At all times, were outsiders and middling, which is the background for an uncompromising struggle against the two favorites in the long run. And the density of the rivalry between the two is the determining factor in the formation of the audience, which makes cash when visiting game events, sweeping from the shelves of branded paraphernalia, and spending money on paid television. The popularity of the same, «Formula 1» faltered significantly in recent years, because all the intrigue of the championship has been reduced to one who will take second place — Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg.
We will talk about the most significant confrontations of the past and the present in the NHRA, allowing himself thus predict the situation. Well, traditionally start with the fastest class — Top Fuel.
Top Fuel
Then Don «Big Daddy» Garlits VS Shirley «Cha-Cha» Maldauni
Don Garlits throughout his career has been on the cutting edge of technological progress, constantly gushing with new ideas, most of which are not easy to work, and become the accepted standard, entrenched in rulbukah. Big Daddy found a legendary status long before his first world title. It is, in fact, was the face of drag racing, a guide and an idol for all who care about the exorbitant rate. Naturally, when there was Shirley Maldauni in the arena, which is not enough that playfully cracking down with the top pilots of the seventies, so also was the first two-time champion in the history of class, gender equality Garlits ideas are not imbued. And all this is happening at a time when women in motorsport looked at best with indulgence. The relationship between the Don and Shirley hardly a competition, it was a full-scale war on the strip and far beyond its borders, which ended only when the once bitter rivals out of business.
Who: Tony Schumacher VS Doug Kalitta
Both characters are pilots in the second generation, and began his career in the late nineties. Despite the fact that Schumacher remains are now in the status of the eightfold champion and Kalitta could only boast three titles of vice-champion, these guys are definitely each other's faces, all the more so today Kalitta Motorsports — perhaps the only «stable» is really capable of that team-or to oppose Don Schumacher Racing. But the apogee of their confrontation was the last event in 2006, which decided the fate of the Big Wally. On that day, Tony tried for the fourth time champion crown only by the fact that in the final round of the races Shootout able to confirm a new national record and ahead of Doug's only thanks to the bonus points for his achievement. If there were books on drag racing, the episode without any doubt would have hit the front pages.
Maybe tomorrow: Brittany Leah Force VS Pritchett
The only action the pilots in the class, frankly, not good results, and career is just beginning the girls. However, after they met in the final of the second stage in Phoenix, their opposition has become one of the most debated topics in American motorsports. It is difficult to say how well was the fate of racers in this championship, but we, like many others, are betting on the fact that the struggle between Mrs. Pritchett, and the youngest daughter of the most titled pilot in NHRA history more than once will be the cherry on the cake of the national championship.
Don Garlits throughout his career has been on the cutting edge of technological progress, constantly gushing with new ideas, most of which are not easy to work, and become the accepted standard, entrenched in rulbukah. Big Daddy found a legendary status long before his first world title. It is, in fact, was the face of drag racing, a guide and an idol for all who care about the exorbitant rate. Naturally, when there was Shirley Maldauni in the arena, which is not enough that playfully cracking down with the top pilots of the seventies, so also was the first two-time champion in the history of class, gender equality Garlits ideas are not imbued. And all this is happening at a time when women in motorsport looked at best with indulgence. The relationship between the Don and Shirley hardly a competition, it was a full-scale war on the strip and far beyond its borders, which ended only when the once bitter rivals out of business.
Who: Tony Schumacher VS Doug Kalitta
Both characters are pilots in the second generation, and began his career in the late nineties. Despite the fact that Schumacher remains are now in the status of the eightfold champion and Kalitta could only boast three titles of vice-champion, these guys are definitely each other's faces, all the more so today Kalitta Motorsports — perhaps the only «stable» is really capable of that team-or to oppose Don Schumacher Racing. But the apogee of their confrontation was the last event in 2006, which decided the fate of the Big Wally. On that day, Tony tried for the fourth time champion crown only by the fact that in the final round of the races Shootout able to confirm a new national record and ahead of Doug's only thanks to the bonus points for his achievement. If there were books on drag racing, the episode without any doubt would have hit the front pages.
Maybe tomorrow: Brittany Leah Force VS Pritchett
The only action the pilots in the class, frankly, not good results, and career is just beginning the girls. However, after they met in the final of the second stage in Phoenix, their opposition has become one of the most debated topics in American motorsports. It is difficult to say how well was the fate of racers in this championship, but we, like many others, are betting on the fact that the struggle between Mrs. Pritchett, and the youngest daughter of the most titled pilot in NHRA history more than once will be the cherry on the cake of the national championship.
Funny Car
Then Don «Snake» Prudhomme VS Tom «Mangoose» McEwen
So expensive and so successfully as in the tandem sell drag racing happened except that the brilliant marketer of motorsport Kenny Bernstein, who for more than twenty years in a row dissected under the flag of one of the most popular beer brands Budweiser. Prudhomme, without any doubt, the head McEwen excelled as a pilot and a mechanic, but it occurred to Tom to create epic national scale around Snake and Mongoose rivalry that spawned uniform hysteria across America in the seventies. Every third boy were models of their dregster, vnezachetnye demonstration runs of riders gathered audience, which would be the envy of any stage of the regular season the NHRA, T-shirts and posters with the logos of Hot Wheels flew like an icy Coca-Cola in the height of summer, about them, in the end, in 2013 removed a feature film. Well, if you add to that is rapidly gaining momentum among slaughterhouse Garlitsem restless and fragile Shirley, it becomes painfully hurt of knowing that you were not born at the time and in the wrong place.
Who: John Force VS Cruz Pedregon
In the nineties, by and large, it was John Force and all the rest. All the others, who did not have a chance. At the peak of his career, the father of three daughters and the owner of a racing team named themselves dominated so categorically that the names of his opponents and the number of their regalia simply faded against the background of his overwhelming superiority. In fact, sixteen titles Force greatly complicate the identification of worthy competitors, but in 1992 it was able to interrupt Pedregon John unprecedented series of victories, which lasted from 1990 to 2002. Today both riders are in the status of veterans, and their rare meeting on the opposing lanes — is always an event for those who follow the ups and downs in the NHRA is not the first year.
Maybe tomorrow: John Force VS Matt Hagan and John Force VS Jack «Fast Jack» Beckman
Despite the fact that last year the main battles thundered between pilots Don Schumacher Racing, until the end of the national championship in the arena does not appear Affairs Vorshem not demonstrated all clearly how should fight champions for a bottle of champagne on the podium, the leitmotif of recent years is precisely the confrontation Don Schumacher, the retired racing Affairs, and John Force, who from the event to the event proves that there is nitromethane in the locker. And worthy opponents had at the moment two: Matt Hagan, repeatedly moving closer bar maximum speed at the finish line during the last season, and Jack Beckman, who countless times rewrote the record net time, but barely has not held in Countdown To The Championship in 2015. Of course, it is possible that once again shoot Vorshem Affairs, but it is quite another matter.
So expensive and so successfully as in the tandem sell drag racing happened except that the brilliant marketer of motorsport Kenny Bernstein, who for more than twenty years in a row dissected under the flag of one of the most popular beer brands Budweiser. Prudhomme, without any doubt, the head McEwen excelled as a pilot and a mechanic, but it occurred to Tom to create epic national scale around Snake and Mongoose rivalry that spawned uniform hysteria across America in the seventies. Every third boy were models of their dregster, vnezachetnye demonstration runs of riders gathered audience, which would be the envy of any stage of the regular season the NHRA, T-shirts and posters with the logos of Hot Wheels flew like an icy Coca-Cola in the height of summer, about them, in the end, in 2013 removed a feature film. Well, if you add to that is rapidly gaining momentum among slaughterhouse Garlitsem restless and fragile Shirley, it becomes painfully hurt of knowing that you were not born at the time and in the wrong place.
Who: John Force VS Cruz Pedregon
In the nineties, by and large, it was John Force and all the rest. All the others, who did not have a chance. At the peak of his career, the father of three daughters and the owner of a racing team named themselves dominated so categorically that the names of his opponents and the number of their regalia simply faded against the background of his overwhelming superiority. In fact, sixteen titles Force greatly complicate the identification of worthy competitors, but in 1992 it was able to interrupt Pedregon John unprecedented series of victories, which lasted from 1990 to 2002. Today both riders are in the status of veterans, and their rare meeting on the opposing lanes — is always an event for those who follow the ups and downs in the NHRA is not the first year.
Maybe tomorrow: John Force VS Matt Hagan and John Force VS Jack «Fast Jack» Beckman
Despite the fact that last year the main battles thundered between pilots Don Schumacher Racing, until the end of the national championship in the arena does not appear Affairs Vorshem not demonstrated all clearly how should fight champions for a bottle of champagne on the podium, the leitmotif of recent years is precisely the confrontation Don Schumacher, the retired racing Affairs, and John Force, who from the event to the event proves that there is nitromethane in the locker. And worthy opponents had at the moment two: Matt Hagan, repeatedly moving closer bar maximum speed at the finish line during the last season, and Jack Beckman, who countless times rewrote the record net time, but barely has not held in Countdown To The Championship in 2015. Of course, it is possible that once again shoot Vorshem Affairs, but it is quite another matter.
Pro Stock
Then Bob Glidden VS Lee Shepherd
No other division competition between car manufacturers was not as large-scale and fundamental, all the more so in the seventies and eighties, winning the strip was, if not an absolute guarantee of good sales of civilian vehicles, one of the most effective marketing tools for sure. Since the founding of the class, and for the next fifteen years, Ford and Bob Glidden in particular feel quite impressively, and the only rider who was able to interrupt the march of Glidden became Lee Shepherd on a red-white Chevrolet Camaro. The reason was that at that time the five-time NHRA champion relaxed on the background of her crying benefits, and by 1981 Ford EXP light could no longer compete on an equal footing with the more severe the Chevy, equipped with seven-liter big block. And while engineers from the «Blue Oval» fought on the creation of a competitive car, Shepherd without any problems finished four championships in a row on the first line of personal credit. And then the game back Glidden. He came back to refill your track record with five more titles and a long time to stake out the status of the holder of the greatest number of victories in the history of the NHRA.
Now: Erica Enders Stephens VS Greg Anderson
At the beginning of zero Anderson was on horseback and was marked by three league titles in a row. In 2006, in the class came Erica Enders Stephens, who had to prove himself perfectly in Sportsman classes. The path to the summit of Olympus race for this ambitious lady is hardly easy, but pilotessa grew steadily and surely from season to season and eventually in 2012 became the first woman to win the class. A win over four-time champion of the Anderson family. That's when Erik talked seriously, and the fight for a place under the sun and between the well-deserved favorite racer, which already boasted a completely inhuman reflexes at the start, began. For four years, pilots have experienced ups and downs, while maintaining a minimum gap on points for each championship, but the past two seasons left for Enders-Stevens, and Anderson, despite an impressive baggage of experience, as if simply did not have a fuse to put the squeeze until the end and not break under the pressure of breakdown athletes in the final stage of the national championship.
Maybe tomorrow: Greg Anderson VS Vincent Nobile
After the change of technical regulations, perhaps, all commands except for KB Racing failed to adequately adapt to the new conditions. Anderson after two phases settled on the second line of the table, while the current champion twice goodbye to hopes for another trophy in the first round of races Shootout and «hanging out» is now outside the top-10. But her teammate and former partner Anderson Vincent Nobile is not particularly distinguished, but a lot of very interesting how he will behave under the circumstances, since gone over to the other camp. And a little fuel to the fire adds to the fact that while in-person meetings with Greg Vincent in the lead with a score of 10–8.
Photo: open source
