Courtesy NHRA Media Relations
INDIANAPOLIS (May 4, 2023) – Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park will be alive with incredible racing action this weekend, with NHRA Top Alcohol Dragsters and Top Alcohol Funny Cars receiving a featured spotlight during the popular and unique Cleetus and Cars event on Saturday and Sunday.
Some of the biggest names in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will be in action during the special regional event, including legendary Hall of Fame driver Tony Stewart, who recently won his first NHRA event. Stewart will be racing in Top Alcohol Dragster, making his sixth career NHRA start and looking for his second victory after picking up the win last month at the four-wide event in Las Vegas.
Stewart will be one of the featured drivers in the talent-heavy Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes this weekend at the Cleetus and Cars event made popular by YouTube sensation Cleetus McFarland. The action-packed two-day event features burnouts, exotic car drag racing and a full-field Ford Crown Victoria oval race. For the first time, the pair of NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Top Alcohol classes will be included during the event, adding an extra dose of excitement for the fan-favorite event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
“We are excited for this weekend’s event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and the chance to introduce our Top Alcohol Dragsters and Funny Cars to the Cleetus and Cars fanbase,” NHRA Vice President of Track Management and Operations Kasey Coler said. “It’s a great chance for these drivers to race in front of a lot of fans and a marquee spotlight, and it will also be a tremendous opportunity to showcase these classes in front of the fanbase at a Cleetus and Cars event.”
With a YouTube following north of three million subscribers, McFarland has turned Cleetus & Cars into a massive two-day motorsports event that has garnered huge crowds in Indy the past two years. The addition of the talent-heavy Top Alcohol classes should only add to the excitement and the fanfare at the two-day event, as drivers will be competing for championship points and a full regional event payout.
For fans experiencing the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series for the first time, they will get the chance to enjoy incredible action in both classes, with Top Alcohol Dragsters making low five-second runs at more than 270 mph and Top Alcohol Funny Cars going five seconds in the quarter-mile and more than 250 mph. Along with Stewart, other top names competing this weekend include Julie Nataas, Jasmine Salinas and Mike Coughlin in Top Alcohol Dragster, and multi-time world champ Sean Bellemeur, Kyle Smith and Nick Januik in Top Alcohol Funny Car.
The Indianapolis event will also include the Indy 800, a special event on the IRP oval track featuring a fleet of identically prepared Ford Crown Victoria cars. In addition to a large on-site fanbase, Cleetus and Cars events offer live streaming to fans across the world.
To purchase tickets to Cleetus & Cars and to view a full weekend schedule, fans can visit www.RaceIRP.com. For more information on NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.
