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Explained! How Top Fuel clutch failure leads to smoking tires
During the NHRA on FOX broadcast from the 2024 Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals, Tony Pedregon, a former Funny Car champion and NHRA analyst, explained how a clutch failure could send a Top Fuel dragster like Chicago’s T.J. Zizzo up in smoke just after launch.
Tony Pedregon broke down the critical role of the clutch system, which is designed to progressively engage the engine’s 12,000 horsepower with the rear tires. When the clutch fails, it doesn’t properly control the power delivery, sending all of the dragster’s 12,000 horsepower to the rear tires too quickly.
The result? The tires lose traction and spin wildly, causing the car to "smoke the tires" and scrub off precious momentum in a fraction of a second. Pedregon highlights how delicate this balance is and how even the smallest malfunction can turn a perfect launch into a race-ending situation. It’s a fine line between victory and frustration in the world of Top Fuel racing.
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