Author Statement: Timothy Miller
Audience: Trade
Specs: 100 color and 50 black-and-white photographs, 20 color illustrations, glossary, index
Pages: 208
Trim Size: 10" X 9 3/4" X 5/8"
Language code 1: eng
Publication Date: 20120906
Copyright Year: 2012
Drag Racing: The World's Fastest Sport
Essential for drag racing fans and libraries in communities where drag strips draw crowds.
--Library Journal
Gearheads will likely devour this book, but anyone who's ever sat behind a wheel and wondered what it would feel like to floor it will find this cinematic account difficult to put down.
--Publishers Weekly
Once considered the "bad boy" of motorsport, drag racing has evolved into one of the most technically sophisticated and exciting forms of automotive competition. Where at one time it was a sport practiced on deserted roads, today there are almost 400 professional racetracks in North America devoted to competitive drag racing.
This action-packed book reviews the history of the sport from its origins in post-WWII California to the widely respected sport it is today. It explains the differences between car classes, such as Top Fuelers and Funny Cars, Alcohol Cars, Pro Modifieds and Pro Stock, and profiles the sport's pioneers and today's best-known racers.
Drag Racing describes the latest developments in power, speed and racing safety. Consider these remarkable statistics:
- From a dead stop a Top Fuel Dragster is the fastest-accelerating vehicle in the world and, at full throttle, it consumes the same amount of fuel as a fully loaded Boeing 747.
- During the launch of a fuel car, the driver sustains close to five Gs of force--more than a space-shuttle astronaut.
- Today's Pro Modifieds are capable of traveling a quarter mile in less than six seconds at speeds that exceed 240 mph.
- A competitive NHRA Pro Stock engine produces over 1300 horsepower, and consumes gasoline at a rate of 7.5 gallons per minute.
Dedicated and new fans alike will thrill at the rubber-burning pages of Drag Racing.
| Bio: | Tim Miller is an automotive journalist and the author of NASCAR Now!, just published in its third edition. |
| Preface: | Introduction Once considered the "bad boy" of motorsport, drag racing has evolved into one of the most technically sophisticated forms of motorized competition. And it produces some of the most exciting racing, based on a simple premise: two drivers race their vehicles, from a standing start, over a measured distance (usually a quarter-mile), competing for the shortest elapsed time. From its California roots after World War II, drag racing spread throughout North America in the 1950s and 1960s, and today there are close to 400 facilities devoted to straight-line racing. As well, this motorsport has crossed the ocean and established itself in Great Britain, Europe, Australia and New Zealand -- something other forms of auto racing can only dream of. Drag racing has also broken out of the men-only traditional mold when it comes to competitors. It has always welcomed women racers, some of whom have become major players in the sport. It has also embraced youth like no other form of racing, with programs such as Junior Dragsters and Tuner car events where young people can compete. Fans of drag racing enjoy an atmosphere that allows them to walk through the pits at the track and watch the teams at work on their cars between races, something unheard of in other types of racing. Fans can also, at times, meet their heroes in the pits, and many a child has gone home happy, after getting a hero-card autograph or a chance to sit in a race car. From the pioneers and their crude homemade cars built with no after-market speed equipment and raced on impromptu tracks with virtually no crowd control or fire and safety gear to today's multimillion dollar touring teams and professional racing venues, drag racing stages an assault on the senses like no other form of racing. It entertains in a colorful, loud, fast-paced environment that explodes upon the viewer. Some classes of cars literally shake the ground with the body-thumping vibrations of the loudest mechanical vehicles on the planet. Just watch a person who is witnessing a Top Fuel match-up for the first time. When the tire smoke clears, their jaw is still wide open and their eyes are as big as saucers. Drag Racing not only talks about where drag racing has been, it also talks about today's racing and the current trends that will help form the future of drag racing. You'll read about the legends of the sport, and how the various sanctioning bodies have shaped drag racing. You'll learn the basics of the sport, and about the makeup of a 7,500-horsepower missile-on-wheels. You'll also get a better understanding about the importance of youth in drag racing, and read about some of the more prominent builders in the sport. So get staged and watch that Tree! |
| TOC: | Table of Contents Introduction |
