The 1980s exploded drag racing’s television exposure. While most of the 1960s and 70s drag racing coverage was dominated by ABC’s Wide World of Sports, occasional one-off documentaries, and later Diamond P, the 1980s ushed in new players, such as NBC Sportsworld and the fledgling ESPN.

The 1980s expanded its reach beyond the NHRA and explored other avenues such as IHRA and AHRA; here’s the first part of the decade in video, and plenty of them.