The tradition of competing to build the fastest cars and race them have been around since the first cars were invented. However, many of these races were simple disputes that were unorganized and unofficial. Companies arose to regulate racing to the point of having separate divisions for cars. These companies slowly split their regulations for their races until entirely different types of cars were entered for each type of competition. With the rising popularity of racing cars and new regulated competitions came companies specialized in designing high-end cars specifically for racing.
These two types of companies have worked together to bring the high staked and much anticipated races we have around the world today. While a multitude of companies have participated in the evolution of racing, the pioneers still stand out today.
One of these pioneers is the National Hot Rod Association. (NHRA) The NHRA has over 40,000 drives in its rosters and hosts events in the USA and Canada. The NHRA holds a multitude of race types from motorcycle to snowmobiles, boasts well kept tracks, and allows racers of all ages to compete in different brackets.
With this expansive reach, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsports body in the world; a claim few can disagree with. However, even the largest of companies had to start somewhere.
The NHRA was founded by Wally Parks in 1951 in California to organize Funny car and Top Fuel drag racing. Today, the main NHRA headquarters is in Glendora, California. Parks had little trouble founding the company due to there being virtually no competition which ensured NHRA’s exponential growth.
![](https://paperap.com/wp-content/themes/theme/img-rh/star.svg")
4.7 (346)
“ This writer never make an mistake for me always deliver long before due date. Am telling you man this writer is absolutely the best. ”
Park’s reasoning for founding the NHRA was to bring racers off the streets and onto race tracks. This way, races could have set rules and be more competitive. This mentality for drag racing is what made Wally Parks a crucial part of why drag racing is considered a professional sport. The NHRA’s first race was held in April 1953 in Pomona, California.
This race consisted of many classes of cars; Funny Cars and Top-Fuel Dragsters were the main event. Since then, the NHRA has expanded their races to encompass the North American continent; offering their first national event in Kansas in 1955 and moving it around the country to settle in Indianapolis in 1961. They now hold competitions 24 times a year in various locations. With all of these races and the revenue from tickets, the NHRA is extremely sustainable and pays employees well but is labeled as “non-profit business league” by the IRS. The NHRA’s success has boosted the sport of racing to new levels and inspired other companies to do the same. Other companies that rose to the potential profit of racing followed in the NHRA’s footsteps. Later, other companies would compete with the NHRA for racing events around the world. Despite this, the NHRA stands above the rest by being the original.
Although the NHRA gave rise to racing, the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) continued the legacy of racing. NASCAR focuses mainly on stock-car racing. NASCAR is stationed in America and functions in multiple parts around the country. Some of NASCAR’s best known events are the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series.
Along with these races, NASCAR also holds a multitude of regional series. NASCAR was founded by a group of racers with the head being William “Bill” France Sr. in February 1921 in Daytona Beach, Florida. France founded NASCAR because he believed in racing as a sport, along with his colleagues. Although NASCAR came before NHRA, many of its races were smaller, more regional, and not as regulated. These conditions for founding NASCAR caused a hardship for getting attendees to their races. However, this all changed with the first Stock-Car only race on June 19, 1949.
Held at the Charlotte Speedway in North Carolina, 13,000 fans watched Glenn Dunaway finish first for the 200-lap race. These early races were consisted of street cars, unlike the highly customized cars of today. As more races were held, NASCAR started to stand out from other racing agencies for their professionalism and sponsors. These sponsors flocking to the NASCAR races helped improve the reputation of stock car racing and boosted the racing sport to a professional level. With an extremely high end payout for races and the many sponsors racers receive, NASCAR profits heavily.
Every racer who competes in racing leaves their mark on the track with the rubber of their tires. However, only a few individuals can leave their mark in the history books. Tony Schumacher is one of these few men. A top competitor in the NHRA with 84 career wins, 153 career final rounds, and a top speed of 336.57 MPH, Tony is one of the best Top-Fuel Drag Racers ever to drive on the track. Born on December 25, 1969 in California, Tony was the son of Don Schumacher; an NHRA legend. Tony was raised into a racing family and grew to be fascinated with the sport. Tony then attended St. John’s Military academy, which is stationed in Delafield, Wisconsin.
Tony Schumacher decided to race based off of his father and his life being revolved around cars, which his parents encouraged. Tony Schumacher’s first qualification race was in 1996, where he qualified 16th. Unfortunately for the race, Blane Johnson, Tony’s next opponent, was killed in a crash. Tony started his career by showing respect for the former racer, idling down the track. Tony continued his career despite seeing firsthand the dangers of racing and grew to be a prized competitor for the NHRA. Tony won his first championship in 2006 after overcoming the dominating champion, which then led into a competitive streak virtually unrivalved. Along with his impressive race record, Tony also holds the title of the first man to pass 330 MPH, despite this record being broken in a day.
Today
Tony is paid handsomely with a net worth of 10 million and lives in Austin, Texas with his three children. Tony Schumacher’s extravagant racing career impacted the sport by inspiring many others to race and showed just how far Top Fuel racing could go.
People who Influenced Racing. (2021, Dec 11). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/people-who-influenced-racing/
