17 Days: The Death NHRA Tried to Keep Off Television

Описание: John Mulligan and tuner Tim Beebe built the fastest Top Fuel dragster in the country in the summer of 1969, and NHRA still wasn't paying them a dime in appearance money while stars like Don Garlits and Don Prudhomme got checks just to show up. So Beebe stripped the nose and body panels off their Fighting Irish car and rolled it into the 1969 NHRA U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park looking like a bare skeleton. Days later, Mulligan ran a 6.43 in qualifying, obliterating Jerry Ruth's national record by a quarter of a second and becoming the quickest thing that had ever gone down a quarter mile anywhere in the world.

This video covers the full story behind that record run and the first-round crash against Tommy Ivo that followed it on Labor Day, including the driveline failure that's been debated by drag racing historians for decades, the hydrazine rumor Tim Beebe personally shut down, and the appearance-money dispute that pushed Beebe to send his own car out looking like it had nothing left to lose. You'll also hear the story of who John "Moe" Mulligan actually was outside the cockpit, from his early days in the Gasser ranks and the Ward and Wayre dragsters to the reputation that made him one of the most well-liked drivers in 1960s Top Fuel racing.

If you're into NHRA history, vintage Top Fuel dragsters, the Ramchargers Chrysler hemi program, Woody Gilmore chassis builds, or the deeper stories behind Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, and the 1969 Winternationals, Springnationals, and World Finals season, this one's for you.

#DragRacing #TopFuel #NHRA #JohnMulligan #FightingIrish #VintageDragRacing #MotorsportHistory #1969USNationals