Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
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U.S. Nationals is an NHRA-sanctioned drag racing
event. The U.S. Nationals are considered the most prestigious drag racing event in the world. The distinction stems from the U.S. Nationals being the oldest, largest, and richest drag racing event worldwide. The event is held at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
in Clermont, Indiana
.
It is the only Monday event on the schedule, and is the longest-running Labor Day motorsports event in the United States, a distinction it earned in 2004.
The event moved to O'Reilly Raceway Park in 1961, from Detroit Dragway
, after a verbal deal was made between NHRA founder, and Board Chairman, Wally Parks
, and the then-owners of the track, which held the name of Indianapolis Raceway Park at the time. The U.S. Nationals have been held there since. In 1979, the NHRA bought the entire complex. In 2007, it was renamed O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, after auto parts supplier O'Reilly Auto Parts
won entitlement to the track.
Mac Tools
Mac Tools is a professional tool company located in Westerville, Ohio, USA. The Mac Tools line consists of over 8000 professional tools including screwdrivers, ratchets, wrenches, and assorted air tools. Mac Tools also makes its own tool boxes located in its manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Ohio...
U.S. Nationals is an NHRA-sanctioned drag racing
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
event. The U.S. Nationals are considered the most prestigious drag racing event in the world. The distinction stems from the U.S. Nationals being the oldest, largest, and richest drag racing event worldwide. The event is held at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis is a racing circuit complex in Brownsburg, Indiana...
in Clermont, Indiana
Clermont, Indiana
Clermont is a town in Pike and Wayne townships of Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,356 at the 2010 census. It has existed as an "included town" since 1970, when it was incorporated into Indianapolis as part of Unigov. It is legally part of Indianapolis, while retaining a...
.
It is the only Monday event on the schedule, and is the longest-running Labor Day motorsports event in the United States, a distinction it earned in 2004.
The event moved to O'Reilly Raceway Park in 1961, from Detroit Dragway
Detroit Dragway
Detroit Dragway was a quarter mile long drag strip located in Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan on the corner of Sibley and Dix. It opened in 1959 by Gil Kohn and the track became sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association in 1959. The "Dirty D" as it was also known was the host of the 1959...
, after a verbal deal was made between NHRA founder, and Board Chairman, Wally Parks
Wally Parks
Wallace Gordon Parks was instrumental in establishing drag racing as a legitimate amateur and professional motorsport. He was the Founder, President, and the Chairman of the Board of the National Hot Rod Association, better known as NHRA...
, and the then-owners of the track, which held the name of Indianapolis Raceway Park at the time. The U.S. Nationals have been held there since. In 1979, the NHRA bought the entire complex. In 2007, it was renamed O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, after auto parts supplier O'Reilly Auto Parts
O'Reilly Auto Parts
O'Reilly Auto Parts , originally known as O'Reilly Automotive, Inc., is a publicly traded chain of auto parts stores that started with one store in Springfield, Missouri in 1957. It has since grown to include more than 3,469 stores in 38 states. The corporate headquarters of O'Reilly is located in...
won entitlement to the track.
Past winners
Professional class winnersYear | Top Fuel Top Fuel Top Fuel racing is a class of drag racing in which the cars are run on a mix of approximately 90% nitromethane and 10% methanol rather than gasoline or simply methanol. The cars are purpose-built for drag racing, with an exaggerated layout that in some ways resembles open-wheel circuit racing... Dragster Dragster Dragster may refer to*Dragster, a rock band of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era.*Dragster, a video game released in 1980.*Dragster, a term referring to a custom-built vehicle used in drag racing.... | Top Fuel Top Fuel Top Fuel racing is a class of drag racing in which the cars are run on a mix of approximately 90% nitromethane and 10% methanol rather than gasoline or simply methanol. The cars are purpose-built for drag racing, with an exaggerated layout that in some ways resembles open-wheel circuit racing... Funny Car Funny Car Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'... | Pro Stock Pro Stock Pro Stock Drag Racing is a class of drag racing featuring 'Factory Hot-Rods'. The class can be known as "all motor," as the cars cannot use artificial induction such as turbocharging, supercharging, or nitrous oxide, and there are very strict rules governing the modifications allowed to the... | Pro Stock Motorcycle Pro Stock Motorcycle Pro Stock Motorcycle, formerly known as Pro Stock Bike is a drag racing class that is the two-wheeled equivalent of Pro Stock. It has been a feature of NHRA drag racing since the 1980s when it was added to the professional class structure and has since spread around the globe. Their 1st Points... |
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1963 | Tommy Vodnik | |||
1964 | Don Garlits Don Garlits Donald Glenn "Don" Garlits is considered the father of drag racing. He is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. Always a pioneer in the field of drag-racing, he, with the help of T.C... |
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1965 | Don Prudhomme Don Prudhomme Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme, is an American drag racer.-Racing career:In 1962, Prudhomme was a partner in the Greer-Black-Prudhomme digger, which earned the best win record in NHRA history, before switching to Funny Car. He would win the NHRA FC championship four times in his thirty-five-year career... |
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1966 | Mike Snively | |||
1967 | Don Garlits | Doug Thorley | ||
1968 | Don Garlits | |||
1969 | Don Prudhomme | Danny Ongais Danny Ongais Danny Ongais is a former racecar driver from the United States.He is the only native Hawaiian to compete at the Indianapolis 500... |
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1970 | Don Prudhomme | Don Schumacher | Herb McCandless | |
1971 | Steve Carbone | Ed McCulloch | Ronnie Sox Ronnie Sox Ronnie Sox was a United States drag racer.His family ran an Esso service station near Burlington, North Carolina, where got his start in drag racing in the 1950s when the Police Club of Burlington began hosting races at an airport.He raced at tracks throughout North Carolina and became a national... |
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1972 | Gary Beck Gary Beck Gary Beck is a two-time World champion drag racing driver. Born and raised in the United States, Beck married a Canadian and they made their home in her native Edmonton, Alberta... |
Ed McCulloch | Ray Allen Ray Allen Walter Ray Allen is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. He has played professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Boston Celtics; and collegiately for the University of... |
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1973 | Gary Beck | Don Prudhomme | Bob Glidden Bob Glidden Bob Glidden is an American drag racer. He was retired from Pro Stock racing in 1997 and returned in 2010. Glidden retired as the driver with the most wins in National Hot Rod Association history at that time , and he is currently the third most successful drag racer in the history... |
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1974 | Marvin Graham | Don Prudhomme | Bob Glidden | |
1975 | Don Garlits | Raymond Beadle Raymond Beadle Raymond Beadle was an American nitro funny car and dragster racer, as well as a prolific auto racing team owner.In the sport of drag racing, Beadle's 'Blue Max' cars he won three consecutive NHRA funny car championships from 1979 to 1981 and three IHRA funny car championships - 1975-6 and 1981.In... |
Wayne Capp | |
1976 | Richard Tharp | Gary Burgin | Wally Booth | |
1977 | Dennis Baca | Don Prudhomme | Don Nicholson Don Nicholson Don Nicholson was an American drag racer from Georgia. He raced in the 1960s and '70s when there were few national events. The National Hot Rod Association estimates that he won 90 percent of his match races... |
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1978 | Don Garlits | Tom McEwen Tom McEwen Tom McEwen, is an American drag racer, who won the U.S. Nationals during part of his 45 year career. He is listed as number 16 of the 50 most significant drivers of NHRA’s first 50 years. He received the nickname "the Mongoose" in 1964 from engine builder Ed Donovan. It was largely originally used... |
Bob Glidden | |
1979 | Kelly Brown | Gordie Bonin Gordie Bonin Gordie Bonin along with Ron Hodgson and Gordon Jenner make up what is considered one of the best Canadian Drag racing teams ever. Gordie Bonin was a Drag racer, known as "240 Gordie," and along with his teammates was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2000. -References:... |
Bob Glidden | Terry Vance Terry Vance Terry Vance is a fourteen-time National Drag Race Championships before retiring in 1988. He was inducted into the American Motorcyclist Association Hall of Fame in 1999, and along with partner Byron Hines, developed an extremely successful aftermarket parts business Vance & Hines... |
1980 | Terry Capp Terry Capp Terry Capp is a Canadian Drag racer who was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2001. He won the Top Fuel championship at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis in 1980. In the early part of his career Bernie Fedderly acted as crew chief.... |
Ed McCulloch | Lee Shepherd Lee Shepherd Lee Alan Shepherd was an American drag racing driver . He began racing for car owners Reher & Morrison in 1978. The team campaigned Chevy Camaros through most of their career. The Arlington, Texas native won the National Hot Rod Association's Pro Stock championship in four consecutive seasons from... |
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1981 | Johnny Abbot | Raymond Beadle | Lee Shepherd | |
1982 | Shirley Muldowney Shirley Muldowney Shirley Muldowney , also known professionally as "Cha Cha" Muldowney and the "First Lady of Drag Racing", is a pioneer in professional auto racing. She was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association to drive a top fuel dragster... |
Billy Meyer Billy Meyer William Adam Meyer was an American baseball player and manager. He holds the dubious distinction as having played for, and managed, two of the worst teams in the history of Major League Baseball.... |
Frank Iaconio | |
1983 | Gary Beck | Kenny Bernstein Kenny Bernstein Kenny Bernstein is an American drag racer and former NASCAR and IndyCar team owner. He is nicknamed the "Bud King" for his success in the Budweiser King dragster, he has also been nicknamed "The King of Speed," because he was the first driver to break 300 miles per hour in the standing-start... |
Bob Glidden | |
1984 | Don Garlits | Jim Head | Warren Johnson Warren Johnson Warren Johnson is an NHRA drag racing driver. He is the driver with the most wins in pro stock with 97 career wins, earning himself the nickname The Professor of Pro Stock.-Career:... |
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1985 | Don Garlits | John Lombardo | Bob Glidden | Terry Vance |
1986 | Don Garlits | Mike Dunn | Bob Glidden | Terry Vance |
1987 | Joe Amato | Kenny Bernstein | Bob Glidden | Dave Schultz |
1988 | Joe Amato | Ed McCulloch | Bob Glidden | Dave Schultz |
1989 | Darrell Gwynn | Don Prudhomme | Larry Morgan | John Myers John Myers John Myers is a British radio executive, consultant and presenter. Myers developed the Century Radio brand for Border Radio Holdings in the early 1990s, launching two more stations later in the decade. He presented programmes under the pseudonym 'John Morgan'... |
1990 | Joe Amato | Ed McCulloch | Jerry Eckman | Dave Schultz |
1991 | Kenny Bernstein | Jim White | Darrel Aldermann | Jim Bernard |
1992 | Ed McCulloch | Cruz Pedregon Cruz Pedregon Cruz Pedregon is a 2-time NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car Champion from Torrance, California. He is the brother of Tony Pedregon also a two-time Funny Car Champion.-Early Days:... |
Warren Johnson Warren Johnson Warren Johnson is an NHRA drag racing driver. He is the driver with the most wins in pro stock with 97 career wins, earning himself the nickname The Professor of Pro Stock.-Career:... |
Dave Schultz |
1993 | Pat Austin Pat Austin Pat Austin is a retired American drag racer. He competed in the National Hot Rod Association . He won four NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car championships between 1987 and 1991. He was the first driver to win eliminator titles at the same event when he won the Top Fuel and Alcohol Funny Car classes at... |
John Force John Force John Harold Force is an NHRA drag racer, a 15-time Funny Car champion driver, and a 17-time champion car owner. Force owns and drives for John Force Racing. He is one of the most dominant drag racers in the sport with 133 career victories... |
Warren Johnson | Dave Schultz |
1994 | Connie Kalitta Connie Kalitta Conrad "Connie" Kalitta is the CEO of Kalitta Air and a retired American drag racing driver, once known as "The Bounty Hunter".He grew up in Mount Clemens, Michigan, and was a 1957 graduate of Mount Clemens High School.... |
Cruz Pedregon | Warren Johnson | Dave Schultz |
1995 | Larry Dixon Larry Dixon (drag racer) Larry Dixon, Jr. is a professional drag racer in the NHRA. Larry is the son of Larry Dixon, Sr., who won one national event.-1980s and 1990s:... |
Cruz Pedregon | Warren Johnson | Rick Ward |
1996 | Cory McClenathan | John Force | Kurt Johnson Kurt Johnson Kurt Johnson is a professional American drag racing driver. He was born in Virginia, Minnesota, and currently resides in Buford, Georgia. He competes in the NHRA’s POWERade Drag Racing series, driving a Chevrolet Cobalt in the Pro Stock category... |
John Myers |
1997 | Jim Head | Whit Bazemore | Kurt Johnson | John Myers |
1998 | Gary Scelzi Gary Scelzi Gary Scelzi, , is an American dragster racer and midget car owner who has won the NHRA Powerade Top Fuel championship on three occasions and the Funny Car title once... |
John Force | Mike Edwards | Matt Hines |
1999 | Cory McClenathan | Frank Pedregon | Warren Johnson | Matt Hines |
2000 | Tony Schumacher | Jim Epler | Jeg Coughlin, Jr. Jeg Coughlin, Jr. Jeg Coughlin, Jr. is an American motorsports driver, competing in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock Division. He announced at the 2006 U.S. Nationals that he would drive in three events towards the end of that season and would return to the Pro Stock ranks the following season as... |
Antron Brown |
2001 | Larry Dixon | Whit Bazemore | Greg Anderson | Angelle Seeling |
2002 | Tony Schumacher | John Force | Jeg Coughlin, Jr. | Angelle Savoie |
2003 | Tony Schumacher | Tim Wilkerson | Greg Anderson | Reggie Showers Reggie Showers Reggie Showers, born , is a two-time motorcycle drag racing world champion, and a motivational speaker.-Accident:In 1978, at the age of 14, Showers lost both of his legs below the knee in an electrical accident. He later said of his disability, "It really didn't faze me; it was kind of surreal... |
2004 | Tony Schumacher | Gary Densham | Greg Anderson | Antron Brown |
2005 | Larry Dixon | Del Worsham Del Worsham Del Worsham is an NHRA driver who began his professional career in Pomona, California, in 1990. Worsham drives for Al-Anabi Racing, whom he joined in 2009. Through the first five races of the 2011 season, he has amassed 28 career victories, three in the Top Fuel Series and 25 in the Funny Car... |
Greg Anderson | GT Tonglet |
2006 | Tony Schumacher | Robert Hight | Greg Anderson | Matt Smith |
2007 | Tony Schumacher | Mike Ashley Mike Ashley Michael Ashley may refer to:*Mike Ashley , English millionaire owner of various sports-related shop chains and the football club Newcastle United... |
Dave Connolly | Craig Treble |
2008 | Tony Schumacher | Robert Hight | Dave Connolly | Steve Johnson Steve Johnson Steve Johnson may refer to:* Steve Johnson , wide receiver playing for the Buffalo Bills* Steve Johnson , Australian Football League player* Steve Johnson , baseball player... |
2009 | Tony Schumacher | Ashley Force Hood | Jeg Coughlin, Jr. | Hector Arana |
2010 | Larry Dixon | Ashley Force Hood | Greg Stanfield | LE Tonglet |