" If they lost, they would simply bring their cars home and continue working on them, bringing them back the next weekend for the race. The majority of drag racing fans were and still are people who enjoy working on their own cars (Natural Museum of America History). Going fast was the only real value in drag racing.

Briefer and briefer elapsed times, the goal; shaving weight and boosting power any way possible, the means. Cars with comparable kinds of bodies ran in match races, with few restrictions on engine, chassis, and drive-train modifications that owners could try. The motivating idea -- and the quality that still attracts the die-hard enthusiasts for the form -- is the same "no holds barred" expression of sheer power deftly (Natural Museum of America History).

Drag racing rules have changed over the sixty years since Wally Parks helped found the National Hot Rod Association,...
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