NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

NHRA is celebrating 50 years of Funny Car racing this season, and the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals is an appropriate event for the category’s milestone 800th race.

Chicago is deeply rooted in nitro racing history. The match racing heyday of the 1970s featured several one-night events that adopted the Chicago-style format where the quickest winners of two rounds of action would square off for the big prize in a final. Many famed teams came from the area, none more reputable than the Chi-Town Hustler (pictured) campaigned by Austin Coil, Pat Minick, and John Farkonas. Their legend on the match race scene was validated with consecutive NHRA titles in 1982 and 1983 with Frank Hawley behind the wheel before funding dried up and Coil went on to become the most successful tuner of all time with an upstart John Force.

As the 800th event approaches at Route 66 Raceway July 7-10, here is a look at some of the milestone events in the Funny Car category.

1: 1966 World Finals
At the first NHRA event where Funny Cars were a featured category, Ed Schartman defeated “Dyno Don” Nicholson in the final round in Tulsa, Okla., a memory that Schartman fondly recalled while being interviewed by Lewis Bloom on the FOX Sports 1 telecast of this year’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. “Fast Eddie” crossed through the traps at 8.38 seconds and 174 mph.

100: 1981 NHRA Gatornationals
The Funny Car class was pretty evolved by the time it reached its 100th race. Drivers near the top of the qualifying sheets were making five-second runs with regularity. The late Gordie Bonin won in Gainesville for the third time. “240 Gordie” drove the Jerry Verheul-tuned Flo-Rite Funny Car to an exciting 6.18 to 6.21 decision over Dale Pulde’s War Eagle in the final round.

200: 1988 NHRA Finals
John Force ended the season with his fourth win of 143 and counting. Kenny Bernstein closed out his last of four consecutive Funny Car world championships, and Force gave him something to think about by recording low e.t. and top speed of eliminations (5.374, 274.97) to win the event.

250: 1991 Northwest Nationals
As Jim White was on the verge of shattering the Funny Car speed record on a seemingly weekly basis in Roland Leong’s Hawaiian Punch Dodge Daytona, he got to the final round in Seattle but was shut out by that season’s champion, John Force. White had the field covered by more than a tenth during qualifying, and Force closed the gap on race day. In the final round, a holeshot earned Force a 5.360 to 5.359 victory.

300: 1994 Springnationals
The first couple of Funny Car milestone events were good to Gordie Bonin, who made a comeback behind the wheel in 1993 driving for Roland Leong with Leonard Hughes tuning, which led to Bonin driving for the fabled Candies & Hughes team the next season. Two events after the unit won together for the first time in Memphis, Tenn., Bonin won the Columbus event for the second consecutive season in what would be the final victory of the popular Canadian driver’s career.

400: 1999 Summernationals
Historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park hosted a classic Funny Car final between John Force and Cruz Pedregon. After Pedregon defeated brother and Force teammate Tony Pedregon in the semifinals, each driver made his quickest run of the event, with Force winning on a slight 4.879 to 4.873 holeshot.

500: 2003 Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals
This rendition of the Brainerd event featured a working-man final between Southern California schoolteacher Gary Densham and driver/owner/tuner Tim Wilkerson. Wilkerson got the edge on the Tree, but Densham guided the Jimmy Prock-tuned Auto Club Mustang to a 5.009 to 5.042 win that was decided by a margin of just .005-second.

600: 2008 NHRA Winternationals
Robert Hight began the 2008 season where he left off at the end of 2007: with a trip to the winner’s circle in Pomona. Cruz Pedregon, who went on to win the title that season, got off the line first and gave him a great race, but Hight prevailed in a 4.861 to 4.879 contest.

700: 2012 NHRA Summernationals
The final round between Don Schumacher Racing teammates Jack Beckman and Ron Capps at Heartland Park Topeka was something of an awkward pairing at the time considering that crew chief Rahn Tobler had been reassigned from Beckman’s team to Capps’ following a surprise DNQ by Capps in Las Vegas one month earlier. Beckman and newly hired crew chief Todd Smith found the winner’s circle together thanks to Beckman’s psychic .004 light in the final that earned them a 4.158 to 4.107 holeshot victory.

750: 2014 NHRA New England Nationals
The NAPA Dodge Charger was dialed in on race day, with Ron Capps beginning eliminations with a holeshot win over Tim Wilkerson and closing out a series of close races throughout the day. In the final, he beat Alexis DeJoria in a 4.095 to 4.121 contest.