www.jeffoneillracing.com

When people envision a drag racer, they are most likely thinking of a top fuel dragster. Top Fuel is the fastest division offered by the National Hot Rod Association. These are the ultimate cars in the ultimate series and cover the quarter mile track in less than 4.5 seconds.

A top fuel dragster car is a raging beast. With 8,000 horsepower engines they can pull as much as 6G both positive and negative, requiring an incredible degree of fitness from their drivers. The top speed is over 330 miles per hour and in order to slow the cars down safely parachutes are deployed.

To generate that huge number of horses, a Top Fuel dragster’s beating heart is the 500 cubic inch engine that runs on a mix of methanol and nitromethane with a supercharger more powerful than the ones used by semi-trucks. These engines have hemispherical cylinders and are located, for safety and performance reasons, behind the driver. The nitromethane mix produces much more power than gasoline, but combusts more slowly, resulting in the plumes of flame that escape the exhausts of these roaring vehicles. Ignited by the hot exhaust, these plumes add to the car’s downforce.

That incredible engine pushes a chassis made of steel tubing with a 300 inch wheelbase (for stability and straightness). Integral to the chassis is the six point roll cage that protects the driver. The huge rear wing holds the dragster down, allowing the tires to keep traction. It has three different sections to it. Finally, the slick tires, over ten inches wider than street tires, produce smoke as well as grip and hold these incredible vehicles to the tracks on which they run.

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