Drag Racing Research Paper

When I was small my dad would always tell me stories of him drag racing, and how fast his old Chevelle was. Unfortunately, I wasn’t born at the time he had it. Drag racing is a huge part of American history, it dates all the way back to around the late 1940s and early 50s. After World War 2 drag racing became very popular among the American people. It mostly started on dry lake beds around the country, this gave the cars they were using enough room to get up to speed. Just like how NASCAR was created from bootleggers drag racing had a little part in this. They increased the power of their cars in order to outrun the cops. This got people thinking; around 1950 the first drag strip was opened. It was called the Santa Ana drag strip; it was created from an old air field where they used the runway as a strip. In 1951 the NHRA was created, the national hot rod association. This caused drag racing to grow to a whole different level. Many people started going out to the track to see what their hot rods could do. As time passed top fuel became a popular spectator sport and many big companies’ like coca cola started to sponsor different teams from top fuel. This sport has had a huge

impact on many people’s lives such as mine. Drag racing was and still is a huge part of this country; American muscle cars are legendary at straight line speed and has played a huge factor in the way this country was developed.
My father is always outside in the garage, whether he was fixing something around the house or fixing a car he always seemed to be up to something.

As a young kid I was constantly intrigued by what he was doing. My mom could never seem to keep track of me because I would sneak off to go see what my dad was fixing. The next thing you know I was holding a flashlight for him. This became my new job for years to come, I may as well have had a name tag that said flash light holder because I couldn’t do anything else. As I got older and got my first car, I started to learn how they operate and the engineering behind cars. I began doing oil changes, rotating tires, brakes, and many other little things I learned about on my first car. Around this time, I got a small job to start making some

money.
The summer of 2013 we went to Massachusetts to visit my grandfather. He was always a big car guy. Every time we went back to visit him he always had a new car, or a new toy that he was having fun with. That year he purchased a 2011 Callaway Corvette, this would be my father and I first time seeing it. This car has 600 horsepower and is no joke, as a matter of fact this is the car that would spark my need for speed.
When I returned home from Massachusetts all I could think about was speed, how I was craving that gut wrenching feeling again. However, Kroger paid next to nothing and bagging groceries absolutely sucked. I kept working at my job and set a goal for myself. An American muscle car was to be mine very soon. Another year passed and all the groceries I bagged finally paid off. At 17 years old I paid full cash for my first muscle car. It is a 99 Mustang GT, I instantly brought it home and started buying parts; exhaust, intake, wheels, suspension, etc. I had one goal when I bought this car, it was to run a 13 second quarter mile. I didn’t care if it was a 13.99. Even my dad told me he didn’t think my car was capable of doing it. Every time I went to the track I would run a 14.1, or a 14.0 but I could never get it. Finally, this past summer I got to make a phone call I was dying to make for a while. After putting blood, sweat, and tears into this car I ran a 13.98 back in June. Not only did I get to call my dad to tell him what I just accomplished, but also all my friends at the track were proud to. It was an extremely good feeling after two years of owning the car to achieve what I set out to do with it. The only issue is once I reached that goal I set I could only think about going faster.
It’s very strange how things work though, my grandfather passed away that winter after we saw him that year, he ended up giving the Corvette to my dad. It was hard for the both of us, but we both knew that this car was a privilege and not a toy. My parents ended up taking jobs in Louisiana this year and my dad didn’t want to take the Corvette. After all, my dad saw me accomplish with my car he knew I had a love and passion for automobiles. He trusts me enough to put the Corvette in my name and told me to drive it once every two weeks or so. As a 19-year-old I’m not sure what to think when I’m driving a 600 horsepower car. People are staring at me and asking where I work, the only response I have is Kroger pays really well. Which is the biggest lie ever. However, none of this could have ever been possible without drag racing. When the 1960s hit car companies like Ford, Dodge, and Chevrolet all started creating their muscle cars. This is when all the muscle cars we know and love today were born. If drag racing wasn’t a thing who knows what American car companies would have created. They all had the same goal as I did, though; I just wanted to go fast, really fast.