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One dragster's
500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower than the first 8 rows
at Daytona.
Under
full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons
of nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption
as a fully loaded 747 but with 4 times the energy volume.
The flame
front of nitro methane measures 7050 degrees F.
Nitro
methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen
above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated
from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
To exceed
300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an
average of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before
1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.
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