Matchbox Monday

Matchbox Monday

Welcome to another episode of Matchbox Monday. In today's episode we feature a couple of Drag Racing vehicles.

This one particular vehicle has drove me nuts for years. It is a Firebird funny car. But ..some dummy decided to put a picture of an Indy car on the side of it. To me that doesn't even make sense. I always thought of this as an error car.

2000 #37 - Speed Blaster Series - Firebird Funny Car - #1/4 in Series

2001 #93 - Skin deep Series -Super Comp Dragster - #1/4 in Series

2001 #164 - Dragster

In NHRA drag racing, there are several different categories, including Super Pro 7.50-11.99, Super Street 10.90, Super Gas 9.90, Super Comp 8.90. There are several other categories, and each has special rules and equipment requirements.

Super Pro is a bracket race, which you have a dial in..how fast your car will run in the 1/4 mile. The staging lights are activated depending on your dial in..so a slower car would leave before a faster car to make the race closer. This is a good entry level category.

In the other Super classes, there is an index. For example Super Street is a 10.90(just under 11 seconds in the 1/4 mile). If you go faster than that, it is considered a "break out" and you can loose, depending on what your opponent does. If both cars go too fast(double break out), the car closer to the index wins.

I can tell you that drag racing is an expensive sport. And making a car go 1 second faster can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. The faster you go, the more money and the more safety equipment you will need.

Super Comp
The quickest of the heads-up Super classes (8.90 index), Super Comp is composed primarily of dragsters. Engine, chassis, and body modifications are virtually unlimited. Four- and six-cylinder-powered entries may have a minimum weight of 1,000 pounds; all others cannot weigh less than 1,350 pounds. Most Super Comp cars are capable of running well under the 8.90 index but use a number of electronic aids, including a timer and adjustable throttle, to run close to the index without running quicker than it, or breaking out.