Normally when we think of a shop tour video we think of cars on lifts, guys welding stuff, parts being installed, and while all of those things are kind of a part of this one, it’s a little different. This shop tour video of Don Schumacher Racing hosted by Don Schumacher himself takes us into the beating heart of what the top level of team looks like in the world of big leave NHRA nitro drag racing. Contrasted with the videos of Tommy Ivo swinging an iron hemi into the nose of his dragster in the garage at his home the middle 1960s, the differences are stark.
With more than 100,000ft of floor space and something like half an acre of elevated space to use, this place is monstrous. When one even begins to start thinking about the heating and cooling bills that stack up to simply manage the building it gets freaky. Add in the salaries of more than 130 employees, the raw material costs needed for the fabrication, chassis, and machine shops, hell add in the oil change costs on a fleet of 30 some big rig trucks to support the teams and the number get frightening.
The evolution of this style of drag racing from what was genuinely a backyard hobby into a professional motorsport was pretty quick when you think about it. There wasn’t anyone who could of ever dreamed of a facility like this even 30 years ago, let alone 50. Lots of people lament the evolution that has taken top fuel racing from the real of the everyman and placed it into the ranks of big dollar professional competition. There’s something to be said about those days of yore but drag racing is no different than any other form of racing. Stock car racing has become massive, Indy Car racing evolved from the days of jalopies and iron blocks to the high tech world of today.
And to think…when Billy Meyer started towing his stuff around in a big rig people thought the sport had gone crazy.
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This kind of shit is exactly why normal people hate NHRA
What did the c.n.c machines make ? They made NHRA boring.
Wow -thanks for the great video
Dave-like the guy said in the video -CNC’S make engine blocks and parts for the cars.
While I\’m not a fan of multi-car teams, NHRA wouldn\’t exist without sponsors and DSR seems to really partner with their sponsors. It was pretty cool to meet Papa John at Indy last year.
The new normal, spec cars suck but what are we gonna do…….?