Rick Santos
Encyclopedia
Rick Santos is a retired American drag racer known for winning five consecutive NHRA championships in the Top Alcohol
Dragster
category from 1997-2001.
Santos, who at age 24 had driven nothing faster than a Chevrolet Vega
, began driving his father George's small-block-Chevy-powered Top Alcohol Dragster in 1984. His first win was at the 1986 Winternationals. In 1991, Santos won both the Winternationals and the NHRA Finals. Santos scored three wins in 1993, included at the prestigious U.S. Nationals. Santos' car at the time was popular with fans because his small-block Chevy combination was competitive in a class dominated by Hemi engines. The Santos family parked their car prior to the 1996 season due to rule changes that would require them to add 120 pounds to their car and thus take away their competitive edge.
Santos began driving for Jack O'Bannon Racing in 1996. O'Bannon's team had switched from boat racing
to NHRA and retained crew chief
Norm Grimes. The team hit the ground running and won five consecutive championships between 1997 and 2001. Santos and O'Bannon cut their racing schedule down to just three races in 2002, and Santos retired from driving at the end of that season.
Santos retired with 36 national event wins, 38 division wins, five NHRA championships, and 7 division championships. Santos operates S&S Automotive in San Leandro, California
, and spends time with wife Kelly and sons Kyle and Nick.
Top Alcohol
Top Alcohol dragsters are akin to the premier Top Fuel drag racing class, but produce much less horsepower. They are required to burn a lower-performance mixture of alcohol fuel instead of more volatile nitromethane. Engine sizes cannot exceed . Nitromethane-burning entries may also race in this...
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....
category from 1997-2001.
Santos, who at age 24 had driven nothing faster than a Chevrolet Vega
Chevrolet Vega
The Chevrolet Vega is a subcompact, two-door automobile that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1971-1977 model years. Named after the star Vega, the car was powered by a lightweight aluminum-block inline four-cylinder engine...
, began driving his father George's small-block-Chevy-powered Top Alcohol Dragster in 1984. His first win was at the 1986 Winternationals. In 1991, Santos won both the Winternationals and the NHRA Finals. Santos scored three wins in 1993, included at the prestigious U.S. Nationals. Santos' car at the time was popular with fans because his small-block Chevy combination was competitive in a class dominated by Hemi engines. The Santos family parked their car prior to the 1996 season due to rule changes that would require them to add 120 pounds to their car and thus take away their competitive edge.
Santos began driving for Jack O'Bannon Racing in 1996. O'Bannon's team had switched from boat racing
Boat racing
-Types:* Canoe racing, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking* Drag boat racing, a form of drag racing which takes place on water rather than land* Dragon boat racing, a type of human-powered watercraft racing...
to NHRA and retained crew chief
Pit stop
In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...
Norm Grimes. The team hit the ground running and won five consecutive championships between 1997 and 2001. Santos and O'Bannon cut their racing schedule down to just three races in 2002, and Santos retired from driving at the end of that season.
Santos retired with 36 national event wins, 38 division wins, five NHRA championships, and 7 division championships. Santos operates S&S Automotive in San Leandro, California
San Leandro, California
San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is considered a suburb of Oakland and San Francisco. The population was 84,950 as of 2010 census. The climate of the city is mild throughout the year.-Geography and water resources:...
, and spends time with wife Kelly and sons Kyle and Nick.