NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Milestone victories, epic on-track performances, and history-making foundational chapters in NHRA lore are among the latest memorable moments saluted in NHRA's Top 75 Moments list.

The list is the result of more than 42,000 fan votes cast for the performances and moments that resonated most with them, from record-shattering passes, emotional victories, historic and technological breakthroughs, and more. The final list will reflect a cross-section of NHRA’s greatest hits, from record-setting runs and iconic rivalries to amazing feats of driving, and reminds us all that every run down the dragstrip has the power to make history.

Without further ado, here are Moments 6 through 15. Nos. 1 through 5 will be revealed next week in a series of daily countdowns.

6. John Force scores first career Funny Car win (1987)

After a decade of national event Funny Car racing and nine frustrating runner-up finishes, John Force finally collected his first NHRA Wally in a rain-delayed Monday morning finish at Le Grandnational outside of Montreal, defeating class veteran Ed McCulloch. He’d finish the decade with four more wins then capture his first championship in 1990.

7. Introduction of Funny Car Class (1966)

Born from the Factory Experimental and Experimental Stock classes — stock-bodied cars that ran offset wheelbases and made the cars look “funny” — the new nitro-fueled brothers of the Top Fuel class made their debut at the 1966 NHRA World Finals, won by Eddie Schartman. After six more test events in the 1960s, it become a championship-eligible class in 1970.

8. Don Garlits breaks the 200-mph barrier (1964)

Although fellow Top Fuel racers Chris Karamesines and Connie Kalitta have also laid claim to the achievement, Don Garlits made what is considered the first official 200-mph run under NHRA sanction in his Swamp Rat VI-B, at Island Dragway in August 1964, and later carried him to victory at the NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis.

9. Tony Schumacher clinches championship with “The Run” (2006)

At the 2006 NHRA Finals, Tony Schumacher delivered a legendary performance known as "The Run," erasing an incoming points deficit at the season finale to clinch the Top Fuel championship by winning the final round and setting a national elapsed time record with a needle-threading pass of 4.428 seconds to win his fourth Top Fuel championship.

10. John Force first to record 1,000 round-wins (2008)

At the NHRA Midwest Nationals, Funny Car legend John Force, already the winningest driver in NHRA history, celebrated his 59th birthday by becoming the first driver in NHRA history to record 1,000 elimination round-wins, defeating longtime rival Ron Capps in the first round of eliminations. Force would ultimately win 1,460 rounds before his retirement.

11. Bob Glidden goes undefeated in Pro Stock for calendar year (1979)

Bob Glidden went unbeaten from the 1978 NHRA Summernationals through the 1979 NHRA Springnationals, winning five straight to end 1978 in his all-conquering Ford Fairmont, then continuing in 1979 with four wins in his new Plymouth Arrow before red-lighting in round two of the NHRA Mile-High Nationals. He scored 35 straight round-wins over 15 different drivers during that span.

12. John Force scores milestone 100th career win (2002)

John Force made history on April 14, 2002, at the NHRA SpringNationals when he became the first NHRA driver to record 100 national event victories. Force defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. in the Funny Car final at Houston Raceway Park and would go on to win 57 more times before his retirement in late 2025.

13. Don Garlits makes historic 5.63, 250-mph run (1975)

At the NHRA World Finals, Don Garlits not only won the world championship but also became the first driver to exceed 250 mph, and his 5.63-second pass was more than a tenth and a half quicker than his own national record of 5.784 seconds and stood as the quickest of all time for nearly seven years.

14. Formation of the NHRA (1951)

A call to action in Hot Rod magazine led to the founding of the National Hot Rod Association in March 1951, unifying a nation of hot rodders in a common cause. Hot Rod editor Wally Parks became NHRA’s first president, Marvin Lee was named vice president, and former SCTA president Ak Miller was secretary.

15. John Force wins 10th straight world championship (2002)

John Force clinched his 10th consecutive NHRA Funny Car world championship to cap a decade of near-total domination. Driving his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang tuned by legendary crew chief Austin Coil, Force won five national events that season and reached nine final rounds. His 2002 title extended a streak that began in 1993.

See the complete list so far on the Top 75 Moments homepage