NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Comments from the 25 drivers added to NHRA’s Top 75 Drivers list as part of NHRA’s 75th Anniversary celebration in 2026:

Greg Anderson: "Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is that the original list is full of legends who were heroes of mine. I certainly never considered myself to be in that category. I can't lie, this honor is certainly not expected on my side. I'm still having fun trying to do this. I'm not worried yet about what's happened in the past, or numbers or anything like that, but when I get done, that's when I'll look back at it and say, 'That's really awesome.' But I am shocked and honored. It's fantastic just to be mentioned with those kinds of guys."

Sean Bellemeur: “The only word I can come up with is overwhelming. completely overwhelmed by this honor. I'm still a bigger fan of the sport than I am a participant in the sport, and the names that are on the list, many of them are my heroes that I stood at the fence and watched as a kid. When Frank Manzo or Bob Newberry came out west of Pomona, I was in awe, and to even speak to those gentlemen, and then now be on a list with them, again, it’s overwhelming.

“I'm a huge fan of this sport, and it is the utmost honor, and that's an understatement. It's something special, and the team who helped me get there is something special, too.”

Peter Biondo: “I haven’t raced for a bit since I started a family but this is a great surprise. I feel privileged and honored. I would say that I did all I wanted to do. I put forth the dedication and commitment, and, luckily, the results followed. I still have the itch, and there’s a good chance you’ll see me out there again soon.”

Antron Brown: “I'm overwhelmed by this. It’s a pretty awesome accomplishment to be mentioned among all my heroes that I grew up watching in the sport. I was just a kid from Chesterfield, N.J., with a dream, and now, to be a part of that club, man, it's kind of like putting the coat on as part of the NFL Hall of Fame. This is something that you always dream about, but you just never know that you're going to achieve that. I am truly honored.”

Ron Capps: “This is a huge honor. I remember when the Top 50 list came out, there were people that were legitimately heroes of mine that didn't make that list, and it just showed you how the sport has been throughout the years, so to be mentioned with those original 50 drivers is beyond what I ever dreamed of. It doesn't even calculate to me that I'm in that same group … just a kid who grew up in the sport, loved it, and got to make a living doing it, but also very lucky to have been around Wally Parks at the beginning of my career, when Don Prudhomme hired me, so it means even more to me.”

Jeg Coughlin Jr.: “It's very flattering and quite an honor to join the other new nominees and the original Top 50. I've grown up my entire life in the sport, whether it was doing burnouts with my shoes or reading National Dragster or dropping oil pans on my dad’s Top Fuel dragsters with my brother and then getting that first chance of racing something down a quarter-mile and tasting victory for the first time. That first win, right in our hometown in Columbus [Ohio] in 1990, was a career made whole at that point in time, so everything since then has been just amazing.

“It's humbling to look back over the years and see the accomplishments we've made. I say ‘we’ because it's not just me behind the wheel, but my family has been a huge part of all my successes. I feel very fortunate and pretty damn blessed to still be doing it. I've had some amazing opportunities, been part of some amazing teams, and been very fortunate to really do what I do at the highest level. Drag racing has always been my first love, and always will be.”

Larry Dixon: “I'm flattered and honored. I remember when the Top 50 Drivers were announced 25 years ago, and it was really exciting every week to see who was on there, and it was all the heroes in drag racing, and so to be on a list with them is way more than I ever dreamed of. They were my idols growing up, and I’m not sure I belong on the same list with them. I remember watching Garlits and Shirley and ‘Snake’ and ‘Goose' and Roland and all those people who did this for a living, and I just thought that if I could ever do that, that would be the neatest thing in the world. 

"Being on this list is a reflection of the teams that I got to drive for: great cars, great crew chiefs, great team owners, great sponsors. I’ve been very blessed.”

Erica Enders: "This is a huge honor. I/we have dedicated our whole lives to the sport, and to see the success that we've had, especially over the last 10 to 12 years at Elite, is nothing short of amazing. I'm honored to be added to the list with some of my childhood heroes, including Bob Glidden, with whom I had the honor of working during my career. I've come a long way from Jr. Dragster back in the early '90s to getting ready to start my 22nd year in Pro Stock, and being able to work with a legend like Bob Glidden, and to join him and the greats of all time, is pretty surreal."

Dan Fletcher: “This is quite an honor. As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m not big on being in the spotlight, but this is different. It’s truly humbling. I was recently inducted into the Division 1 Hall of Fame, and that was pretty awesome, but to make the list of 75 greatest drivers in NHRA history is on a whole different level. To be included with so many legendary names, I could not be more honored. It was cool to win 100 races, but this is probably the biggest honor of my career. When you think of all the people who have raced, and who have been successful, the gravity of this isn’t lost on me.”

Matt Hagan: “This is just awesome. Man, it gives me chillbumps. It really does. I'm just blown away. I'm honored to even have my name in the same category as the other drivers on the list. I've been paying attention to the list, and it’s really cool and super special for me to be on it. I'm very, very honored. I never set out to drive one of these things for a living; it was just right place, right time, and I had the right people around me. It's wild how things evolve, and you get so focused on something, and you try to be good at it, and when you have good people around you, it happens.

“My pops, he's gonna be over the moon because he's been asking Chat GPT if I was going to get in. He doesn't even know who Chat GPT is, but he's all in. He’s going to be so happy.”

Robert Hight: "This is really cool. I'm a big fan and still love the history of the sport, and to be named alongside some of the historic and current people on this list is very cool. I'm honored."

Andrew Hines: “Starting off, I never thought I’d do something like this. It all goes back to the day my dad said, ‘This [racing] would probably be a good career move for you.' Obviously, that has paid off in spades. Early on, I got to chase some of the greats of the class, including Dave [Schultz], John [Myers], and my brother, Matt. Tying Dave with six championships was pretty special. I also remember NHRA’s 50th anniversary and seeing all the legends. That was cool, and it's cool to see it come full circle and be here 25 years later.”

Doug Kalitta: “It's a privilege and an honor for sure. I've obviously been following the list announcements and was kind of hoping that at some point I would end up getting a call like this. I've been watching this sport for a lot of years and was around to see my uncle Connie and Shirley Muldowney race. I'm just really proud of the history of the sport, and it's definitely very cool to be part of that history and the Top 75 Drivers list. When I started drag racing, I absolutely wouldn't have thought I would accomplish all that I have, but thanks to Connie's support in giving me the opportunity to drive for him, and the help of my teammates over the years, I've had a great career."

Eddie Krawiec: “First things first: Being on this list is flattering. I started my Pro Stock Motorcycle journey, none of this was on my list. My whole career far exceeded my expectations. To be in the same conversation with Dave Schultz, John Myers, Matt Smith, Terry Vance, and Andrew Hines is amazing. To be a part of that is a mind-blowing deal.

“When I started, I had a goal to win one race and hopefully contend for a championship, and four championships later, we’re still going. I have no expectations of ever coming back. If I did, it would be purely just to have fun and to say I did it. I started off having big hopes and big dreams, and all these years later, I still enjoy the class. I love Pro Stock Motorcycle with all my heart. That feeling is still there.”

Shawn Langdon: “I’m speechless. I’m very appreciative of the honor. I just got goosebumps thinking about the other names on this list. I’m very humbled to be with such great legends like Connie Kalitta and Don Garlits, some of the biggest names ever in our sport. This kind of recognition is a pinch-me moment; I was just a kid with a dream to race race cars, and now I’m living that dream every week and continue to give my best effort and demand perfection of myself.

“I’ve been fortunate in my career to be surrounded by the greatest of people, starting with the Lucas family, who gave me my big break, and then obviously Alan Johnson, Don Schumacher, and now Connie. I’ve been extremely fortunate; sometimes I look back and don’t know how I got here, but I just keep my head down and work hard to be the best racer and best person I can be.”

Jason Line: “This is a great, great honor. I'm not sure I belong there, but I'm glad that somebody thinks that I do. I never considered myself great by any stretch of the imagination. I had good days and bad days, like everybody, but I did the best I could, and it was a great part of my life, and I'll never forget it. Even though I’m not running Pro Stock anymore, drag racing is still a huge part of my life.

“My son is going to be very excited; I can tell you that. I never, ever relished the limelight in any way, so it’s super cool that someday, my kids will say ‘old dad’ was kind of cool.”

Cruz Pedregon: “This is very humbling. I tell people that I never got into drag racing for any fame or signing autographs — that just all came with it — but when somebody recognizes what you’ve done and all the work you’ve put into it, it’s really an honor and humbling, and it really means a lot. Most of us just started out wanting to drive, maybe make a career out of it, but you never know from one year to the next if you're going to be racing, but, man, I've been very fortunate to have met and worked with some great people over the years.

“When I'm done with my career, these are the kinds of things that will matter most. Wins and losses and championships, they come and go, but something like this will last forever.”

Tony Pedregon: “This is a little emotional for me when I look at all of the other great drivers on this list because Cruz and I were just a couple of kids who were obsessed with drag racing. We were watching guys like Don Prudhomme and Raymond Beadle and Tom McEwen. One of my idols was John Lombardo, and we were just really lucky that we somehow managed to hang out with the right people — especially guys like Joe Pisano — who had the right influence, and that's important in anything you do. Cruz and I would bug our dad so much to take us to the races that he would call guys like Dale Armstrong or Frank Rupert or Billy Williams and beg them to take us to a race, and those guys tolerated us punk kids.

“Then I started driving, and I’m not really supposed to be able beat a guy like John Force, but we just got so good as a team, first with John Medlen and then when Dickie [Venables] came along, that really changed everything. We went from being a good team to a great team. All of these people had such a big influence on my life and my career.”

Angelle Sampey: "When I started this career nearly 30 years ago, I had no idea what my future held. I’ve been so fortunate to always have the best teammates around me to help make my dreams a reality. It wasn’t without challenges or ups and downs, but I can assure you that every sacrifice was worth it. Being chosen for the Top 75 is a huge honor, and I sincerely appreciate every person who helped me get here."

Gary Scelzi: “I'm in awe, thank you for this great honor. I'm as excited about that as I was getting into the [International Drag Racing] Hall of Fame; that’s how much this means to me. I am blessed to have been able to have lived a childhood dream, because I remember lying on my bed at 10 or 12 years old, reading National Dragster and seeing the names of guys like Dale Armstrong and Bill Walsh and Arnie Karp, and then getting to race with and against them in the alcohol classes. Then I wanted to race people like Kenny Bernstein and John Force and Joe Amato, because they were my childhood heroes, and I got to do that, too, and actually beat them and then become friends with them. 

"I've gotten to work with some great people, like Alan Johnson, Don Schumacher, Todd Okuhara, and Mike Neff, and the whole time I was just living this great dream.”

Tony Schumacher: “I’m proud as hell to be recognized on this list. I think I have been blessed with having teams that are capable, at any given time, of putting me in record books, and I'm going to be able to look back at this with pride. It's little moments like this that remind me how much fun the sport is.”

Matt Smith: “It’s truly an honor to be named to such a prestigious list of racers. When I started in 2005, my goal was to just win a Wally. After 20 years, I’m tied for the most championships in Pro Stock Motorcycle with six, and I’m the only current racer striving to get seven NHRA titles. If I can accomplish the seventh championship, then that will leave an even larger footprint in the history of NHRA. I’m very thankful that I’ve been able to dedicate my life to this NHRA journey.”

Steve Torrence: “That's extremely cool. Especially because it’s the top 75 drivers of the sport all time, all classes. That's not just the 75 Top Fuel drivers. I greatly appreciate this; It’s a real honor. I have dedicated a large portion of my life to that sport, and to be recognized like this is truly an accomplishment for me. I’ve had a great career, but I surely didn't get there without the help of the Good Lord, the help and support of my family, and some really good crew guys.”

Del Worsham”: “I grew up watching a lot of the guys in the original Top 50, the Don Prudhommes and Tom McEwens, and I still have this little notebook from when I was a kid running around the pits in the late 1970s just filled with autographs of people like Prudhomme and Ed McCulloch, so to be on the same list as them is very flattering. I’ve received a lot of great honors over the years, but this is one of the bigger ones I’ve received. I really appreciate it. There are some great, great drivers on the list in all categories, and to be listed with the Top 75 is an honor.”