The best single drag race that you have witnessed? (1 Viewer)

[George.]

With nothing on my mind this morning, I'm reminicing a little.
The first NHRA race I ever attended was the 1982 Spring Nationals at National Trail.
I've been to almost 100 more since then, but I have never been to a better race.
Big numbers are cool, and so are world records, but nothing is better than a good old fashioned hate match grinding down to the first "all female" cars firing up in the bleach box before a final, NOTHING!.
Nice evening, Lee Sheppard was the man, Frank Hawley just demolished the FC field in his soon to be highly respected humble and classy style, and Shirley's pissed. It just can't get better than that.

My favorite, Shirley Muldowney vs. upstart Lucielle Lee was the absolute best.
If you guys could have only heard how pissed Shirley was over the PA when she heard that Jeb Allen's engine was going into teammate Lee's car for the final. The team concept wasn't even heard of, or accepted in those earlier days. The TR-3 Resin Glaze team was conspiring, and Shirley wasn't having any of it at the time, and she let everybody know it. God, I loved her firey disposition.
Probably the best burnouts and definitely the best announcer in the booth made for the best 60 seconds of my NHRA life, and that was before the green.

What was your all time favorite single drag race?

 

[jpee]

Two Come to mind WJ & Al Hoffman... WJ has done EVERYTHING... as for Big Al.. I've seen him drive it through the lights at 302 mph with flames coming out of everywhere... he hit the wall.. but tried to race in 2 weeks (was not able to)

 

[Just Paul]

Seems to me I remember that Lee had to race Allen in the semi-finals, and Allen could not make the call because he hurt his motor the round before, then Lee took her bye run, and fried her motor. So, long story short, the motor that was too broken for Allen to race with, suddenly was good enough to race Shirley in the finals.

Best single race I ever saw in person........
I'll have to think about that one

 

[Shan]

With nothing on my mind this morning, I'm reminicing a little.
The first NHRA race I ever attended was the 1982 Spring Nationals at National Trail.
I've been to almost 100 more since then, but I have never been to a better race.
Big numbers are cool, and so are world records, but nothing is better than a good old fashioned hate match grinding down to the first "all female" cars firing up in the bleach box before a final, NOTHING!.
Nice evening, Lee Sheppard was the man, Frank Hawley just demolished the FC field in his soon to be highly respected humble and classy style, and Shirley's pissed. It just can't get better than that.

My favorite, Shirley Muldowney vs. upstart Lucielle Lee was the absolute best.
If you guys could have only heard how pissed Shirley was over the PA when she heard that Jeb Allen's engine was going into teammate Lee's car for the final. The team concept wasn't even heard of, or accepted in those earlier days. The TR-3 Resin Glaze team was conspiring, and Shirley wasn't having any of it at the time, and she let everybody know it. God, I loved her firey disposition.
Probably the best burnouts and definitely the best announcer in the booth made for the best 60 seconds of my NHRA life, and that was before the green.

What was your all time favorite single drag race?

Excellent post, George! I love Shirley, too. I think one that would definitely make the top two or three of my favorites is that wild and crazy pedal-fest between Burkart and Cruz during eliminations in Bristol, 2004. That had everybody on the tips of their tiptoes. Now that was some dang good racing there!

 

[Toejam]

WAYYYY To many to choose from.......

 

[Joker]

The 1992 Chief Nationals at Dallas. John Force and Cruz Pedregon. Thats the craziest round of racing I have ever seen. Too bad it didnt come out on my side that year.

 

[BaldyLochs]

Force & Pedregon had a wild smokey race years ago in Dallas,too. It was like a blizzard white out! From the starting line, you literally could not see the scoreboard lights or halftrack there was so much smoke. If I remember correct, something was on the line too... the championship or points lead. Neither crew had a clue who won for a moment or 2. All you heard was each motor going up & down.
Wasn't that the year Cruz won the Championship with McDonalds???

 

[Joker]

You'd be correct Chris, it was the dreaded year of 1992.

 

[Dave]

The Prudhomme/McEwen final at the U.S. Nationals in 78.

 

[Shazam]

I will never forget driving all night to a rained out 1971 U.S. Nationals. It was my first national event and of course I was overwhelmed.

The Top Fuel final included "Big Daddy" and a guy named Steve Carbone.

The famous burndown is now legendary. Garlits waited too long to stage and Carbone won the race when he shouldn't have had a chance.

I can still see them on the starting line and Buster going nuts.

 

[Bullard Anderson]

Being on the Top End of the 1999 Bud Shootout at Indy when Capps went around TPedregon and the celebration the ensued!

 

[Jim]

92 Keystones, which happened to be my first race. The race had a bunch of firsts.
Cory Mac ran a 4.79 for the first 4.7 run, Cruz ran the first 5.0 FC run with a 5.07, and the late Scott Geoffrion ran the first PS 7.0 with a 7.09. Don't know if we will ever see another race with that many firsts.

 

[George.]

Seems to me I remember that Lee had to race Allen in the semi-finals, and Allen could not make the call because he hurt his motor the round before, then Lee took her bye run, and fried her motor. So, long story short, the motor that was too broken for Allen to race with, suddenly was good enough to race Shirley in the finals.

Best single race I ever saw in person........
I'll have to think about that one

That's exactly how it went down. Man, she was pissed....
LOTS of jawing from Shirley, and as usual, she backed it up.
I remember Lee doing a Halacious burnout in the final, which might have finished that engine before the race even took place..
If I remember right, the track announcer said it like this at the burnout..
"Lucielle Lee's pounding the hides"..
It was a wicked, long, high RPM rookie burnout, and I snuck right in behind the water pit because EVERYBODY, including the cops were rivited..
That was the best.....
I couldn't hear right for a week...

 

[Larry]

The Big GO Any Year ! Hands down! Next 60's races with 32 car fields and ton's of extras. Singles its hard to say too many good ones!

 

[XPilot]

Can't remember the year, either '00 or '01 at Commerce. Del and Frank Pedregon in the semis, side by side mid 80s in the heat of the day. Frankie won it by a nose. Went on to win the race.

No team orders, no diving, both good lights, both cars hooked up.

Other "best" race I've seen was when Densham got his first. Force was ahead when they came by where I was sitting, but hazed 'em just before lights if I remember it right. I figured it was over. Densham snuck on by.

That was also the first race I took my fiance to. The first nitro pass she saw was Cowin and Tony in a pedal fest. Both of them got back on it in front of where we were sitting almost at the same time. She nearly fell over backwards and was hooked from then on. Before that, she didn't know what nitro was.

 

[Nazgul]

The best drag race I've witnessed in person was Tony Pedregon's win over Whit Bazemore to win the funnycar championship. It was all about the build up, the fact the the two contenders met each other in the finals at Vegas and it happened under the lights, that was a night to remember. Kenny Berstein won the topfuel final at that event, but I don't remember who he ran without doing a search... oh well, I'll search.

 

[Dave]

I've got one more but it wasn't a race. It was a qualifing run/s. 1982 US Nationals. Prudhomme's 5.63 or Gary Becks 5.48. Unbelievable performances at that time.
The ironic thing is that two of the runs I remember most are from Prudhomme. I'm not a big Prudhomme fan but I can't deny his performance.

 

[none]

Have to go with KBs 314 mph run against Cory in the final round of the `94 Finals. Scott Kalitta had set the speed mark of 308 at Topeka a few weeks earlier, and then at Pomona Kenny goes 311 in the semis. Final round though was incredible, Corys right next to him all the way and when that scoreboard lit up 314, the Fairplex went nuts! Hell of a way to close out a killer `94 season.

 

[d'kid]

Clayton Harris string of 6.20's at The County winter of 70-71...
Next closest car was Carbone with mid .30's

Larry Reyes/Roland's 7.30 weekend at Irwindale, OCIR and Carlsbad, first time back in May of '69... Thanks Big John and the Army...

 

[Buzzz Miller]

Denver 96' (I think)
Track was awesome. No tire smokers on saturday at all! Not one! Blaine Johnson huge wheelstand with the new car, Force became the first man to 300 on the mountain. (Beat all of the dragsters to that number.) Decent looking new women in PSB, including one that was very pretty and sponsored by Victoria Secret. Lots of expired engines on the final qualifying pass in dragster. The experience of Denver, and everything wrapped up into one perfect weekend.
Not one particular race, but my favorite race ever.