Andrew Wolf: Sportsman Racing At Indy – It’s Still A Big Deal


Each year around this time on the calendar, the editorial sections of the drag racing rags (or the digital counterparts, like this one), the chat rooms, and message boards light up with often heated discussions of just how much significance the crown jewel of the sport – the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis – really holds in this day and age. This topic is most commonly looked at from the context of the professional categories of the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series that undeniably headline the show and put the vast majority of the butts in the seats. That being primarily Top Fuel and Funny Car, with the Pro Stock classes and Pro Modified to a lesser extent.

The U.S. Nationals, most commonly known as “The Big Go” or simply “Indy” is the most prestigious and illustrious drag race in the world. It’s the one everyone wants to win and the one everyone wants to witness at least once. Full of pageantry and media buildup, it is the second oldest continuously running drag race in the world, with a rich history of timeless moments that rival the sport itself. But sadly, and much to the denial of many, the race just isn’t what it used to be. It’s no longer Don Garlits shaving his beard on the starting line. It’s not Connie and Shirley in the Top Fuel final. Nor is it a couple of blue collar guys pooling their money and spending all year building a car just to try their hand at winning the worlds biggest drag race. And while the party atmosphere is still there, the stories that come out of the campgrounds surrounding O’Reilly Raceway Park just aren’t what they once were.

Aside from an extra 3-5 independent nitro teams that save up their nickels and dimes all year to attempt to qualify at Indianapolis, you essentially have the exact same field of 16 cars that you find facing off 22 other times a season. The same drivers, with the same cars, and the same tuners, who are all putting forth the same amount of effort to win this race as they do any other on the tour. Sure, they really want to win this one and for good reason. But when you really break it all down, it’s just another national event now. No extra points, no 32 car fields, just the status quo.

My point of this column isn’t to belittle the U.S. Nationals or the professional racers. The current state of the event and the sport as a whole is simply a sign of the times. We don’t live in simpler times anymore, and these race cars take a lot of corporate dollars to send down the racetrack. As such, the U.S. Nationals just can’t be what it once was, no matter how much we wish it could be. But if you dare to break away from the autograph lines and the tee shirt stands and walk a couple hundred yards over the crosswalk to the west side of the facility, you’ll find a grass roots paradise that’s a throwback to the old days in may facets.

For the competitors of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, this is their Woodstock. It’s a week-long reunion of racers all with a common goal where despite their on-track competitiveness, the brews, the barbeque, and the BS will ensue amongst one another late into the night. Competitors arrive at O’Reilly Raceway Park the weekend prior to the event and virtually set up camp for what they hope to be the full week. Those pitted around you become like family once this marathon event is over.

No other event throughout the year draws the very best racers in the country from every geographic region onto the same stage, and as such, it is unquestionably the toughest one to win. Competition Eliminator features the one and only 64-car field contested all year. The Stock and Super Stock fields are so large that you must actually qualify just to race for a chance at Indy glory. And it all begins with what may be the best kept secret in drag racing – class eliminations. The racers of the Stock and Super Stock categories talk trash all year, pull out all the stops with their race cars all in an effort to win the heads-up battles alongside competitors from clear across the country that they may only meet once a year. And it’s headlined by the Mopar HEMI Challenge, which needs no introduction.

So do yourself a favor: call in sick on Thursday and Friday and head on out to O’Reilly Raceway Park and take in some racing that still has a flavor of days gone by. Unless you’re just hung up on nitro and the famous personalities shoved down your throat on ESPN2, you’ll thank me later.

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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