I have yet to experience anything like an NHRA Drag Race. It’s an event that plays to all of your senses – watching a car race down the quarter-mile in three seconds, smelling burnt rubber (a smell I believe they should bottle up and sell), the scent from different concoctions of fuel that burns at a rapid pace that permeates to a taste in your mouth and the sound! Oh, the sound of a Top Fuel Funny Car and Dragster, or even a Top Alcohol Funny Car and Dragster is indescribable. A client of my husband’s said something that stuck with me the whole weekend – “[The sound] it rattles your soul.”
I never knew how much I missed being at the track until I stepped foot on Lucas Oil Raceway last Saturday morning for the Indy Nationals. It had been close to 6 years since I had been at the races. I grew up at the race track. My dad raced a Top Alcohol Dragster and many of my earliest memories are from that time. Later on, found myself at the starting line behind the wheel of a 1970 Ford Fairlane.
The smell and sound took me back immediately and I felt like a kid again, running around with my sisters pretending to race each other. Of course, times have changed, and we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic. We took that heavily into consideration before attending the event. We felt safe going after watching the previous event on TV and checking out how the NHRA’s safety precautions played out. My sister even joined us for this trip.
Temperature checks (not just for the track anymore) and hand sanitizer are the norm now, and the NHRA made sure that attendees were supplied with copious amounts of SaniCOre Hand Sanitizer. Fans were socially distanced with face coverings, and race teams were following a set of protocols as well at the Indy Nationals. I was happy to find that we still had full access to the pits just like a normal race day. One aspect that sets the NHRA apart is that your ticket gets you full access to witness the “thrashing” that happens between races. Typically, during a non-pandemic year, the drivers are out signing autographs and taking pictures with their fans.
Food From the Weekend
Of course, our weekend getaway involved food! We ate at one of my all-time favorite restaurants – St. Elmo Steak House. They’re running an awesome deal right now where you can get a three-course meal for a steal! (I only got a photo of the world-famous shrimp cocktail. Warning: the sauce is HOT but amazing!)
Next stop along the way Kevin found and it was ah-mazing too! This little joint is right down the street from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Charlie Browns Pancake & Steak House. The walls hold pictures of race memorabilia and secrets of speed. I recommend going big and getting Larry’s Haystack or anything with their gravy. The pancakes are good too – we got some for the table. (Once again I forgot photos of the food.)
No trip to Indy would be complete without a stop at the Indy Motor Speedway. Kevin LOVES the track so it wasn’t too hard to convince him to stop. He played tour guide and gave us a little more info about the world-famous track.
Our weekend wrapped up back at the track. There are several different classes that separate the different types of cars and motorcycles. We spent the day watching as many as we could. Everyone has their favorites, but I promise you won’t be disappointed watching any of them.
Now more than ever, during a time when things are so uncertain from each waking moment to the next, it’s nice to get away and thinks about something other than the pandemic for a change. Yes – I did find myself thinking about the current state of affairs. But I enjoyed the distraction that not only reminded me of my childhood but also of a time when things were able to carry on without worry.
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