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

1999

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1999 TOP FUEL WORLD CHAMPION TONY SCHUMACHER

  • Won first world championship
  • Became the first driver to exceed 330 mph
  • Scored one late-season victory (Dallas)
  • Recorded top speed at 14 events
  • Team owned by his father, legend Don Schumacher

Top Fuel world champion
Tony Schumacher

Funny Car world champion
John Force

Pro Stock world champion
Warren Johnson

Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion
Matt Hines

Top Alcohol Dragster world champion
Rick Santos

Top Alcohol Funny Car world champion
Frank Manzo

Comp eliminator world champion
Andy Manna

Super Stock world champion
Jimmy DeFrank

Stock eliminator world champion
Don Little

Super Comp world champion
Frank Kohutek

Super Gas world champion
Sheldon Gecker

1999

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

TOP FUEL VS. FUNNY CAR

Funny Car legend John Force won the inaugural Winston No Bull Showdown in Bristol, Tenn., a special no-points race that pitted Funny Cars against Top Fuelers for a huge purse.

DIXON FIRST UNDER 4.5

Larry Dixon made history when he drove Don Prudhomme’s Miller Lite Top Fueler to the sport’s first sub-4.5-second clocking, a national record-setting 4.486-second pass, during Friday evening qualifying in Houston.

MILLION-DOLLAR INCREASE

Building on the momentum of a record-setting 1998 season, NHRA announced the largest absolute dollar increase in national event purses in its history — more than $1.1 million — for the 1999 season.

FIRST REPEAT INDY TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER WINNER

Not since the Top Alcohol Dragster class was first contested at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in 1981 had a driver in that class won the event twice until Rick Santos became the first in 1999.

1999

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1999 rookie

Scotty Cannon

A former standout in the Pro Modified ranks, the colorful and mohawk-wearing Cannon switched to Funny Car in 1999 with an Oakley-branded entry and enjoyed modest success with four semifinal finishes and a best qualifying effort of fourth.

Road to the Future award: Antron Brown

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