The International Hod Rod Association is kick starting the drag racing season with the Mardi Gras Nationals drag race this weekend, March 6 through 8, at the State Capitol Raceway.The Mardi Gras Nationals will be the first drag racing event in Louisiana in 20 years. On Friday at 6 p.m., IHRA is hosting a LSU Student Night where students with a valid LSU I.D. pay $10 for admission. Regular adult admission for Friday is $35. “We know how big LSU is down there,” said Larry Crum, IHRA media and publicity manager. “We want to get students involved. With the economy the way it is, we wanted to help students out, giving them something to do. We hope the LSU community comes out.”On Saturday, head football coach Les Miles will start the races as Grand Marshall. There will also be a parade with floats, beads and a crawfish boil to celebrate the Mardi Gras theme of the Nationals. “I can pop a clutch as good as the next,” Miles said in an IHRA press release about his previous experiences with drag racing. “I enjoy the speed and the mechanical strategy.”—-Contact Mary Walker Baus at [email protected]