It’s only fitting that on the first day of the 1988 NHRA US Nationals we take a look back to the event that was run on the same track 30 years ago. The 1988 race was interesting because of the weather, which was a bit wacky with temperature swings and challenges for the crew chiefs. It was also interesting because it was the tipping point for the “high gear only” setup in top fuel. Gene Snow brought out a brand new car, which is normally an awful idea for Indy but for Snow, it was magic. He made the quickest run in drag racing history at the event going 5.00 during eliminations. Anticipation was high to see a 4-second pass during the event. Something that did not happen. The incredulous reaction of Snow, Evans, Garlits, and everyone else involved tells the tale of how big a moment that was.
Brad Tuttle had a pretty amazing and stressful weekend as well. During funny car qualifying he exploded a car in an exceptionally violent way for the era. These were not typically the times where bodies would be shattered like glass but Tuttle did it. He was unhurt but it seemed his weekend was doomed even though he was qualified for the race. Tuttle had a guy haul ass to California from Indy to get a backup body. The guy drove like a lunatic for days on end before returning to the track with enough time for Tuttle to actually answer the bell for round one eliminations. Imagine hoe helpless Tuttle had to have felt sitting there for days, hoping and praying he would stay in the field.
The broadcast is about an hour long and it starts with round two. There are round one highlights passed on through the show but the meat of the show picks up in the second round and goes from there. This was a killer race and this is a fun watch!
