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.
Since Knoxville Drag Strip in Maynardville, Tennessee, got revamped a few years ago, I’ve been to the track a number of times, but I’d never attended one of its Heads Up races. The format is similar to the Bounty Race, with the exception of a couple classes. Knoxville always has a 4.70 index class, so I looked forward to seeing those cars compete along with the regular crowd of 7.0, 6.0 and 5.70 index racers. In addition to this Knoxville has Pro Street and Cheap Street classes, which always provide lots of excitement.
Anyone remember this car? This legendary Pro Modified campaigned by Rob Vandergriff is now a 4.70 index car, owned by Roger Sellers and driven by Tom Neubert.
The 2011 Bounty Race season came to a close this past weekend. I made it to nearly all of this year’s events, but I’ve had so many other things going on that it’s severely cut into my time at I-40 Dragway. For the April race, I had to go to a wedding in Asheville, North Carolina the same day. After finishing the wedding, and cleaning up afterward, we trucked over the mountains and into Crossville to watch and photograph the race. It was a valiant effort by me, and my very understanding wife, whose sister got married earlier in the day.
Love this car! It was super quiet and ran 6.30s thanks to a turbo small block. Very sneaky Mustang!
Here’s a link to the complete gallery of photos: http://byrdphoto.smugmug.com/Cars/I-40-Dragway/October-2011-Bounty-Race/19805337_CM72wD#1556909411_5MJm3t4
Click HERE for many more pictures!
Well, it’s that time of the month….time for the Bounty Race at I-40 Dragway. Christina and I headed out in the early afternoon to go watch (and capture) some of the action on the track. I photographed, she ran the video camera, and I even tried out my new GoPro camera on Mike Farley’s new Pro Street Camaro. Jim and the crew had a great turnout of cars, and that made for some wild rides, as the competition was pretty fierce. The wildest ride of the night goes to Tim Kincaid and his twin turbo Mustang, which runs in the Pro Street class.
Tim Kincaid's Mustang after a wild wheelstand and a battle with the guard rail at I-40 Dragway.
At my latest trip to Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip I got the urge to take a photo similar to one I saw from 1971. Wayne Holland took the picture, looking at the staging lanes but also encompassing the track. It’s a super cool black and white shot, so I thought I’d try to mimic it with a nighttime shot of the modern day facility. Aside from the cars, not much has changed in 40 years according to these pictures!
I grabbed this picture from doublehdragstrip.com...Wayne Holland is the original photographer and still visits the track frequently.
However, lots of things have changed that can’t be seen in the pictures. At this time, the drag strip had been open a mere seven years, and it remained in its quarter mile configuration. During the 1960’s, it was a hotbed for Super Stock racing, along with several other local tracks. Throughout the’70s and ’80s, the track was a major place to race, and it was even home to a few IHRA points races. Moving into the ’90s, the track and it’s lessee Steve Longley made a huge splash by creating a class for outlaw street cars in the south and supporting it with a healthy purse. Now, Brainerd is home to a monthly “heads up” race, and several bracket races per year. Brainerd also has special events, such as the Beat the Heat World Finals (this past weekend) and numerous “street car” style events.
Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip as of September 2, 2011.
Through the years, Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip has changed drastically, but when I reviewed my picture, and compared it to Wayne’s shot from 1971, it made me think about the similarities in a 40-year span. I’ve watched Pro Mods, Funny Cars, Outlaw Street Cars, and I even saw the Little Red Wagon wheelstander in the ’90s. I hope the track regains some of its steam over the next few years, so I can go back in 40 years, stand in that same spot and take another picture.
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