2016 - Sensational Season of Speed, Statistically Speaking (1 Viewer)

[Dave]

The 50th year of Funny Car will be remembered for a lot of reasons. Ron Capps finally winning his first Mello Yello Championship, Cruz Pedregon's massive high speed wheelstand, and the season long celebration of history among them. One that might be overlooked is just how fast these cars have gotten. 330 miles per hour seems to be the magic number in NHRA and this year the Funny Cars eclipsed it more than in the prior 49 years - combined. That's right! When Robert Hight ran 330.96 in his round 2 losing effort at the AAA Finals it was the 62nd 330+mph run this year. There were 58 total in the 1,320 foot era and 3 last year for a total of 61 heading into 2016. I was one of the people who thought the big speeds flashing up on the scoreboard was to be a thing of the past when the announcement of the track distance change came in July 2008 but I have been pleasantly surprised. Ironically it is the Funny Car class achieving the big speeds instead of the kings of the sport. Here is a breakdown of some of the drivers and tracks involved.

Quarter mile:
First 330mph - Gary Scelzi - 330.15 - 10th pair - qualifying session 2 - Joliet - Friday May 21st, 2004.
Last - Gary Scelzi - 330.96 - 9th pair - qualifying session 2 - Joliet - Friday June 8th, 2007
Most 1320 - 22 Gary Scelzi
Total 1320 -
22 Gary Scelzi
8 Robert Hight
8 Mike Ashley
5 Ron Capps
3 John Force
3 Jack Beckman
2 Whit Bazemore
2 Tommy Johnson Jr
1 Tony Pedregon
1 Cruz Pedregon
1 Del Worsham
1 Phil Burkart
1 Tim Wilkerson

Tracks 1320 -
20 Pomona
18 Joliet
5 Las Vegas
4 Indianapolis
4 Phoenix
3 Madison
1 Dallas
1 Reading
1 Gainesville
1 Atlanta

1,000 Foot Distance:
First 330mph - Matt Hagan - 330.47 - 9th pair - qualifying session 4 - Madison - Saturday September 26th, 2015.
Most 1000 - Matt Hagan 23
Total 1000 -
23 Matt Hagan
14 Jack Beckman
5 Del Worsham
6 Robert Hight
6 John Force
4 Tim Wilkerson
3 Courtney Force
2 Tommy Johnson Jr
1 Alexis DeJoria
1 Ron Capps

Tracks 1000 -
13 Topeka
11 Seattle
8 Pomona
7 Brainerd
7 Reading
6 Dallas
4 Joliet
3 Indianapolis
2 Las Vegas
1 Madison
1 Epping
1 Sonoma
1 Charlotte

Overall Drivers:
23 - Matt Hagan
22 - Gary Scelzi
17 - Jack Beckman
14 - Robert Hight
9 - John Force
8 - Mike Ashley
6 - Del Worsham
6 - Ron Capps
5 - Tim Wilkerson
4 - Tommy Johnson Jr
3 - Courtney Force
2 - Whit Bazemore
1 - Tony Pedregon
1 - Cruz Pedregon
1 - Phil Burkart
1 - Alexis DeJoria

Overall Tracks:
28 - Pomona
22 - Joliet
13 - Topeka
11 - Seattle
8 - Reading
7 - Brainerd
7 - Indianapolis
7 - Las Vegas
7 - Dallas
4 - Phoenix
4 - Madison
1 - Gainesville
1 - Atlanta
1 - Epping
1 - Sonoma
1 - Charlotte

By Manufacturer:
80 - Dodge
22 - Chevrolet
15 - Ford
6 - Toyota

The top 30 fastest speeds in Funny Car:

 

[troy boy]

Wow thanks for doing that research. I had no idea Gary Scelzi was domant in the speed dept.

 

[ironpony]

I wonder how the season points totals would of played out if there were still 20 points each time the record was reset????
maybe Beckman would of been champion??

 

[none]

I wonder how the season points totals would of played out if there were still 20 points each time the record was reset????
maybe Beckman would of been champion??

Interesting question, but when NHRA eliminated points for ET records, the question became moot. I expect that teams changed their strategies to suit the new rules.

 

[mick]

thanks dave for great stats.......for comparison over one year
Sonoma 2015....jack goes 3.921 for quickest ET to date, hagan goes 325.77 for top speed
BIR 2015... hagan: 3.879 @ 329.58 (top speed that weekend, not even 330 and on your list)
BIR 2016... hagan: 3.869 @ 332.34 (#26 on your list)
BIR 2016... hagan: 3.822 @ 333.82 (#5 on your list, quickest et to date)

15 months: et improves by tenth.......speed improves by 8mph

 

[none]

laid back headers.......they are the rocket men

 

[Dave]

Sonoma 2015....jack goes 3.921 for quickest ET to date, hagan goes 325.77 for top speed
BIR 2015... hagan: 3.879 @ 329.58 (top speed that weekend, not even 330 and on your list)
BIR 2016... hagan: 3.869 @ 332.34 (#26 on your list)
BIR 2016... hagan: 3.822 @ 333.82 (#5 on your list, quickest et to date)

You're welcome!

Concerning that 3.921.... it has been equaled 12 more times since then and it currently ranks 336th on the all time quickest ET list.

Hagan's 3.879 has been duplicated 4 more times and ranks 79th all time.

Hagan's 3.869 was a tie to Tim Wilkerson, who ran the number first at Topeka, and ranks 46th overall.