Okay, I feel pretty blessed to have been able to have some nice door cars (all-out race or street cars) over the years. My problem has always been life (for good reason) getting in the way of doing any real racing versus just going to the track to make some hits, etc. The heads up door car thing has always been my favorite, but years ago at Norwalk I spent the weekend watching Eric, Pat and 440Jim bracket race. After witnessing those guys in action I departed the track with a whole new respect for what they were doing. I found out more about it versus just passing judgement.....lol.

Deep in the back of my mind I have always wanted a DRAGSTER; still do. I was speaking with Greg (gregsdart) about this last week. I haven't done much research yet, but figured a few guys on here can share their dragster info/experience.

Do they fit bigger guys (6'2/235).

How was the transition from a door car to a dragster? I assume it has to be a much different feel to have the wind in your face and being that low on the ground.

How are cost in maintaining one?

Do the class rules or certifications change often for these type cars?

Will my current NHRA license work or will I have to be re-licensed in this type of car?

Dragster School? Roy Hill or????

What Sportsman classes? Do they have a sportsman type heads up class? (Guess I need to actually start reading my national dragsters now....lol).

I know there are various different make/design of chassis, so whats a good setup and one to stear clear of?

Are there any good dragster forums to gain some good info/knowledge before taking the plunge?

I'd be buying a used one, so what are some of the important things I need to be aware of, looking for and questions to ask? What would be the age cut-off on the chassis build? Nothing older than 2-3 years old, or just depends on how much it was raced?

I'm sure there are plenty for sale, so not sure what powerplant. I'm guessing BBC is the most popular or most available.

At this point truck/trailer would not be the issue, its garage length/depth I have to worry about! My garage is pretty good size, but just not sure. I'd want a rear-engine dragster, but it can't be super long. Guess I need to get my tape measure out and go from there.

Lots of questions, so any help/info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks........

they'll fit any size driver you can think of depending on cage size. you'll want to look into hoop width and cage height. hoop width is the inside dimension of the top frame rail hoop that wraps around the driver. normally 19" on the small side and 24 or more inches on the large size. there's plenty of cars around go sit in one

transition is no problem. only normal issues people have are burnout (you have to wail on it) and it's common for people to oversteer dragsters they don't need a lot of wheel input. you're also not turning one around in the space you're used to. you need to be careful backing up due to limited visibility

performance/dollar wise there is no less expensive car out there

nhra has changed a number of things over the years mostly with advanced et. if you want to run faster than 7.50 your car must be certified for 6 flat, requires a different driving suit, HANS device and i believe now a head sock

you will have to upgrade your license the wheelbase break is 125" and et break is 7.50. wouldn't worry about a school if you can drive a fast door car a dragster is a walk in the park. just spend a little time with someone that's driven them.

only heads up dragster classes i can think of off the top of my head is comp and you don't even want to go there unless you have major bucks. even top dragster (fast bracket racing) is getting nasty with plenty of 6 second cars at most races. of course there's super comp but that's an index 8.90 class still breakout rules

you have suspended, hard tail, slip tube etc. many guys these days are hung up on suspended cars. while they may work better at rough tracks and ride nicer imho many of them are FAT pigs. when you have a dragster weighing close to 2000# to me it's just wrong. it really depends on what you want to do. there are many quality chassis builders out there obviously budget is always part of the decision

spend some time on Bracket Talk

first decide what you want, make sure the car will fit you and it's not too long for your storage. most run in the 225-245" range these days. like any other race car you normally want one (if a roller) that hasn't been stripped of all the expensive goodies. most will be BBC powered, if by some chance you want to run a chrysler be careful because the chassis mounting can be an issue. you also want one with a current cert for the class you intend to run 6.00-7.50/7.50 and slower

if you shop you can get a serious deal. some time ago on RJ (long since sold) there was a super clean, low run, turn key, LOADED (like ATI case glide) up Miller four link with a BBC that iirc was running mid 7s or better for 24k. i mean this was a nice car and i can't believe it lasted as long as it did on there. personally i have no interest in running a BBC dragster but believe me i almost brought that one, i mean a deal is a deal.

it's like anything else Wes first decide what you want to do, how much you want to spend and then prepare to get your a$$ handed to you on a regular basis till you get the hang of it (and even then bring your A game every round). most decent tracks running a SP program where there's a lot of dragsters are brutal with regards to the competition level, these guys don't play.

people can bash bracket racing all they want and a lot of the time it's people that can't do it. test and tune stuff is cool and suits many racers but personally i prefer competition. now heads up stuff is just out of most guys (mine included) price range.

if you have the ability to run a friends car (maybe even rent one) you might want to give it a try before you get all involved in buying one. not everyone likes running a dragster

Ya...what he said... ..trust me I have thought about one also Wes..James' in particular..

While I have been a door car guy all my racing career and have no desire to go to a dragster, I have a couple of friends that run them and love it, both started out with door cars, one being a tube chassis chevelle,,I remember him saying that the fit of the chassis to your body is crutial and that comfort is paramount after he bought a rolling chassis that didn't fit him as well as he liked and spent the next winter having it modified to fit him, plus went from a hard tail to a springer w/ a single monoshock,,so he added a lot of time and money that could of been better if he would of gotten the right chassis the first time, but he now has a really nice setup that he is very proud of and happy with.

Jim,

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to list all that info and point out some important particulars. I have wondered about one for many years, just never took the steps or asked the needed questions

A really good friend of mine is tight with a guy named Kevin Klineweber (races for Hughes). I could link up with him at some point. Maybe he could get me in the seat of a car. I'm sure he knows plenty of guys who have them or possibly one for sale that would be a cool deal, etc.

How much effort goes into setting up the suspension on one of these cars?

The Super Comp class sounds cool. I'll have to look into the classes. Want nothing to do with Comp or Top Dragster class.

Just for you,Wes!! And it is close to you!
http://www.racingjunk.com/Dragsters/2004053/2004-256-quot-Top-Eliminator-Top-West-Dragst.html

Nice car...

http://www.racingjunk.com/Dragsters/2821110/2006-Race-Tech-235-quot-4-Link-Dragster-.html

i've never worked with a suspended car mine is a hardtail and the new one i've had sitting for too long is a double slip tube.

there are many different flavors of rear suspension. four link, rocker, x link. i'm not really familiar with them, there are even some with front suspension. imho all in all dragsters are the easiest cars to make work suspension wise.

i've never run SC with a dragster (did with a bike but it was a 8.60 index) but if you want to run SC now you're really in shark infested waters.

this is almost always throttle stop racing and most are 7 second or faster cars. you have some guys running 8.90 at over 200 like Kendall with his blower car that runs upwards of 210 afaik. i would say many are probably running over 180 at the stripe

i don't follow this stuff but SC is probably the most difficult index class to win in

I went to Frank Hawelys school before buying my first dragster. It saved me a ton of money.
I knew how to drive a race car before even hitting the track. It gained me a ton of experience.

When I started racing dragsters I was 6'4" and 287lbs.

When I took a break from racing I weighed 210 lbs and weigh 225 now. So you can find a dragster to fit you, but fit is most important. Dragsters and funny cars must fit the driver.

I started with a 225" car that a guy home built for himself and lost interest. He was a welder by trade and would come to the track with his wife and 2 kids and watch me bracket race it. It was fun as hell.

Then I built a 572 and quick 32 raced it. It went 7.02 with the 225" chassis.
Then he built me a 286" car and I put a injected 632" big chief motor in it and went 6.80s and him there at the track.
Then I got my first blown KB/BEA hemi and licensed my first 4 runs and was quick enough to quailify at my first TAD race but couldn't race because you can't license and race the same race.
Then Mike Bowen built me a 2 cars after wearing out my first one. A blown hemi wears stuff out like you have no idea.

I did quite well in TAD and was always a top 10 car and #5 and #7 a couple years in my first 4 years of racing TAD. Made it to a couple finals and always quailified for the US nationals with enough points. I did not have any big mentors who taught me to race, just Frank Hawley and Tom Conway did help me tune my hemis in the early days.

I spent 18 months putting togeather my first 225" car dragster not counting the chassis, that was already built for me. I went to every race I could and took pictures and then went home and copied a simaler approch on my car.
I spent 15 years straight racing dragsters.

My shop is 31 feet deep and can just hold a 286" dragster with wing. We got used to taking things off the dragster so it would fit in my trailers until I said screw it and bought a 49' trailer and then everything fit without taking things off the car.

Lastly like what was already said, prepare to run chevy unless you have $$ to burn in a dragster.

I can't offer much advise over what's already been stated but I can offer this, life is but a vapor, follow your dream to the best of your ability and enjoy what you have.

It doesn't make any sense to do any less with our short time here.

Wes,
I went to a dragster in the late 90's. It's not like you buy one and imeadiatly start winning. They do take some getting used to. They are cheaper, easier to work on, go faster safer, and it helps to have anothee person helping, but not mandatory. I prefer a suspension for safety, especially stopping on short shut down tracks. And like the other person said, they're not for everyone. You do want to look for one that's not all worn out. Pm me if you want to know more and good luck.

Some of you know my good friend Bruce Kaul. Here is his BB MOPAR dragster at Immokalee Regional Raceway in November. He lives in MN but spends a month or so on the road hitting different strips in the south at the end of the year. Racecraft Chassis.

I made the switch from my 1966 dodge charger to a 1995 hartail dragster 4 years ago and I am very pleased with the switch. The charger liked to eat parts @ 3600 pounds and running 10.20’s. The dragster is much easier on parts and MUCH easier to work on. I am getting to the age of not wanting to lay underneath a car to get at things. Mostly everything on the dragster can be done sitting on a roller seat. The engine and trans come out of the car in about 60 minutes.

I am 5’11” and weigh 190. I fit in a 19 inch car. It’s tight but not really uncomfortable. I would steer most people my size to a 21 inch cage. If you want to run a mopar engine combo and want the motor/trans to drop in without removing the oil pump or relocating the starter then you need a 22 inch cage as the dimension your really looking for is 20 inches between the insides of the frame rails at the mid plate. A 22 inch cage USUALLY is 20 inches between the inside of the frame rails.

A hardtail car just plain hooks in my opinion. With that said, I am looking for a suspended car because on a rough track it’s just hard to stop them consistently with bouncing in the shutdown area. If you throw the chute, then there is not issue. Racing alone and packing a chute gets hectic when you are in the later rounds and the track wants to play the “round robin” game. So a hardtail will hook just about anywhere, but stopping can be problematic with the track surface.

If I was to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I would get a suspended 22 or 23 inch cage car. I have no firsthand experience with 4 links vs. swing arms, so no advice there. I have witnessed cars that bounced previously, and need to use the chute, add a front suspension and no longer need to toss the chute every time. This was at Pittsburgh Raceway Park. Any suspension my do.

And it costs 2 times as much to race a mopar combo than it does a similar chevy combo. Mine is a 7.80, 572 indy headed combo on alcohol.

I have been thinking of/planning getting a dragster every day for the last 3 years, and I know my opportunity will come soon. I had been bracket racing door cars for 15 years before I got the chance to drive a dragster, and it was an amazing perspective, I know my boys will have dragsters to move into once we are done with JRs.

Some great info shared so far, good luck.

Curtis

Wish there were more Nostagia events in the Southeast....I'd love to Index Race a Slingshot

Rickster