1. The Snake vs. The Mongoose
   The Lion vs. The Tiger
2. The Wildcat vs. The Wolf
   Bigfoot vs. Chupacabra

Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "Mongoose" McEwen had one of the most fondly remembered rivalries, running from the mid-1960s to early '70s. The Snake, in his Barracuda, faced off with the Mongoose, in his Duster, several times over the years.

1. The pit area
   The sandpit at the end of the strip
2. The stands or bleachers
   The grit used at the starting line

The sand trap is the area at the end of the racing strip, also known as the "shutdown area." The sand trap is 80 feet long and filled with 6 feet of sand. It is designed to slow and stop a car. This area was made longer and deeper after the 2008 death of racer Scott Kalitta.

1. An umbrella
   Sunglasses
2. Sunscreen
   Ear protection

In addition to being powerful, engines as strong as the ones that launch drag racers down the strip are also something else: LOUD! These vehicles can generate 150 decibels when competing (a rock concert will hit 104 to 120 dB). In addition to being large and unmuffled, Top Fuel engines are exposed rather than being underneath a hood. Protect your hearing, because once hearing damage is done, it's permanent.

1. Paula Murphy
   Connie Kalitta
2. Shirley Muldowney
   Betty Skelton

The 1983 biopic, "Heart Like a Wheel," told the story of drag racing driver Shirley Muldowney. It starred Bonnie Bedelia. Not only did it share the story of a pioneer in the sport, but it also introduced drag racing to many people who had never been exposed to the motorsport.

1. Heat build-up on the front of the car
   The vehicle lifting off the ground
2. Generating too much torque
   Heat exchange overload

With the power that a drag racer with a rear-mounted engine has coming off the line, there is a tendency for the car to tip up. This can lead to a loss of control or the car going airborne. Newer racers are designed to create enough negative air pressure underneath the car to keep all four wheels on the ground through the run.

1. A fuel cell
   Fire suits
2. A titanium shield
   All the above

Driving a vehicle to more than 300 miles per hour in under four seconds is an inherently dangerous pursuit, and the NHRA has put many rules in place over the years to protect participants. On-board fire extinguishing systems, five-point safety harnesses and wheelie bars are also required to compete.

1. 10.4 seconds
   6.66 seconds
2. 5.1 seconds
   3.667 seconds

In 2005, Tony Schumacher set a record time of 3.667 seconds, hitting 337.58 mph at a competition in Brainerd, Minnesota. To put this into perspective, if a sports car can go from 0 to 60 in under four seconds, it's a head-turner! Since Top Fuel racers now run a course of 1,000, this specific record is in no danger of being broken.

1. An engine restrictor plate
   An automatic transmission shifter
2. A sound-deading filter
   A safety device

A Head and Neck Support (HANS) device is designed to keep the head in place in the event of an impact. This helps to prevent, among other injuries, a basilar skull fracture (a break at the base of the skull). This type of injury has killed many race drivers, the best known to most is NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt.

1. Easier math
   For safety
2. Limits of engine technology
   It converts to metric measurements easier.

The racetrack for Top Fuel competitions went down in 2008 from a quarter-mile (1,320 feet) to 1,000 feet after racer Scott Kalitta died in a crash in Englishtown, New Jersey. The shorter track limits the speed the machines can reach and also gives a longer stretch for the vehicles to slow down. The change was said to be temporary, but there are no plans in place to change the distance.

1. Top Fuel Dragster
   Stock Truck
2. Funny Car
   Pro Stock Motorcycle

The top division of the NHRA is the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. It has four pro classes: Top Fuel Dragster, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

1. He was the first driver to break the 300 mph barrier.
   He developed the "Funny Car" concept.
2. He founded the NHRA.
   He put the first 16-cylinder engine in a racer.

In 1951, Wally Parks founded the National Hot Rod Association in order to have a governing body to oversee the sport of drag racing and help it gain popularity in the United States and Canada. The winners of the NHRA U.S. Nationals are given a trophy that is nicknamed "The Wally" in his honor.

1. Popularizing the use of a fireproof suit
   Developing a new type of steering mechanism
2. Installing a parachute to slow down
   Putting the engine behind the driver

"Big Daddy" Don Garlits lost part of his right foot in 1970 when his transmission exploded and broke his car in half. He then drew up plans for a rear-engined car that would put the engine, transmission and fuel lines behind the driver.

1. They use more displacement in their cylinders.
   They use a different type of fuel.
2. They use superchargers.
   All the above

When the name of the game is to jump off the line and run straight for the finish, you've got to get every bit of horsepower out of your engine as quickly as possible. Since these aren't endurance cars, mechanics can put all their effort into short, massive bursts of power, and this shows up in the engine design and the type of fuel used.

1. Nitrous oxide
   Nitroglycerin
2. Nitromethane
   Liquid nitrogen

Nitromethane is used to power dragsters because its chemical structure contains oxygen as well as carbon and hydrogen (gasoline only has carbon and hydrogen). The addition of oxygen makes the fuel need less outside oxygen to ignite and can get more power per stroke out of the engine.

1. Had long sponsorship relations with Budweiser
   Became related when their children married
2. Partnered with Hot Wheels to make replicas of their vehicles
   Bought a NASCAR team together

While The Snake and The Mongoose were fabulous on-track rivals, they both had a head for business, and they partnered with Mattel to have their vehicles immortalized as "Hot Wheel" racers in 1970. Not only did this help both drivers pay the bills, but it also helped the sport of drag racing reach out and get wider public attention.

1. $58,700
   $36,000
2. $20,300
   $9,700

This isn't a cheap sport. A Top Fuel engine that's ready to be dropped into a dragster chassis will set you back about $60K — about the same as a 2019 Dodge SRT Hellcat.

1. RC Cola
   Pepsi
2. Shasta
   Mello Yello

Winston cigarettes was the sponsor of the NHRA's top competition level from 1975 through 2001, as well as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. After the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement of 1998, the company had to drop one sponsorship and decided to continue to sponsor the NASCAR series and drop the NHRA. The Coca-Cola Company then got the rights and has used Powerade, Full Throttle and Mello Yello to sponsor the series.

1. 1
   2
2. 3
   4

Standing still, we are experiencing one "G" (the amount gravitational force exerted by the Earth). When you accelerate, you "pull" more Gs. When you're going from 0 to more than 300 miles per hour in under four seconds, you're pulling a LOT of Gs — about 4, to be exact.

1. Dry lake beds
   Los Angeles Aqueduct
2. Abandoned streets in Detroit
   Talladega Superspeedway

As soon as cars were developed, there were people wanting to race them — and some got very serious about it. Drag racing began as a sport on dry lake beds in Southern California in the 1930s. The beds were perfect because they were unused, wide open and relatively flat. Racing Pioneer Wally Parks helped to organize the sport in 1938 by forming the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) and later the NHRA in 1951.

1. Nonexistent
   Loose
2. Firm
   Adjustable

Top Fuel dragsters have no suspension system because the track is already as smooth as possible and the back tires are large enough to absorb any bumps along the way. Because of this, the wheels are directly connected to the chassis.

1. The Best of the Best Series
   Countdown to The Championship
2. Winner Takes All Series
   NHRA Bracket Countdown

The NHRA started the "Countdown to The Championship" playoff system in 2007 to crown the winner of each class the association sanctions. The season is divided into two sections, with the top 10 teams in the standings after the first section is completed going on to the second section. The standings are points-based.

1. 1987
   1953
2. 1967
   2003

The Pro Stock Motorcycle class was added to the NHRA Championship Drag Racing Series in the 1980s, with the first points championship being awarded in 1987.

1. Turbocharging
   Nitrous oxide
2. Double four-barrel carburetors
   None of these

While the Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars are all designed to the top mechanical specifications possible for a motor vehicle, those in the Pro Stock class of the NHRA are required to use components that the general public can purchase, and modifications such as turbo or superchargers, nitrous oxide and others cannot be used. This is the "Factory Hot Rod" class!

1. 1,000
   5,000
2. 11,000
   15,000

It doesn't generate that kind of force for long, but a Top Fuel dragster can generate up to 11,000 horsepower during its run. They are among the fastest-accelerating machines in the world. To put it in perspective, the $3.4 million Bugatti Chiron puts out about 1480 horses.

1. 5,000 RPM
   7,000 RPM
2. 9,500 RPM
   12,000 RPM

Top Fuel dragsters are built to take abuse (1,000 feet at a time). While a gas engine can hit about 6,000 to 7,000 revolutions per minute before reaching the redline on the tachometer, dragsters blow past that point and top out at about 9,500 RPM.

1. The engine will lose all power and die.
   It can blow the cylinder head off.
2. The vehicle will pull to one side.
   Nothing — The other plugs can make up the difference.

All the spark plugs must fire during the run; otherwise, unburned nitromethane will build up in the engine and explode. The force of the explosion could blow the cylinder head off the block, or even split the engine block in half.

1. One
   Three
2. Four
   Seven

The outer shell of the Funny Car is designed to reflect the style of a consumer car, and currently there are four examples on the Funny Car track at NHRA-sanctioned events: Ford (Mustang), Chevrolet (Camaro), Dodge (Charger) and Toyota (Camry).

1. Between 400 to 800 pounds
   Between 1,000 to 1,500 pounds
2. Between 3,000 to 6,000 pounds
   Between 4,000 to 8,000 pounds

It is not the most prominent feature of a dragster, but the rear wing plays a vital role in helping the vehicle reach its top speed. By putting that much downward force on the back wheels, the rear tires grip the track better and can translate the torque generated by the engine into acceleration.

1. 3
   3
2. 10
   13

While the acceleration phase of the race puts a lot of strain on the driver, the moment when the parachutes deploy and bring the car to a stop can be even harder. NHRA Funny Cars, for example, put a strain of more than seven times the force of gravity (7 Gs) on the driver as the car comes to a stop!

1. Once
   Three times
2. About 10 times
   It depends on the competition.

Drag racing is all about the explosive nature of barreling down the 1,000-foot strip as fast as mechanically possible, and as you might suspect, this is very hard on the engine. So hard, in fact, that the engine needs to be rebuilt after every heat, complete with new pistons, rod bearings and other vital components.

1. It has a body that tilts up over the chassis.
   It can have anything between a V6 and a V12 engine.
2. A typical Funny Car costs anywhere between $100,000 and $500,000.
   All the above

The NHRA has some pretty strict guidelines about the build of vehicles in the Funny Car class. The car, which has a tilt-up shell built around the chassis can only have a V8 engine which displaces no more than 600 cubic inches, among other restrictions. A Funny Car will also set you back anywhere from $2.6 to $3 million, which isn't funny at all.

1. 1,020 degrees Fahrenheit
   3,250 degrees Fahrenheit
2. 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit
   7,050 degrees Fahrenheit

Keep clear of the exploding gasses! It takes a special kind of engine to get a vehicle to more than 300 mph in under four seconds, and that engine needs a special kind of fuel. The air/fuel mix in a nitromethane-burning engine can reach 7,050 degrees Fahrenheit!

1. About $1,000 per second
   About $5,000 per second
2. About $100 per second
   About $500 per second

Not counting the crew payroll and unexpected damage to the car or the engine system, it costs about $1,000 per second to run a Top Fuel dragster. While this sport started in the 1930s with hobbyists, drag racing is not a "weekend" sport!

1. 1,000
   10,000
2. 25,000
   40,000

The National Hot Rod Association claims to be the largest motorsports sanctioning body in the world, and with 40,000 drivers listed in its ranks, it's hard to argue that claim. With more than 200 classes, there's room for amateurs wanting to test their meddle as well as die-hard professionals ready to test their metal.

1. None
   Three
2. Nine
   17

No matter how many regulations are put in place and how many safety devices are installed, the risk can't be eliminated from the sport of drag racing. There were nine fatalities in the sport between 2002 and 2018.