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

1990

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1990 FUNNY CAR WORLD CHAMPION JOHN FORCE

  • Scored the first of 16 world championships
  • Was a perfect 7-0 in final rounds
  • Qualified No. 1 10 times
  • Amassed a 45-12 win-loss record
  • Edged Ed McCulloch by just two rounds

Top Fuel world champion
Joe Amato

Funny Car world champion
John Force

Pro Stock world champion
Darrell Alderman

Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion
John Myers

Top Alcohol Dragster world champion
Blaine Johnson

Top Alcohol Funny Car world champion
Pat Austin

Comp eliminator world champion
David Rampy

Super Stock world champion
Greg Stanfield

Stock eliminator world champion
Don Keen

Super Comp world champion
Kurt Damron

Super Gas world champion
Sherman Adcock Jr.

1990

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

DRAMATIC TOP FUEL FINISH

The Top Fuel championship battle went down to the last race of the last event in Pomona, where reigning world champ Gary Ormsby red-lighted to hand the title and a third championship to Joe Amato.

CRASH ENDS GWYNN’S CAREER

Just weeks after winning his home-state NHRA Gatornationals for the second straight year, rising Top Fuel superstar Darrell Gwynn’s career ended in a crash during an exhibition pass in England that left him paralyzed.

NHRA EDGES NASCAR IN BENEFIT SOFTBALL GAME

NHRA drivers scored a thrilling 21-20 victory at the Darrell Gwynn Benefit Softball Challenge at Reading (Pa.) Municipal Stadium, tallying five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the NASCAR All-Stars.

‘THE GREEK’ JUST MISSES

Forty-plus years into his Top Fuel career, legendary driver Chris “the Greek” Karamesines reached his first NHRA Top Fuel final but lost to Gary Ormsby at Le Grandnational outside of Montreal.

1990

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1990 rookie

K.C. Spurlock

The first-year Funny Car driver opened the year with a stunning win at the NHRA Winternationals and turned in enough strong efforts to finish sixth in the championship standings to be named NHRA’s first Rookie of the Year.

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