John Henry came to his first three-hour World Figure 8 Championship two years ago and couldn’t believe the difference from standard races on an oval track.

“You can’t take your eyes off it,” said the 44-year-old Indianapolis resident, whose wife attends the event at the Indianapolis Speedrome Speedway every year with six high school friends. “I wasn’t even driving and my nerves were bad.”

As the name suggests, there are at least 32 cars crisscrossing at the center of a track the size of an elementary school parking lot, making the event a combination of demolition derby and race. Every lap has cars driving at speeds approaching what’s found on the highway while passing close enough to send a New York City cab driver to a cardiologist.

The first serious crash Saturday night came less than eight minutes in when a car was separated from its front left tire. Less than four minutes later, another car is wrecked and seconds after that caution ends, there is another crash, but the cars continue to race. Later, another car catches fire.

“They won’t say it,” said Tom Booker, 42, of Indianapolis who was tailgating with Henry, “but I like the crashes. Every other race, I’m only excited at the start and finish. (In Figure 8 racing,) it’s every lap.”

(The race did not conclude in time for this edition.)

It’s the only race that a driver can win without being in the field at the start . . . or end. Twenty-four drivers are determined at qualifying Friday night and eight more earn starting positions at unlimited time trials Saturday afternoon. But the rest of the cars — 70 drivers from eight states were competing for the $20,000 first prize — line up as alternates by qualifying time.

If a car leaves the track, an alternate is added. The cars that leave the track, however, can return, so the number of cars participating can increase during the race. The winner is based on the most laps finished at the end of three hours; an alternate has finished as high as third.

“I don’t think fans realize the concentration (a Figure 8 race takes),” said Sean Deppe, 36, of Indianapolis, who has been coming to the World Figure 8 Championship since he was 5 and his grandfather was participating. He has raced in other Figure 8 events. “You have to tune everything out more than in any other race.”

Unless you’re a fan.