The first NHRA Nationals was held at the Great Bend Municipal Airport in Great Bend, Kansas in 1955. The event's early years saw it move frequently: it relocated to the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City for the fourth annual championship in 1958, then to Detroit Dragway in Detroit, Michigan for 1959 and 1960. The event arrived at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1961 following a verbal agreement between NHRA founder and Board Chairman Wally Parks and the track's then-owners, and has remained at the Indianapolis venue ever since.
In 1979, the NHRA purchased the entire Indianapolis Raceway Park complex. The facility underwent several naming changes over the following decades: in 2006 it became O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis when auto parts supplier O'Reilly Auto Parts purchased naming rights; in 2011 Lucas Oil acquired those rights, renaming it Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis; and in 2022 it was again renamed to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
The U.S. Nationals is traditionally held on Labor Day weekend, with eliminations typically run on Monday. The 2020 and 2021 editions moved eliminations to Sunday due to logistics created by the coronavirus pandemic's compression of the NHRA schedule and the requirements of live television broadcast. The final round airs live on the Fox broadcast network, giving the event a nationwide audience.
The event spans multiple professional and sportsman categories, covering Top Fuel Dragster, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and a wide range of amateur and sportsman classes. The breadth of competition across professional and grassroots categories has contributed to the event's standing as both a showcase for elite drag racing and a celebration of the sport's participation culture.
The U.S. Nationals carries exceptional weight in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Points earned at the event have historically carried added significance in the championship standings, and a U.S. Nationals title in any professional category is considered among the most important single-event victories a drag racer can achieve. The event's history stretching back to 1955 — and its unbroken run at Indianapolis since 1961 — gives it a continuity that few motorsport events can match.
The Labor Day timing has become deeply embedded in American motorsport culture. By 2004, the U.S. Nationals surpassed all other Labor Day sporting events to claim the distinction of the longest-running Labor Day event in United States sports, a marker of both the event's longevity and drag racing's enduring popularity.
The U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis serves as the de facto championship showpiece of American drag racing. Its combination of history dating to 1955, a permanent home at a storied venue, and broadcast exposure on network television have cemented its reputation as The Big Go — the race that matters most. For drivers in every class from professional Top Fuel to sportsman competitors, a U.S. Nationals victory carries a prestige that few other events in motorsport can replicate at any level of participation.