Racers’ Tribune

In a challenging year, the tight-knit racing community has helped Joe Liguori find an inner strength in 2020 – which he will channel into his racing career and life at large.

In drag racing, legends are made by their name and that driver’s accomplishments. What is most unusual is a car which makes a name for itself.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—The racing community is as tight-knit as they come. Racers spend an entire spring, summer, and fall pitted next to each. They travel to the same tracks and race for the same trophies and payouts. Do not be mistaken, the competition is there, or racers would not devote so much to the sport. Take it from Roger Parks who loves the sport and knows the value of its community.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind—Wes Wells is a name that most racers in the Lucas Oil Raceway Brown’s Oil ET Bracket Series presented by Comfort Suites will recognize. A current regular at the track, for more than a decade, Wells was also a regular on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—A basketball is meant to go through a hoop. Baseball bats are made to be swung. You are supposed to kick a soccer ball. These are obvious facts that do not have to be explained. No one had to explain what Nathanael Stoners’ first Dodge Challenger was supposed to do when he made the purchase.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is divided into seven divisions at the sportsman level. Racers compete within those divisions for championships and other perks like trips to national events. Division 3 (North Central Division) has produced a long list of championship drag racers. That list includes the name Devin Isenhower.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—Most racers have been sitting in a driver’s seat for most of their lives. Some seasoned veterans have been taking the tree since their teenage years. Some racers grow up working crew for their dad or their friends and are now behind the wheel themselves. Some began racing a junior dragster as early as five or six years of age. Alia Wischmeyer does not fit in any of those categories.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—The rise and fall of an individual is a story that has been told thousands of times. It almost always begins with promise and hopes for a bright future. It almost always ends with the downfall of a once-great hero or future star.