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50 free NHRA Drag Racing trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
The NHRA calls itself the largest motorsport sanctioning body in the world, and its Top Fuel dragsters are the quickest-accelerating cars on Earth. These NHRA trivia questions cover the four pro classes, the founding by Wally Parks, the legends from Big Daddy Garlits and Shirley Muldowney to John Force and Antron Brown, the Christmas tree, the U.S. Nationals and the physics of 11,000 horsepower. Every answer is sourced, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is the nickname of the trophy given to NHRA national event winners?
The Wally
A special Diamond Wally is being awarded for the NHRA's 75th anniversary in 2026.
Q 02Where was the first NHRA Nationals held in 1955?
Great Bend, Kansas
It ran on a decommissioned airfield; the event moved to Indianapolis in 1961.
Q 03Which magazine did Wally Parks edit when he started the NHRA?
Hot Rod
He co-founded the magazine and used it to push safety and organised racing.
Q 04Roughly how many drivers does the NHRA claim on its rosters?
40,000
That figure underpins its claim to be the world's largest motorsport sanctioning body.
Q 05How many professional classes make up the NHRA's top series?
Four
Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Q 06How many national events make up the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series each year?
24
The series draws racers from across North America and beyond.
Q 07Where are the U.S. Nationals held today?
Lucas Oil Raceway, Brownsburg
The strip near Indianapolis has hosted the race every year since 1961, when it moved from Detroit.
Q 08What is the U.S. Nationals' nickname?
The Big Go
It is traditionally run over Labor Day weekend with eliminations on the Monday.
Q 09What fuel powers Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars?
Nitromethane
Since 2015 the mix is capped at 90 percent nitro; the rest is typically methanol.
Q 10Over what distance do Top Fuel and Funny Car now race?
1,000 feet
The quarter mile was cut after Scott Kalitta's fatal 2008 crash; Pro Stock still runs the full 1,320 feet.
Q 11What is the maximum engine displacement allowed in Top Fuel?
500 cubic inches
The engines are based on the second-generation Chrysler Hemi but built entirely from specialised parts.
Q 12Roughly how much power did 2015 sensor tests measure from a Top Fuel engine?
11,000 hp
About 1,000 of those horsepower are needed just to turn the supercharger.
Q 13Which Chrysler engine design is the basis for Top Fuel engines?
The Hemi
Compression is only about 6.5:1 because of the overdriven Roots supercharger.
Q 21How many consecutive championships did John Force win from 1993 to 2002?
Ten
The streak earned him the nickname "Brute Force" and accusations of cheating he offered to disprove by stripping off his firesuit.
Q 22What speed record does Brittany Force hold?
343.51 mph
She also ran a then-record 3.676 seconds over 1,000 feet at Topeka in 2016.
Q 23Which oil brand sponsored John Force from 1985 to 2014?
Castrol
Early in his career he finished as low as 26th in points before the sponsorship and Austin Coil's tuning turned things around.
What is Don Prudhomme's nickname?
Q 14How many Top Fuel championships did Shirley Muldowney win?
Three
Her 1977, 1980 and 1982 titles made her the first person to win two and then three Top Fuel crowns.
Q 15Which 1983 film told Shirley Muldowney's story, with Bonnie Bedelia in the lead?
Heart Like a Wheel
Muldowney had mixed feelings about it but thought it was very good for the sport.
Q 16What is Don Garlits's famous nickname?
Big Daddy
He is widely considered the godfather of drag racing.
Q 17What name did Garlits give each generation of his dragsters?
Swamp Rat
He had been dismissed as "the Floridian" by California racers before adopting the name.
Q 18What injury prompted Garlits to perfect the rear-engine dragster?
Losing part of his foot
A two-speed transmission exploded in 1970 and cut his slingshot dragster in half.
Q 19Which Garlits dragster went into the Smithsonian's American History museum in 1987?
Swamp Rat XXX
Garlits was the first to officially top 170, 180, 200, 240, 250 and 270 mph in the quarter mile.
Q 20How many NHRA Funny Car championships did John Force win as a driver?
16
He added a 17th title in the AHRA and 24 as a car owner.
The Snake
He won four Funny Car championships in a 35-year career.
Q 25Who was the Snake's match-race rival, known as the Mongoose?
Tom McEwen
Prudhomme's yellow Barracuda and McEwen's red Duster became Hot Wheels toys in 1970.
Q 26Which toy company's sponsorship made the Snake and Mongoose famous in 1970?
Mattel
It was one of the few major corporate sponsorships in the sport at the time.
Q 27Which beer brand gave Kenny Bernstein the nickname "the Bud King"?
Budweiser
He won four Funny Car titles and two in Top Fuel, 69 events in all.
Q 28Which sponsor gave Tony Schumacher the nickname "the Sarge"?
The U.S. Army
The nickname first applied to the dragster, then stuck to the buzz-cut driver himself.
Q 29Who became the first African American champion in NHRA history, in 2012?
Antron Brown
He had raced Pro Stock Motorcycle before switching to Top Fuel in 2008.
Q 30Who became the first woman to win an NHRA Pro Stock race, in 2012?
Erica Enders
She beat Greg Anderson in the final at Route 66 Raceway and has since won six Pro Stock titles.