Pat Austin

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Pat Austin (born November 12, 1964) is a retired American retired driver. He competed at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). He won four Top NHRA Top Cars Topra cars between 1987 and 1991. He was the first rider to win a title eliminator at the same event when he won Top Fuel Class and Cute Car Alcohol in Topeka. His 62 wins between the start in 1985 and 1996, which was the most for any driver between the late 1970s and 1996.

In 2002, NHRA labeled him "the most successful drag racer born after the 1940s and the best racer of his generation". He has the first 250 Mph (400Akm/h) Alcoholic Beverage Cute and the first pass in a span of 5.5 seconds.

Video Pat Austin

Racing career

Tacoma, a native of Washington, Austin attended high school in Franklin Pierce, where he won two state championships in shooting. Austin was named All-Star on his high school soccer team during his senior year.

He started drag racing in the northwestern United States, where he won about 90 percent of the races he entered. He started the race on a nationwide tour in 1995. Austin won his first national event title in 1986, when he won the Cajun Nationals. She won the next event, Springnationals. He has many second places finished and lost the 1986 season championship in the final round at Fallnationals to Brad Anderson.

Austin won his first national championship the following year. He won four of five championships between 1987 and 1991, losing the 1989 championship. Austin made eight finals in 1987 and won six games. He followed the season with his second championship in 1988. The season was highlighted by six wins, including his first US Nations victory. He had the most wins in 1989 with nine wins (including the U.S. National). Brad Anderson won the season championship after Anderson did better in the race division. Austin won the 1990 championship with 12 finals and nine wins. Austin won the 1991 championship in July (with four months left) after posting 5 seasons of national victory and the first 5 perfect divisions. Gary Ormsby died of cancer; Austin buys his Largest Fuel operation before US Citizens. He campaigned both cars on the show after testing his new Top Fuel dragster at a local event. After winning the Alcohol Funny Car final at one of the next events, his blower does not work when exhausted in the final. Austin should watch Kenny Bernstein as he smokes his tires to win the Final Finals final in one. Austin continues to run both cars on show, vowing to win in both cars. A double eliminator victory came two events later in Topeka. She won the Alcohol Funny Car final over Chuck Cheeseman with 5.97 seconds operand and Top Fuel final over Joe Amato with 4.97 seconds operand. Austin avenged his last Top Fuel loss to Bernstein at Winston Finals in Ponoma and started the 1992 season by winning the second race of the year at Motorcraft Ford Nationals in Phoenix Arizona over Doug Herbert. Between 1987 and 1991, he entered 57 national finals and won 43 of them.

Austin achieved a second double eliminator victory at the second event in 1992 in Phoenix. He won the Top Fuel final and defeated his uncle, rival Bucky Austin, in the final of Funny Cars of Alcohol. Austin won Top Fuel at Indonesian Citizens in 1993 at Indianapolis Raceway Park over Doug Herbert in the final round of peddlefest tires-smoking. The fifth and final Fifth Top Fuel victory was at Englishtown for Prudhomme's Don "The Snake" in 1994 winning 4.88 for Prudhomme 4.89. His last final round came in 1995 at Sonoma California losing to Mike Dunn. Austin became the first rider to reach 250 miles per hour in a quarter mile in Alcohol Funny Car in 1995.

In 1999, Austin noticed that IHRA drivers such as Von Smith were successful at Hoosier Racing Tires. Austin has experienced severe tire problems and tire spinning problems. So he bought a set of Hoosiers in US Citizens and used them in the second qualifying round at the next event in Dallas, which was the first time Hoosiers used in NHRA events. After graduating relatively slowly, he made adjustments to the gear ratio at later events. He started using tires for all the operands after 5.64 seconds passed. He had his first pass in the 5.5 seconds (5.56 seconds at 257 mph) and won the race, marking the first time Hoosier tires won the NHRA Alcohol Funny Car event.

In 2000, he recorded his 70th career victory, making him fourth on NHRA's winning list all the time. He had a 75th national victory at the NHERN Winternationals in 2002 Pomona. At that time, he has collected 81 points with a total of 156 victories.

Austin is now running the Pro Pro Performance Pro Pat Austin Center, which is a national automotive parts dealer and service car in Puget Sound.

Maps Pat Austin

Personal life

Pat and his wife, Keila, have a son named Drew and a daughter named Allison.

His father (Walt Austin), mother, brother Mike, and sister have helped his team. Walt Austin competed in drag races from the 1950s to the 1970s. He inherited his father's exhaust and radiator shop in 1968. Walt's brother, Bucky, began his career in a pit crew to open a rival exhaust shop in 1970. Bucky Austin has more than 200 drag racing victories at NHRA Regional Northwestern, AHRA, and open matches. Pat describes their relationship: "We are having our tense moments, just like a business that has been treated, it's a competition, it's no different than a one-on-one basketball game, unless we're grown up, it's not bad blood."