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Blogs by John A. Autero
1320 to Get to the Finish Line 6/20/2015 2:39:42 AM
About fifteen years ago I went to a small drag strip in Wisconsin to see some local cars run. Most of the cars were gasoline powered and owned by local guys that wrenched on them after work and on the weekend. But there were four cars at the track that day that were professionally owned top fuel cars. The top fuel cars run on nitro-methane instead of gasoline and shook the Earth as they ran down the quarter mile.
At that point I became hooked on top fuel drag racing.
Being an engineer, the mechanics of the machine fascinate me. 8000 horsepower from an engine is an incredible feet of engineering and technology.
But the thing that really got me hooked was the battering of the human senses these cars provide the fans when they hit the go-pedal. The Earth shakes and so does your entire body. You feel pulsating explosions as spent nitro exits the open header exhaust and your ears will take a beating unless you have protection.
To provide some understanding of the power and speed that is created I refer you to this short blurb. It is called "The Definition of Acceleration".
The blurb shows a variety of interesting facts about top fuel cars and how fast they go. For example. "Top Fuel dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed reading this sentence."
Now you see why I love this sport. And by the way, I did not come up with the title of this blog. I have to credit Dave Mustaine (another drag racing fan)from the band Megadeth for penning that phrase.
