This is a timelapse video of what normally occurs in about 40 minutes at a topfuel(nitro) dragracing event. The entire engine is disassembled after a run for a total rebuild and to allow it to cool. During that time the clutch is also replaced. After the rebuild,the car is retuned and warmed up for the next round.
The engines are estimated to produce over 10,000 horsepower,but only run for several minutes for burnouts and staging. The actual pass under power is less than four seconds now.
The first time you experience it,it scares the heck out of you from the noise,sends vibrations thru your entire body and shakes the ground. One topfueler idling in the pits about a quarter mile away sounds louder that a train locomotive under power when standing near it.
A girl getting her first experience
Standard practice used to be seating the clutch during the warmup,but it is no longer done that way. When the crew chief was reaching for the throttle to "burp" it,no matter how many times you have been to the track,all the observers jump when they mash open the throttle. The pit crews act like nothing happened and are cool as cucumbers.
Warmup and two burps...watch the people that are standing near it
This is a video I found that shows how much vibration the produce all the way up in the bleachers
This is an outdated video of how it all works. These cars will exceed 325 miles per hour in under 4 seconds elapsed time in 1,000 feet of track
How a Top Fuel Dragster Works
If you are interested in seeing all of this in action,please watch this video
This is very far advanced to the shenanigans I have done on the same track running a quarter mile in a modified street machine.
When you are running against a clock and another opponent,the quarter mile seems like the longest road you have ever traveled
