Indianapolis: The Big Go

It's the biggest race of the year.

The U.S. Nationals. Indy. The Big Go.

Why is the atmosphere surrounding the U.S. Nationals so palpable?

The Big Go

This year marks the 59th running of the U.S. Nationals, and it is the 52nd consecutive year the event has been held in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Originally called "The Nationals," the Big Go was first held in Great Bend, Kansas in 1955. At that time, it was the NHRA's only national event.

Then, the event moved to Michigan's Detroit Dragway.

In 1961, the NHRA's U.S. Nationals found its permanent home in Indy at Lucas Oil Raceway (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park).

The U.S. Nationals has a different setup than the other races on NHRA's circuit. The pro categories make five qualifying runs (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) instead of the usual four (Friday and Saturday).

Running eliminations on Labor Day, it is the only Monday event on NHRA's schedule. In fact, in 2004, the U.S. Nationals earned the title of being the longest-running Labor Day motorsports event in the United States.

Additionally, the Big Go is notorious for holding a "race within a race." In recent years, this event has been titled the Traxxas Shootout.

Eight drivers from both the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories compete. Seven of the eight drivers qualify for the Traxxas Shootout by being the first drivers to win in the regular season. The eighth driver is entered into the shootout by a fan vote lottery drawing. (If a driver receives 35% of the vote, they will have 35 entries in the drawing).

When these drivers run in the shootout, each round counts toward their qualifying effort.

The prize? The winner in each category receives $100,000 and a huge (and heavy!) trophy.

According to Larry Dixon, a four-time U.S. Nationals winner, the race in Indy has become "the biggest, most prestigious race on tour."

Dixon explained how the U.S. Nationals earned the name "The Big Go": "Back in the day, it was the only race. It was the biggest, and you had to go."

It was where the big names--the legends--gathered: Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen, "Big Daddy" Don Garlits...

Now, the Big Go is also the last regular season event in the NHRA circuit before the countdown to the championship starts. It is your last chance to secure a spot in the top ten. After eliminations in Indy, the top 10 to compete for the championship are set.

In short, drivers and crews bring their A-game to Indy. They want to win Indy more than (almost) anything.

In a TV interview, Ron Capps, driver of the NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car, said when he was asked if he would rather win the championship or the Big Go, that it's something you have to think about.

I asked Dixon the same question. "That would be like choosing which kid is your favorite," he said. It's impossible. Indy is that big.

2013 Traxxas Shootout Winners

Top Fuel: Shawn Langdon
Funny Car: Jack Beckman

 

2013 U.S. Nationals Winners

Top Fuel: Shawn Langdon
Funny Car: Robert Hight
Pro Stock Car: Mike Edwards
Pro Stock Motorcycle: John Hall

Some information for this post was retrieved from the following:
Lucas Oil Raceway's website
Wikipedia