I Love The Smell Of Nitro In The Mornings

Nothing like a little nitro-methane to open your sinus cavities.
You should try it. I gar-run-tee.
Oh yeah......and the sounds.
Or should I say NOISE!!!!
Ear splitting, ground pounding, high octane, put your little fingers in your ears, but it ain't gonna do any good.
I let the first set of cars slip up on me Saturday. Well, my lack of attention got the better of me.
I just was not thinking very clearly. Not enough nitro in the air to wake me up.
Then the big boys came out to play with their big boy toys.
After the first pass down the track, I could swear my ears were bleeding. I've never felt that feeling before.
I didn't lose any body fluids, but it woke my brain up.
I quickly put my noise reducing headset on.


Shooting NHRA drag racing is a lot different than shooting NASCAR. We are allowed to walk the staging lanes and get close to the drivers.
That don't happen in NASCAR. The NASCAR guys are experts at keeping someone between them and the camera. Kinda like turkey hunting (a turkey will run through the woods keeping a tree between you and them).
The drivers from this series will put up with us most of the time.
They go about their business without trying to hide from you.


Last years GatorNationals Champion Bob Tasca III was fast all weekend. He was runner-up this year. He still ran a 4.192 in the final round.


Girls are fast to.
Karen Stoffer pilots the GEICO Suzuki.
She also was the number one Pro Stock Motorcycle this weekend.
She tied the national speed record with her final qualifying run.


I wonder if GEICO would insure her if they know she drives her motorcycle at 194.77 MPH. It takes her 6.855 seconds to drive a quarter mile.
She is fast. I bet she is so fast, that before she can explain why she can't, she already has.


As Ashley Force Hood lined up for her first pass on Sunday, I noticed her mom Laurie and dad Funny Car driver John Force watching from the side.


Unlike last year, this year I made sure I had ALL of my compact flash cards this year. No unplanned trips to Best Buy this time.
Everything went as planned, until I got to the track. I didn't seem to budget my time wisely. I got some decent images but my time just didn't seem to flow right.
In the wrong place at the wrong time.
Fur instance......as Ron Capps made a qualifying run down the track, the trackside announcer interviewed Michael Waltrip, who was standing back at the starting line.
I might as well have been miles away.



The 2010 GatorNationals Top Fuel Champion is Tony Schumacher. He was the number one Top Fuel qualifier with a new National Record of 324.98 mph for 1000ft.
That is fast.






In the second round of Funny Car action, NAPA driver Ron Capps beats John Force to the line by less than 3/100's of a second. Capps ran a 4.066 at 312.35 to Forces 4.135 at 310.05.







I found Tom and Jerri's motorhome just past the thousand foot mark, and they were gracious enough to let me on top of it to shoot from.
I really like this position. It let's me see the whole track, but still be close enough to get some good images if something happens.
This was all the carnage I saw during the weekend. Not much.
I guess they were taking a weekend off, since they used most of it up the previous weekend.
Doug Foley explodes an engine in a quarterfinal match with Tony Schumacher.


This little girl had a really good seat just past the finish line. And she thought this was loud? She should have been on the starting line.


Yeah.....it's that loud.


May the Force be with you............




I kinda like this image of Antron Brown. I like the way you can see his eyes between the reflections on the windshield.




I just liked this backlite image of John Smith's Funny Car. Something different.
It was fun. It was different. And I was in the wrong place all weekend.
But I still had a good weekend shooting.
It was reported that several NASCAR stars were in attendance.
Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Scott Speed.
Kurt Busch did race his 1970 Dodge Challenger Sunday afternoon. It happened while I was sending images to my editor. Watched him race from the third floor of the media center.
Just my luck.

I Got Mine......Kinda

Well, It's been a long time since my last post, and i'm back and energized and ready for another few months of shooting motorsports throughout the Southeast.
I've got a lot of events planned (as I always do, but sometimes plans can change at the last minute).
This year, I've got more NHRA drag racing planned and less NASCAR scheduled. I'm still planning on shooting motorcycles and sportscars. I want to do some of all of it. I hope my plans don't change.
This was my first event of the year to shoot, and I knew when I scheduled this event, where I wanted to begin my weekend.
The OREO bus. It's a school bus modified for weekend excursions and painted like a bag of OREO's. Friends I made last year when I shot qualifying. They were accommodating again this year. And I appreciate it. The Image I captured from the top of that bus was exactly what I envisioned. Last year and this year.
I do need to apologize to Russell, the owner of the OREO bus. In last years post from this event, I stated that he was from Knoxville Tennessee. Wrong!!!! He let me know that he is from the Breman / Carrollton Georgia area. And to top it off, we even know some of the same people. Who knew!
OK......on to the show.


Much to everyone's suprise and enjoyment, Dale Earnhardt jr won the pole with the fastest speed ever obtained by the COT (car of tomorrow).


OK.......I just thought this image was cool.


Later that night, after Sprint Cup qualifying, the Southern Modifieds put a really great show.




The winner of the Southern Modified Atlanta 150 is 18 year old Corey LaJoie, in the white car, son of former Busch Champion Randy LaJoie. Here he fights off runner up Tim Brown in the closing laps of the race. These two put on a heavy fought battle for the last 30 laps. Made for a good race.


The E-Z-Go 200 was Saturday. I was shooting this weekend for the Associated Press. My job this weekend is to shoot wrecks. Period. Stay in my assigned spot for the day and shoot wrecks. That strategy has not been my friend the last couple of years.


Just a few laps into the race, my luck seemed to be changing. Ron Hornaday spins going into turn four. It's not where I would have prefered it happen, but at least my luck could be changing.


Then Todd Bodine gets turned coming out of turn two. He may be the length of the backstretch away from me, but I can feel a good weekend about to happen.


Shane Seig get a nose first drive down the length of the backstretch.


Then for the KOBALT TOOLS 500 on Sunday, I had visions of Daytona dancing through my head. A giant pothole appeared. Only this time, it was in the parking area for the third turn bath house and not on the track.


What I saw from the tower I was shooting from was empty stands. Very low attendance numbers.



I thought we were having a beer fest this weekend. These two drivers were fast. Very fast.


OK.......You know I had to do it. I always do it when I get a little bored. Drag the shutter and get a cool looking image.


During one of the cautions, I was looking around and noticed all of the white cars and trucks in the parking lot. I didn't realize that many vehicles were white.


Then I spotted this reflection in the windows of the third turn suite.


A handful of drivers like to run the very top groove of the race track. Here, Junior rides up against the wall.


Then, I got mine. Kind of. Mark Martin(5), Jamie McMurray(1), Brian Vickers(83), and Martin Truex jr(56) tangle in turn four.


During the caution, I caught this lady race fan stealing Kasey Kahne. He's got his Bud and she's got her Bud.


And the winner is........Just like last year, in the number 2 Miller Lite Dodge from Roger Penske Racing........Kurt Busch.
Like I said earlier, I have to stay in my assigned spot during the race, because the Associated Press don't want to miss anything. So I get to miss all of the fireworks on the frontstretch at the end of the race. Bummer. Just like Talladega last year. Maybe one day soon, I can capture me another airborne racecar. That would be cool.