As we have been telling you all week, today the 2018 NHRA SpringNationals kick off in Baytown, Texas. The NHRA has been racing in Baytown since 1988 and we showed you some of that video earlier this week. The 1988 race in Baytown was a late season affair whereas the SpringNationals, then held in Columbus were earlier in the year. Somehow we are coming up on the quarter pole of the 2018 season and this race was the 6th of 16 races held during the 1988 season. You can head Steve Evans say at the top of the show that by this point in the year the NHRA points are typically divided enough that one can tell who the favorites are to win. Well, the 1988 season was different in the fact that so many different people were winning races that there was no clear cut favorite.
Two things of note here (among many). Ron Dudley’s funny car explosion and fire is really, really bad. Dudley went to the hospital and he was in pretty bad shape. Thankfully he recovered and stuff but you will see that he was literally trapped in fiery hell for a long time. The safety safari saved his life.
This weekend (which was the weekend of June 20th) in 1988 was the weekend that Courtney Force was born on. John is having to rush out of the race to catch a plane home to be there when she would be born on the Monday after the event. Amazing to think that she will be racing against the same guy at Houston this weekend. Another interesting side note is that Rick Hord won competition eliminator. He’ll be racing pro mod in Texas this weekend! The finals in super comp at the 1988 race were interesting. Two small block altereds n the final of super comp?! It may be the last time that actually ever happened.
This is a supremely fun race to watch, drama and all!
