Editing Drag racing (section)

== History ==
Drag racing started in the 1940s. World War II veterans were prominently involved, and some early drag races were done at decommissioned aircraft bases with landing strips that made them an ideal place for the sport. In 1951, Wally Parks formed the [[National Hot Rod Association]] (NHRA).<ref>Post, R. (2001). High performance: The culture and technology of drag racing, 1950–2000 (Rev. ed., Johns Hopkins studies in the history of technology). Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press.</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=NHRA history | url=https://www.nhra.com/nhra-history | publisher=NHRA | accessdate=22 March 2021}}</ref> The organization banned the use of [[nitromethane]] in 1957, calling it unsafe, in part through the efforts of [[C. J. Hart (drag racing)|C. J. Hart]]; the ban would be lifted in 1963.<ref>[http://nostalgiadragworld.com/oldsite/v1i5billottoldhabits.php Nostalgiadragworld.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031052224/http://nostalgiadragworld.com/oldsite/v1i5billottoldhabits.php |date=31 October 2020 }} (retrieved 5 May 2017)</ref>

Several other racing organizations were created over the past several decades, such as the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) founded in 2014.<ref>What is PDRA Racing Cars?  https://www.metroleague.org/what-is-a-pdra-racing-cars/</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2023}}

Thanks in part to the Discovery series [[Street Outlaws|''Street Outlaws'']], fandom for drag racing has seen a resurgence in the past decade.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}