Behind the numbers of Greg Anderson's Pro Stock elapsed time national record run
During Friday Pro Stock qualifying at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Greg Anderson reset the Pro Stock national elapsed time record with a pass of 6.443 seconds, breaking the old mark of 6.450 set three years ago at the same event and giving Anderson the mark for the first time since 2009.
During Friday Pro Stock qualifying at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Greg Anderson reset the Pro Stock national elapsed time record with a pass of 6.443 seconds, breaking the old mark of 6.450 set three years ago at the same event.
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Life, liberty, and the pursuit of Pro Stock Motorcycle parity: What the numbers say
Of all the topics that got the drag racing populace fired up in 2024, the performance numbers and weight adjustments in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category were probably the most incendiary. But what does the data say? We've got the answers.
Of all the topics that got the drag racing populace fired up in 2024, the performance numbers and weight adjustments in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category were probably the most incendiary. The racers were pointed in their comments, and it got mildly…
Where inches matter: This season, 26 rounds have been decided by milliseconds
Already this season, 26 side-by-side races in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series classes of Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle have been decided by just thousandths of a second, and five of these razor-thin wins have come in final rounds.
Drag racing may well be a game of horsepower, but through eight races of the 2023 it’s also obviously a game of inches, and that doesn’t matter if you’re wheeling an 11,000-hp Top Fueler or a 10-second Super Streeter.
Already this season, 26 side…
Did you know? Shawn Cowie wins a national event every fifth time he races
Shawn Cowie’s Top Alcohol Dragster victory at the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals was the Canadian’s 21st victory in just 98 events, a 20.4% win average or a victory in one out of every five national events he has attended.
Shawn Cowie’s Top Alcohol Dragster victory at the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals was the Canadian’s 21st victory in just 98 events, a 20.4% win average or a victory in one out of every five national events he has attended.
By way…
Behind the Numbers: How does Austin Prock’s new crew chief shake up Countdown chase?
Mike Green joined John Force Racing ahead of the Virginia NHRA Nationals. How does that change Austin Prock’s chances of making the Countdown?
Steve Torrence won his third-straight Top Fuel race at the Virginia NHRA Nationals. The defending Top Fuel world champion did not lock up the top seed in the Countdown to the Championship, but boy howdy do I like his odds.
There are eight…
Behind the Numbers: Alan Johnson continues to pile up wins in NHRA
Alan Johnson got a win with yet another driver, this one with Mike Salinas at the Strip in Las Vegas.
Mike Salinas earned his first NHRA Drag Racing win ever with legendary tuner Alan Johnson at the helm. Salinas began working with Johnson in some capacity when he returned to Top Fuel racing in 2017 and brought him on full time to begin the 2019…
Behind the Numbers: Five Funny Car drivers who should move up the standings in 2019
Here's a quick look at a handful of drivers who should trend upward in the standings in 2019, including at least one who will challenge for his first NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championship.
The Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals are fewer than two months away (company mandated ticket plug here) and teams are wrapping up their crew chief hires (if you haven’t, get a damn move on … please). So, what better way to move time closer to February…
Behind the Numbers: Ranking the 10 best Top Fuel seasons in the Countdown era
Steve Torrence just swept the Countdown to the Championship -- but does that mean he had the best Top Fuel season since 2008? Let the debate begin.
Steve Torrence swept the 2018 Countdown to the Championship en route to his first Top Fuel title. He became the first to win all six playoff races, which, in addition to sports media's affinity for recency bias, led to some predictable hyperbole…
Hight vs. Todd, Gray chases first title and a wild finale to Pro Stock Motorcycle in Pomona
Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle champions will all collect their championship jackets at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona this weekend. Here's how the races are shaping up with only one race remaining in the 2018 season.
One world championship down, three to go in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Steve Torrence locked up his second championship, and first in Top Fuel, since the last time I checked in with you. That means we still have three titles to pass…
Behind the Numbers: Championship scenarios entering the NHRA Toyota Nationals
Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) and Mike Janis can clinch titles at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Here's what they need to do to make their championship dreams come true.
I looked at championship odds a week ago, so this time around I’ll break down what three leaders must do to lock up a championship at the NHRA Toyota…
Behind the Numbers: Championship odds for the leaders in the clubhouse(s)
You know who leads the points. What are the odds the four leaders stay there at the end of the season?
No number of clichés can steal from the inevitability of Steve Torrence’s first Top Fuel title. The Texan won his fourth straight Wally at the NHRA Carolina Nationals presented by Wix Filters, extended his lead to 161 points, and left the three…
Behind the Numbers: How I learned to stop worrying and love reaction times
Reaction times can be complicated. Let's make them really simple so we can go back to the way things used to be.
Before I knew the phrase “reaction time,” I knew what it meant. At least, I thought I knew what it meant. Pulling up alongside some yuppy playing his music too loudly at a red-light, making incidental eye contact and … hang on, I’m getting a note…
Behind the Numbers: Tim Wilkerson making championship bid
The Funny Car veteran’s performance is no fluke through two Countdown to the Championship events.
Robert Hight leads Funny Car in points, J.R. Todd won the first race in the 2018 Countdown to the Championship, but if voting happened today, there’s only one choice for MVR. Okay, so there’s no award for Most Valuable Racer in the Funny Car…
Behind the Numbers: Who boasts the best shot at making the Countdown to the Championship?
More than 20 racers chase 12 Countdown to the Championship spots at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals beginning August 30. Some of them hold a better shot at making the dance than others.
There are 12 Countdown to the Championship spots available over the four Mello Yello categories and 25 racers competing for them…
Behind the Numbers: Funny Car will tighten up down the stretch
Matt Hagan earned back-to-back wins and Ron Capps looks like a contender again thanks to adjustments made by their championship crew chiefs.
Courtney Force holds a 155-point lead over Matt Hagan with five races to go before points reset entering the Countdown to the Championship. Ron Capps led Hagan by 188 points at the same point of the 2017 season and wound up capturing pole position…
Behind the Numbers: Clay Millican may finally have consistency he needs
After four clean passes led Clay Millican to victory at the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minties, it seems good things are on the horizon for the Great Clips/Parts Plus team.
One of the toughest humps to get over with people who don’t get statistics is this one: Stats don’t tell the whole story.
That’s true, and no one who gives two turns of a wheelie bar about them will tell you they do. At least, one stat by itself…
Behind the Numbers: Hines and Krawiec identical through three races
Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec may offer wildly different personalities, but their Harley-Davidson Street Rods are running down the track like carbon copies three races into the Mello Yello NHRA Drag Racing Series.
Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines form the most feared team in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category. You don’t need to ask, just check the receipts. No team claims as many wins as the riders of the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Street…
Behind the Numbers: Consistency has Todd off to the races
J.R. Todd has the best reaction time average in the Funny Car class and one of the most consistent cars. That combination has helped him to a great start in his second season behind the wheel of the DHL Toyota Camry.
Earning two wins in five races means something beyond the 100 points awarded to the racer that hoists the Wally in the winner’s circle. Wins are something of a status symbol in NHRA Drag Racing, something to point to as the season chugs to its…
Behind the Numbers: Vincent Nobile's return to the winner's circle
There’s still work to do for the Mountain View Tire team, but this is a shot in the arm for Nobile and Elite Performance.
When Vincent Nobile won in Reading in 2016, he did so in his third final round of the season. He previously lost to Allen Johnson in Denver (of course) and Aaron Strong in Seattle. The Western Swing wasn’t for him that year, clearly, but Nobile got…
Behind the Numbers: Who's on top three races into the season?
Who stands out and who needs to pick up the pace in the early going of the season.
It’s time to take stock of things three races into the NHRA Drag Racing season. There have been 10 different winners following the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals as something close to parity reigns in the Mello Yello categories. If you know me…
Behind the Numbers: Breaking the No. 1 qualifier curse
Three straight Funny Car No. 1 qualifiers took home Wallys to start the season; it’s time to lay this urban legend to rest.
To hear some talk, qualifying No. 1 comes with repercussions like opening the Ark of the Covenant. Superstition and motorsports, strike that, superstition and all sports go…
Behind the Numbers: Rounding out our evaluation of drag racing performance
Averaging elapsed and reaction times is good, but rewarding consistency is just as important. That's where success percentage comes into play. You already have an idea of who excels at it, now we're going to put numbers next to the faces.
Getting from the starting line to the finish line quickly is essentially the stated goal of a drag race. Yes, doing so more quickly than the person in the other lane(s) is a major part of the equation, but you can (probably) only control your own…
Behind the Numbers: Just how important is a great start?
Winning the first race of the year is important, but is it more important than winning any other regular-season race?
Matt Hagan kicked off the 2018 season with four win lights. That should sound familiar. Hagan won four times on Sunday…
Behind the Numbers: Kalitta has been great, now he just needs a little luck
The Mac Tools driver started the season with a victory with skill, hard work, and a little help from a horseshoe.
Few crew chiefs capture a moment like Jim Oberhofer. After Doug Kalitta snagged a semifinal victory against Clay Millican at the season-opening Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com, Oberhofer delivered some colorful…
Behind the Numbers: Picking the next first-time champs from Top Fuel to Pro Stock Motorcycle
In 2017, we got Brittany Force and Bo Butner. Will 2018 give us more first-time champions? If so, who?
The first qualifying session of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season is set for Feb. 9 at the …
Behind the Numbers: Counting down the 10 closest finals of 2017
Watch the 10 tightest final rounds in the Mello Yello professional classes from the 2017 NHRA Drag Racing season.
What’s better than a close finish at high speeds? A close finish at high speeds in a final round, of course. With the 2017 season in the books, I looked at the closest final rounds in the four Mello Yello professional categories. You can watch all…
Behind the Numbers: Silly season kicks off with new faces in new places
Mike Neff is back at Don Schumacher Racing, Brian Corradi has left the Matco Tools team, and Eric Lane has his first crew chief gig. Silly Season is officially upon us.
Not even a month removed from the end of the NHRA Drag Racing season, Silly Season begins. Don Schumacher Racing announced the hiring of Mike “Zippy” Neff to tune the U.S. Army dragster on Monday to, the first domino to fall in a massive crew chief…
Behind the Numbers: Langdon prepares to make switch to Funny Car
2013 Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon discusses his preparation for swapping Nitro classes.
“I drove terrible the first three runs. I felt so messed up, so uncomfortable. Apparently, I looked a lot better than I felt.”
That was Shawn Langdon’s assessment of his first three laps in a Funny Car. His fourth lap went much smoother…
Behind the Numbers: Stage is set for close finish to NHRA season
The Auto Club NHRA Finals will close out the season in Pomona by crowning four champions. Here's a look at the scenarios.
If you know me, you know I’m a big fan of Joe Amato. It doesn’t matter his last win came 17 years ago, nor does it matter his most famous win came a year before I was born. That’s his 1990 victory at the…
Behind the Numbers: McMillen reinforces age is only a number in NHRA Drag Racing
Terry McMillen became the oldest Top Fuel winner in history in a season where we saw the youngest winner of all time in NHRA history.
If there’s one thing to take away from the 2017 NHRA Drag Racing season, it’s this: Age is only a number. From Pro Stock rookie Tanner Gray winning at 17 to Terry McMillen winning at 63, we’ve seen drivers turn on win lights on both ends of the age…