NHRA 250 MPH Club (2 Viewers)

[Rich D]

Posts in another thread got me looking at the 250mph club list. I grew up in the era of the 4 sec club and 300 mph club, so I don't have much context about what was going on during the 250mph era. Besides Big Daddy's monstrous run in 1975, the biggest thing I noticed was that after #6 (Dave Uyehara in Oct 1978), it took 2 1/2 years for the next member of the club (#7 Jeb Allen March 1981).
What was going on (rules changes? lack of good competitors?) that kept anyone new from running 250mph for over 2 full years? Racers are smart, and technology always seems to advance, so why this HUGE gap in time?

 

[twostep]

Posts in another thread got me looking at the 250mph club list. I grew up in the era of the 4 sec club and 300 mph club, so I don't have much context about what was going on during the 250mph era. Besides Big Daddy's monstrous run in 1975, the biggest thing I noticed was that after #6 (Dave Uyehara in Oct 1978), it took 2 1/2 years for the next member of the club (#7 Jeb Allen March 1981).
What was going on (rules changes? lack of good competitors?) that kept anyone new from running 250mph for over 2 full years? Racers are smart, and technology always seems to advance, so why this HUGE gap in time?

If I recall, big jumps in speed were slow in coming until the advent of the tall wing. Both Bernstein and Amato broke the 260 barrier at the 1984 Gatornats, 9 years after Garlits broke 250, using the new tall wing. 270 came 2 years later, Garlits, running the small front wheels. 6 years later and we're at 300. 5 years after that and we're at 330 and the first 330 at 1000 feet came in 2012.

13 years later it's 340 and I don't honestly believe 350 is in the cards, nor should it be. So what's the next in line for milestones? Why, the 3.50 barrier, of course. Millican went 3.62 8 years ago; surely 3.59 can't be that far off.