“Shake and bake, baby” — because Ricky Bobby had nothing on the dragsters who competed this weekend at the International Hot Rod Association’s Mardi Gras Nationals.The burning nitromethane fumes and the deafening roar of the cars filled the air, with fans relishing the sights, sounds and smells that haven’t professionally visited Louisiana in 20 years.The State Capitol Raceway hosted larger than life drag racing crews who flooded the grounds with motor homes, trailers and race cars of all different colors to try to win the individual purse prize as well as team points, which go toward the championship winner at the season’s end.”Top Fuel is the fastest distance drive vehicle in the world; I like the speed,” said Bruce Litton, 2007 Top Fuel World Champion. “The cars have 8,000 horse power; you get an adrenaline rush.”Litton has raced since he was 16 years old, and he started racing Top Fuel cars in 1995. Litton’s win as world champion in 2007 was a big accomplishment since his team was recovering from a big crash in 2006, when Litton cracked his skull and broke his nose.”Winning gave us a satisfactory sense of accomplishment,” Litton said. “It’s a team sport, with eight to nine guys on a team. Being a driver, I get to showcase what they can do. There’s a lot of work that goes into these cars.”Litton’s goal for the Mardi Gras Nationals was to win the first race of the year to “set the stage for the season,” and he did just that, taking home the Top Fuel Ironman title with a 4.875 second pass at 284.93 mph.”The Top Fuel cars have eight cylinders, and one Top Fuel cylinder produces the same force as a NASCAR car,” said Larry Crum, IHRA media and publicity manager. The Top Fuel cars are the rock stars of the event, with flames that shoot out from behind and a monstrous roar that makes your skin vibrate.Before the preliminaries began Friday, the Top Fuel, Pro Modified and Pro Stock cars were torn apart while the crews checked everything under the hood. Fans walked from trailer to trailer meeting their favorite racing stars.”I like everything — the atmosphere, the people and the cars,” said Walker resident Sarah White. “This is my fourth or fifth racing event.” White, who lives an hour away from the track, said she grew up racing cars at the State Capitol Raceway. Harold Laird, a Pro Modified driver who won the 2007 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, also grew up near the State Capitol Raceway. Laird is a Baton Rouge native and is No. 7 in the world for the Pro Modified ranks. He said he is the only professional Pro Modified team owner and rider.”I picked Pro Modified because it’s the last of the muscle car era,” Laird said. “It relates to the era of the ’50s more than the 2000s. The cars make close to 3,000 horsepower. It’s like being shot out of a canon.”Crum said the Pro Modified class came out of the Pro Stock class, with the Pro Mod cars being “Pro Stock on steroids.” Raymond Commisso was the Pro Modified Ironman winner, and Jason Collins took home the Pro Stock Ironman title.——Contact Mary Walker Baus at [email protected]