Drag racing became a sanctioned sport back in the 1950’s, and has remained popular ever since. The World Wide Web gives an excellent, authoritative definition that reads as follows: “Drag racing is a form of auto racing in which cars or motorcycles attempt to complete a fairly short, straight and level course in the shortest amount of time. Drag racing originated in the United States and is still the most popular there. The most common distance is one quarter of a mile, although one eighth of a mile tracks are also popular, especially in the southeastern United States.”
While many people believe that drag racing is a popular sport only in the United States, there are numerous other countries where drag racing has quite a fan base. These countries include Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Malta, Australia, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, Greece, England, the Caribbean, as well as many Scandinavian and European countries. At any given time, there are approximately 325 drag racing strips fully operational worldwide
Drag racing is essentially two cars racing against one another down a straight track to see who can cross the finish line first. Since there are no hair pin turns involved, this may sound like an easy feat, however, the driver must be able to have quick reactions times and be able to handle the car effectively. In addition, the car must be tuned to near perfection and operate well under extreme circumstances.
While many people are content to simply haul their dragster down to the local track every Saturday night and compete for bragging rights and trophies, there are many drag racers that take drag racing seriously and attend sanctioned events to compete for big titles and big money.
In professional drag racing, there are only five main categories, and these include Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Modified, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Bike. In the upper racing divisions, dragsters can reach speeds of up to 330 miles per hour! This means that a car performing at this rate of speed could travel the distance of a quarter mile track in a mere 4.45 seconds. If you have never witnessed this in person, it is an awesome sight to behold.
Drag racing has turned into a multimillion-dollar business; with companies paying for ad space on the racecars, as well as race promoters vying for television and radio time, drag racing is enjoying wide exposure. If you have yet to be exposed to drag racing, grab the family or a few friends and head on down to your closest racetrack! A night of drag racing will afford the entire family a wonderful time, as well as a unique experience.
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