The Amazing Engineering of Top Fuel Dragsters

Why did I make a video on drag racing I hear you ask, well I did do drag racing about 30 years at Santa Pod, Avon Park and York Raceway but in the rather lower 9.90 bracket class of Supergas where I raced a road-legal 1968 Chevy Camero SS called "Coco Connection" running a 650 hp 462 ci big block + 100hp of nitrous oxide. The car is still around on youtube but I think it's red now while it was metallic yellow when I had it. It was actually a Custom Car magazine centre page spread back in the 80s when it had just come over from Florida. Anyways, I always loved the Top Fuel cars and the staggering amount of speed and noise they created so I thought that I would revisit the fuelers to see what had changed over the past 30 years and its still extreme engineering like rockets, planes etc, hell maybe I should do Rocket/Jet cars sometime, their even more fun down the 1/4 mile :-)

My favorite Top Fuel story involved a fairly new owner who was concerned about the high cost of engines exploding. He asked the crew chief how to prevent it. The crew chief told him the only way to prevent a top fuel engine from exploding was to not start it.

I do machining for a large aerospace company and as a 'thank you' I took six of the firms engineers to their first top fuel event.On the drive there I told them that whatever they are picturing, they are wrong, it will be much more extreme. On the drive home every one of them said they never imagined anything even close to what they just witnessed!!

Dearest Paul I have been a Drag Racing Announcer for 30 years and I have seen so many people explain the Top Fuel class. You Sir, have gone above and beyond with your research and should stand proud! This IS the best video out there, Period.

Everyone should go to a NHRA Top Fuel race once in their life. It’s sensory overload on all the senses. The exhaust makes your eyes burn, the noise is deafening and you can feel the exhaust pulse pounding against your chest. It truly is a very unique experience

"If you want to become a millionare drag racing, just start with 10 million" Best quote ever.

I went to an NHRA drag race for the first time in my life a month ago. -The loudest sound Ive ever heard, without question. -and I was a jet maintainer in the Air Force.

The slow motion twist and jumping around when power is applied for the burnout is wicked.

Listening to a English gentleman talk about Top Fuel is very entertaining 👌

There's a great story of Dario Franchitti testing an Indycar at Sonoma. He was pounding out the laps and was randomly feeling a bad vibration in his steering, severe enough to bring the car in to the pits. It turned out that there was also a top-fuel team running on the Sonoma drag strip and when they were doing burn outs they were shaking the ground to such an extent that Dario could feel it through the car.

Some of the most exhilarating moments of my life have been attending an NHRA national event. We walked through the pits, and watched them rebuilding an engine. When they fired up the engine and blipped the throttle, it was just as if a HUGE explosion had happened right next to you. It was funny watching the crew motioning to the crowd to cover their ears just before starting up, and watching the "badasses" standing there with their arms crossed. But after the blip of the throttle, EVERYONE was covering their ears (and crying because of the nitro fumes burning their eyes!). Watching them run at full throttle was like having Leon Spinks drumming on your chest with his boxing gloves on. It is the most incredibly LOUD thing that I have ever heard. Even when they'd break, or spin coming off the line and back off the throttle they'd STILL run a 9 or 10 second time COASTING all the way down the track and through the lights after that millisecond long blip of the throttle. Unbelievable!!!

One the greatest examples of "brute force" engineering out there. "Whatcha doing?" "Strapping a seat to a series of just barely controlled, highly volatile detonations." "Is that a good idea?" "Worked for NASA. And it sounds BRILLIANT!"

i'm not a car guy...but somebody brought me to a Top Fuel event. I had NO IDEA the FEELING of being near one of these. You become very aware of your guts.

This is easily the best overview of a top fuel dragster's operation that I have seen. Great job.

I don't think I've heard a better explanation of what we few fans consider sacred! If you see these beasts in person once, you will be forever changed. It's an indescribable experience! No one ice EVER seen that's a newbie is prepared for the literal body shaking violence these things put out. Just a jaw that hits the ground! Well done!

Two features that keep me coming back to Curious Droid: 1. The intro theme 2. The shirts

I've been a mechanic for over 30 years and it's amazing to me how they get that much power from a V8 engine! There's absolutely nothing like it on earth!

I reluctantly went to watch top fuel dragsters in Vegas back in 2018. I say reluctantly as they don’t turn corners. Anyway, i’d go again tomorrow and recommend anyone to go and watch. I’ve never seen anything so loud and fast off the mark in my life. Can’t wait to go again 🏁🏁🏁👌

This is the most accurate, detailed, informative and entertaining explanation of top fuel racing I have ever seen. Bravo. Thank you.

Very interesting and enjoyable.