Travel back in time to a race track located 30 miles outside of Joliet, Illinois, where match racing was king.

US 30 Drag Strip in Gary, Indiana was an experience indeed, with the grandstands and the pits more entertaining with its betting and fanfare than anything else.

“It was probably more dangerous outside of the car than inside,” Top Fuel racer Luigi Novelli said with a laugh. “There was a lot of betting going on there. There was some bullets flying from time to time too.”

Pat Dakin only raced US 30 once, and the experience was more than enough to last a lifetime.

“It was definitely an experience,” Dakin said with a smile. US 30’s reputation was built largely on its weekly Nitro shows but even more because of its major betting in the grandstands. Those who raced there pointed out as much as $500,000 could change hands as a result of what happened on the track.

“You know they used to bet heavily there, and if someone lost a bet, he’d just shoot the guy he owed,” Dakin said, with a serious look on his face.

“There were several shootings that night I went. [Former Top Fuel racer] Paul Longnecker had a couple of bullets go through his trailer, and one exploded a battery.”

Funny Cars were king at US 30, but in this rare video, the Top Fuel dragsters and Pro Stocks took center stage. Sit back and enjoy this marvel of the good old days.