NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals will mark the 1,000th Funny Car race in NHRA history, and NHRA will present a special trophy to the winner in addition to one of the keepsake NHRA 75th Anniversary Wallys.

Tom Patsis of Cold Hard Art painstakingly recreated the trophy given to Eddie Schartman, winner of the first Funny Car race, the 1966 NHRA World Finals in Tulsa, Okla.

The field of entries at this year’s event is steep and loaded with talent, all of whom recognize the milestone event and are eager to get their hands on a memorable trophy.

Ron Capps: “How cool that it lines up where this weekend is the 1,000th Funny Car race. I’ve been lucky enough to not only be a part of some of the big ones, but also to have had a front-row seat to some incredible matchups over the years with some of the biggest names, including my former boss, Don 'the Snake' Prudhomme. The Winternationals is one of the most historic events, so you really couldn’t have drawn it up better. This is the coveted one right here. You just think of the legacy and what’s gone into this. It’s unbelievable, and thanks to Wally Parks, first of all. NHRA being around 75 years, it’s so awesome.”

Matt Hagan: “The 1,000th Funny Car event and winning it, it’s kinda like [when I won] the 350th one for Don Schumacher or the 500th for Don Schumacher. They’re all special; the milestone and the history are huge. There’s going to be a really cool trophy for it; that's what kinda gets me going. All these tracks and events and specialty events having these special trophies to commemorate milestones, that’s kind of what motivates me. Cash is great for Tony [Stewart] and the crew guys, maybe a little bonus, but at the end of the deal, trophies that we get to take home and knowing we knocked the best off and remember what we did … that’s pretty cool.”

Jack Beckman: “Not only am I a drag racing historian, I am also part of the history. NHRA is hosting a panel discussion at the museum on race weekend with the milestone winners, and numbers 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 are all alive and, as far as I know, will all be there. I’m number 600. I had forgotten the fact that I’m part of the fabric of the milestone race wins that got us to 1,000. There’s never any extra incentive to win a race, because you just want to win a race, and they’re the same size trophies at every race … except for this year being NHRA’s 75th Anniversary. NHRA stepped up the appearance of the winners’ trophies this year, and tracks have lately been giving an additional trophy, kind of the flavor of the event there, and so I’m sure this one for the 1000th is going to be incredible.”

Jordan Vandergriff: “Getting my first win in the NHRA’s 1,000th Funny Car race, at my hometown track, would be amazing. I think you couldn’t write a script any better than that, and Hollywood’s not too far away. It just would be unbelievable for it to happen, and we’re going there with the idea that it’s going to happen.”

Alexis DeJoria: “It’s crazy to think about the fact that this will be the 1,000th Funny Car race. We’re all going to be part of history this weekend. Winning the 1000th Funny Car race would be incredible. There’s the special trophy; getting a special trophy and the prestige, and obviously just the history of that racetrack. The whole year is significant for NHRA with the 75th anniversary, but Pomona, that’s the place I’ve always wanted to win.”

J.R. Todd: “The 1,000th Funny Car race is pretty cool, but I really don’t want to put the cart before the horse. I’m focused on our DHL team making the kind of runs we’re capable of making. If we do that, then I guess we’ll get another trophy to go along with the 75th anniversary Wally. We just want to make strong runs, hopefully win the race, and gain as many points as possible. If we do that, the trophy will come with it.”

Daniel Wilkerson: "I always love racing at Pomona. It’s hard to explain, but there is just a good vibe there. With all the history and huge moments that have happened, when you come to the grandstands there it feels like going under the walkway at Indy. But we have added excitement this weekend with this being the 1000th Funny Car race. Tim [Wilkerson, father] won races 400 and 500, so we are really hoping to put our Scag Power Equipment Mustang in the winner's circle so Wilkerson is the only name on the list three times.”

Todd Lesenko: “It would mean the world to me to have a successful weekend for Jim Dunn and the entire team at his home track here in Pomona. Being that it’s NHRA’s 1,000th race and their 75th year makes it really special. How exciting that I’m going to be racing in front of his home crowd and with all the great legends attending the event [Jim Dunn, Kenny Bernstein, Don Prudhomme, Richard Tharp, Gary Beck, Brad Anderson, and Bruce Larsen]. I’m not only looking forward to competing, but I’m also looking to get their autographs!”

Dylan Winefsky: “There is a lot of history in the Funny Car class, and we are just excited to be in the mix this weekend. The NHRA will have a special trophy for this race, plus this is the 75th anniversary of the NHRA, and the new Wallys look amazing.”

As Buddy Hull, driver and team owner of Hull Racing, continues to rebuild his Funny Car after an incident earlier this season in Gainesville, he reflects on what the 1,000th event for the NHRA Funny Car class means and how cool it is to be a Funny Car driver. The host of the popular TV show Talkin’ Funny Cars with Buddy Hull has penned this letter as the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals approaches this weekend. While he may not be in the driver’s seat this weekend, his team is working as quickly as they can to get back to the racetrack.

Everybody sees a Funny Car and the first thing they think is, “That looks like a car I drive,” and that’s what makes it so powerful.

Mustang body. Similar shape. Same attitude. Backed by brands like Ford Motor Company for years, it’s real American muscle.

You can look at it and say, “I’ve driven something like that.” It’s familiar, but it isn’t.

Underneath that body … there’s nothing normal about it. There’s a 12,000-horsepower fire-breathing Hemi. A clutch that’s managing mechanical violence. The rear tires are bigger than anything you’ll ever see on the street. It’s not the same.

Sitting right behind the motor … right over the rear tires, you’re holding on to something that does not want to be controlled.

People think driving one is just hitting the gas and going straight. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The truth is, these are some of the hardest vehicles in the world to drive. There’s no traction control, no ABS, no comfort … it’s as raw as it gets.

Because of the indisputable laws of physics, the tires are growing, the clutch is applying power, the motor is trying to tear itself apart, all in less than four seconds. At the same time, the driver must keep it in the groove at 330 miles per hour.

When the cars are fired, and that body comes down, everything changes … you’re all alone, it gets quiet, and inside that helmet, your war face goes on. You feel every cylinder hit, every shake, every violent move through the chassis.

And when that clutch locks up … that 12,000-horsepower comes in like a sledgehammer, and you better be ready. This isn’t a ride; this is all-out war with one of the fastest-accelerating machines on the planet.

I used to sit in the stands in St. Louis and Indianapolis watching guys like John Force, Chuck Etchells, Kenny Bernstein, thinking I understood what they were doing, experiencing, and going through. I didn’t have a clue.

I know the truth now. Not the whole truth, but I know enough to know I want to know more. I am at the beginning of my Funny Car journey, and like so many before me, I have been knocked down and burned up. I have been in the sand and saved by the nets.

There is no real finish line for a Funny Car driver. You just keep strapping in and hitting the throttle. You trust your team and your crew chief. You listen to the motor rev and the roar of the crowd.

Funny Cars have been racing all over the country for decades, and this weekend, we celebrate the 1,000th NHRA Funny Car race. I wish I could be on that entry list, but I will be back. You can bet on it.

Remember it may look like something you drive every day, but it isn’t. It’s the coolest car on the planet that takes everything you’ve got to drive it, and if you are lucky enough to hit the throttle even just one time, you are a part of an incredible legacy.