| Race Title: | Toyota U.S. Nationals |
| Series Long: | National Hot Rod Association |
| Series Short: | NHRA |
| Venue: | Great Bend Municipal Airport (1955) Oklahoma State Fairgrounds (1958) Detroit Dragway (1959-1960) Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (1961-present) |
| Location: | Brownsburg, Indiana, U.S. |
| Sponsor: | Dodge |
| First Race: | 1955 |
| Previous Names: | U.S. Nationals |
The Toyota U.S. Nationals (commonly The Big Go) is an NHRA-sanctioned drag racing event, generally considered to be the most prestigious drag racing event in the world due to its history, size, and purse, held annually at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Indiana.[1]
Traditionally a Labor Day weekend event, the eliminations are usually held on Monday, but moved to Sunday in 2020 and 2021 because of logistics as a result of the coronavirus pandemic compacted the NHRA schedule and for live television purposes (the final round airs live on Fox), and is the longest-running Labor Day motorsports event in the United States, a distinction it earned in 2004. The U.S. Nationals air on the Fox broadcast network under the current broadcast contract.
The first edition of the NHRA Nationals was held at the Great Bend Municipal Airport in Great Bend, Kansas in 1955. The event moved first to[2] Oklahoma City's Oklahoma State Fairgrounds for the "4th annual National Championship Drag Races Sponsored by the National Hot Rod Association" in 1958, then moved to Detroit Dragway in Detroit, Michigan for 1959-1960 before moving to Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1961, and has remained there ever since, after a verbal deal was made between NHRA founder and Board Chairman Wally Parks and the then-owners of the track. In 1979, the NHRA bought the entire complex. In 2006, it was renamed O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, after auto parts supplier O'Reilly Auto Parts purchased naming rights. In 2011, Lucas Oil purchased the rights, renaming the venue Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis but then in 2022 it was renamed Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
| Year | Top Fuel Dragster (TF/D) | Top Fuel Funny Car (TF/FC) | Pro Stock Motorcycle | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Pete Robinson (Top Eliminator)[3] | ||||
| 1962 | Jack Chrisman (Top Eliminator)[4] | ||||
| 1963 | Robert Vodnik[5] | ||||
| 1964 | |||||
| 1965 | |||||
| 1966 | Mike Snively[6] | ||||
| 1967 | Don Garlits | Doug Thorley[7] | Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins[8] | ||
| 1968 | Don Garlits | ||||
| 1969 | Don Prudhomme | ||||
| 1970 | Don Prudhomme | ||||
| 1971 | |||||
| 1972 | Ed McCulloch | ||||
| 1973 | Gary Beck | Don Prudhomme | |||
| 1974 | Don Prudhomme | Bob Glidden | |||
| 1975 | Don Garlits | Wayne Gapp | |||
| 1976 | |||||
| 1977 | Don Prudhomme | "Dyno Don" Nicholson | |||
| 1978 | Don Garlits | Bob Glidden | |||
| 1979 | Bob Glidden | Terry Vance | |||
| 1980 | Ed McCulloch | ||||
| 1981 | Raymond Beadle | Lee Shepherd | |||
| 1982 | |||||
| 1983 | Gary Beck | Bob Glidden | |||
| 1984 | Don Garlits | ||||
| 1985 | Don Garlits | John Lombardo | Bob Glidden | Terry Vance | |
| 1986 | Don Garlits | Bob Glidden | Terry Vance | ||
| 1987 | Kenny Bernstein | Bob Glidden | Dave Schultz | ||
| 1988 | Joe Amato | Ed McCulloch | Bob Glidden | Dave Schultz | |
| 1989 | Don Prudhomme | John Myers | |||
| 1990 | Joe Amato | Ed McCulloch | Dave Schultz | ||
| 1991 | Kenny Bernstein | Jim White | Jim Bernard | ||
| 1992 | Ed McCulloch | Dave Schultz | |||
| 1993 | Warren Johnson | Dave Schultz | |||
| 1994 | Cruz Pedregon | Warren Johnson | Dave Schultz | ||
| 1995 | Cruz Pedregon | Warren Johnson | Rick Ward | ||
| 1996 | John Force | John Myers | |||
| 1997 | Jim Head | Kurt Johnson | John Myers | ||
| 1998 | John Force | Matt Hines | |||
| 1999 | Cory McClenathan | Warren Johnson | Matt Hines | ||
| 2000 | Antron Brown | ||||
| 2001 | Larry Dixon | Whit Bazemore | Angelle Seeling | ||
| 2002 | Tony Schumacher | John Force | Jeg Coughlin Jr. | Angelle Savoie | |
| 2003 | Tony Schumacher | Greg Anderson | Reggie Showers | ||
| 2004 | Tony Schumacher | Greg Anderson | Antron Brown | ||
| 2005 | Larry Dixon | Greg Anderson | Steve Johnson | ||
| 2006 | Tony Schumacher | Greg Anderson | Matt Smith | ||
| 2007 | Tony Schumacher | ||||
| 2008 | Tony Schumacher | Robert Hight | Dave Connolly | ||
| 2009 | Tony Schumacher | Jeg Coughlin Jr. | |||
| 2010 | Larry Dixon | Ashley Force Hood | Greg Stanfield | L.E. Tonglet | |
| 2011 | Antron Brown | Mike Neff | Greg Anderson | L.E. Tonglet | |
| 2012 | Tony Schumacher | Mike Neff | Dave Connolly | Andrew Hines | |
| 2013 | Shawn Langdon | Robert Hight | Mike Edwards | John Hall | |
| 2014 | Richie Crampton | Alexis DeJoria | Shane Gray | Eddie Krawiec | |
| 2015 | Morgan Lucas | Jack Beckman | Jerry Savoie | ||
| 2016 | Tony Schumacher | Matt Hagan | Chris McGaha | Andrew Hines | |
| 2017 | Steve Torrence | J.R. Todd | Drew Skillman | Eddie Krawiec | |
| 2018 | Terry McMillen | J.R. Todd | Tanner Gray | LE Tonglet | |
| 2019 | Doug Kalitta | John Force | Alex Laughlin | Jerry Savoie | |
| 2020 | Shawn Langdon | Jack Beckman | Erica Enders | Scotty Pollacheck | |
| 2021 | Steve Torrence | Tim Wilkerson | Erica Enders | Eddie Krawiec | |
| 2022 | Antron Brown | Ron Capps | Greg Anderson | Matt Smith | |
| 2023 | Antron Brown | Ron Capps | Matt Hartford | Matt Smith | |