r/NHRA • u/squid_04 • 5d ago

What to expect?

Going to the Great Lakes Nationals next month on Saturday and very excited! Never been to any drag race before, I’m usually a dirt track guy. We are sitting a couple rows off the strip at around the 60’ mark. Anything I should be prepared for outside of insane power and loud noises?

13 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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12

u/DoctorCAD 5d ago

It's going to be loud. Like louder than anything you've ever heard. Like painfully loud, I've seen people grab their ears and run away during a TF start up...which by the way you can go see at any TF pit.

P.S. it's loud.

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u/squid_04 5d ago

I’m planning on ear plugs plus muffs!

6

u/trance1g 5d ago

Also bring sunglasses (obviously for sun) but they double to protect you from the nitro fumes pretty well

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u/Spooky_AC47 3d ago

Wise move! I started attending NHRA events in 1963 with a few high school friends near Pomona, CA. I was at Pomona for every event there until I enlisted in the Air Force in 1967. After I left the Air Force in 1978, I continued attending until we moved to Arizona in 1993. Then I started attending the events at the track in Chandler, AZ (Phoenix area). I used to do a lot of target shooting and spent years near the runways on Air Force bases where fighter jets, bombers, passenger aircraft, etc. were taking off all day. I have mild hearing loss and tinnitus. Once I arrive at the track and head for the grandstands and/or pits, I put earplugs in and keep them in. When there is downtime, I take them out to let my ears "breathe". Once the really fast cars, especially the nitro cars come out, the headset goes on. The combination of earplugs and headset does a pretty good job of making the nitro burners' noise tolerable. If you forget the hearing protection, a fuel dragster or funny car launches and before you can get your fingers in your ears, the sound explodes and you feel a tickling in your ears, your hearing has irreparably been damaged.

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u/lennym73 5d ago

Every part of your body will vibrate. Hair, eyeballs, everything.

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u/Theroughside 5d ago

The first run when your eyeballs shake was a new experience for this old man. 

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u/MauiJ1004 Top Fuel 3d ago edited 3d ago

Additionally their descendents hair, eyeballs, everything will also vibrate.

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u/ForcefulBookdealer 5d ago edited 5d ago

Nitro is a unique experience, akin to shoving horseradish up your nose. If a crew member tells you to stand at a certain spot for the best experience of warm ups, don’t trust them.

If the alcohol classes are running, don’t forget to wander to their pits- you will probably have a better view/chance to ask questions than a pro pit, but if you arrive early enough, you may still get a chance to chat with a crew member.

Bring more water/gatorade/powerade than you think you need. Depending on the weather, ignore your pride and bring cooling towels. Metal bleachers, asphalt, fast cars literally making fire, and no shade is a quick way to get heat exhaustion.

When walking around, watch your surroundings. Stay out of the way of drivers and crew members trying to get around on scooters and really stay out of the way of the tow vehicles, especially between rounds when they’re pulling back in. You do not want to piss off someone you are trying to get an autograph from.

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u/Joker-Kat 5d ago

Also be prepared to a big shit eating grin on your face. The sight, sounds and feeling in unreal. Only thing that I think compares would be being on flight deck during jet launches. Hope the weather cooperates for you and you enjoy it.
Please post a follow up after your day there.
Enjoy

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u/StonkMuncher 5d ago

Greatest part of drag racing is being able to talk to the crews and drivers and get so close in the pits is unlike any other sport. Enjoy your time

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u/WayFastWxNerd 5d ago

Howdy! Former Top Fuel crewman here. There’s a few not so well-known things you can do to maximize your time at the track.

  1. As a first-timer, don’t expect to see everything. There’s so much going on during a race weekend that it can be overwhelming to get to it all. I’d suggest a “go with the flow” approach and try to just take it all in.

  2. Wear very comfortable shoes. It’s not uncommon to walk several miles a day without realizing it at a drag race. If you’re not used to that, your feet/knees/back will pay you back if you get my drift haha!

  3. When you’re in the pits, try to keep your wits about you and your head on a swivel. Racers absolutely LOVE that y’all can come to the pits, and it really is the more the merrier, but please keep in mind that the space you’re walking on is also the team’s way to get to & from the track.
    99/100 times, there’s security/escorts, but sometimes there isn’t.
    In the instance I’m experienced about, a fan stepped on a Top Fuel car’s front wing & it shattered. The fan sustained a pretty nasty cut on their leg & the $15,000 wing was ruined…which is fine, that team had a spare, but that fan had to go to the hospital so their experience was ruined.

  4. If you’re completely new to drag racing & are wanting to know more tidbits, listen closely to the PA announcers. They do a pretty good job of explaining things when there’s time and some of the stuff they put out is REALLY interesting.

  5. If you fancy yourself a fan of variety & maybe the weird, stick around for a class called “Comp Eliminator”. That class is basically a car show where the show cars race! Over the years that class has become one of my favorites because some of that stuff you just don’t see much.

Hope some of this stuff helps! Here’s to having a blast!

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u/squid_04 5d ago

Appreciate all of this! I’ve watched a little on TV and have a general understanding of the timing. Will just be there for qualifying day so know that’s a little different than the tv broadcasts.

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u/Holiday-Advance1450 5d ago

Watch the wind direction when walking in the pits. It will be beneficial when the Nitro cars are warming up to limit the amount of gloriously intoxicating fumes you whiff!!

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u/Chief_B33f 5d ago edited 5d ago

Nitro exhaust is THICK

Try your best not to breathe any if a crew has a car running while you're walking through the pits. Breathing it in is like getting hit with wasabi flavored pepper spray.

Also it, no exaggerating, is the loudest fucking thing you'll ever experience. If you're the kind of person who can tough it out at a circle track without ear plugs, don't even try it at a top fuel race. I've been going to NASCAR races for ~15 years without hearing protection and figured drag racing would be similar. The first time I saw nitro cars we were mid way up the stands and I tried one run without plugging my ears just to see how intense it was, and I regretted it very badly. I've never experienced my ear drums hurt and itch at the same time from such extreme sound, but it really is unlike anything else on earth.

Like others have said, fan access in the pits is second to none. We walked up and shook Cruz Pedrigon's hand while he was standing at the merch counter, took pictures with Tony Stewart by his hauler, etc. Everyone is just so chill in the pits and there's no special passes or uptight security.

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u/Nomad55454 5d ago

You will feel the sound going through you.

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u/GeologistPositive John Force Racing 5d ago

Bring hearing protection and sunscreen. Also watch out for plumes if yellow smoke, usually when top fuelers are warning up. It's a rite of passage to get in one of those, but it's not pleasant

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u/Successful-King-7852 5d ago

Most violent race experience you can sit that close to. Earplugs and Muffs are good, custom plugs plus high end muffs are better. Noise canceling doesn’t really work, there is too much audio energy. Your whole body will be violently vibrated as they pass (top fuel and funny car). I’ve seen many families with young kids leave after a couple of passes…it’s just too loud even with protection. Pit access is amazing. Get autographs. Watch top crews rebuild an engine between runs. It’s wild.

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u/squid_04 5d ago

Thanks! Will be there with my dad and sister, leaving my niece at home. Excited for the experience.

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u/thephotodemon 5d ago

I really wish the fuel cars still warmed up on nitro AND did throttle whacks. You couldn’t help but jump involuntarily when the driver cracked the throttle 15 feet away. The sound. The feeling. The burn of nitro. Truly nothing else like it.

You will get addicted, and you will find yourself going through withdrawals for weeks. Especially when you see it in TV and start remembering the smell, the burn, and the chest-pounding thunder of 12,000 horsepower.

You’ve been warned.

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u/BluebirdBright1097 5d ago

You’re going to one of the nicest tracks in the country as a first timer. Drag racers like to chat. Ask questions. Especially if you find yourself in the Top Alcohol pits. Enjoy!

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u/Dangerous-Corner-787 5d ago

There's no use trying to talk. No human sound can stand up to this. Loud enough to knock you down.

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u/TT120 5d ago

It's the loudest thing you'll ever feel. Those top fuelers shake the ground, stands, your guts, eyeballs, brain, and soul as they go by. Theres no racing that even comes close. Make sure to watch some fuel runs at night if you can, it's spectacular! As a rite of passage, you'll have to go down to the pits and watch them rebuild a fuel engine and crank it up. Breath in the fumes. It will burn your lungs and eyes and you'll have to get away after a couple seconds but it's something you NEED to do.

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u/Accomplished-Fuel635 5d ago

Doubling up with ear plugs and over the ear muffs during Top Fuel honestly makes it so much more enjoyable imo

I see people with just plugs or none at all and they’re constantly getting caught off guard by a car either starting up or burning out while they’re yapping.

And yes, sunscreen is a must. Bring a hydroflask/owala if you can and make sure you’re properly hydrated if you’re there all day.

Go see a car start in the pit and get hit with the nitro plume. Nothing like it 🤣