Best of 2012: Drag Racing

Alright, I’m running behind on this stuff, but here we go! My favorite drag racing photos of 2012!

Small block, stock suspension car doing its thing. Shot at the Bounty Race at I-40 Dragway.

My kind of Black Friday!

Don’t worry, this post isn’t about shopping. It’s about my favorite color to shoot–black! I’ve heard a lot of photographers complain about black cars, but I thoroughly enjoy shooting them, especially when the conditions are right. Lighting has to be precise to get the right look, but when you nail it….good stuff happens.

Ernie Lankford’s ’55 Chevy sets the standard for the black-on-black-on-black look. FYI, it’s a big block, four-speed car.

A September to Remember

Or maybe forget…I don’t know how it’s gonna turn out because it ain’t over yet. It’s another one of those months that I’m on the go 24/7 with events every weekend and plenty of stuff to do in between. I obviously haven’t had a chance to do much blogging, but I’ve certainly seen a lot of cool stuff in the past few weeks. Want a recap? Sure you do…

Despite all of the work-related stuff, I did get to enjoy some time behind the wheel of my car, which is always a good thing!

August 2012 Bounty Race

Another month goes by and it’s time for another Bounty Race at I-40 Dragway. I had a few other things to accomplish, so I got to the track a little later than usual, but still did my best to cover it. Car count was a little better than months past, but there are still a lot of cars that are in the midst of repairs or rebuilds.

My pictures aren’t always great at night, but I love the nighttime atmosphere at I-40 Dragway…you can always feel the excitement in the air after the sun goes down.

Cool Picture of the Week

I’m sure this is yet another series of blogs that I won’t keep up with but just thumbed through some pictures and found a cool one that I took last fall of the 1955 Buick Motorama concept car. I don’t usually get into stockers, but this one is nice and has the big time rareness going for it. This wound up being the cover car for the 2012 Coker Tire catalog.

The Epic Car Adventure

I don’t throw around the word “epic” too often, but it is absolutely appropriate for my experience with the Great Race. It’s not normal to drive 3,700 miles in a 13-day span, while taking more than 5,000 pictures of some the world’s finest collector cars ever to compete in a time, speed, endurance rally. For me, it was a two-week stretch of 18 hour work days, traveling from place to place in a mini van. For the people actually competing in the Great Race, it was a little more exciting because they were doing it in pre-1969 vehicles. Although it was an incredible amount of work, we survived and came out of it with about a million good stories.

The beautiful beach front by the Holiday Inn hotel in Traverse City, Michigan. Beautiful skies and ultra-clear water would be a regular thing by the end of our trip.

May 2012 Bounty Race Coverage

I’ve been going to the Bounty Race on a regular basis for the past 4 years. I’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff at I-40 Dragway…wheelstands, wild burnouts and out-of-control passes that leave you wondering how the guy managed to save it. When I heard that Jim was offering $5,000 to the winner of the Pro Street class for the May Bounty Race event, I knew I couldn’t miss it.

Goodguys Nashville Nationals

Without a doubt, 2012 has been a busy year so far. I’ve attended more events than ever, and I’m about to go full blast into the crazy month of June. As far as May is concerned, well, it’s almost over but I’ve covered a lot of ground. The Goodguys Nashville Nationals was yet another stop on my schedule, and provided lots of good stuff to shoot.

Nashville is such a cool place, and LP Field has proven to be a great spot for the Goodguys Nashville Nationals. The Pro’s Pick area is prominently shown here…the best of the best!

World Index Challenge Coverage

My home track, I-40 Dragway is known for its Bounty Race event, which is a monthly heads up race that always brings out a great crowd of racers and spectators to the eighth mile track. The Howe family has owned the track for 20+ years, and Jim Jr. is always creating new events to keep things fresh and exciting from year to year. For 2012, the highlight event for I-40 Dragway was the World Index Challenge, which offered up a $10,000 prize for 6.0 and 7.0 index classes. We’re talking guaranteed money here, so it drew racers from all over the country, and made for a HUGE event!

The Grand…and the Corvette

Since I’ve been a baby, I’ve been attending the Grand Run in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. In fact, I attended it before I was born! We always made a family trip out of of the Grand Run, and I’ve started this tradition with my wife and I’m sure we’ll continue it when we have little ones. Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, I honestly don’t remember a lot of it, but we do have pictures and videos to refresh my memory. With a long history with the event, I still have a good time at the Grand because it never fails to bring back great memories. Certain cars that have been around since my early childhood are still in the same condition, and while they might be considered outdated, I still love ‘em. One particular car that hadn’t seen the streets of Pigeon Forge since 1988 is my Corvette….for 2012, that needed to change.

Town was absolutely packed on Friday and Saturday. Out of all my years of going to Pigeon Forge, this is the fullest I've ever seen it.