NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

For nearly 70 years, racers have chased the ultimate glory at the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals, including several marquee and star drivers who cashed in for the very first time during the 2010s and thus far in the 2020s.

In the 2000s, Top Fuel star Tony Schumacher scored eight wins and reached nine final rounds at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in a decade of dominance in which other stars, including Antron Brown, Robert Hight, and Greg Anderson, also began to shine.

The Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals is filled with history, and there’s no denying the 1990s were loaded with an incredible number of legacy-making events for drivers like Warren Johnson, John Force, and Cruz Pedregon.

There are numerous reasons why Bob Glidden became an NHRA legend and one of the most revered drivers in drag racing history, and one of those was an incredible run of success at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in the 1980s.

The U.S. Nationals is a race no fan should miss, and it’s also an event rich in legendary history. Exploring seven decades of the Big Go takes us to the 1970s, which featured big names, explosive rivalries, and the introduction of Pro Stock in a wild decade of racing. 

The Big Go turns 70 in 2024, and we're celebrating its incredible history. Moving through seven decades of the Big Go, we’ll first explore the origin of the sport’s biggest race and Don Garlits' domination of Top Fuel in the 1960s. First in a series.