Drag Racing: The World's Fastest Sport

Two cars, a straight line and a burning desire to win.

Drag racing is the simplest and purest form of auto racing: two competitors accelerate from a standing start to the finish line. Once considered the "bad boy" of motorsport, drag racing has evolved into one of the most technically sophisticated forms of automotive competition. There are almost 400 professional racetracks devoted to competitive drag racing in North America.

In Drag Racing Timothy Miller reviews the history of the sport and explains the differences between the specific car classes, such as top fuelers, funny cars, alcohol cars, pro modifieds and pro stock. Profiles of the sport's pioneers and today's best-known names are also included.

Consider these remarkable statistics from modern drag racing:

• From a dead stop, a top fuel dragster is the fastest-accelerating vehicle in the world and, at full throttle, consumes the same amount of fuel as a fully loaded Boeing 747.
• During the launch of a fuel car, the driver sustains close to five Gs of gravitational pull -- more than a space-shuttle astronaut.
• Today's pro modifieds are capable of traveling a quarter mile in less than six seconds at speeds that exceed 240 miles per hour.

Burn rubber, eat smoke and feel the earth rumble in Drag Racing.

Timothy Miller is an automotive journalist and the author of NASCAR Now!, just published in its third edition. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario.