Drag Radial Racer Runs 3.4-Second 1/8-Mile, Sets World Record

It's been two years since Kevin Rivenbark ran the first 3.5-second 1/8-mile in March 2019, and Daniel Pharris finally managed to take drag radial racing into the 3.40s. It happened earlier this week at Alabama International Raceway, where Pharris conquered the 1/8-mile in 3.498 seconds, to go with a trap speed of 212.73 mph (342.35 kph).

Pharris's run is only marginally better than the 3.502-second benchmark set back in February, but it's the first 3.4-click run for Radial versus The World cars. And mighty impressive for a full-bodied car.

The record also comes with an interesting story. Pharris narrowly missed becoming the first 3.5-second driver in 2019, losing out to Kevin Rivenbark by a single day. Pharris then sold his twin-turbo Mustang dragster and disappeared from the drag racing scene.

He made a surprising return in 2021 with GALOT Motorsport, the outfit that beat him to the 3.5-second record in 2019. Ironically, Pharris became the first drag radial racer in the 3.40s in the very same Camaro that Rivenbark drove first to the 3.5-second record two years ago. A surprising turn of events to say the least.

It will probably take a long while to see a Drag Radial versus The World Car go into the 3.30s, but I have a feeling that a new 3.4-second benchmark will be set by the end of the year. The way things are progressing, this won't be the last milestone in the series.

In related news, we recently saw fuel altereds go into four-second runs for the very first time, with a 4.92 benchmark by Richard Hartman. He was also the first to hit more than 300 mph (482.8 kph) at the line, while Kebin Kinsley set a world record at 304.59 mph (409.19 kph).