Drag Racing

Can you imagine going 200 mph in just 7 seconds? How about 396 mph in just 3.5 seconds? Well many people have never gone that fast but for some they can. Drag racing to some is a waist of time but to others it’s their world. Drag racing has been around for many years now with interesting roots, and it has also come a long way, and has had a great influence on most modern cars.

From the information given on pbs.org, Drag racing began in the 1930s in dry lake beds of the California desert. Now this was just the start of drag racing. After ww2 drag racing really took flight. With the first organized event being at the Goleta air base in 1949. But has mainly remained as an underground pastime. It wasn’t until the NHRA was formed in 1951 that the sport began to really take in American history.

As drag racing began take in history. It also began to take place into manufactures design and manufacturing. As hot rod magazine states “if it wasn’t for drag racing the muscle car would have never been born. Drag racing has also affected modern motors and transmissions. Drag racing was about getting the most out of the lightest components. If you look at a modern car the concept is the same from the chassis to the motor.

Following this came the improvements to parts and manufacturing. When drag racing first began everything was made from steel. Steel is heavy but strong, as manufacturing and people demanded for more power and speed aluminum came into the picture. First it started with small components and now we have the majority of car being made from aluminum. Which means more power and speed.