At The Drag Strip

Jacob Murphy | August 9, 2010

The NHRA, Lucas Oil, and the guys that brought the world "Pinks" have teamed up to create NHRA Unleashed, a new race series spanning four NHRA tracks for the 2010 season: Atlanta Dragway, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, National Trail Raceway in Columbus, and Gainesville Raceway in Florida. Limited Street, EZ Street, Outlaw 10.5 and Pro Mod were the main attractions of NHRA Unleashed and delivered a wonderful show as the "professional" categories. For everyone else, Unleashed offers a superb car show and wide range of index categories from 8.50 seconds to 13.00. Anyone can race in the index categories, as long as the car can run the number of course. The only rules in the index categories (aside from basic NHRA rules) are no electronics and no dragsters. That's right; it's nothing but door cars that are fast and door cars that are faster.

As a "regular" driver, possibly the biggest allure of NHRA Unleashed has to be the opportunity to be on television. Film crews were on hand to record all the action and will begin airing the footage on Fox Sports on November 7. Also at each Unleashed event is a casting tent for a new show, "Who wants to be a drag racer?" If selected for the show, contestants will compete for the opportunity to win a full season in a Lucas Oil Super Comp dragster, all expenses paid.

I was running my '69 Cuda in the 13.0 Aerospace Components Index category and although I didn't quite have the showing I would've liked, this didn't stop me from having more fun than I've had all year at a race. Having spoken with some other racers at the event I'd be willing to bet they would agree. The only downside was feeling as though we were being pushed aside at times to accommodate the feature categories but I suppose I'm willing to overlook this as only a minor transgression as the byproduct of a fresh program.

Pro Mod

Even if I were only a spectator, I would've had a great time. The professional cars were having problems getting the track under control on Friday, so there was plenty of tire shake and cars getting loose at 100 mph. This made for an exciting show, which didn't slow down any on Saturday. By this time, the teams were getting a handle on the track – nothing is as fun as watching a pair of side-by-side door cars run under 4.50 at 175 in the eighth-mile. The action went late into the night on Saturday, crowning class champions under the lights at the famed quarter-mile at Indianapolis.

NHRA Unleashed has amazing potential and is a ton of fun, if only for the opportunity to run pro tree – something most of us don't often get the chance to do. If you're on the fence about attending one as a spectator or as a racer, head over to their website right now and sign up already. There are only two races left for this season, but here's hoping they bring back NHRA Unleashed next year.

Car Show


	Jacob Murphy \| August 9, 2010 The NHRA, Lucas Oil, and the guys that brought the world "Pinks" have teamed up to create NHRA Unleashed, a new race series spanning four NHRA tracks for the 2010 season: Atlanta Dragway, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, National Trail Raceway in Columbus, and Gainesville Raceway in Florida. Limited Street, EZ Street, Outlaw 10.5 and Pro Mod were the main attractions of NHRA Unleashed and delivered a wonderful show as the "professional" categories. For everyone else, Unleashed offers a superb car show and wide range of index categories from 8.50 seconds to 13.00. Anyone can race in the index categories, as long as the car can run the number of course. The only rules in the index categories (aside from basic NHRA rules) are no electronics and no dragsters. That's right; it's nothing but door cars that are fast and door cars that are faster. As a "regular" driver, possibly the biggest allure of NHRA Unleashed has to be the opportunity to be on television. Film crews were on hand to record all the action and will begin airing the footage on Fox Sports on November 7. Also at each Unleashed event is a casting tent for a new show, "Who wants to be a drag racer?" If selected for the show, contestants will compete for the opportunity to win a full season in a Lucas Oil Super Comp dragster, all expenses paid. I was running my '69 Cuda in the 13.0 Aerospace Components Index category and although I didn't quite have the showing I would've liked, this didn't stop me from having more fun than I've had all year at a race. Having spoken with some other racers at the event I'd be willing to bet they would agree. The only downside was feeling as though we were being pushed aside at times to accommodate the feature categories but I suppose I'm willing to overlook this as only a minor transgression as the byproduct of a fresh program. Even if I were only a spectator, I would've had a great time. The professional cars were having problems getting the track under control on Friday, so there was plenty of tire shake and cars getting loose at 100 mph. This made for an exciting show, which didn't slow down any on Saturday. By this time, the teams were getting a handle on the track – nothing is as fun as watching a pair of side-by-side door cars run under 4.50 at 175 in the eighth-mile. The action went late into the night on Saturday, crowning class champions under the lights at the famed quarter-mile at Indianapolis. NHRA Unleashed has amazing potential and is a ton of fun, if only for the opportunity to run pro tree – something most of us don't often get the chance to do. If you're on the fence about attending one as a spectator or as a racer, head over to their website right now and sign up already. There are only two races left for this season, but here's hoping they bring back NHRA Unleashed next year.	(Click to Enlarge Slide Show)