This weekend, contemplate pure power at the Coors Light IHBA World Finals Drag Boat Racing at Firebird International Raceway, where Top Fuel Hydros, Pro Gas Flats and boats in a dozen other classes compete for the 2003 championships.
Amy Pisule, Firebird car drag crewmember, describes the sound of the boat races happening: "When the motors start up," she says, "you hear a deep, lopey' sound." Fan Delbert Long elaborates: "You don't hear them as much as feel them. At the end of a run, a chorus of car alarms is cheering drivers on."
The rabid fan base adds another splash of adrenaline to the fun. "The crowd acts different than at the car drags -- they get into it more," says Pisule. Families enjoy the kid zone, the memorabilia market, and this year, extreme skydivers, who plummet from the air looking like death in a free fall and hit the water running.Long advises race fans to set aside $10 until the end of the day. "You'll need to get a haircut on the way home, cause the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up."
If you love the smell of nitro-methane in the morning, go early for a whiff of victory.
