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Electric Dragster runs 200 (1 Viewer)

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stitcherbob said:
If they changed the NFL to “touch football” I’d bet a whole lot of people would stop watching....
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I don't see that happening but thanks to the current pandemic, the plan is for fanless NFL games but with canned crowd noise and CGI people in the stands for the folks at home watching on TV. Yuck.

And I wouldn't get too worried about electrics replacing internal combustion engines at drag strips any time soon.
 
Just because electric exists doesn't mean nitro goes away.
And as the availability of extremely quick electric street vehicles increases, people will be looking for an easy place to enjoy the thrill those vehicles offer - namely drag strips. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect Tesla's factory offerings to be well into the nines in another ten years.
 
yoda said:
Reminded me of when I worked for Sammy Miller and the 4 second passes... Silence, Woosh and an amazing number up on the board.

Congrats, Team Huff!
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Hey Martin I know what you mean. When they first appeared, their appeal was the numbers they put up. I'm very good friends with an old racing buddy of my dad's, Rocket Rod Phelps, who has both a rocket dragster and rocket FC in Big's Museum. I saw him go 315ish in I think 1980 at our local track. But his bests were a 4.40 at 352MPH, I believe. Crazy numbers because that was years before TF were even close to 300. He ran jets for many years as well, and while nowhere near as fast, the jets put on a helluva show. I love hearing his stories about running the rockets back in the day. He actually ran 300 to the 1/8 way back then! And you didn't shut them off, they ran out of fuel, lol.
 
I have seen this car run. The sound of the tires barking down the track is pretty cool. The technology is very impressive, unlike the mandated Pro classes. This is the modern day "Run what you brung".
 
none said:
Not sure how many of you were at Pomona when the E-COPO ran, but when it went in the nines (which was the teams stated goal) the place erupted. And our welcome center was buried with people wanting to know "Where's the electric car?" Not because it was going to take over the sport, but because it was different, it was cool, and it broke a barrier for it's category.

Wally would love it, the slogan for NHRA at one time was "Ingenuity in Action" and building battery powered dragster to go 200 mph, is certainly that.

I hope Don Garlits keeps at it, while he can't be the first to 200, he could still set the record. Huff said last night, "You don't own records, you just borrow them, until someone comes and takes them away."

And for those of you who don't know him, Steve also rides a Top Fuel Harley, he is a big fan of Nitro Racing. He simply saw this as a challenge, and decided to take it on.

Alan
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Yes it is a accomplishment and I applaud them for their efforts but what I think people are saying Alan is nothing, absolutely nothing, will replace Nitro or the sounds of combustion engines running down the drag strip!
Anybody that knows electricity knows the amount of torque a electric motor can put out should be surprised. Go to a slot car track and watch a drag race it’s over in the blink of an eye. But like I said the thought of drag racing with EV’s would end the spectator interest. Let just hope it never comes to that and it’s just another category for people to cruise the pits while they wait for the Nitro Show! Which even happens for pro stock, pro stock bike and even Nitro Harley. Watching on NHRA TV you see the stands clear out after the last nitro run!
Say what you want to defend it but you can’t because it happens every single time! Just saying!
 
AH, Garlits, is he great yes BUT
he ran his mouth about being the first to 300Mph in Nitro, BERNSTEIN did it first
he ran his mouth about being the first to 200Mph electric, FAIL.

Sorry, if you are going to brag you have to back it up he did not
 
ironpony said:
AH, Garlits, is he great yes BUT
he ran his mouth about being the first to 300Mph in Nitro, BERNSTEIN did it first
he ran his mouth about being the first to 200Mph electric, FAIL.

Sorry, if you are going to brag you have to back it up he did not
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Not saying anything bad towards Garlits, but wasn't (and still is) a lot of controversy between him and Karamesines and Kalitta about who was the first to go 200?
 
Garlits was the first to go 200 "legally", ie: he set the record at an NHRA race. The Greek ran 204 in 1960. The controversary was 1. was he on hydrazine 2. were the clocks wrong. In those days, they had a chart that converted to MPH, based on an ET from 60' before the finish line to 60' after the finish line. That ET converted to MPH, at least at Cordova, where the Greek ran 204. They had to do the math on the Greeks' run & it came out to 204. He did later run 199 at Kansas City. The 204 was probably the most controversial of all the 200 runs. Not sure about Kalitta. Frank Cannon was supposed to have gone 200 at Lions in 1963 altho unofficial. Was supposed to have done it at least 2X. Garlits liked to say he was the first to go 200, based on his NHRA run. He did get a lot of "ink" from that. So.....
 
Today in Orlando he reset the record at 202.52

He was bummed that he didn't get to do it in Gainesville, but from what I understand the battery has to be up to temperature and the way to do that is by making a run. Because of the weather issues all weekend, he only got to make one run per day, and a cold battery won't go 200.

It's still a cool car, and it still isn't going to ruin the sport. I bet if he and Garlits booked a best two out of three match race anywhere in the country they would sell a lot of tickets.

Alan
 
One has to ask, if a match race ever happens, would the crowds be there to see electric drag cars or Garlits? Nothing against Sam Huff, but Garlits draws a crowd being who he is.
And would Garlits or someone else be driving his car? He appears to be of sound mind and body at his age, but maybe he's having second thoughts about driving race cars anymore.
I hope it happens and I would pay see Garlits in a drag car of any kind, for what could be the last time. That alone is worth the price of admission.
 
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Cliff said:
Garlits was the first to go 200 "legally", ie: he set the record at an NHRA race. The Greek ran 204 in 1960. The controversary was 1. was he on hydrazine 2. were the clocks wrong. In those days, they had a chart that converted to MPH, based on an ET from 60' before the finish line to 60' after the finish line. That ET converted to MPH, at least at Cordova, where the Greek ran 204. They had to do the math on the Greeks' run & it came out to 204. He did later run 199 at Kansas City. The 204 was probably the most controversial of all the 200 runs. Not sure about Kalitta. Frank Cannon was supposed to have gone 200 at Lions in 1963 altho unofficial. Was supposed to have done it at least 2X. Garlits liked to say he was the first to go 200, based on his NHRA run. He did get a lot of "ink" from that. So.....
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Kalitta was the first to run 200 at an NHRA national event - 1964 US Nationals.
 
Thanks Chase. The way I heard it was that in 1964, you could only set a record at "record events", not Nat'l events. From what I remember, Garlits ran his 200 at that type of event, so he claimed the first "official" 200. So who was REALLY the first to go 200? The Greek? Lotsa opinions on that. No problem with the first 300......
 
Garlits bragging that he would be first to 300...; He was planning to do it in an "outlaw" car, i.e. one that didn't conform to the then-current NHRA rules. When it was pointed out that merely changing the gear-ratio in the rear end would easily accomplish the goal, he abandoned the attempt.

That's how I remember it anyhow.
 
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