Nitro drag racing icon Graeme Cowin will be inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall Of Fame’s class of 2023.
Cowin will be inducted alongside the likes John Force, Bunny Burkett, Shelly Anderson and Bob Frey in the prestigious 2023 ceremony, and will join Jim Read and John ‘Stomper’ Winterburn as the only other Australian to be inducted.
Graeme Cowin from Mount Vernon, was a trucker with a need for speed and is considered a pioneer in Australian drag racing. Graeme began his racing career in 1973 when he and his wife invested everything they had and purchased the famed Psycho nitro-fueled drag car. This purchase led to Graeme moving into Nitro Funny Car and Top Fuel racing both in Australia and in the US.
Primarily a Top Fuel driver in Australia in the later stages of his career, Graeme campaigned funny cars while in the US. He raced the IHRA and NHRA circuits in 1985 and he finished as runner-up at the 1987 NHRA Winternationals.
In 1993 Graeme driving a Top Fuel Dragster was the first in Australia to run under five seconds with a pass at 294.43 mph and a 4.895ET, and in 1995 he won the Australian Top Fuel Championship. In 2013 Graeme created the Outlaw Nitro Funny Car Series which became a huge success; bringing racers from across Australia and New Zealand together. He was inducted into the Australian National Drag Racing Association Hall of Fame in 2013, and into the Australian Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Graeme has a reputation for being a person of integrity and creativity in the sport. Due to his knowledge of the sport he opened his own business, Rocket Industries, a leader in the performance parts and equipment provider for drag racers in Australia.
The inductees will be honoured at the 33rd annual International Drag Racing Hall of Fame Banquet, to be held on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center, 1714 SW 34th St., Gainesville, FL.
The event will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:45 p.m. and the induction ceremony at 8 p.m. Masters Entertainment will live stream the event. A list of websites on which to view the stream will be posted at a later date.
Congratulations Graeme and Wendy Cowin on your recognition.
