Slingshot Dragster

A Slingshot Dragster is a type of drag racing car where the driver sits behind the rear wheels while the engine is mounted at the front, creating a layout that looks like a rock positioned in a slingshot when viewed from above.

These unique dragsters dominated professional drag racing from the mid-1950s through the early 1970s. The unusual design placed drivers at the very back of the car, often straddling the clutch mechanism and sitting dangerously close to the powerful engine. This positioning earned them the nickname "slingshot" due to their distinctive appearance.

Slingshot dragsters were also commonly called "rails" or "diggers" by racing enthusiasts. They featured long, tubular chassis frames with wheelbases ranging from 97 to 225 inches. The cars had no rear suspension system, which reduced weight and improved traction on the drag strip.

These dragsters ran on various fuels including gasoline, methanol, and nitromethane. Some featured single engines, while others used twin or even quad-engine setups with popular motors like Chevrolet small-blocks, Chrysler Hemis, and Ford engines.

Mickey Thompson is credited with popularizing the slingshot design around 1954, evolving the concept from earlier hot rods. Famous drivers like Don Garlits raced his legendary "Swamp Rat" series slingshot dragsters, while TV Tommy Ivo and Art Marshall also became household names in the sport.

The design's major flaw was safety. Drivers sat extremely close to dangerous mechanical components, making them vulnerable to injuries from clutch explosions and transmission failures. Don Garlits suffered a severe foot injury in 1970 when his slingshot's transmission exploded.

This accident led Garlits to develop rear-engine dragsters, which proved faster and much safer. By the early 1970s, slingshot dragsters became obsolete in professional racing, though they remain popular in nostalgia drag racing events today.