With all the mainstream professional sports I cover these days it has really knocked down the amount of drag racing I have been able to cover. I really love shooting drag racing so in the few events I shot this year I made it a point to work as hard as I could to produce some quality images. So here are my favorite drag racing photos of 2008.

My first drag racing event of the year was preseason NHRA testing at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, AZ. It is a great event to shoot because for starters the access is great, plus its the first chance to shoot the new cars/drivers/sponsors for the upcoming season.

Scott Kalitta does a burnout prior to a test run. Sadly Kalitta was killed a few months later in a high speed crash in New Jersey.

Nikon D300, 80-200mm, 640iso, f2.8, 1/2500th

With it being testing there are very few fans in attendance leading to the problem of empty grandstands in the backgrounds. One of the few ways to combat that issue is to shoot slow shutter speed shots to blur out the background such as in the below photo of funny car driver Tony Pedregon doing a burnout.

Nikon D300, 17-55mm, 200iso, f5.6, 1/20th

When shooting from the starting line I always try to follow the cars as they drive away in case something crazy happens like an explosion or crash. Obviously that doesn’t happen too often, but what does happen every time is all the heat waves coming off the cars as they drive away at speed. Below is a good example of that as Ashley Force thunders down track.

Nikon D3, 600mm, 200iso, f4, 1/4000th

Tony Schumacher does a burnout during a dusk practice run.

Nikon D3, 14-24mm, 800iso, f2.8, 1/20th

I also spent some time down at the end of the track where the drivers climb from their cars after their run. Its not a spot many people shoot from so it provides a different perspective most don’t see.

Jack Beckman climbs from his funny car after making a pass.

Nikon D3, 14-24mm, 200iso, f4, 1/1600th

The below shot of Del Worsham after a run came out really cool as a totally backlit shot. It gives a really unique perspective of an otherwise boring moment.

Nikon D3, 14-24mm, 200iso, f4, 1/6400th

Next drag race event for me was the March Meet in Bakersfield, CA. It is without a doubt my favorite drag racing event of the year. Instead of the cutting edge modern technology of NHRA this race is all nostalgia cars from several decades ago. The cars are wild and crazy and anythign can (and usually does) happen!

Below top fuel driver Randy Beck bounces through the shutdown area as he tries to slow down prior to crashing. Its always odd so see a vehicle doing over 200mph with all four wheels off the ground.

Nikon D3, 600mm, 400iso, f8, 1/2500th

He certainly wasn’t the only driver with his hands full bouncing all over the place as they tried to slow down.

Nikon D3, 600mm, 500iso, f5.6, 1/1000th

One of the coolest (and certainly most unique) angles I get occurs at this race as my father has made friends with a company that owns a cherry picker crane that myself and a video guy position directly over the track just past the finish line. We are about 20 feet above cars doing 260mph. It scares the hell out of you the first few times a car goes below you but once you get used to it boy is it a killer angle.

Nikon D3, 600mm, 400iso, f9, 1/1250th

Nikon D3, 600mm, 400iso, f8, 1/1250th

The view going the other way also provides a cool shot as the cars slow down with the parachutes out. Below perhaps the most famous drag racing car of all time, The Winged Express slows down following an exhibition run.

Nikon D3, 600mm, 400iso, f9, 1/1250th

I was lucky enough to be in the crane over the track where I witnessed one of the largest explosions in nostalgia racing history as Mike McLennan had a MASSIVE fireball. Unlike todays top fuel dragsters where the engine is behind the driver, the nostalgia cars have the engine two feet in front of the drivers face. Its the most literal definition of the “hot seat.”

In the first photo you will notice a cloud of oil feeding flammable liquid all over the hot headers.

It was only a matter of time until the oil would ignite….and boy did it ignite!