Bristol Dragway Event Features Record-Setting Speeds, Big Crowds And A Legendary Visit

BRISTOL, Tenn. – With a relentless work ethic, endless supply of courage and iconic nickname, Dale Pulde helped to revolutionize the sport of drag racing.

Pulde has seen and done about everything over his star-studded journey, yet he admits to being shocked at the transformation of Bristol Dragway. The driver of the “War Eagle” was inducted into the Legends of Thunder Valley Sunday morning before final eliminations for the National Hot Rod Association Thunder Valley Nationals. 

“I came to Bristol for the first time in 1968 when I was 18 years old,” Pulde said. “When I saw this dragstrip, I was like “Wow.”  It was unlike anything I had ever seen.”

In 1998, Bristol Dragway underwent an $18 million renovation orchestrated by new track owner Bruton Smith. In 2001, Thunder Valley hosted its first NHRA national event in 34 years.
Attendance has been growing ever since for the Thunder Valley Nationals.

“I wondered to myself how they could top this drag strip, and then I come back here [Sunday] and see this. It’s just amazing,” Pulde said. “Bruton [Smith] has done a wonderful job on this place.”

Pulde, 59, was part of a charismatic band of daredevils who brought life to the California-bred spectacle in the seventies. Every serious drag racing fan can remember the glory days of Funny Car creations such as “The Snake, The Mongoose, “The Bud King” and “The War Eagle”.

Pulde and his partner Mike Hamby dubbed their first Funny Car as the “War Eagle” in 1977 after being inspired from an Indian character in a western movie.

“I don’t know if the sport will ever be as colorful as it was back then,” Pulde said.

To the delight of many tradition-loving fans and racers, Pulde and his War Eagle replica are now regulars on the nostalgia drag racing circuit. 

“The War Eagle cars will always be something special in my heart,” Pulde said. “There are also a “Blue Max”,  “Stardust” and a couple other famous Funny Cars out there now.
“The [National Hot Rod Association competitors] are come out now to our nostalgia races, and they enjoy seeing what we brought to the sport back then. ”

Much like the mind-numbing development of the Car of Tomorrow at the top ranks of NASCAR, Pulde feels the technological arms race and the focus on aerodynamics has stifled the creativity in the NHRA Funny Car ranks.

“I hate to say it, but I’d really like to go back to where all the Funny Cars looked like actual cars,” Pulde said. “We might suffer in the aero area by doing that, but it might also slow the cars down and make the sport a little safer.”

Along with six NHRA national event victories, Pulde earned three International Hot Rod World Championships and 20 national event victories.
Previous Legends of Thunder Valley inductees were Smith, Wally Parks, Larry Carrier, Rickie Smith, the team of Ronnie Sox & Buddy Martin, and Don Garlits.

“You always want to come and race here at Bristol,” said Pulde,  a five-time winner at Thunder Valley. ““This has been one of my favorite tracks since I was a kid. When you’re honored to be part of something like this, it’s kind of like the icing on the cake.”

Pulde said he enjoys the Bristol area so much that he has even considered relocating to the mountains of East Tennessee.

“We’ve been talking about getting out of California and moving somewhere, and this is probably one of the places I would pick,” Pulde said. “The fans in this area and around the South period, are really into drag racing. I’ve grown to love the area.”

Record setters

The Thunder Valley Nationals was the first NHRA event at Bristol Dragway since officials reduced the race distance from 1,320 to 1,000 feet last July.
As expected, many records were shattered. 

The fastest speed of the 1,000-foot era was recorded by Antron Brown during Sunday’s final eliminations. Brown posted a speed 319.75 miles per hour in his Top Fuel dragster during a first round win over Troy Buff.

Top Fuel veterans Doug Herbert and Doug Kalitta then topped Brown’s feat by posting matching 3.899 elapsed time in one of the closest battles in NHRA history.

Top Fuel racer Larry Dixon earned the low elapsed time of the weekend with a 3.835 second pass during a second round loss, while three-time class champion Greg Anderson claimed the Pro Stock speed record at 207.94 mph in his final round loss to Mike Edwards.

Rave review
After every major event, the staff at Bristol Motor Speedway reviews ways to make the show more competitive for racers and more appealing to fans.
According to BMS vice president of public affairs Kevin Triplett, the ninth annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals earned a passing grade in all areas.

The event attracted large crowds, especially for the first two rounds of qualifying. Meanwhile, the speeds were fast and the action was compelling.

“It was a tremendous event,” Triplett said. “The racing itself was incredible. We had one of the closest races in NHRA history when Kalitta and Herbert ran identical times. We broke several track records.
“That all fits with our commitment to make this the premier stop on the NHRA tour.”

|(276) 645-2544