HARTFORD, Conn. -- Street-racers will do just about anything to achieve their need for speed, but police are hot on their trail, finding everything from illegal add-ons to stolen car parts.

Two cars, revving their engines, prepared to run a race recently just after midnight on Wawarme Avenue, a straightaway in Hartford's south end.

Channel 3 I-Team reporter Jamie Roth reported it's a scene that repeats every Friday and Saturday night in the south end with hundreds of people swarming the streets, ducking police and hastily organizing drag races.

But on the night the Channel 3 I-Team observed police, a special operation was under way. Police want to end the tradition so they started earlier that evening with a plan.

During roll call, Hartford police Lt. Ronald Bair told his officer, "Listen up, guys. Basically, as we're all aware, this has been an issue that has going on for the last month or year. We're going to try to address it, and the only way to address it is to come collectively."

Police on the ground and in the air came together in an effort to stop the racing and the widespread car theft they said goes with it.

Officer Seth Condon has worked the south end for six years.

"It's chaotic, it's very dangerous. You have to look out, at any moment, you could have a racer coming up behind you at 100 mph," Condon said.

Police Know Where To Look

On the hunt for races, police know where to look first: Parking lots where drivers plan the next run.

"If you have a car that loses control, it could be disastrous." - Officer Seth Condon Hartford Police

"I drive a Civic, '94, LS turbo nitrous. That's for you, too, police," a racer said.

When Roth asked the racer for his name, he refused to identify himself.

Nitrous oxide, an illegal drug, is a toxic inhalant. Roth reported that street-racers inject it right into their engines to boost horsepower.

Though the racers did not want to be identified, what they don't want police to catch, they have no problem posting on the Internet. Police said they find the Hartford south end races online frequently.

Officers can write as much as $12,000 worth of tickets in one night. A young guy who raced told Eyewitness News about his tickets; "$92 for one, $92 for another, $93 for another."

Police said the tickets aren't a deterrent. To these drivers, it's just part of doing business.

"They're not going to take us off the street, as much as they want to. They could give us 50 $100,000 tickets, and you know what? I got a credit card to pay 'em," a street-racer said.

Connecticut Laws Not As Strong As Others

Other states have harsher penalties. For example, Texas and Nevada will throw racers in jail for six months and fine spectators hundreds of dollars.

The city of Fremont, Calif., bans all traffic between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on popular straightaways. San Diego will permanently seize a racer's car.

Bair said racers choose Hartford for a reason.

"We're not sure if it's the laws that we have, they are probably more lax when it comes to that type of behavior. They probably feel that they could get away with it more here than in other states," Bair said.

One driver the Channel 3 I-Team observed tried to outrun police at 111 mph, though police caught him. The auto theft crew said they found a stolen engine inside his car. Detectives are finding that Honda drivers will steal bigger Acura motors.

"None of these guys have legitimate engines in their cars, it's ridiculous. Like, literally, two out of three cars that we've been stopping have stolen engines in them," Hartford police Detective Paul Cicero said.

By the end of the night, Hartford police broke up races, arrested five people, found two stolen cars and four stolen engines.

"Without us being out here, you'd have thousands of people," Condon said. "If you have a car that loses control, it could be disastrous."

Come Oct. 1, a new law takes effect that could send the racers, timekeepers and spectators to prison.

Stay with WFSB.com and Channel 3 Eyewitness News for the latest news updates.

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