2007 O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals

I had planned to attend the main NHRA (drag racing) event at Gateway Raceway in 2006 but unfortunately I already had other commitments for that weekend & so didn't get to see the racing. This year the event had been moved forward to May & I made sure that I kept the weekend free. The event runs from Friday to Sunday with the qualifying on the first two days & the finals on Sunday. Two of my friends from work, Brad & Todd, & I went on the Saturday which turned out to be the best day of the weekend in my opinion. There was almost continuous heavy rain on the Friday which prevented any racing, & Sunday was really hot & humid. Saturday was sunny & warm but the weather was bearable.

It didn't take us long to get into the race complex & we got to drive on the NASCAR oval circuit as this was being used as the overflow car park - cool. This also meant that we got to see the pits for some of the lower classes of race cars as they were based in the center of the NASCAR circuit. When we got into the main race area we took a walk through the pit area for the Top Fuel & Funny Car race teams. These are usually comprised of huge semi trucks with trailers that open up with awnings to provide the workshops used to strip & re-build the cars after each race. A lot of the major teams had multiple signwritten semis & some of the more famous teams (like John Force Racing who had a reality TV show about which one of his daughters would join his racing team) were continually surrounded by a huge crowd of fans. Before we went to watch the racing we took the opportunity to have a look around the NHRA Nitro Mall where I bought a couple of really cool t-shirts.

I have been to a main drag racing event at Santa Pod in the UK, but this was at a completely different level. Ear defenders/plugs were a must as I found out whilst walking up to my seat without them on, even though it was a lower class vehicle taking a bye run. The Top Fuel dragsters were unbelievable. They would burn out for at least a quarter of the track length before reversing over the fresh rubber they had just laid down. It was odd because although they were noisy, it didn't seem that loud. However, when they launched for the race it was completely different. Not only did you feel the sound as the cars went by, but they were accompanied by a huge rumble that shook just about everything (my cooler actually fell off the seat in front due to the vibration from the dragsters). I had a great day & really enjoyed the racing - I can't wait until next year when the NHRA racing returns to Gateway!