Add in the Nitromethane and Prepare to Soar

Add in the Nitromethane and Prepare to Soar

If you’re a drag racer and are lucky enough to make it into an NHRA national event, then baby - you have arrived! You have made it to the show!

And, just like in other major sports, when you get to the top of the sport you get things that were off-limits before. For NHRA racers, this means access to sponsorships, appearance contracts, autograph sessions, and most importantly, stuff that makes your car even better!

One of the major items you have access to is fuel. I mean, we gotta get you down the track, and honey, we gotta get you down the track in a hurry - so that means nitromethane.

Now, nitro-methane or “nitro” (as it is referred to), is not like your everyday 91 octane gasoline. No sir, what we have here is pretty much the stuff the government makes bombs out of. You’ve heard of nitroglycerin? Well, this stuff is just like that, except it’s more dangerous because it is in liquid form and the vapor is extremely volatile. Nitromethane can be mixed with ammonium nitrate, which is used as an oxidizer, to form an explosive mixture known as ANNM. One graphic example of this was the use of nitromethane and ammonium nitrate in the Oklahoma City bombing.

But since we’re in the business of entertaining, we’ll keep the nitro in dragsters.  Nitromethane generates about two to three times the power of gasoline when combined with a given amount of oxygen, and power is what we need to get down the track in a hurry.

Now, it is usually the driver, or “pilot,” of the dragster who is responsible for mixing and adding fuel to the car. This is a good thing because that way the driver knows how much weight he is adding to the car. When mixing the fuel, the driver will mix a certain percentage of ethanol and nitromethane together. This is done to basically “take the edge” off of the nitro, since using 100% nitromethane in your engine will destroy it faster than anything.

The explosion force from 100% nitromethane compressed in an engine cylinder to the thickness of, oh say ¾ of an inch, with an added small spark, is about 750amps. That’s the same voltage used in welding sky scrapers together! Add that to compressed fuel and vapor, and your engine will explode into about a million pieces. It is for this reason that drivers “dial back” the explosion ratio with ethanol. Voltage, ignition, timing, forced air from the blower on top of the engine - all of this combines produce the mega explosion that will power your car down the track.

One of the other major things you need to understand about nitro is that it is highly vaporous. There is no way you can use this stuff indoors. You have to use it outside and even then, it’s highly vaporous. During events, spectators often gather around a race team’s pit area to watch the mechanics and the driver as they tear down the engine and rebuild it in time for the next race. But one thing the spectators love is the part of the rebuild where the team starts up the dragster while it’s on jacks and runs the engine while the fuel pump pumps nitro into it.

The smell of nitromethane is a memorable part of racing, to say the least. I’ve seen guys and girls alike crowd the front of the pit area, elbow to elbow, while a car is running and the exhaust pipes are pouring unburned nitro into the air – and everyone just taking it all in like it’s nothing!

Let me tell you - if you are exposed too closely to nitromethane, here is what you can expect. First, your eyes will start to water uncontrollably. Then, the tears will get contaminated with nitro fuel vapor and begin to burn your eyes. Don’t bother wiping them, because the nitro-contaminated tear fluid from your eyes will be on your skin and it will start to burn even more if you rub it over your face. While this is happening, the clean oxygen that you would normally breathe is now replaced by nitromethane vapor so there is no air for you to breathe - it’s all nitromethane. All of this is going on while the engine is running at a decibel of about 150db, which is enough to cancel your hearing permanently.

To top it all off, the driver is then asked to “romp” on the gas pedal. This only makes it worse for the spectators because now the decibel rate is well over 300db, and the shock wave from nitromethane being detonated in the engine cylinders is enough to knock a man over, break a window, or even push you at least 30 feet if you’re not paying attention.

Yep, nitromethane is a wonderful thing depending on who you are and where you’re standing!  And it is only one of the many perks that you, as a new NHRA driver, will have available at your disposal - as much as you want, when you want.

About the Author:

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