Doug Herbert Q&A

Ask and you shall receive. Thank you all for participating in this special Q&A with the only four-time Snap-on/IHRA Top Fuel Champion, Doug Herbert. Following are Doug's responses to your questions. Enjoy!

Name: Rich -- Orangeburg, NY

Q: Do you ever think the NHRA will ever rule on a restictor type device to cube the top speeds now being reached?

A: NHRA is constantly looking for ways to make the cars safer. If they feel that the speeds are becoming unsafe they will try to do something to either fix the problem by making improvements to required parts or by making a rule that would slow cars down. In other words I don't believe that NHRA will pass rules to slow cars down unless safety is a concern.

Name: Kristen -- Clio, MI

Q: How does one being a career in drag racing? What series would you begin in to work your way to a top series? How did you begin your career in drag racing? Did you do local races at all? Thank you for your time.

A: A career in drag racing would probably begin by attending a local drag strip and observing what is going on. You would probably have to begin either working as a volunteer for a race team or as a race track employee. I began attending races when I was very young. My father was involved in drag racing, I suppose that his involvement was what originally got me interested. My team races at various tracks all over the U.S., and we have even raced in Canada and Japan.

Name: Tim -- Barbourville, KY

Q: How much of your time is spent during the year preparing for racing and how much free time do you actually have where you are not doing something involved with racing? Thanks and good luck in 1997.

A: My team has five full-time members that are constantly working on the race car. Generally each one of the crewmen will specialize in a particular area of the car (clutch, cylinder heads, rods and pistons, etc.) I don't have a lot of free time. When I am not racing I am working at my performance parts warehouse in Cherryville, NC.

Name: Pat -- Indianapolis, IN

Q: Doug, Congratulations on your 4th IHRA title. How did you first start out in racing and what series have you participated in, on your way up to the IHRA? Thank you.

A: I started out racing bicycles then motorcycles then stock outboard boats, I then started to bracket race my street car at the local drag strip. When my car wasn't fast enough I bought a dragster that was powered by a unblown gas Chevy engine (it went about 160 mph.) After that got boring I installed a supercharger on it to speed it up. Shortly thereafter I had the chance to purchase a Top Alcohol Dragster. I raced this alcohol car for a couple of years before making the decision to move up to the Top Fuel class in 1991.

Name: Kenneth -- Alberta, Canada

Q: How long have you been using dragsters? How many dragsters have you had? How old are you? How old were you when you started?

A: I purchased my first dragster in 1986. It was a unblown gas dragster. In 1991, I started racing in the Top Fuel class. Over the past ten years I have had about 10 different dragsters. I am 29 years old, and I started racing bicycles when I was 10 years old. I started racing dragsters when I was 18.

Name: Pat -- Delta, BC, Canada

Q: With your recent success on the IHRA circuit, any thoughts about returning to the NHRA side? We here in the Pacific northwest would love to see you back on the tour!

A: My team is going to be racing at the NHRA races in addition to defending our IHRA title in 1997 with sponsorship support from Snap-on Tools. I have missed not being on the NHRA tour for the past few years and am really looking forward to getting back out there. I will be looking for you at Seattle this year.

Name: Mark -- Northport, NY

Q: Can aluminum connecting rods be used on a street engine? Application is a Chrysler 426 Street Hemi.

A: I would not recommend using aluminum rods on a street engine. Aluminum rods are obviously lighter but just don't have the durability to endure all of the cycles involved with street driving.

Name: Ray -- Oxford, IA

Q: Doug, what makes your cam so good? I bracket race. I bought one, my car went from 11:60 to 10:90 in 1/4 mile. It has 680 lift roller. Just wonder why your cams perform so much better?

A: I am glad that our cams have helped the performance of your car. I think that most of the cam grinds that are offered by the leading cam manufacturers are pretty similar. The most important thing is selecting a grind that is going to work well with your particular engine/transmission and chassis combination. We try hard to ensure that our customers get a cam grind that will work well with all their parts. Keep up your good work.

Name: Brian -- Orlando, FL

Q: How would you recommend someone to get into NHRA racing? Do you recommend racing schools?

A: To get involved in racing I would recommend going to a local track with your street car and enter into a bracket race. This will teach you more than you think as far as learning about procedures and stuff like that. If you still have a desire to go faster then you need to think about making an investment in a race car or possibly attending a school.