Former nitro and alcohol Funny Car racer and noted supercharger manufacturer Mert Littlefield died Sept. 20. He was 66.

Littlefield, whose superchargers were key components in the breaking of several NHRA performance barriers, including the first four-second and 300-mph Funny Car passes (Chuck Etchells and Jim Epler, respectively) and the first five-second alcohol Funny Car pass (Bob Newberry) and who was at the forefront of the high-helix supercharger technology, also was a national-event winning driver of his own cars, all of which he also tuned.

Former nitro and alcohol Funny Car racer and noted supercharger manufacturer Mert Littlefield died Sept. 20. He was 66.

Littlefield, whose superchargers were key components in the breaking of several NHRA performance barriers, including the first four-second and 300-mph Funny Car passes (Chuck Etchells and Jim Epler, respectively) and the first five-second alcohol Funny Car pass (Bob Newberry) and who was at the forefront of the high-helix supercharger technology, also was a national-event winning driver of his own cars, all of which he also tuned.

Littlefield began his racing career in bracket cars in the 1960s but made the leap to the big time in a nitro Funny Car in 1970 with the Rapid Transit Dart before teaming with Marty Sublett and later Richard Bays in a successful nitro-racing career that ran through 1984, during which time Littlefield also won an NHRA Division 7 event and had the honor of recording the first five-second Funny Car pass at fabled Orange County Int’l Raceway.

Littlefield left the cockpit for a number of years and worked with former world champ Billy Williams before returning to driving in the alcohol ranks from 1992 through the end of 2006. He won the NHRA Northwest Nationals in 2002 and the IHRA national event in Norwalk in 1996, collected three NHRA divisional wins, and twice was runner-up for the Division 7 championship, in 1994 and 2002. After leaving the cockpit, Littlefield tuned for hired drivers Kirk Kuhns and Bret Williamson in 2007.

He is survived by his wife, Lee; son Brad; and daughter Kasey. Funeral services are pending.

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