The Power of Top Fuel Dragsters

It’s genuinely hard to comprehend the power created by a top fuel engine. The supercharged hemi used to power the quickest-accelerating vehicles on the planet pumps out an estimated 11,000 horsepower, enough to send these earth-bound missiles from a standing start to speeds in excess of 330 MPH in less than the time it takes most modern sports cars to reach sixty MPH.

An exhilarating byproduct of that power output is the sound that these beasts generate. To call it deafening is a gross understatement, but there’s also a distinct vibration they create the shakes everything within a certain range. A spectator sitting in the grandstands can feel the engine in his chest. A spectator standing beside the car at launch will actually notice he has a hard time taking a breath when the driver hits the throttle at the drop of the Christmas tree. Those sensations are impossible to capture on camera, but luckily, they also effect fluids, and that reaction is easily visible to the naked eye. 

Watch as his water bottle is quite literally shaken up by the sound waves as this pair of top fuel dragsters make a pass down the track, giving you a great idea of just how intense it is to watch the kings of the sport in person!