Johnny Loper is a pioneering American
gasser drag racer.
Driving a 1959 Chevrolet, he won
NHRA's E/Gas national title at
Detroit Dragway in 1959. His winning pass was 14.94 seconds at .
The next year, at the wheel of an Oldsmobile-powered 1941
Willys, he won NHRA's first ever B/Gas Altered (B/GA) national title at Detroit Dragway. His winning pass was 13.72 seconds at .
At the
NHRA Nationals
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...
, held at
Indianapolis Raceway Park, in 1962, Loper won the B/Gas title, with a Chevrolet-powered Willys. He turned in a winning pass of 12.04 seconds at .
Loper was first three-time national champion to move up a class in his later wins, from E/G to B/G.
Loper was also first ever B/Gas Altered champion, in 1960.
[Davis, p.182.]
References
Sources
*Davis, Larry. ''Gasser Wars'', North Branch, MN: Cartech, 2003, pp. 181–2.
Dragster drivers
American racing drivers
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