Top 10 Rear Engine Top Fuelers of All Time

Text by Danny White

1 Don Garlits

What more needs to be said? Garlits made the RED popular and won titles in NHRA, IHRA, and AHRA. (Thomas Nagy Photo)

2 Tony Schumacher

The winningest TF racer today and has set the standard that others aspire to. (Greg Gage Photo)

3 Joe Amato

When Amato stepped to TF he was good. He then became great after he got there. (Thomas Nagy Photo)

4 Shirley Muldowney

Love her, or hate her, you cannot deny what she accomplished in drag racing. (Rick Oldfield Photo)

5 Gary Beck

Beck was an innovator and winner whether he was on his own, driving for Larry Minor, or making the McGee engine competitive. (Allen Tracy Photo)   

6 Larry Dixon Jr.

Larry won a couple of titles for the Snake and should win one for Alan Johnson this year. (Gary Brown Photo)

7 Gary Ormsby

Although he won just one NHRA world championship, Gary Ormsby was very, very tough. (John Kilburg Photo)

8 Gary Scelzi

Gary Scelzi won a couple of titles but does Alan Johnson deserve equal credit for the wins? (Auto Imagery Photo)

9 Dick LaHaie

Dick LaHaie was good as an independent and great with the big backing of Larry Minor and as a tuner for Don Prudhomme. (David Hapgood Photo)

10 Scott Kalitta

Scott Kalitta, like Scelzi, benefited from Dick LaHaie's tuning to rack up two dominating years. (Auto Imagery Photo)

Honorable Mentions

Jeb Allen

The tough California racer was a bad hombre in any association he raced, and he claimed championships in NHRA, AHRA, and IHRA. (Thomas Nagy Photo)

Richard Tharp

In some ways, the male version of Shirley Muldowney, Tharp won many races. He won a couple of championships for Candies & Hughes plus took the 1983 IHRA title for Kilpatrick and McConnell. (Ray English Photo)

Eddie Hill

The first driver into the four second zone was as tough a racer as he was popular with fans and fellow racers. (Mike Sopko Photo)

Kenny Bernstein

The "King of Speed" came clocked the first 300 mph run and and won a top fuel title after claiming several funny car championships. (Robert Briggs Photo)

Clay Millican/Doug Herbert

I ranked these two together as the most successful IHRA racers in recent history, although they did not have the level of competition found in NHRA.(Auto Imagery Photos)