This weekend’s American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway will mark an incredible milestone, as the kings of the sport — the Top Fuel dragster category — contests its 1,000th NHRA race. And one driver will walk away with a special “Wally” trophy to commemorate the occasion — but they’ll have to go through not one, but three other drivers to do so in the four-wide racing format.
Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster
Top Fuel was first contested as an official eliminator at the 1963 NHRA Winternationals at Pomona, California, where on the afternoon of February 7, Floridian Don Garlits defeated Art Malone in the final round for the crown.
The trophy will be presented to this weekend’s winner by Garlits himself. Weighing a hefty 65 pounds, the trophy was built by metal craftsman Tom Patsis using measurements, photos, and details provided by 1963 Winternationals Top Gas winner Bob Muravez of the actual trophy that was presented to Garlits. That original ’63 Top Fuel eliminator trophy was lost in a natural disaster several years ago.
NHRA on FOX’s Brian Lohnes with the replica 1963 trophy that will be awarded this weekend at Charlotte.
“When you win a milestone race, it’s bigger than a trophy — it becomes part of the sport’s story,” says reigning series champion Antron Brown, who won the 800th NHRA Top Fuel race, also contested in Charlotte during the 2015 fall event. “To see this sport hit 1,000 Top Fuel races is a tribute to everyone who’s ever strapped in, turned a wrench, or helped grow the sport behind the scenes. “And to have ‘Big Daddy’ [present it]; the craziest part of it is, for me, I never dreamt of a little kid that ‘Big Daddy’ will call me on my phone, and he’ll call me and talk to me, so to be at the end of the track to grab a trophy like that, with ‘Big Daddy’ giving it out? I’m just living that dream, man, and it would be huge to get that trophy to imitate that trophy from back then when he won the first one, so we’re gonna give it everything we got.”
Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster
“Winning the 1,000th Top Fuel race would be pretty exciting — especially with my family history,” 2023 series champion and 55-time winner Doug Kalitta says. “With Connie (Team Owner Connie Kalitta) being out here as long as he’s been doing this and all he’s done in this sport, that would be really cool. We’re all trying hard to win these things. We try not to have too many distractions on different things so we can stay focused and work as a team to get it done. We definitely have a good shot at it, too, so our Mac Tools team is definitely looking forward to the opportunity.”
Doug Kalitta won NHRA’s 500th Top Fuel title at the 2002 NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. His uncle, Connie, won 10 times in the span between 1967 and 1994.
Veteran circle track racing star Tony Stewart won race number 999 — and the first of his Top Fuel driving career — at the most recent national event, the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 112th different winner in the category, Stewart now has a chance to make more history with a victory at the 1,000th Top Fuel this weekend at zMAX Dragway.
Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster
“To go be able to go back to Charlotte, where I’ve got a deep-rooted racing history, and as the previous race winner (in Las Vegas) is going to be a great feeling,” Stewart said. “It’s going to make going to Charlotte that much better, especially being the 1,000th Top Fuel race. Me being a part of the sport, going into their 1,000th race and knowing that NHRA’s 75th anniversary is next year and being a part of that in some capacity is really cool to be a part of and it’s awesome. I got to be a part of NASCAR’s 50th (anniversary), and I just know how important historic moments like these are.”
