Tag Page TopFuel

#TopFuel
Erin Roberts

🔥 My Top 5 Most Impressive Top Fuel Teams — Both On & Off the Track

Look, we all have our favorites — but if we’re talking about who’s running the sharpest operations (performance + business + team culture), here’s my personal top 5: 1️⃣ Capco Contractors / Torrence Racing Steve Torrence’s crew is a damn machine. Family-owned, insanely consistent, and they don’t fold under pressure. Plus, they keep it surprisingly humble despite that hardware collection. 2️⃣ AB Motorsports (Antron Brown) AB took a big risk leaving the comfort of DSR to launch his own operation. Watching him win with his own name on the door hits different. Their sponsor program & fan engagement are top notch. 3️⃣ Kalitta Motorsports Generations deep. Doug Kalitta & Shawn Langdon keep this place rolling as a legacy juggernaut. Kalitta’s business ties keep everything funded like clockwork, and their crew guys are some of the best in the pits. 4️⃣ Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Say what you want about Tony jumping from NASCAR, but TSR invested serious $$ and resources into NHRA. Watching Leah’s team come together under this banner was huge for the sport. 5️⃣ Schumacher family (DSR / Maynard partnerships) Even with DSR scaling back, you can’t ignore how Don Schumacher built an empire. Between Top Fuel & Funny Car, they set the gold standard for multi-car efficiency for decades. Yeah, I know there’s a bunch of dark horses out there that deserve love (Clay’s crew, the Millican passion show, and even some of the part-time hitters). But if I’m talking sheer all-around operational strength, these 5 are it for me. Who’s in your top 5? #NHRA #DragRacing #TopFuel #FamilyTeams #BigLeagues

🔥 My Top 5 Most Impressive Top Fuel Teams — Both On & Off the Track
Erin Roberts

😂 Okay Okay, Where’s John Force Racing in My Top 5?

Alright, you guys showed up in droves to call me out for not putting JFR on my “Top 5 Top Fuel teams” list. Fair enough — I get it. I’ll say it loud: John Force Racing is arguably the biggest name in drag racing, period. John’s a legend. Brittany is a championship Top Fuel driver. Austin Prock’s no slouch either. Their marketing, fan base, longevity — it’s off the charts. But here’s why they didn’t crack my Top Fuel operational list: Their bread and butter is still Funny Car. JFR is synonymous with Funny Car dominance. Top Fuel was almost an add-on that got huge because Brittany nailed it. Pure Top Fuel focus? I just give the edge to Capco, ABM, Kalitta, TSR, and the Schumacher legacy because that’s their life. Force built his empire around Funny Car first. Trust me, there’s no drag racing without John Force Racing. And if you did a list of “Most Important Teams in NHRA History,” they’re #1 by a mile. Just means we get to argue more, and that’s half the fun of being fans. So keep throwing your lists at me. 🍻 #NHRA #DragRacing #TopFuel #JohnForceRacing #StillLegends

😂 Okay Okay, Where’s John Force Racing in My Top 5?
Richard Berger

Grew up living for NASCAR Sundays… now it’s NHRA that gets me off the couch

I grew up deep in Georgia. Sundays meant NASCAR, plain and simple. My dad would crack open a Miller Lite before noon, fire up the grill, and we’d park it on the couch for hours, arguing over whether Earnhardt’s black 3 looked meaner than Gordon’s rainbow 24. But honestly? The last few years have been rough. I stuck with it through the Car of Tomorrow, through all the aero drama, even tried to defend the stage racing. But nowadays it just feels like they’re manufacturing chaos instead of letting it play out. Half the field gets torn up on restarts, and it’s more about who survives than who’s actually fast. Weird thing is, around two years ago, I started catching NHRA on Fox. At first it was just background noise, but then — holy crap. The first time a Top Fuel car fired down the strip, I legit jumped. Couldn’t believe anything moved that quick. The nitro hit me right in the chest through my damn TV. So now I’m that guy — telling all my NASCAR buddies they gotta at least go to one drag race. You’ve never felt horsepower until you stand by the fence at zMax when two dragsters light off. Anyone else here slowly drifting over from stock cars to straight lines? Or am I just chasing the next fix of mechanical insanity? #NASCAR #NHRA #RacingNews #Southern #TopFuel #FunnyCar

Grew up living for NASCAR Sundays… now it’s NHRA that gets me off the couchGrew up living for NASCAR Sundays… now it’s NHRA that gets me off the couch
Brianna Hernandez

Don’t sleep on the ladies of NHRA — some of the baddest drivers out there

Been going to NHRA events for years, and I gotta say… if you still think drag racing is some old boys’ club, you’re living under a rock. These women flat-out RACE. Watching Brittany Force chase down a 3.6-second run in Top Fuel, or Erica Enders absolutely mop the field in Pro Stock — it’s the real deal. No gimmicks, no token entries, they’re out there winning championships on merit. Last year at Charlotte I stood by a dad hoisting his daughter up on his shoulders, pointing down the track and saying, “That’s Brittany. Girls can drive Top Fuel too.” Thought that was the coolest damn moment. And it’s not just the drivers. Half the tuners, clutch techs, even marketing crew hustling in the pits are women. NHRA feels miles ahead of a lot of other series in this respect. So here’s to the ladies turning wrenches, pulling holeshots, and running quicker 60-foots than most dudes could dream of. The future looks pretty badass. #NHRA #GirlsPower #Women #TopFuel #RacingFamily

Don’t sleep on the ladies of NHRA — some of the baddest drivers out there
JJ Soto

Took my 10-year-old to his first NHRA event… he didn’t close his mouth for two hours

Finally pulled the trigger and took my 10-year-old to his first ever NHRA Nationals this past weekend. He’s grown up watching racing on TV with me — mostly NASCAR, sometimes F1 — but I told him straight up: nothing prepares you for Top Fuel in person. We’re standing by the fence at zMax, he’s got his little foam earplugs jammed in. First pair of dragsters line up, stage, and launch… and he just turns and stares at me with this pure shock on his face. Mouth wide open, eyes saucer big, like he just saw a T-Rex crash through the wall. Didn’t even flinch, just stood there trying to process what the hell just hit him. Then he starts giggling like a madman. “Dad, I FELT that in my feet!” Damn right you did, buddy. Rest of the day he wouldn’t shut up about how he wants to build a junior dragster. Guess this is how the addiction starts. Worth every overpriced funnel cake we bought. Can’t wait to do it again. #DragRacing #FamilyTime #RacingLife #TopFuel #Parenting

Took my 10-year-old to his first NHRA event… he didn’t close his mouth for two hours
JJ Soto

Still geeking out over clutch dust and blower pops after 25 years of watching NHRA

I’ve been an NHRA nut since I was 17, standing behind the chain-link at Gainesville with borrowed earplugs and zero clue what was about to happen. One throttle whack from a Funny Car later, my chest cavity was permanently rewired. Fast forward a couple decades, and yeah, I’m still that guy who will spend an hour explaining clutch dust or why the burnout matters more than half the casual fans realize. It’s not just “go fast, blow up.” It’s watching crews hustle in 35 minutes to rebuild a car you’d swear was dead — changing pistons, redoing the heads, packing fresh clutch discs, resetting the blower overdrive like it’s normal Tuesday shop work. I’ve stood at the ropes and heard the idle of a nitro car literally slap my pant legs. Seen old dudes take out their hearing aids on the starting line so they don’t fry them. Sure, it’s violent. But it’s also delicate. Watching a crew chief dial fuel by hundredths of a gallon, reading spark plugs like tarot cards. It’s art. If you know, you know. If you don’t… come stand with us at the 330 mark and let it hit you. You’ll get religion real quick. #NHRA #DragRacing #TopFuel #Parenting

Still geeking out over clutch dust and blower pops after 25 years of watching NHRA