NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

There have been hundreds of incredible moments in NHRA’s first 75 years, and the countdown of the greatest 75 Moments continues with the unveiling of Nos. 46 through 55 that span from the 1960s through 2025.

After an online fan ballot that resulted in more than 42,000 individual votes, the list of the Top 75 Moments in NHRA history has been chosen and will be unveiled in a series of rolling announcements as part of NHRA’s 75th Anniversary celebration.

Fans were presented with a list of 100 handpicked iconic moments from the sport’s first 75 years and were allowed to select their favorites from that list.

The reveals will take place each Wednesday through Feb. 18 in 10-moment increments, and the final five will be unveiled the week of Feb. 23 as a lead-in to the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals, March 5-8.

Without further ado, here are NHRA’s Top 75 Moments, Nos. 46-55:

46. Greg Anderson nets 1,000th round-win (2025)

Greg Anderson has long been a dominant force in Pro Stock, but with his milestone 1,000th round-win, he has officially entered legendary territory. With his victory in the semifinals at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., the six-time world champion joined 16-time Funny Car champion John Force as the only drivers in NHRA history to reach the elusive 1,000-round-win mark.

47. Jim Dunn scores rear-engine Funny Car win (1972)

Funny Car veteran Jim Dunn, the star of quarter-mile cult classic film Funny Car Summer, made drag racing history when he became the first Funny Car driver to win an NHRA national event in a rear-engine Funny Car. Dunn drove his back-motored Dunn & Reath Barracuda to victory at the 1972 NHRA Supernationals at Ontario Motor Speedway, winning the final round on Pat Foster’s red-light start and making him the first — and still only (and undoubtedly ever) — national event winner in a rear-engine Funny Car.

48. John Force wins Top Fuel vs. Funny Car Showdown (1999)

The Winston Showdown at Bristol Dragway remains a memorable "what if" moment in NHRA lore, a rare clash between the two nitro classes. The special event featured an eight-car field made up of the top four qualifiers from both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes, racing under a unique handicap format that gave the Funny Cars a two-tenths head start. John Force, driving his Superman-themed Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, advanced to the final, where he defeated Top Fuel’s Bob Vandergriff Jr. by just .011-second.

49. Don Prudhomme wins seven of eight Funny Car events (1976)

No Professional-class drag racer has ever had a perfect season, though the legendary Don “the Snake” Prudhomme came tantalizing close in 1976. A year after winning six of eight events, Prudhomme won seven of the eight national events on the 1976 schedule and was runner-up at the eighth with his vaunted U.S. Army-sponsored Chevy Monza en route to his second of four straight world championships. The previous best Funny Car season had been a four-win campaign by Ed McCulloch in 1972.

50. Don Garlits wins Indy again, shaves beard (1967)

In 1967, Don Garlits was in one of the worst droughts of his career, had failed to qualify at either the NHRA Winternationals or NHRA Springnationals earlier in the year, and hadn’t yet run in the six-second zone as many of his peers had, and vowed not to shave until he did. At the NHRA U.S. Nationals, he borrowed a set of tires from rival James Warren and went on a blitz of runs, capped by a 6.77-second run in the final to defeat Warren, leading to an iconic starting-line shave for “Big Daddy.”

51. Don Garlits wins Indy in dramatic comeback (1984)

In the minds of some, Don Garlits’ best years were behind him when he showed up at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in an outdated Swamp Rat 26 with a crew of volunteers rallied by longtime friend Art Malone, but “Big Daddy” upset them all for his sixth Indy win. Garlits surprised fans and skeptics alike by qualifying third and defeating Connie Kalitta in the final, resurrecting his career and leading to world championships in 1985 and 1986.

52. Don Prudhomme destroys Funny Car record with 5.63 pass (1982)

Three months after running the sport’s first 250-mph Funny Car pass in Baton Rouge, La., Don Prudhomme took away everyone’s breath again during Saturday qualifying at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, where he powered his Pepsi Challenger Trans Am to a stunning pass of 5.637 seconds, a run nearly two-tenths of second quicker than the 5.82 that was the best-ever run entering the event and a pass that would have qualified fifth in the Top Fuel field.

53. Gene Snow makes first four-second NHRA Top Fuel run (1988)

On Oct. 6, six months after Eddie Hill accomplished the feat at an IHRA event, Gene Snow etched his name into drag racing history by delivering the first-ever four‑second Top Fuel pass at the inaugural NHRA SuperNationals. Snow roared down the brand‑new Houston Raceway Park strip in a stunning 4.997 seconds. Hill got the last laugh, beating Snow in the semifinals and then ran even faster, laying down a 4.936 to win the event, but Snow’s mark remains historically significant as the first official NHRA-sanctioned four‑second time

54. Tony Schumacher has record-breaking 15-win Top Fuel season (2008)

In 2008, Tony Schumacher delivered the most dominant season in NHRA Top Fuel history, winning a record 15 of 24 events, reaching 18 final rounds, and securing his fifth consecutive and sixth overall world championship title. His performance set multiple NHRA records, including most wins in a season, most consecutive event wins (seven), most consecutive final-round appearances (11), and most consecutive round-wins (31). Schumacher's unprecedented success earned him the 2008 Driver of the Year award, making him only the third NHRA driver to receive the honor in its 42-year history.

55. Angelle Sampey becomes second female world champ (2000)

Angelle Sampey etched her name in the history books by becoming the second female NHRA world champion, following Shirley Muldowney’s groundbreaking Top Fuel titles. Competing in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class aboard her Winston/Star Racing Suzuki, Sampey delivered a dominant campaign marked by seven national event wins in 10 final-round appearances. She would go on to win two more consecutive championships, in 2001 and 2002.

Catch up on all of the greatness on the Top 75 Moments home page