| 56436
EDIT THIS!
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Richard Shute
Photog Web |
Jody Smart (M) from
San Antonio, Texas
USA
(Comp Nr/Finish:
434 / 9) |
1983 - Category: TOPFUEL, Type: TN, Class: TF, Div: 4 |
| "Jody Smart" Owned by Jody Smart
from
San Antonio, Texas
USA
| Crew Chief: J.E. Kristek |
| '82 Dragster by
Tony Casarez |
Powered by Supercharged Nitro 484 Keith Black Hemi by J.E. Kristek with
2 speed manual transmission |
| 1/4 Mile ET: |
5.570 at Unknown |
1/4 Mile MPH: |
257.87 at IHRA Bristol TN 9/25/83 |
| 1000 FT ET: |
Unknown at Unknown |
1000 FT MPH: |
Unknown at Unknown |
| 1/8 Mile ET: |
Unknown at Unknown |
1/8 Mile MPH: |
Unknown at Unknown |
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Entry's 1983 Performance Ratings (0 to 100) based on comparison to average ET/MPH:
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1/4 Mile Rating: ET 81.92,
MPH 100.0 |
Entry is 0.94407 times average ET and 1.06589 times average MPH |
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1000 FT Rating: ET 00.00,
MPH 00.00 |
Entry is 0.00000 times average ET and 0.00000 times average MPH |
| 1/8 Mile Rating:
ET 00.00,
MPH 00.00 |
Entry is 0.00000 times average ET and 0.00000 times average MPH |
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| 1983 Records: |
1/4 Mile: 5.391 ET, 257.87 MPH |
1000 Ft. 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
| 1983 Average: |
1/4 Mile: 5.900 ET, 241.93 MPH |
1000 Ft. 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
| 1983 Minimum: |
1/4 Mile: 6.409 ET, 223.06 MPH |
1000 Ft. 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
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No Racer Website |
No video link |
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Notes: National Dragster ad said he was number 3 in NHRA, ran 250 several times, and the best was 5.575/257.87. Smart had one of the best top-ending cars in '83. At Pomona for the NHRA Winternationals, his 5.77/251.39 (Top Speed) qualified #2 behind Gary Beck's 5.52. He beat Frank Bradley, Gene Snow, and Jerry Ruth to reach the final with a 5.79 best. He faced Shirley Muldowney, who had run a best of 5.68 during eliminations. In the final, his tires broke loose, and his 5.92/251.39 (again!) finished runner-up to Shirley's 5.70/249. He was at the NHRA Gatornationals, where his 5.77/250.69 qualified #8. In round one, Jody's 5.79/249.30 beat Doug Kerhulas' 5.87/235, but in round two, his 5.81/247.93 lost to Connie Kalitta's 5.72/248. The next NHRA event was the Southern Nationals held at Atlanta Dragway. It was an eight-car show, and Smart qualified #6, setting Top Speed of the Meet at 254.95. Unfortunately, the car broke in the first round, advancing Muldowney into round two on a single. The following week (April 24), he was at Rockingham for the IHRA Pro-Am Championships. It was held over another week due to rain and was run on May 1. For Smart, it was worth the wait. He qualified #2 with a 5.64/254.23 (Top Speed) behind Richard Tharp's 5.59. These two would work their way into the final. In the final, Jody's 5.66/253.52 got the victory over Tharp's 5.75. It made up for the week's delay. On May 22, he was in another IHRA final, this time at Norwalk for the World Nationals. Jody had set Low ET at 5.62, but he lost to Joe Amato in the final. Baton Rouge was the next stop for the NHRA Cajun Nationals. Smart qualified #2 with a strong 5.60/251.39, but he lost to eventual winner Larry Minor in the opening round. He qualified #6 in Bristol's eight-car field for the IHRA Springnationals on June 5. But there, he lost to Tharp in round one. He got Top Speed of the Meet again at the NHRA Springnationals the following week (June 12). There, his 5.67/252.10 (Top Speed) qualified #3. A first-round 5.77/250.00 beat Amato's 5.83/243, but an off-pace 6.13/247.93 in round two lost to Snow's 5.82/243. He followed the NHRA tour to Canada for the NHRA Grandnationals. It was another eight-car show, and he qualified #3 and made his way into the final by beating Muldowney's 5.86 with a 5.85 and getting a solo in the semifinals when Tharp threw a rod on his burnout. He faced Amato in the final, but Smart smoked the tires, and his 5.90/252.10 finished runner-up to Amato's 5.68/239. He was at Milan for the IHRA Northern Nationals the following week, where he again claimed the Top Speed honors. A 5.70/249.30 qualified #2, and he got an easy single in the first round, when John Davis broke. But in the semifinals, Amato stopped him for the second week in a row. It was then off to Englishtown for the NHRA Summernationals. He qualified in the dreaded #9 spot with a 5.85/250.00. That set up a first-round meeting with the low qualifier, Tharp. Jody advanced in their race with a 5.83/251.39 when Tharp shut off with problems. In the second round, he improved to 5.74/251.39 in beating Muldowney's 5.87/241. In the semifinals, Kalitta broke, and Jody's 5.73/252.80 (Top Speed) advanced. Once again, he was up against Amato, and once again, he lost. This time, he smoked the tires to 6.01/243.90 to lose to Joe's 5.59/250. Everything fell into place at the NHRA Mile High Nationals on July 30. Sixteen Top Fuel cars attempted to qualify for the eight-car field, and Smart qualified #4 with a 5.86/237.46. He faced alternate Butch Blair in the first round, and his 5.86/241.28 easily covered Blair's 6.45/184. In the semifinals, Kerhulas broke, and Smart soloed with an engine saving 14.30 to move into the final. He faced Bakersfield March Meet winner Danny Danell, who had stopped Muldowney for that title earlier in the year. Danell had problems and shut off, giving Smart his first NHRA National event victory with a 5.82/245.23. Best NHRA times of 5.608/254.95. Photo from '83 Cajun Nationals. |
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Submitted by Danny White, Last updated on Saturday, August 23, 2025, 03:39:31 PM by
Ron Howard.
Approved by Bill Pratt. |
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Rankings updated: 08/23/25 03:03:59 am EDT
