NHRA completed its list of the 75 top drivers to compete in the first 74 years of the sanctioning body’s existence. The top fifty were named 25 years ago and 25 superlative drivers have been added to that list before the start of this year’s historic celebration.
The final five drivers shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that’s followed straight-line racing over the past quarter-century. In this family-oriented sport, each of these drivers has family members that have also been part of the sport of NHRA drag racing, either professionally behind the wheel or turning knobs and tuning cars. This quintet definitely complete the listing of 75 top drivers of NHRA’s 75 years of drag racing.
This fabulous five are four-time consecutive Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence, three-time Top Fuel titleholder, Larry Dixon Jr., one of only three racers to earn championships in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, Del Worsham and the brothers Pedregon, Cruz and Tony, both two-time champs.
A teenage bout with Hodgkin’s lymphoma couldn’t hold back Steve Torrence, now a 60-time national event winner who earned four straight titles in the dragster class from 2018 through 2021. Driving his family’s CAPCO Construction Top Fuel car similar to one campaigned by his father Billy, Torrence’s first title drive included a perfect Countdown to the Championship sweep in 2018.
When told of his inclusion, the Texan noted, “That’s extremely cool, especially because it’s the top 75 drivers of the sport all-time, all classes. That’s not just the 75 Top Fuel drivers. I greatly appreciate this; it’s a real honor. I have dedicated a large portion of my life to that sport, and to be recognized like this is truly an accomplishment for me. I’ve had a great career,” one that likely isn’t nearly complete. “I surely didn’t get there without the help of the Good Lord, the help and support of my family and some really good crew guys,” he said.
Like so many in the sport, Larry Dixon Jr. grew up at racetracks around the United States as his father, Larry Dixon raced and won. He wanted to be part of the game and made a point of working on teams as a crew member with Larry Minor and later Don Prudhomme, until he was called up by The Snake to drive Top Fuel. NHRA’s Rookie of the Year in 1995, Dixon has won 62 Top Fuel national events and three world championships. Two of those titles came with Don Prudhomme’s team and he later added a third championship with Al-Anabi Racing.
Recognizing that winning is more than putting his foot down hard, Dixon noted, “Being on this list is a reflection of the teams that I got to drive for: great cars, great crew chiefs, great team owners, great sponsors. I’ve been very blessed. I remember when the Top 50 drivers were announced 25 years ago, and it was really exciting every week to see who was on there. It was all the heroes in drag racing, and so to be on a list with them is way more than I ever dreamed of. I’m flattered and honored,” Dixon admitted. “They were my idols growing up and I’m not sure I belong on the same list with them. I remember watching Garlits and Shirley and ‘Snake’ and ‘Goose’ and Roland and all those people who did this for a living. I just thought that if I could ever do that, that would be the neatest thing in the world.”
Del Worsham, too, grew up in the sport, surrounded by Funny Car racing. His father, Chuck has been on the crew side of the sport and has had a significant influence on his son’s career, forming Worsham Racing to help his son get a professional start to his driving career. Del Worsham first licensed in a Funny Car at the age of 20 and became NHRA’s Rookie of the Year in 1990. With 39 NHRA victories, Worsham has also shown his capabilities s a crew chief, even as he remains an A-to-B driver and mentor to younger racers.
“I grew up watching a lot of the guys in the original Top 50, the Don Prudhommes and Tom McEwen’s, and I still have this little notebook from when I was kid running around the pits in the late 1970s,” Worsham revealed. “It’s just filled with autographs of people like Prudhomme and Ed McCulloch, so to be on the same list as them is very flattering. I’ve received a lot of great honors over the years, but this is one of the bigger ones. I really appreciate it. There are some great, great drivers on the list in all categories, and to be listed with the Top 75 is an honor.”
The Pedregon brothers’ father, “Flaming” Frank Pedregon passed away in 1981 before he could see his sons become two of the more respected racers in Funny Car. Cruz Pedregon is currently in his fifth decade racing in NHRA’s Funny Car class. He’s one of the owner/drivers on the circuit and has 705 total starts, tops among active racers. A former Top Alcohol racer, Cruz Pedregon has two Flopper championships, won 16 years apart in 1992 and again in 2008.
The 44-time winner, successful team owner and 2025 victor at Reading finished eighth in last year’s standings. “This is very humbling,” he said. “I tell people that I never got into drag racing for any fame or signing autographs – that just all came with it – but when somebody recognizes what you’ve done and all the work you’ve put into it, it’s really an honor and humbling, and it really means a lot. Most of us just started out wanting to drive, maybe make a career out of it, but you never know from one year to the next if you’re going to be racing. When I’m done with my career,” he mused, “these are the kinds of things that will matter most. Wins and losses and championships, they come and go, but something like this will last forever.”
Tony Pedregon isn’t suiting up anymore, but he is working with FOX Sports to bring the sport closer to those watching it on television at home. Growing up in a competitive household and nearly two years younger than brother Cruz, Tony has earned two world championships, 43 wins and 76 final round appearances as a driver and team owner. He had success earning a title with John Force and later had his own team, but his transition to broadcasting was seamless. He’s known for his insightful comments on NHRA’s TV broadcasts and for being quite candid. on the broadcasts.
“This is a little emotional for me, when I look at all of the other great drivers on this list,” Tony Pedregon revealed. “Cruz and I were just a couple of kids who were obsessed with drag racing. We were watching guys like Don Prudhomme and Raymond Beadle and Tom McEwen. One of my idols was John Lombardo, and we were just really lucky that we somehow managed to hang out with the right people – especially guys like Joe Pisno – who had the right influence, and that’s important in anything you do.” Cruz and Tony Pedregon would bug their father to take them to tracks: “Those guys tolerated us punk kids! Then I started driving, and I’m not really supposed to be able to beat a guy like John Force, but we just got so good as a team, first with John Medlen and then when Dickie [Venables] came along, that really changed everything. We went from being good team to a great team. All of those people, guys like Dale Armstrong or Frank Rupert or Billy Williams, had such a big influence on my life and my career.”
Tony Stewart Racing will look quite a bit different in 2026, as team owner Tony Stewart won’t be driving for the team he owns. Wife Leah Pruett returns to the cockpit of her Top Fuel dragster after taking two years off to give birth to son Dom after nearly winning the 2023 Top Fuel championship; she has 12 dragster wins to her credit. Four-time Funny Car champion Matt Hagan continues in his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Hagan’s 55 victories include three in 2025; he was runner-up in the Funny Car class last year.
The duo have revealed the 2026 Dodge colors they’ll be running when they arrive at Gainesville for the 57th annual Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals at Gainesville, FL Raceway.
This year’s March 5-8 season-starter is also a gala beginning of a year-long celebration of drag racing. Not only will there be a large number of racers vying for the special 75th diamond anniversary Wally winner’s trophies that are on offer, there will be legends of the sport meeting and greeting fans throughout the weekend. Those that have agreed to go to this race – where they might have shown up even without the 75th anniversary – include Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Shirley Muldowney, Joe Amato, Darrell Gwynn and Bob Frey. These heroes are just some of the legends who are making the trip to Florida and at the other 19 events on NHRA’s 20-race calendar.
At Gainesville Garlits, named No. 1 in NHRA’s tabulation of 50 top drivers, will have his popular “Swamp Rat Alley” featuring three of his most historic race cars. Special attention goes to Bernstein, whose magic 300mph run in the quarter mile at Gainesville in 1992. That moment in time will be celebrated as the Gatornationals’ historic moment, a theme for each of the tour’s 20 races. Bernstein is featured on this race’s commemorative ticket.
All awsome legends which all inspire car guys to carry on the sport cheers