Alcohol can often be attributed to mayhem at a dragstrip. However, in 1962, the lack thereof was just as bad as over-indulgence.

"They came from all over the country to the NHRA Nationals without realizing (Marion County is) a dry county," noted drag racing historian Bret Kepner explained. "State troopers, tear gas, mobile jails, the whole deal.

The inaugural NHRA U.S. Nationals Campground Riots in '62 were the first of multiple occurrences. These were not hooligans or professional protesters, as Kepner noted, these were drag racing fans who wanted adult beverages with their favorite sport.

"It happened multiple times in the '60s, but (the police) were much more prepared for it after that," Kepner said. "To this day, the U.S. Nationals still has an insane state trooper presence. And this was war."

There were all kinds of wars over the years, and the skirmishes spread well beyond the campground. For instance, there was once a drive-in theater across the street from the strip, which offered free camping and a haven for bikers who came to watch the Top Fuel bikes. There weren't many fistfights as the chosen skirmish usually was settled with Roman candles, or bottle rockets fired at one another in a scene reminiscent of a Vietnam War firefight.

War eventually gave way to what some would call stupid human tricks. With the advent of the Big Bud Shootout in 1982 came the Big Bud Blow-up over at the campgrounds.

The Big Bud Blow-up was essentially nothing more than an impromptu competition where campers would compete to see who could blow up a beer can the best. 

"It was just astonishing from the spectator standpoint," Kepner said. "The Big Bud Blow-up happened pretty much all the way through the '80s. And in the campgrounds at Indy, probably on the weekend, once everybody was pretty much toast and pretty much couldn't move anymore, they had the Big Bud Blow-up.

"They made a massive bonfire, and everybody would bring their favorite brand of beer; 12 different types of beer. And they would shake the can up, throw it in the bonfire one at a time and rate the explosion of the can. The top eight qualifiers had to throw a case in. It was hilarious just to see two guys shaking up a case, but to watch those things explode and blow that bonfire -- this was one of those four- or five-foot-high, TV-type bonfires -- blow that bonfire to pieces.

"Everybody -- not just the ones that were sitting around the campfire for the Big Bud Blow-up, everybody -- in that half of the campgrounds was either on fire or being covered by boiling beer raining from the sky, or that camp was on fire, or their car was on fire. It was just unbelievable. It took out an entire motorhome one year."

The Big Bud Blow-up, along with the riots, eventually disappeared.

"Through the '70s, everybody tamed down, so it wasn't as much of a mess," Kepner said. "Through the '80s, not too many people camped anymore. And nowadays, in the last 30 years, it's not even a point of contention. The few people that do still camp at Indy are pretty old trying to relive their childhood, except they're doing it in their brand-new tour bus." - BOBBY BENNETT