NHRA Legal?? LOL! (1 Viewer)

Wow. Sorry to say it, but this guy must be crazy ! But the bravery is amazing. NHRA banned the rockets, I believe because so many of them didn't "stay with us" very long. But then there is Captain Jack and his rocket go cart, and he lived to tell many tales !
Rockets are not banned.
 
Rockets are not banned.

Oh. My mistake then. In the rulebook there are rules for jets and under other exhibition vehicles rockets aren't listed. So I assumed....
I did see a couple of them in Seattle back in 1978 and they were interesting to see. They lacked the noise and thunder of fuel cars and jets but I'm sure the neighbors didn't mind !
 
Found this to explain a little better. Tony, you are correct.

Rocket-powered vehicles have been active in motorsports for ninety-five years. The hydrogen peroxide/silver catalyst motor was pioneered by Pete Farnsworth, Ray Dausman and Dick Keller and their Reaction Dynamics company which created drag racing’s first effective rocket dragster, the record-shattering X-1 “Rislone Rocket”, in 1966. Rocket-powered motorcycles are nothing new. More than a dozen have been campaigned in the United States alone since the early 1970s.

One of the sport’s most popular misconceptions states all rocket-powered machinery, including hydrogen peroxide versions, was banished from the sport in the 1980s. However, no rocket vehicle was ever banned by any drag racing association. The number of active rockets dropped severely during that period when premium grade, (100% purity), peroxide became a rare commodity. However, there have always been rockets in drag racing, (from dragsters to Funny Cars to motorcycles to go-karts), from 1966 to the present day. The peroxide was available in far greater quantities in Europe which enticed several of the best-known racers, including legendary rocket racer “Slammin’ Sammy” Miller, to simply move overseas to be closer to the fuel source. Many teams learned to compete with lower quality peroxide and continued to race.
 
I have known Eric for years. Saw him run a 5:11 at Bradenton several years ago. I believe the quarter mile record is still held by Sammy Miller in the Vanishing Point funnycar at 3.57 at over 350 mph.
 
I saw 'Captain Jack' in his rocket go cart beat a fuel funny car three straight at our local 1/8 mi track,spinning it out in the grass every time at the far end of the (very short) shutdown.
This would have been maybe 1972-73 time frame. Very impressive and the guy was velcro'd to the seat ! nuts.
 
I have known Eric for years. Saw him run a 5:11 at Bradenton several years ago. I believe the quarter mile record is still held by Sammy Miller in the Vanishing Point funnycar at 3.57 at over 350 mph.
Ky Michaelson had Kitty O'Neil driving his rocket dragster for a while and this page on his website claims she went 3.22 seconds at 412 mph in 1977. Not sure where it happened, or if it's an official NHRA record...

http://kymichaelson.us/kitty-oneil

 
I saw 'Captain Jack' in his rocket go cart beat a fuel funny car three straight at our local 1/8 mi track,spinning it out in the grass every time at the far end of the (very short) shutdown.
This would have been maybe 1972-73 time frame. Very impressive and the guy was velcro'd to the seat ! nuts.
Captain Jack asked us if he could leave first in case the car didn't leave straight partner Ron correnti driving and yes we found him in the grass each time told the story many times LOL
 
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