Ever since the caveman invented the second wheel, there has been competition to see who was fastest. Of course that competitive urge mushroomed with the introduction of motor cars. It skyrocketed after WWII when returning warriors with cash in their pockets bought used cars and “hot rodded” them. From street racing to dry lakes, the desire for speed and competition zoomed and directly led to the creation of the National Hot Rod Association.
The NHRA now holds the Mello Yello Series of pro competitions across the country. You probably are familiar with seeing the top fuel dragsters and funny cars along with pro stocks and motorcycles racing the quarter mile (or 1,000 foot line). Of course, there are also the various "sportsmen" competitions with the United States broken out into seven divisions.
The sportsmen races are held at numerous tracks, but they gain a larger, more appreciative audience when they piggy back with the pro’s at a national event, like the recent Winter Nationals held near Phoenix, AZ at the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park on February 22-24, 2019.
If you follow the sport, surely you already know who won the pro divisions, but I’d like to focus on the sportsmen bracket racing (Summit Racing E.T. Series) for several reasons. First, these might be considered the true athletes and sportsmen and women who compete for the competition, fun and speed. They certainly aren’t making money at this “hobby” and the purses won, will rarely meet the expenses for these weekend warriors. Second, these hobbyists often utilize the older classics for their race bodies. You see a ton of Corvettes and other Chevy’s, MOPAR’s, and Ford’s on the strip along with some orphaned Buicks, Plymouth's and Olds. Of course some of these bodies are fiberglass recreations but still they are pattered after the old "iron". Third, the sportsmen typically are some of the greatest innovators and experimenters in the sport. Without huge bankrolls and engineering departments, these drivers come up with some ingenious devices and modifications to eke out more horsepower from their power plants.
Each day, while the pro’s drive off from their qualifications and rounds to wait for the next round, the drag strip fills the idle time with running the sportsmen classes. Fans stay glued to their seats to cheer on their favorite drivers and cars in the competitions. And nothing draws more excitement than seeing the cars take off with some massive wheel stands. All that torque at the rear wheels often causes the light weight front ends to rise up and nothing draws an admiring "oooh and aaah" more than seeing the car rise up several feet from the hot asphalt and cruise twenty to fifty feet on the two rear wheels. So rather than show you funny cars and Nitro burning dragsters, these wheel standers should make your blood race!
The best part about the sportsmen classes is the diversity you see in the pits. Both sexes are involved in driving and mechanical and the ages run from pre-teens to old enough to know better. With such a large and varied following, NHRA is sure to grow and prosper.