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Winningest Top Fuel drivers

18 Apr 2016
Candida Benson, Jr. Dragster Contributor
Fast Five

Don Garlits earned the first Top Fuel Wally at the 1963 Winternationals, and 809 more have been awarded to date. Who has the most? This week, we look at the five drivers at the top of the Top Fuel wins list.

No. 1: Tony Schumacher

Not only does he have more season championships than any other driver (eight), but “the Sarge” is also the leader in wins with 80 under his belt. Schumacher picked up his first win in Dallas in 1999 and has steadily won races ever since. Schumacher’s most recent win came last year in Chicago against longtime rival Larry Dixon.

No. 2: Larry Dixon

Speaking of Dixon, the three-time world champion has collected 62 wins during his illustrious career. Following in the footsteps of his dad, Larry Sr., who won Top Fuel at the 1970 Winternationals, Dixon collected his first Wally in the class in Phoenix in 1995. His most recent victory was also in Phoenix, in 2011.

No. 3: Joe Amato

Amato didn’t become a five-time world champion by accident — he was a consistent winner in the competitive class for many years, racking up 52 victories before he stepped out of the cockpit at the end of the 2000 season. Amato’s first victory was in Montreal in 1983, and he tallied win No. 52 at the 2000 Reading event.

No. 4: Kenny Bernstein (tie)

The final spots in our top five go to a pair of drivers who have wins in multiple categories. First is legend Bernstein, the first driver to win championships in both nitro classes. In all, Bernstein tallied 69 wins during his career, the majority of which came in Top Fuel. Bernstein hoisted a Top Fuel Wally 39 times during his career. The first was at the 1991 Phoenix event, and Bernstein’s final Top Fuel win came in 2003 at the season finale in Pomona.

No. 4: Antron Brown (tie)

Brown, a winner in both Pro Stock Motorcycle and Top Fuel, tied Bernstein for fourth on the Top Fuel wins list when he powered to victory at the most recent event on the NHRA tour, Las Vegas. That brought his Top Fuel Wally tally up to 39. Brown, who also has 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle wins, earned the first of his 39 Top Fuel titles in Houston in 2008.