NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

For many NHRA fans and racers, Wednesday August 28 is perhaps the most important day of the year since it marks the opening day of competition for the sport’s marquee event, the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals.

More than a week ago, there were as many as 30 sportsman rigs parked outside the gates of Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in anticipation of the 70th U.S. Nationals. Eventually, more than 900 racers will fill the pit area of the sport’s most historic dragstrip.

Wednesday’s schedule included two qualifying runs for racers in Super Stock and Stock, three time trial runs for Super Comp and Super Gas racers, and the opening qualifying session for the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge presented by the McCandless Collection. A longstanding Indy tradition, there are 24 vintage Hemi-powered Dodge and Plymouth Super Stock cars entered for the event.

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It took just one qualifying for the Stock Eliminator field to get out of hand with 56 of 128 qualifiers running at least a second or more under their respective indexes.

Jim Marshall announced prior to the U.S. Nationals that is was his intention to put his T/SA ’86 Chevy C-10 truck into the top spot, and he did just that with a monster 12.093-second run that is -2.307 under the 14.40 index. Marshall is light years ahead of provisional No. 2 qualifier Paul Wong, who posted a (-1.610) 12.190 and third-ranked Victor Cagnazzi, who drove his COPO Camaro to a (-1.420) 9.180.

The Toyota U.S. Nationals is the only event on the 2024 schedule where competitors in Super Stock and Stock are not subject to the Automatic Horsepower Factoring System, which means they car run as far under the index as possible without penalty.

After two runs, 107-time national event winner Dan Fletcher holds down the 128-car bump spot with a (-.806) 11.194 in his G/SA ’69 Camaro.

 Stock racers kicked off Thursday’s action with traditional class eliminations.

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The Super Stock field is also huge with 149 racers competing for just 128 spots in eliminations. After the first two runs, veteran Ernie Neal is the leader with his SS/PA Chevy Caprice. Neal drove to an 11.024, which is (-1.626) under the index. Neal is followed by Dan Jacobs and Johnny Fogle. A total of 31 drivers managed to run a second or more under their respective indexes.

The Super Stock field is absolutely loaded with talent as there are 15 former or current world champions in the field. The bump spot in Super Stock is (-.593) by Donna Morris.

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There are two places at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park that are near and dear to NHRA class racers. One of them (above) is a place where everyone wants to visit and the other (below) is a place to be avoided and they are not that far apart. On the West side of the dragstrip, well past the finish line, stands the Class Racer’s Winner’s circle, which has been sacred ground to Super Stock and Stock racers for more than half a century. It’s the place where Wally trophies are awarded following traditional class eliminations. Many a grown man (and woman) have shed a tear collecting a class Wally after a hard-fought Indy battle.

A few feet from the Class Winner’s circle is the NHRA Teardown Barn, a place where racers are often subject to a few tense moments of anxiety as their class wins are validated by the NHRA Technical Services Department. All class winners are checked for weight and fuel and those selected to visit the teardown barn are subject to a more thorough examination that often includes checking wheelbase, cubic inches, cylinder head volume, carburetors, camshafts, and a variety of other components covered under the stringent rules of class racing.  

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The Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge has created a lot of buzz this year thanks to the added support of longtime Mopar racer Herb McCandless and his family. This year’s event features one of the biggest fields in years with two dozen vintage Hemi-powered Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda factory race cars.

Steve Comella’s quest for a fourth-straight Hemi Challenge title is off to a good start as he’s the No. 1 qualifier after three runs with a best of 8.424 in his New York-based ’68 Barracuda.

Bucky Hess, winner of the Hemi Challenge more than two decades ago, will go into eliminations as the No. 2 seed after driving his show quality Barracuda to an 8.426 on Thursday.

Final eliminations for the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge presented by the McCandless collection will take place during an action-packed Friday.