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What to know about the NHRA US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway this week

chloe peterson, indianapolis star
·4 min read

INDIANAPOLIS — The NHRA drag racing U.S. Nationals are coming to the Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg this week, bringing speeds of over 330 mph back to the Indianapolis area.

The U.S. Nationals is the longest and final competition on the NHRA regular-season schedule, spanning six days.

Here’s what you need to know about the NHRA Nationals:

What are the NHRA divisions?

The NHRA has multiple drag racing divisions, but there are two premier classes: Top Fuel and Funny Car.

Top Fuel cars are the fastest accelerating cars in the world, according to the NHRA website, and the 25-foot-long cars can get up to speeds over 330 mph.

Funny cars are similar to Top Fuel cars, but they have a slightly shorter body made out of carbon-fiber. Funny cars are slightly slower than Top Fuel cars, but they can still achieve 330 mph. Funny cars and Top Fuel cars do not use a typical transmission — instead, they have a clutch assembly to give power to the Goodyear slicks on the cars.

There are multiple classes in the NHRA U.S. Nationals, including Pro Stock, Stock Motorcycle, Top Alcohol Dragster, and Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Why do these NHRA races matter?

All roads lead to Indy when it comes to racing. NHRA racers consider the U.S. Nationals the crown jewel event of their season — the one that everyone wants to win, maybe even more than a championship.

“When you write down at the end of your career what your top accolades are, if there’s not a world championship on there, it’s going to be a U.S. Nationals win,” Tony Stewart Racing driver Leah Pruett said. “And it’s because it’s the longest attrition race.”

The NHRA U.S. Nationals is not only the last regular-season event before the playoffs, but drivers will also get points-and-a-half for winning in Indianapolis.

Matt Hagan is currently second in the Funny Car standings, 21 points behind Ron Capps. The 1.5-point differential at the U.S. Nationals could allow Hagan to overtake Capps going into the six playoff races.

“You get such a points advantage going into those last six races, and you have to win two or three out of those six,” Hagan said. “And that’s asking a lot out of anyone.”

Matt Hagan heads off the line to beat Tommy Johnson Jr., for the Funny Car victory, E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals, Lucas Oil Raceway, Indianapolis, Sunday, July 12, 2020. The event is the first NHRA racing to happen since the coronavirus pandemic forced shut downs in March. A mandatory mask policy was in place during the event.
Matt Hagan heads off the line to beat Tommy Johnson Jr., for the Funny Car victory, E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals, Lucas Oil Raceway, Indianapolis, Sunday, July 12, 2020. The event is the first NHRA racing to happen since the coronavirus pandemic forced shut downs in March. A mandatory mask policy was in place during the event.

Who is racing?

Legendary racer Tony Stewart, who retired from racing in 2016 and owns a car in the Top Fuel and Funny Car lineups, returned to the driver’s seat in the 2023 NHRA season. Stewart was a NASCAR driver from 1999-2016, racking up 43 wins in the Cup Series. He is also a National Midget Auto Racing and National Sprint Car Hall of Famer who also competed in the Indianapolis 500.

Stewart will be driving in the Top Alcohol Dragster division, and he scored his first national victory at the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas earlier this year. Going into the U.S. Nationals, he is in second place in the Top Alcohol Dragster standings.

Pruett, who is married to Stewart, will be racing in the premier division. She is currently fifth in the Top Fuel standings, but she can jump to third by the end of the weekend. Justin Ashley is currently leading the Top Fuel division with a 101-point margin over Steve Torrence.

Team owner Tony Stewart stands alongside the dragster of his wife and driver, NHRA top fuel driver Leah Pruett, during the Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, March 26, 2023.
Team owner Tony Stewart stands alongside the dragster of his wife and driver, NHRA top fuel driver Leah Pruett, during the Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, March 26, 2023.

When are the NHRA U.S. Nationals?

The event runs from Aug. 30-Sept. 4, with the finals returning to Labor Day. Practice consumes the first two days of nationals, while qualifying starts on Friday, Sept. 1.

The five nitro qualifying sessions will start at 8 p.m. Friday, followed by the first qualifying round at 4:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday and the second round at 2:30 and 6 p.m. Sunday.

The U.S. Nationals is the only event where drivers get five qualifying sessions — something Pruett thinks should happen at every race.

“The more time, opportunities you have to run down the track, the more that you’re going to learn,” Pruett said. “And the more you’ll be able to apply it to your ultimate setup for race day.”

Final eliminations will start on Labor Day, Sept. 4, at 11 a.m. and the final races will follow. The All-Star Funny Car Callout will race at 4 p.m. You can get tickets for the full, six-day event or tickets by the day at https://www.nhra.com/nhra

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NHRA US Nationals: What to know about drag racing at Lucas Oil Raceway