This was forwarded to me through the monte carlo list.



Top Fuel Dragster Facts...

ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE
* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower
(8,000 HP) than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 gallons of nitro
methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same
rate with 25% less energy being produced.

* A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to merely
drive the dragster's supercharger.

* With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the
supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a
near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic
lock at full throttle.

* At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for
nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.

* Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular
white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning
hydrogen,dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust
gases.

* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug.This is the output of
an arc welder in each cylinder.

* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed
during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression
plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only
be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.

* If spark momentarily fails early in the run,
unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes
with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or
split the block in half.

* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this
sentence.

* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds,
dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach
200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acce leration approaches 8
G's.

* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540
revolutions from light to light!

* Including the burnout, the engine must only
survive 900 revolutions under load.

* The redline is actually quite high at 9500 RPM.

* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew
worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each
run costs an estimated $1,000 per second.
0 to 100 MPH in .8 seconds (the first 60 feet of the run) 0 to 200 MPH
in 2.2 seconds (the first 350 feet of the run) 6 g-forces at the
starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land)
6 negative g-forces upon deployment of twin chutes at 300 MPH

An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates quicker than any other land
vehicle on earth . . quicker than a jet fighter plane . . . quicker than
the space shuttle.

The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.420 seconds for
the quarter-mile (2004, Doug Kalitta). The top speed record is 337.58
MPH as measured over the last 66'
of the run (2005, Tony Schumacher).

Putting this all into perspective:
You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered
Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged &
ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass. You have the
advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the
gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an
honest 200 MPH. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.
The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard,
but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums &
within 3 seconds the dragster catches & passes you.
He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just
passed him. Think about it - from a standing start, the dragster had
spotted you 200 MPH & not only cau ght, but nearly blasted you off the
road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race!

THATS ACCELERATION!!!!