Jalopnik: Drag Racing

International Scout gasser doing wheelies is as cool as it sounds

Tom Joslin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST

We're not sure many vehicles have ever left the factory that are less suited for low 11 second 1/4 miles and serious wheelies than the International Scout 80. That is exactly why the fact this 1963 International Scout is somehow capable of both of these impressive feats is so cool. More »

Top Fuel 4x4 Dragster Is An Abominable Snow Monster

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST

How come nobody told us that there are 2,000 horsepower 4X4 dragsters built on tractor frames racing on snow upstate RIGHT NOW? We need to see that frame flex in person, and we have to hear that blown V8 for ourselves. More »

11 second Toyota Corolla defines "sleeper"

Tom Joslin — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:30:00 EST

Although straight line performance was certainly not among the strong points of the third generation Toyota Corolla, you wouldn't know it to watch this white four door scream down the drag strip in less than twelve seconds. More »

Eight second Toyota Hiace van is the latest example of strange genius from Australia

Tom Joslin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:30:00 EST

What's not love about taking a vehicle with the aerodynamic properties of a garden shed and giving it the ability to run a high eight second 1/4 mile? That is exactly what Australian Burt Willemsem did with his third generation Toyota Hiace van. More »

Watch a Fiat 500 with a turbocharged Honda S2000 engine attack the track

Tom Joslin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

Even before the Fiat 500 became known to the American public as "the funny little car J.Lo drives" few people ever associated the cars with jaw dropping straight line performance, even in it's awesome original Abarth form. That might change after you watch these videos featuring an excellent vintage 500 with a turbocharged inline four from a Honda S2000. More »

Watch a Mercedes minivan from down under run a nine second 1/4 mile

Tom Joslin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:30:00 EST

If yesterday's 10 second Ford Bronco wasn't a good enough example of weird Australian drag cars we've got something even stranger—a Mercedes minivan capable of a nine second trip down the 1/4 mile. More »

Watch a full size Bronco from down under run a 10 second 1/4 mile

Tom Joslin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST

Seeing any full size Ford Bronco from the 80s in decent shape is an increasingly rare occurrence. Seeing a full size Ford Bronco from the 80s in decent shape that can run a 10 second 1/4 mile is beyond rare—it's downright unbelievable. More »

Is this the quickest Corvette ZR1 in the world?

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST

A few months back, Late Model Racecraft of Houston, Texas showed us what it was like to go 231 mph in a twin-turbo, 1,500-hp Corvette. Now they're schooling us again, doing the quarter mile in 9.68 seconds at 147 mph. Great butter pecan, that's quick. More »

Watch a drag racer crash, catch fire and then lay a scary burnout

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:30:00 EST

Last week, during the Street Car Super Nationals in Las Vegas, Drag Radial racer Eric Peterson's '69 Firebird went off line, hit the opposite wall, bounced back across the strip and caught fire. And then, The Burnout. More »

Watch the Hennessey CTS-V Wagon run the quarter-mile under 11 seconds

Raphael Orlove — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST

We can't get enough of the world's most bad-ass grocery-getter, the Hennessey CTS-V Wagon. Now here it is demolishing sound waves, tires, and the 11-second barrier at the strip. More »

Twin turbo nine second Jeep SRT8 is no ordinary SUV

Tom Joslin — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:30:00 EST

It might look like an average 2007 Jeep SRT8 at first glance, but from the moment this twin turbo beast launches, it becomes very clear this one is anything but average. More »

Watch an insane four door Volvo run a six second 1/4 mile

Tom Joslin — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 12:30:00 EDT

If you need proof a big turbo can make anything go fast, look no further than this video of a four door Volvo 850 running a 6.85 second 1/4 mile. More »

See all the action from Drag Week 2011

Tom Joslin — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EDT

Drag Week is an event put on by Hot Rod Magazine that takes unbelievably fast drag cars on a 1,000 mile road trip to five drag strips. The result is an event that must be seen to be believed. More »

Watch a "Lamborghini" drag car meet the wall at full throttle

Tom Joslin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:30:00 EDT

When the world of drag racing and modified supercars combine the result is usually pretty wild. Most of the time it's highly tuned hot rod exotics running amazing 1/4 miles while appearing mostly stock (if you can apply that term to a supercar) but every once in a while it gets a little more extreme. More »

Is your local drag strip safe?

Brian Lohnes, Bangshift — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EDT

A busy drag racing season's been highlighted by more than just quick times, with a series of high-profile incidents revealing tracks with empty ambulances, locked firetrucks, and untrained volunteers. BangShift wants to know: is your local drag strip safe or just pretending to be? — Ed. More »

Watch a wild Volvo 142 hit the Swedish strip

Tom Joslin — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EDT

We don't know much about this insane Volvo 142, but watching it run down the 402m drag strip at the Emmaboda Motorfestival in Sweden tells us more than enough. More »

Watch a Funny Car run a sub-four-second quarter-mile

Justin Hyde — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EDT

Sure, sub-4-second runs over a quarter-mile are old hat in Top Fuel drag racing, but the barrier had never been broken in the Funny Cars until this weekend, when Matt Hagan drove a 3.995 run at 316 mph. More »

Watch a surprisingly close drag race between a Ferrari and a Swedish big rig

Tom Joslin — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EDT

A drag race between a Ferrari 360 Spider and a Volvo big rig sounds pretty one sided, but this isn't just any big rig. The "Mean Green" was built by Volvo and features a twin turbo 16 liter engine good for 1900hp as well as a 200hp electric motor. The company created the truck to be the world's fastest hybrid truck and from the looks of this video they are well on their way to claiming that title. More »

Watch a '57 Chevy drag car crash and burn, literally

Tom Joslin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EDT

You would think crashing your blown high horsepower '57 Chevy drag car on a pass down the strip would be bad enough, but in this case it was only the beginning. More »

Watch an Audi A5 transform into a drag car

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:30:00 EDT

Sweden's Jens Eklund has been sending huge-horsepower Audis down drag strips since last decade. His latest car stands out for its mind-twisting mashup of the A5's lithe form with that typically hand-made muscularity of a drag car. The result? Awesomeness writ huge. More »

Thieves snatch teenagers' dragster before first race

Justin Hyde — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT

Two 17-year-old twins in Omaha, Neb., had big plans for their first drag race in their hardtail SuperComp this weekend — until the car and its trailer were stolen from an Omaha lot. More »

Texas drag racer survives massive crash, fireball

Justin Hyde — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:00:00 EDT

Weekend amateur drag racing can provide hours of fun, but there's always a small chance of something like this —a fiery crash on Sunday where the driver was lucky to walk away. More »

Watch a pro street motorcycle rider get thrown from his bike at high speed

Tom Joslin — Sun, 08 May 2011 14:00:00 EDT

Motorcycle drag racing is pretty insane to begin with, but trying to break into the very low seven second range on a pro street nitrous equipped Hayabusa without a wheelie bar is taking it to a new level. That is exactly what motorcycle racer Doug Witt was attempting to do when the crash you see here occurred. Amazingly Witt was able to walk away after being thrown from his bike proving drag racers of the two wheeled variety to be not only crazy, but amazingly resilient. More »

Watch the fastest IRS Corvette in the world run a seven second ¼ mile

Tom Joslin — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Mark Carlyle's street driven C6 Corvette first earned the title of fastest Independent Rear Suspension equipped Corvette in the world last year, but now it's the only IRS in the world that can travel 1320 feet in less than eight seconds. More »

"Jungle Jim" burnouts

Tom Joslin — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EDT

Long before John Force, "Jungle Jim" Lieberman won over crowds and gained a following with his huge burnouts and drag strip showmanship. Jungle Jim built a large fan base with his theatrics and wild rides down the drag strip. This picture was taken in April of 1976, a little over a year before he died in an off track car accident. More »

The world's fastest Turbo Dodge Caravan is for sale

Justin Hyde — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST

Like the vanes of a turbocharger, our attention turns quickly to new projects once one ends. Which is why the owner of what's claimed to be the world's fastest 1989 Turbo Dodge Caravan — which can hit 11-second quarter-mile runs — is selling for $6,500 to fund other projects. More »

Top Gear Australia needs this van

Tom Joslin — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST

In the second episode of this season's Top Gear the three Brits took on their Top Gear Australia counterparts in a series of challenges, included racing the fastest commercial vehicles the countries had to offer. More »

Nine Second Four Door Cadillac Terrorizes ¼ Mile

Tom Joslin — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST

When you think about a Cadillac, drag strips are usually not among the first things that come to mind. This 4 door CTS-V produces approximately 865 horsepower which help it run an impressive 9.85 second 1/4 mile with relative ease. More »

Six Cylinder 1965 Ford Mustang Runs a Nine Second ¼ Mile

Tom Joslin — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST

They do things differently "down under". That's why this 1965 Ford Mustang from Australia is powered by a heavily modified four liter turbocharged straight six engine from a Ford Falcon. Watch this odd pony run a 9.96 ¼ mile. More »

Top Ten Things I Accomplished While Contributing To Jalopnik

Rob Krider — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST

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I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to partake in a few motorsports events, snap a couple of blurry photographs, mistype some finishing results, and report back here on Jalopnik. Here is a top 10 list of those adventures. More »

A Different Kind of Christmas Tree

Tom Joslin — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:30:00 EST

This excerpt from the NHRA's "The First 50 Years" features an explanation of how the current quarter mile starting light system or "Christmas Tree" replaced starting flags and some awesome vintage drag racing footage. More »

How The French Saw Drag Racing in 1966

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST

Lions Dragstrip, circa 1966. A French film crew shows up with their Arriflexes to cover the gassers-and-railjobs scene at the iconic Los Angeles raceway. What they caught was a great piece of film. Break out that high-school French, mes frères. More »

World's Fastest Corvair-Powered Sand Dragster

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:30:00 EST

There's no end to the superlatives the automotively obsessed will pursue, which is why we'll proudly feature the "fastest Corvair-powered sand dragster." Watch it traverse this dirty 300-foot track in just 2.97 seconds. Can you top it? (H/T Jaredglentz!) More »

Ford Drags 2012 Cobra Jet Mustang From Factory

Justin Hyde — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST

Ford Racing pulled back the covers on the 2012 Cobra Jet Mustang drag racer today, confirming some of the specs leaked out a couple weeks back. Price tag: $103,980. Who needs a Lexus for Christmas? More »

Ride Shotgun In A 200 MPH Twin-Turbo '57 Chevy

Tom Joslin — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST

Ever wonder what it is like to ride shotgun in a twin-turbo 1957 Chevy on the way to 200 MPH in a tick over seven seconds? This video shot at Hot Rod Magazine's Drag Week provides the answer: It's awesome. More »

Why Did America Stop Indoor Drag Racing?

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST

Chicago's International Amphitheater was turned into an indoor drag strip in 1962. This was done to avoid wintry conditions, but racers said the concrete floors were like "racing on ice." Why'd they ever stop such awesomeness? [TheCamaroSite via StreetLegalTV, @HemmingsNews] More »

Yes, A Minivan Needs A Jet Engine

Vinny Minchillo — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EDT

You have an extra jet engine. You have a minivan. Ding! You now have an idea. More »

Former Drag Racer Commits Suicide In His Failed Car Dealership

Justin Hyde — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:30:00 EDT

Lenny Woods, a black businessman whose name graced the groundbreaking Stone Woods & Cooke Swindler drag car racer in the 1960s, was found dead in his failed California Ford dealership Tuesday after an apparent suicide. He was 64 years old. More »

America's Fastest Street Car Drives 1000 Miles, Rips Off 6.95-Second 1/4-Mile

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EDT

Larry Larson participated in Hot Rod's anti-trailer-queen Drag Week 2010 with his twin-turbocharged, 2300-ish-horsepower 6.95-second 1/4-mile at 209mph 1966 Chevrolet Nova. He then packed up and drove off as America's fastest street car. [1320 Video, Bangshift] More »

Drag Racing With Power Tools

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EDT

Combine two things we love — power tools and drag racing — and you'll get the Silverline Power Tool Drag Racing Championship. It's a bunch of nutters racing chopsaw and chainsaw-powered go karts for fame and glory. More »