Why Drag Races Were Always A Quarter Mile (and When That Changed)

Dom Toretto whitethorn unrecorded his life a 4th mile astatine a time, but you cognize who doesn't? Drivers successful nan NHRA's Top Fuel and Funny Car classes. Organized resistance racing has been astir since astatine slightest nan precocious 1940s, but advances came accelerated and furious. By 2008, nan velocity these vehicles could scope had go a information issue. Following nan decease of Scott Kalitta, nan NHRA decided to shorten nan region for its astir powerful racers to 1,000 feet to thief forestall further injuries.

It marked a awesome alteration to nan sport, which sewage its commencement successful 1949 erstwhile apical speeds were conscionable edging into triple-digit territory. About 60 years later, Tony Schumacher drove his NHRA Top Fuel dragster to a past record-setting 337.58 mph successful nan 4th mile. Brittany Force bested that people this twelvemonth erstwhile she became the fastest personification successful NHRA history, acknowledgment to a tally of 341.85 mph that allowed her to separator past nan erstwhile grounds of 341.68 mph.

The root communicative for nan 4th mile itself goes backmost to nan Southern California gearheads who began doing acceleration runs astatine a mini airdrome successful Goleta. The increasing buzz of these events attracted nan attraction of a section journalist, and arsenic he was gathering facts, he people asked really agelong nan races were. Truth beryllium told, nary 1 seems to person measured, but Bob Joehnck, an unofficial spokesperson for nan group, fundamentally pulled a 4th mile retired of bladed air. From past connected — until 2008 astatine slightest — nan 4th mile became nan resistance racing standard.

Many group besides raced — illegally and dangerously — correct connected nationalist streets. In fact, erstwhile Wally Parks founded nan National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) successful 1951, getting drivers disconnected nan roadworthy and onto a closed way was a apical priority. Once that happened, speeds really began to return off.

The first NHRA driver to transcend 150 mph successful title was Art Arfons successful 1956, though Lloyd Scott collapsed that obstruction successful a non-NHRA arena successful 1955. Big Daddy Don Garlits rocketed past 200 mph successful 1965 and 250 mph successful 1975. By 1992, Kenny Bernstein was clocking passes northbound of 300 mph successful his Top Fuel dragster. Funny Cars, for illustration this Supra pinch a hilarious underbite, joined nan 300-mph nine nan pursuing year, courtesy of a 300.40-mph tally by Jim Epler.

Soon after, though, calamity began to drawback up pinch nan expanding speeds. Driver Darrell Russell died successful 2004 during a Top Fuel title aft his motor detonated. In 2007, during testing, Funny Car driver Eric Medlen was killed successful a crash. Next, Scott Kalitta — a two-time NHRA champ and boy of resistance racing fable Connie Kalitta — mislaid his life aft an motor detonation and parachute nonaccomplishment saw him spell disconnected nan extremity of nan strip, done nan run-off area, and into a ceramic wall. As a result, nan NHRA shortened nan title region for Top Fuel and Funny Cars to 1,000 feet to let much room for nan racers to slow down astatine nan extremity of an event.

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While nan bully ol' U.S. measures distances successful state units, astir of nan remainder of nan world goes metric. But patriots will beryllium gladsome to cognize that nan world of European resistance racing continues to travel nan NHRA's modular of quarter-mile strips for astir classes isolated from Top Fuel and Funny Car, wherever nan cars compete complete 1,000-foot distances. That's 1 of the biggest differences betwixt racing In America and Europe, which whitethorn bring up different question: There's a world of European resistance racing?

Yes, and nan statement down it is nary different than nan FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile), which is nan aforesaid organizing assemblage down Formula 1, nan World Endurance Championship, and nan World Rally Championship, among others. The FIA began overseeing nan European Drag Racing Championship successful 1997, pinch nan existent play featuring stops successful Great Britain, Sweden, and Germany. 

The athletics itself grew successful fame successful nan 1960s, acknowledgment to events for illustration nan first British International Drag Festival successful 1964. The first imperishable resistance racing installation successful Great Britain launched successful 1966 at an aged U.S. Air Force base. Still successful operation, nan Santa Pod Raceway moreover took its sanction from nan confederate California scene, since nan "Santa" was taken from West Coast cities for illustration Santa Barbara and Santa Monica. The "Pod" part was a shortening of nan sanction shared by nan aerial guidelines and a adjacent village, Podington.