Celebrating 75 years of speed, power, and the world's fastest motorsport

1982

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1982 FUNNY CAR WORLD CHAMPION FRANK HAWLEY

  • Scored first of two straight championships
  • Collected three national event wins
  • Also won Big Bud Shootout in Indy
  • Drove famed Chi-Town Hustler
  • Crew chief was Austin Coil

Top Fuel world champion
Shirley Muldowney

Funny Car world champion
Frank Hawley

Pro Stock world champion
Lee Shepherd

Top Alcohol Dragster world champion
Don Woosley

Top Alcohol Funny Car world champion
Bob Gottschalk

Comp eliminator world champion
Jeff Cunningham

Super Stock world champion
Keith Lynch

Stock eliminator world champion
Tex Miller

Super Gas world champion
Steve Eckard

1982

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

LEE WINS IN TOP FUEL

With her victory at the NHRA Southern Nationals outside of Atlanta, Lucille Lee became just the second woman in NHRA history to win in Top Fuel and later runner-upped to Shirley Muldowney at the NHRA Springnationals.

500-INCH PRO STOCKS DEBUT

In the first major change to the class since its 1970 debut, the Pro Stock class adopted new rules, headlined by a 500-cid engine size. Frank Iaconio took the first win at the NHRA Winternationals.

GARLITS’ RECORD FINALLY FALLS

With a 5.61-second qualifying pass at the NHRA Summernationals in the Candies & Hughes Top Fueler, Mark Oswald broke Don Garlits’ six-plus-year-old 5.63 national record, which was set at the 1975 NHRA World Finals.

PRUDHOMME TOPS 250 MPH

Don “the Snake” Prudhomme breached another Funny Car milestone when he became the first to top 250 mph with a 250.00-mph run in his Pepsi Challenger Pontiac during qualifying at the NHRA Cajun Nationals.

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