Don Nicholson

Don Nicholson
Nicholson during an interview on ABC-TV's "Wide World of Sports" beside Eliminator I in 1966
NationalityAmerican
Born(1927-05-28)May 28, 1927
Halltown, Missouri
DiedJanuary 24, 2006(2006-01-24) (aged 78)
National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock
Years activelate 1940s – 2001+
Best finish1st in 1977
Awards
18th on NHRA's Top 50 Drivers (2001)
International Drag Racing Hall of Fame
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1998)

Don Nicholson (May 28, 1927 – January 24, 2006) was an American drag racer from Missouri. He raced in the 1960s and 1970s when there were few national events. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) estimates he won 90 percent of his match races. As of 2002, he held the record for the most number of categories in which he reached a final round (won or took second at an event): Funny Car, Pro Stock, Super Stock, Competition Eliminator, Stock, and Street. He was nicknamed "Dyno Don" after he was one of the first drivers to use a chassis dynamometer on his cars in the late 1950s, a skill that he learned while working as a line mechanic at a Chevrolet car dealer.