Not sure what kind they were running.
Flashback Friday: The Story of the Leathal Fuel Called Hydrazine
http://www.dragzine.com/news/flashback-friday-the-story-of-the-leathal-fuel-called-hydrazine/
Drag racing pioneers or suicidal nutjobs?
https://euclidsbridge.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/drag-racing-pioneers-or-suicidal-nutjobs/
Running with the Big H
http://www.draglist.com/stories/SOD%20Jun%202001/SOD-062601.htm
Doug was still grinning when we got back to the trailer and he ran around to the trunk of the ‘63 Chevy tow car and whipped it open. After rummaging through piles of dirty clothes left over from the trip up from Texas he produced a pint can that had a skull & cross bones on the front with the words “danger hydrazine.” I said, “What’s that stuff”? Doug just grinned wider and said, “You’ll see”.” The Fuel dragster guys use this down in Texas. Bobby Langley sold it to me. He says it’ll make this thing fly. You just use a cap full in the tank and give it a shake.” I said, “OK, let’s give it whirl.” Like I said, young and dumb.
We topped off the tank and pushed to the starting line once more. This time Doug opened the trunk just before we got the go ahead from the starter and dumped in the “H.” We pushed off, got up oil pressure and fired the motor, Man, I thought it was loud before. This time it sounded like machine gums were going off right under my ass. I pulled to the line and when the light changed I drilled the pedal and the tires erupted into smoke and the car lurched forward. I was in the left lane this time and the transition was not as bad so the car only wiggled a little and I kept my foot in it all the way down. The chute hit a lot harder that time so I knew we were going faster. I was right, 9.52 at 172 mph.
When we got back to the tow car, we were greeted by the officials. It seems they had just remembered that NHRA had a fuel ban on and they thought perhaps we had better not make anymore runs like that last one. We agreed to calm it down but the weatherman decided the issue with a downpour that ended the race day.
That ‘story’ sounds a little suspect.
Pouring a ‘cap full’ of hydrazine into a tank of regular gasoline would take some time to disperse throughout the fuel and even longer to make it through the fuel pump and lines to the carburetor/injectors unless it was a very small tank and a high volume pumping system.......................