The first two issues of National DRAGSTER 2010 are out the door, and we're knee-deep in preview stuff for the 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline and the season as well as plotting issues beyond those.

When late last year we were deciding on themed content for the early 2010 issues, we hit upon a great – but daunting – concept for our fifth issue: top 10 lists. We came up with a list of topics for 10 lists to cover the major areas of our sport: Pro drivers, Sportsman drivers, crew chiefs, cars, innovations, rivalries, national events, runs, upsets, and moments.

Now, anyone who has ever created one – or even read one – knows that they are lightning rods for controversy, but the specter of picking the 10 best anything in a sport as old, storied, diverse, and rabidly followed by legions of loyal and knowledgeable fans feels kind of like standing at the foot of Mount Everest in sneakers and a windbreaker. Like I said, it's a daunting task.

Not that we're not prepared. Our staff has plenty of background knowledge and a full library at our fingertips, and we've recruited a trio of very well-respected historians of the sport – Bob Frey, Bret Kepner, and Todd Veney – to make sure we don't overlook anyone.

Unlike 2001's Top 50 Racers selection for which I enlisted a veritable who's who army of drag racing experts to develop, this is going to be the National DRAGSTER staff's top 10 picks – not that of the NHRA or the community – so it's like we're going a little bit rogue to do this, so don't call Tom Compton if we don’t pick your favorite.

That being said, I am considering a popular-vote component as an addendum to our feature, where you fans can weigh in, and I can’t think of any better place to start than right here, with some of the greatest fans in the sport.

If you'd like to weigh in, send me your top picks in each of the categories below, using the specific e-mail link for each so that I can easily filter them through my Inbox. I'll compile the results of the outside voting and create a separate set of lists. It'll be interesting to see how our lists vary.

So, here ya go. Below are the categories, with just a brief note of criteria for each, and each with its own e-mail link. Please send each of your lists separately. Get those thinking caps on and get busy.

Top 10 Pro Drivers (success and driving skills): E-mail picks

Top 10 Sportsman Drivers (including alcohol): E-mail picks

Top 10 Crew Chiefs (wins and innovations): E-mail picks

Top 10 Cars (success of car, not necessarily driver): E-mail picks

Top 10 Innovations (mechanical or otherwise): E-mail picks

Top 10 Rivalries (drivers and/or teams): E-mail picks

Top 10 NHRA National Events (performance, emotion): E-mail picks

Top 10 Runs (not limited only to performance): E-mail picks

Top 10 Upsets (event, round or season): E-mail picks

Top 10 Moments (NHRA’s most memorable moments): E-mail picks

Have fun!

So, Senior Editor Kevin McKenna sent out a note to Messrs. Frey, Kepner, and Veney asking for their help, and the ever-clever Kepner, seizing on a bit of vagueness in the note as to the focus of our lists, responded thusly.

"I'm surprised you didn't narrow this poll to include only drag racing. I doubt if I can struggle through each category, but I'll make an attempt at the easy ones."
 
Innovations:
1. Fire
2. Wheel
3. Language
4. Electricity
5. Indoor Plumbing
6. Birth Control
7. Roomba
8. Riding Lawnmower
9. Sliced Bread
10. Internet
 
Crew Chiefs:
1. Barney Oldfield
2. Ray Evernham
3. Juan Manuel Fangio
4. Flavio Briatore
5. Dale Inman
6. Bobby Unser
7. George Bignotti
8. Richard Noble
9. Neil Armstrong
10. Dave Edstrom
 
Upsets:
1. David/Goliath (event)
2. Truman/Dewey (season)
3. Spartans/Persians (event)
4. Louis/Schmeling (season)
5. USA/USSR (Lake Placid) (event)
6. USA/USSR (Bay of Pigs) (season)
7. Douglas/Tyson (event)
8. Upset/Man O' War (season)
9. Diversity/Susan Boyle (season)
10. Frankenstein/Godzilla (event)
 
Rivalries:
1. Hatfields/McCoys
2. Republicans/Democrats
3. National League/American League
4. Ford/Chevrolet
5. Capitalists/Communists
6. Lohan/Hilton
7. Cats/Dogs
8. Hogan/Andre the Giant
9. Leno/O'Brien
10. Cubs/Everybody Else

Funny guy!

OK, get to nominating, kids. Remember, please submit up to 10 for each of the categories, and PLEASE use the specific e-mail link for each. Thanks.

See ya next week.