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With roots that extend back to the mid-1960s, Strange Engineering has a rich history that is nearly as old as the National Hot Rod Association. The length and long-term success of their partnership should not be surprising as NHRA and Strange have long shared the common goal of helping to grow the sport.

Strange was founded in 1964 by Bob Stange (pronounced “Stang-ee”) and has long been recognized as a leader in rear ends, shocks, struts, axles, brakes, and a variety of other driveline components.

Today, the company is in the capable hands of Jeff Stange, who has made it a priority to keep Strange Engineering relevant and continue its legacy for innovation. When it comes to the history of the company, Jeff can definitely say he has been there and done that.��

“I started working in the business when I was 12 during the summers all the way until I went away to college,” Stange said. “I went to school for business and marketing, and that’s mostly the area where I worked. We had a guy, John Mazzarella, who was our marketing guy, and he was my mentor. John might have been a little crazy, but he understood the business.”

During his formative years, Strange had a large presence at NHRA events, including a trailer on the midway that provided both parts and service.��

One of Strange’s most notable promotions came in the 1980s when it launched Team Strange, sponsorship of a multicar effort featuring an all-star roster of NHRA legends and champions, including Chris “the Greek” Karamesines, Frank Hawley and the Chi-Town Hustler, the popular Coonce & Clark Pro Stock team, as well as alcohol champs Al DaPozzo and Fred Mandoline, Comp racer Larry Kopp, and Super Stock driver Keith Lynch. Team Strange was responsible for a huge number of wins and championships.��

“Those were great times,” Stange recalled. “Most of the guys on Team Strange were friends of my father. He just sort of came up with this concept of a team, and it grew from there. We had a lot of success before it eventually ran its course.”

Strange Engineering founder Bob Stange passed away in May 2023 at the age of 84, and Jeff now proudly carries on the company’s legacy.��

“The biggest thing I learned from my dad was the ability to learn,” Jeff said. “He taught me that you can learn whatever you want to learn if you put your mind to it. He also had a great work ethic. He liked to play hard, but he also worked hard. During my time here, I’ve had the luxury of working with folks like [crew chief] Austin Coil and [Pro Stock legend] Warren Johnson, and those two both worked extremely hard. I also consider them mentors.”

In any successful business, standing still is akin to moving backward. In the 1980s, Strange Engineering had roughly 30 employees; now, that number well exceeds 100. Strange continues to move forward, particularly when it comes to product development. That’s an area where Stange is heavily involved and has a particular interest in.

“[New products] take a big chunk of my time, but I really enjoy it,” Stange said. “We’ve recently released a billet rear-end housing with a new floater that fills a big need for Pro Mod and radial tire racers, and we’ve got a new 12 3/4-inch live axle rear for Top Fuel and Funny Car that should be ready soon. We also came up with a new [ring and pinion] gear for nitro cars. Doug Kalitta has been running, and he’s made 21 or 22 runs on it without an issue, so that’s encouraging.”

More recently, NHRA fans have surely noticed the abundance of Strange Engineering signage at many tracks across the country, including Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Gainesville Raceway, and Route 66 Raceway.

“That’s part of our marketing strategy, and I see a lot of positives,” Stange said. “We also tend to be very selective. It’s not just marketing but also a personal give-back to the sport. Those just happen to be some of my favorite racetracks.”��
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