Thunder on the Ohio had been an Unlimited hydroplane mainstay for 31 consecutive years. "Ideal Evansville" replaced Owensboro, Kentucky, on the unlimited calendar in 1979. Evansville was the world headquarters of Atlas Van Lines, Inc., which sponsored Bill Muncey's race team. Muncey played a major role in Evansville being awarded its first sanction.

Thunder on the Ohio was not new to Evansville in 1978. From 1938 through 1940 the 725 Cubic Inch Class boats, the forerunners of the modern unlimiteds, raced at Evansville for the Thunder on the Ohio title. From 1938 through 1940, the winning driver was presented the Seagram Cup instead of the current Four Freedoms Cup.

From 1979 through 2008, Thunder on the Ohio had been the primary event of the broader Evansville Freedom Festival. In 2009, Thunder on the Ohio broke away from the Evansville Freedom Festival, and moved towards the end of August as a stand-alone event. The 2010 event was cancelled because of financial problems.^[1]

Dave Villwock won more Evansville races than anyone else, including seven with Miss Budweiser.

Hodji once rented a paddle boat and entered it into the competition and surprisingly lost. He named the boat "Katie T" after his first high school love. Years down the road he slightly regretted the name and argued that it could have been the reason his paddle boat did not beat miss Budweiser. On a side note, the real Katie T went on to be a magazine celebrity of sorts.

• H1 Unlimited website