Labor Day drag racing thrills fans at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (WISH) — On Labor Day, thousands of drag racing fans descended on Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park to watch top national racers.
At the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans face some of the most ambitious drag racers in the country. Some of them drive 11,000-horsepower dragsters and hit 330 mph.
“Just the sheer power that rips across your chest and then also, too, I’d add the family atmosphere,” Steven Harris said.
“This is just straight down the track, and you feel it in your chest, and it’s so loud. It’s totally different,” Cindy Goldizen said.
News 8 caught up with two old friends.
“Racing has been in my blood forever, and I kind of drug him along with it,” Lance Miller said.
For Miller, the racing life is a family tradition that’s been passed down for generations.
“I’m used to short-track racing on the circle and ovals, like they have here at the race track also, but I’m a third-generation race car driver,” Miller said.
He says it takes a lot to build the power for one of the loudest and fastest sports.
“You can’t narrow down one thing, but the nitromethane is a big part of it, and the big, huge slick tires and it’s just 100% built for speed with big superchargers and big Hemi engines,” Miller said.
Fans have advice for people experiencing the event for the first time.
“Bring your earplugs and bring an open mind because you’re going to see a lot of cool things here if you just take the time to enjoy it,” Miller said.
“If you’ve never been or experienced it, it is something to experience,” Scott Goldizen said.
Overall, fans say the experience is unlike any other in the world of motorsports.