NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

NHRA’s first female winner, its 100th female Pro-class victory, the breaking of performance barriers, and groundbreaking aerodynamic advancements are just a few of the latest historic moments honored in NHRA’s Top 75 Moments countdown.

An online fan ballot that resulted in more than 42,000 individual votes helped create the list of the Top 75 Moments in NHRA history that are being unveiled in a series of rolling announcements as part of NHRA’s 75th Anniversary celebration.

The reveals will take place each Wednesday through Feb. 18 in 10-moment increments, and the final five will be unveiled the week of Feb. 23 as a lead-in to the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, March 5-8.

Without further ado, here are NHRA’s Top 75 Moments, Nos. 26-35:

26. Shirley Shahan first female national event winner (1966)

With her victory in Top Stock at the 1966 NHRA Winternationals, Shirley Shahan became the first of more than 100 women to win an NHRA national event. Shahan, already the most accomplished woman in the sport at the time, helped open the door for women to realize that they could be successful in what at the time was a male-dominated sport.

27. Courtney Force earns the 100th victory by a female Pro winner (2014)

Courtney Force made history in Topeka by securing the 100th Professional victory by a female driver in NHRA history. This milestone win was Force's first of the season and fourth of her career. As the youngest daughter of 16-time Funny Car champion John Force, her achievement added to her family's storied legacy in drag racing.

28. John Force overtakes Bob Glidden as all-time NHRA wins leader (2000)

After winning a staggering 76 times in the 1990s, John Force entered the new millennium with 81 wins, just four behind Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden’s record of 85 victories. After four early-season wins tied Glidden’s once-unassailable total, Force defeated Tony Pedregon in the final round in Chicago for win No. 86 to become the sport’s all-time wins leader.

29. Introduction of Pro Stock class (1970)

NHRA introduced a new Professional racing category to kick off its 1970 “Super Season,” adding Pro Stock to the lineup at all national events. Dubbed “factory hot rods,” these high-powered reproductions of Detroit’s best, born from the Super Stock class, made their debut at the NHRA Winternationals, where class icon Bill Jenkins collected the first win.

30. Don Prudhomme makes first 250-mph Funny Car pass (1982)

Seven years after making the class’ first 240-mph pass in 1975 en route to his first of four straight Funny Car world championships, Don “the Snake” Prudhomme added another barrier-breaking moment to his Hall of Fame career as he powered his Pepsi Challenger Pontiac Trans Am to the sport’s first 250-mph Funny Car pass in Baton Rouge, La.

31. Matt Hagan makes first three-second Funny Car run (2011)

Just three years after making his NHRA Professional debut in the Funny Car class, Matt Hagan made drag racing history by recording the first-ever three-second Funny Car pass, clocking a 3.995-second run during qualifying at zMAX Dragway. Hagan would go on to win his first of four Funny Car world championships that season.

32. Joe Amato introduces tall rear-wing concept in Top Fuel (1984)

At the NHRA Gatornationals, Joe Amato and crew chief Tim Richards debuted a tall, laid-back rear wing on their Top Fueler that lowered drag and increased downforce. The wing immediately paid dividends as Amato broke the 260-mph barrier and won the event, signaling a new aerodynamics era with a design that remains a staple in the class.

33. John Force wins 15th championship, first since 2007 crash (2010)

John Force captured his 15th NHRA Funny Car championship, completing an emotional comeback from a devastating 2007 crash that left his racing future in doubt. He made a triumphant return to the sport the next season after overcoming serious leg injuries and extensive rehabilitation, and then, at age 61, he became the then-oldest champion in NHRA history.

34. Brittany Force second female Top Fuel champion (2017)

Brittany Force made history by clinching her first NHRA Top Fuel championship, becoming the first woman to win the title since Shirley Muldowney in 1982. Driving the Monster Energy dragster for John Force Racing, she secured the championship on the strength of a four-win season and would win the championship again in 2022.

35. Don Garlits rides out blowover wheelstand (1986)

In qualifying at the 1986 NHRA Summernationals, Don Garlits experienced one of the most iconic blowover wheelstands in history when his revolutionary Swamp Rat XXX entry abruptly lifted off the ground, rotated almost fully backward, and pirouetted before landing back on its wheels. Garlits was not injured and was able to shut down without further incident.

See the complete list so far on the Top 75 Moments homepage