quits. Sep 29, 2019 langdon, a former top fuel season champion, is the second driver in nhra history to win in both nitro classes at the st.
Dan horan racing team the patriot nitro funny car racing team. The most successful female funny car driver in nhra history, courtney force, has revealed she will end her drag racing career with immediate effect. The first female funny car driver to break the foursecond barrier walked away from nhra drag racing after the 2017 season. Top fuel, funny car, pro stock motorcycle, top alcohol dragster, top alcohol funny car, comp, super comp, stock, super stock, pro stock super gas and super street. Shawn langdon sits seventh in the nhra mello yello series funny car standings with four races remaining. Nhra funny car driver alexis dejoria will retire after 2017. Lohnes brings us back to 1991 when driver pat austin took the drag racing word. Nhra racer shawn langdon already matched two achievements of his own crew chief, del worsham. Longtime sim fan ron capps using iracing to stay sharp. Alexis dejoria returning to nhra, will drive for, run own.
John force and tony pedregon get into heated argument. Nov 03, 2018 top fuel and funny car drag racing are at the top of their class. Taking in my first nhra race with patron funny car driver. Funny cars are characterized by having tiltup fiberglass or carbon fiber automotive bodies over a customfabricated chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers showroom models. Jack is the driver of the infinite hero foundation funny car for don schumacher racing. Funny cars are characterized by having tiltup fiberglass or. The following year, with driver larry reyes, leong campaigned a 1970 dodge charger aa funny car that won its class at the 1970 nhra winternationals. These are the fastest accelerating vehicles on the planet. Todd takes over the funny car point lead by 74 points over robert hight with one race remaining. Div 3 nhra fc driver numbers drag racing, dragsters. In 2012 tom was honored as the grand marshal at the 10th annual nhra bowling green hot rod reunion. When he won in sonoma he became the 91st driver to win an nhra national event in the funny car class. Al hofmann november 28, 1947 march 20, 2008 was an american dragracer and drag car owner in the funny car division from umatilla, florida.
Funny car driver shawn langdon going for rare nhra double. Erica enders, steve johnson, shawn reed, and paul lee. Some regular car tires can go 80,000 miles before needing to replace them. Nhra host brian lohnes takes us for another ride on the nitro time machine. Sep 29, 2019 shawn langdon beat kalitta motorsports teammate j. Sometimes it takes an 11yearold girl to remind us whats good about nhra drag racing. Alexis dejoria racing funny car driver dejoria ready for. Check out one of the most amazing nhra funny car runs in history. Street is for drivers of fullbodied cars, trucks, vans, or suvs. Jim campbell and brandon welchand even her favorite, retired funny car driver. Division 3 nhra funny car drivers numbers 1966 1979. Jeff diehl racing will be flying the ratt banner again at selected events on the nhra drag racing circuit to coincide with the bands world tour dates thru 2020.
903 347 866 532 220 326 861 1457 1310 1584 861 648 302 1555 396 589 1167 31 873 1132 836 414 1137 1061 139 52 1514 1487 627 217 388 1267 79 1187 397 1312 762 986 969 1479 677 1498 1371 1470 940 398 297 257