NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The Dragster Insider column celebrates 10 years of telling "the stories behind the stories" in NHRA history with a deep dive into the archives to look at some of the interesting columns of the past decade.

The vaunted "King of the Northwest," Top Fuel great Jerry Ruth, shares memories of some of his favorite race cars and memories from his storied 20-year career in the sport.

Today's Western Swing can be a grind on teams, but long tows, little sleep, and lots of racing were the order of the day on the 1970s match race trail.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for drag racing fans of the Heroes of Yesteryear, with the passings of national event winners Chuck Beal, John Collins, designer/promoter Doug Kruse, and former world champ Frank Hall.

Thirty-five years ago at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, Dwight Salisbury scored his lone NHRA Top Fuel win in a career that was filled with many other accomplishments.

No, the car had nothing to do with the band that brought us "Surfin' U.S.A." and "Little Deuce Coupe," but in a short span in the late 1960s, car owner Jim Busby and drivers Hank "the Surfer" Westmoreland and Dwight Salisbury rode a wave of popularity and a good-running car to new heights.

What goes good with barbecues and fireworks on the Fourth of July? Yep, that's right -- Beach Boys hot rod songs. Or maybe that's just us. Deconstructing the high-horsepower hits of America's band.

The NHRA Northwest Nationals take center stage on the NHRA Mello Yello tour in early August. Its venue, Pacific Raceways, has been a hotbed of nitro racing since the 1970s, Here's a look back at some great photos and memories from that era.

Clay Millican's Top Fuel win in Bristol wasn't just a breakthrough moment for him, but felt like a community event for the NHRA world, and lifted us all. NHRA National Dragster Editor Phil Burgess shares his thoughts on Millican's long run to victory.

The upcoming Summernationals is one of the NHRA's most iconic events, with a deep and rich history. Step back into time 40 years ago for one fan's photographic memories of the event.

Former U.S. Nationals-winning Top Fuel driver Johnny Abbott, who passed away May 20, was a fierce racer and a generous human being.

The 1991 season was one of the wildest in NHRA history, with broken barriers, a nitro-shortage scare, wild crashes, overdue wins, rookie phenoms, and much more, and we've got the trivia quiz to prove it.

Pat Austin made drag racing history at Heartland Park Topeka in 1991 when he became the first driver to win in two classes at the same national event, scoring in Top Fuel and Alcohol Funny Car, but the road to fame wasn't an easy one.

If you’re an NHRA member or buy NHRA National Dragster on the newsstand, you’ll definitely want to check out the new issue, which went online Thursday and will be in mailboxes next week. ND Editor Phil Burgess tells you why.

The Great Northwest had some great car and great races, and some great photographers, too, as evidenced by the work of Herman Marchetti, who shares some of his images from the Seattle area in the 1970s.

Sure, Top Fuel racer “Gentleman Hank” Johnson, who died earlier this week, was part of the answer to a great trivia question, but in a career that spanned more than two decades, he was much more than that.

The internet is full of vintage drag racing footage. Here's five really cool nostalgic videos to enjoy.

From vintage drag cars found in hiding to some great old videos, new websites, and a resurfaced old drag racing board game, there's lots to catch up on in this week's Dragster Insider.

Like assembling a new car using old parts, so has been the challenge of resurrecting the archives of the Dragster Insider column. Old pieces that don't fit, new pieces that need a little massaging, and a whole lot of other work beneath the hood, but well worth it.

Master racecar airbrush artist Kenny Youngblood discusses the fine but mostly lost art of painting faux headlights and grilles on Funny Cars.

Last week I showed off some of the marvelous artwork by NHRA’s Northwest Division Director Matt Levonas and I’m back with more this week, including some cool 1970s Funny Cars.

Northwest Division Director Matt Levonas' passion for racing goes far beyond his divisional duties, as he's also a talented artist whose work spans the history of the sport. Here's a look at some of his nostalgic pieces.

In this week's Dragster Insider: Famous Funny Cars on the auction block, a female pioneer gets her due, and a farewell to a 1970s Pro Stock mainstay.

Frank Hawley drove the Chi-Town Hustler Funny Car to two NHRA championships but how he got to drive the fabled machine is a tale of chance and fortitude. Even he didn't think he would get the job.