NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

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 from Jan. 7 through Feb. 18 in 10-moment increments beginning with moments 66 through 75, 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.

Moments 66 through 75 span more than six decades of the sport’s history — with at least one moment each from the 1970s through the 2020s — and include some of the achievements of NHRA legends, including Don Prudhomme, Tony Schumacher, Bob Glidden, and Joe Amato.

66. Tony Schumacher becomes winningest Indy Top Fuel driver (2012)

With his ninth victory, Schumacher broke Don Garlits' record for the most U.S. Nationals Top Fuel victories. Garlits had won the event eight times (1964, 1967, 1968, 1975, 1978, 1984, 1985, and 1986) before Schumacher scored his first in 2000 and then won the race nine times over the next 12 years.

67. Maddi Gordon becomes NHRA’s 100th female winner (2024)

At the NHRA Northwest Nationals, third-generation Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Maddi Gordon became the sport’s 100th different female winner, adding to the legacy of the sport's success by first female winners first established by Shirley Shahan, who won Top Stock at the 1966 Winternationals.

68. Frank Hawley/Austin Coil get first Chi-Town Hustler win (1982)

After years of being known predominantly as a match-race entry, driver Frank Hawley and crew chief Austin Coil put the famed Chi-Town Hustler Funny Car in the winner’s circle at the Gatornationals. This win marked the beginning of a successful partnership, leading to back-to-back NHRA Funny Car world championships in 1982 and 1983.

69. Bob Glidden covers manifold after wild top-end rollover (1986)

After winning in the semifinals at the NHRA Southern Nationals, Pro Stock icon Glidden’s parachutes were snatched by a sudden gust of wind and his Thunderbird barrel-rolled six times down the track at more 180 mph before finally coming to rest. Remarkably, Glidden emerged uninjured and immediately covered the exposed intake manifold with his fire jacket to shield his horsepower secrets from prying eyes.

70. Joe Amato becomes the first driver to sweep the Western Swing (1991)

Amato became the first driver to sweep the NHRA Western Swing, a grueling series of three consecutive national events held in Denver, Seattle, and Sonoma. Crew chief Tim Richards’ ability to tune the car perfectly for each unique environment helped him dominate the Western Swing and led to their 1991 Top Fuel world championship

71. Mike Snively makes first five-second Top Fuel run (1972)

The long-assailed five-second barrier was finally broken in the semifinals at the 1972 NHRA Supernationals by Snively in "Diamond Jim" Annin's dragster. The barrier-breaking run came in a losing semifinal race with Vic Brown.

72. Don Prudhomme defeats Jim Nicoll in clutch-exploding Indy final (1970)

In front of a national television audience on ABC's popular Wide World of Sports program, Prudhomme scored a scary victory when Nicoll’s dragster was cut in two at the finish line and, thinking his friend had died in the accident, tearily said he thought it was time to retire. Nicoll emerged virtually unhurt.

73. Andrew Hines makes first six-second Pro Stock Motorcycle run (2005)

At the 2005 NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, Andrew Hines made history by recording the first-ever six-second pass in Pro Stock Motorcycle competition. On Friday, March 18, during a qualifying session, Hines piloted his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson V-Rod to a 6.991-second run at 196.16 mph, breaking the elusive seven-second barrier and becoming the inaugural member of the Mickey Thompson Six-Second Pro Stock Motorcycle Club. 

74. Hector Arana Jr. makes first 200-mph Pro Stock Motorcycle run (2018)

TIn 2018 at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Hector Arana Jr. made history by becoming the first Pro Stock Motorcycle rider to break the 200-mph barrier, clocking a 200.23 mph run during qualifying and later improving to 201.01 mph, earning a $10,000 prize from Denso Spark Plugs and ushering in a new era of speed for the class. 

75. Shirley Muldowney survives terrible Canada crash (1984)

In late June 1984 at the NHRA Grandnational in Montreal, Muldowney suffered one of the most terrifying crashes in Top Fuel history. Traveling at nearly 250 mph, an issue with a front tire sent her dragster off track and into a drainage ditch, where it disintegrated. Despite sustaining catastrophic injuries including a shattered pelvis, broken legs and fingers, and, a nearly severed thumb, Muldowney returned to racing by 1986 after 18 months of recovery and six surgeries.

Future Top 75 Moments reveals
Jan. 14: Moments 56-65
Jan. 21: Moments 46-55
Jan. 28: Moments 36-54
Feb. 4: Moments 26-35
Feb. 11: Moments 16-25
Feb. 18: Moments 6-15