NHRA Honors Its Legacy with 75th Anniversary Book and Exclusive Projects
The 2025 season may have ended under rainy skies, but for the NHRA community, the quiet off-season is anything but idle. With championships decided and trophies packed away, attention has shifted to one of the most meaningful projects in the organization’s history: the celebration of the NHRA’s 75th Anniversary.
For nearly two years, a monumental undertaking has been in motion the creation of the official 75th-anniversary coffee-table book, NHRA 75: A Legacy of Speed. Anticipation surrounding the project has been building across the sport, as fans and racers alike eagerly await its release.
Capturing 75 Years of NHRA Spirit
Assembling a book of this magnitude is no small challenge. How does one compress 75 years of drag racing heritage nearly 700 world championships and more than 1,100 national events into just 208 pages? The team behind the project has worked tirelessly to ensure the book reflects the full breadth of NHRA history, from the sport’s dusty beginnings on the dry lakes to the high-tech battlegrounds of today’s national event tracks.
Longtime fans may recall the 50th-anniversary book, “The Fast Lane“, which was produced externally and received mixed reactions due to several significant omissions. Learning from that experience, the NHRA’s 75th book was developed with deep attention to accuracy and historical integrity. The goal: to correct the record where needed and to properly honor the pioneers who built the sport.
Rather than simply presenting a timeline, the book serves as a heartfelt tribute. It draws from nearly two decades of stories shared within the racing community, giving the project a genuine fan-driven spirit.
Inside the Pages of Drag Racing History
The final product delivers far more than a technical rundown. It’s packed with narratives designed to leap off the page like a Top Fuel dragster launching from the starting line. Featured throughout are profiles of iconic figures Wally Parks, the Chrisman family, Shirley Muldowney, Bob Glidden, and the Force dynasty alongside deep dives into the mechanical and technological evolution of the sport.
Readers will find stories that shaped generations, including Don Garlits shaving his beard in the winner’s circle in ’67, Kenny Bernstein breaking the 300-mph barrier, and Tony Schumacher’s unforgettable “The Run.”
The book was a collaborative effort involving writers, historians, designers, and archivists. Art Director Jeff Mellem and Photo Editor Jerry Foss brought the visual components to life, while NHRA historian Todd Veney and others helped ensure every detail was properly fact-checked and faithfully represented.
Celebrating the Top 75 NHRA Moments and Drivers
The anniversary celebration extends far beyond the book’s pages. NHRA has also launched fan voting for the Top 75 Moments in NHRA history. An initial curated list of 100 moments provides the foundation, but fans will ultimately determine which ones deserve top honors.
The organization has also refreshed its iconic list of top drivers. Instead of ranking competitors, NHRA retained the original 50 drivers from its 2001 list and added 25 more to reflect the extraordinary talent of the past 25 years. This unranked Top 75 honors drivers across all categories and eras, celebrating the depth and diversity of NHRA competition.
A New Digital Home for NHRA History
To further commemorate the milestone, NHRA is developing a dedicated 75th-anniversary website. More than a static destination, the new site will offer an interactive exploration of the sport’s past, including large photo galleries, curated video playlists, season-by-season summaries, and exclusive historical content. Former NHRA webmaster Brent Friar returned to help build the platform, infusing it with both modern design and deep knowledge of the sport.
Both the anniversary book and the new website are scheduled for release in early January, ushering in the new year with a celebration of tradition, innovation, and the passion that keeps the NHRA community thriving. As the organization honors 75 years of speed, it also sets the stage for many more milestones still to come.
