Supporting Clubs

The Cluster Busters Hot Rod Club is the third oldest hot rod club in the United States.

A group of students and graduates of an Indianapolis high school founded the Cluster Busters in 1948. Little is known about these original members, but they were interested in drag racing. Straight-line speed contests became the main focus of the club.

By the early fifties, hot rodders had acquired a reputation as hoodlums. The Cluster Busters wanted to change this image. They became advocates of safe driving and organized racing on the track instead of the street. The club became affiliated with the National Hot Rod Association in 1950. By 1954 every member of the Cluster Busters was also a member of the NHRA.

The Cluster Busters, with the aid of Judge George M. Ober, began negotiations with the National Guard for the use of an airport runway for racing in August 1954. These negotiations resulted in the first organized drags in Indiana in the summer of 1955. The event, setup by the Cluster Busters and sanctioned by the NHRA, was chronicled in the October 1955 Hot Rod magazine.

The success of this first event, held at Stout Field Air Strip, led the Cluster Busters to form the Indianapolis Timing Association. The Cluster Busters made up nearly ninety percent its membership. The Cluster Busters and the ITA held many more races at Stout Field throughout the fifties. The club then helped design and organize Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1960. The ITA provided the timing equipment used at the facility in the early years as well. Indianapolis Raceway Park is now the home of the NHRA's US Nationals Championship Drags.

The clubs involvement in drag racing decreased during the late sixties as the sport became increasingly professionalized and more expensive. At about the same time, hot rodders around the country were rediscovering the fun of building customized street cars for cruising.

Members of the Cluster Busters formed the Indiana Street Rod Association in 1971. The club became affiliated with the National Street Rod Association in 1976. The Cluster Busters hosted numerous custom car shows throughout the seventies and eighties including Super Chevy Sunday at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The club also continued its efforts to promote safe driving and supervised racing with an amateur drag racing series.

The club organized a car show to raise money for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. The club also puts on a car show every 4th of July at Ray Skillman Auto Museum in Greenwood Indiana. The Cluster Busters largest show was The James Dean Run held every year in Fairmount, Indiana. Held on the anniversary of his death, The James Dean Run averages 2500 to 2600 cars every year.

As of 2025, the club has 32 currently active members. Our mission is the same as it always has been, to promote safe driving and racing for all ages and present hot rodding as a safe and responsible form of automotive hobby.

"We are a bunch of Hot Rodders, Street Rodders, Car Guys and Gals with differing but a common interest - stuff with wheels, driving that stuff all over the place, eating, antiquing, eating, 4 season road trippin'and what ever else happens. We decided about 20 years ago that Hancock County, Indiana needed a "car club" . Whoh! So, here we are and have been! Before long it was figured that besides cars and that other stuff mentioned, there was fun to be had bowling (well, sorta anyway), winter outings, family stuff, campfires and, sure, eating! We are good at that. And, we knew we wanted to do something for our community so we teamed up with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hancock County to host a little (big actually with at least 300 plus cars and trucks) annual benefit deal out here, in the fall, known as AUTO-FEST. We've been doing that event for over 16 years as of 2009."

"Street Rods, Classics, Muscle cars and special interest. We are a family oriented club with about 76 family's. We sponsor our own show in Marion,In. at the end of June each year called Kroozin Matter Park. This is a 2 day show with live bands and lots of door prizes.

The purpose of the club is to attend car shows, cruise ins, car events, community events and to help raise money for charities and community programs."

"In March of 1962 a group of young men with a passion for cars and drag racing met at an Enco Service Station at West 16th Street in Indianapolis, Indiana in order to form a car club. Before the official club name “The Indy Hi-Winders” was selected, several names were considered including “The Pacers”, which would, Ironically, many years later become the name of Indiana’s NBA team. Common with most clubs started in the 60’s “The Indy Hi-Winders” focused on drag racing at Indianapolis Raceway Park, the home of the Nationals, Muncie Drag way and Bunker Hill Drag strip."

"The club was formed in July 2008, when several members were actually in a different club. These founding members became aware of a necessity for a "new" and more charity oriented organization. The new club took the reigns of the existing cruise-ins and car shows and expanded on them. Ultimately reaching a goal of 2 cruise-ins per month at the Sellersburg McDonald's as well as continue with growth at events that were already in place. The move to create a new club has been a success from the start and with many years of muscle car and street rod enthusiasm, and common sense by it's members, we hope to expand and continue to grow. Our newest venture is that ALL members of our club have joined the Indiana Street Rod Assocition."

"Our club has been in existence for many years with the main purpose being to restore and preserve the American automobile. Our members restore, street rod, customize, modify and preserve all makes and years of automobiles and trucks. Along with sharing our interest in automobiles comes enjoyment with our families and friends from cruises and other activities related to our hobby. This also leads to community involvement. Our club supports many worthwhile charities throughout the year. By exploring our website you can learn more about us."