The second race on the 2012 NHRA was my favorite stop on the circuit. Not because its a cool track or its a big race but because I get to sleep on my own bed every night. Lets get right to the action of a gorgeous weekend in the Arizona desert.
.
With the NHRA down to its final two races, the stop at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway would be a pivotal race for those with 2011 championship aspirations. With the largest nitro fields of the year it was sure to be a can’t miss race!
.
With the NHRA circuit down to just three races remaining, the Arizona Nationals near Phoenix would make our break the championship hopes of several professional drivers. While temperatures would exceed 100 degrees all weekend at Firebird International Raceway making for a miserable time shooting and getting down the track for drivers, it was still 20 minutes from my place so I would get to sleep in my own bed every night.
.
After the previous weekend where 100 degree temps ruled the weekend in Dallas it was off to the green hills of Pennsylvania for the tours annual stop near Reading for what would be a record setting weekend at Maple Grove Raceway… Oh did I mention the weather was over 50 degrees cooler?!
.
The second race of the Countdown to the Championship would take me to the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TX (30 miles outside of Dallas) for the Fall Nationals. After being completely spoiled by the cool temperatures the previous week in Charlotte I would be in for a miserable weekend with highs near 100 degrees. I guess thats why we make the big bucks!
.
For the third weekend in a row I would find myself at yet another drag race, this time up in the Pacific Northwest as we wrapped up the “Western Swing” which took us to Denver, Sonoma and finally Seattle. I last shot at this track back in 2005, my last year in the Navy when I was stationed in the Seattle area. I have done pretty well at this track with getting some cool photos and this year would be no different.
.
Another weekend, another NHRA race, this time at Atlanta Dragway, one of the few remaining NHRA tracks I had not yet been to. Luckily for me the track was like all the other ones where it was a straight line with a starting line and a finish line so I was pretty confident I would be able to figure it out…
.
Race two of the 60th anniversary season for the NHRA took us to warm and sunny Gainesville, Florida for one of the crown jewels of the tour, the Gatornationals. This is one of a handful of NHRA tracks I had never been to so I went into the weekend with no clue what I was going to do or how I would do it. On to the races!
.
A week earlier I was on the east coast covering NASCAR in Daytona, a few days later it was over to the west coast to shoot the season opening NHRA Winternationals. As everyone knows, drag racing is one of my favorite sports to shoot. With that in mind it was off to Pomona, CA motivated as hell to start off my 2011 NHRA season with some good shots!
.
I have really been trying to make an effort to cover more NHRA this year so with nothing going on for the weekend I decided to make the trek up to Sonoma for the Fram Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway. I have been to this track several times to cover NASCAR but never for NHRA. I am very happy I went to the race because this is without a doubt one of my favorite tracks to shoot drag racing at.
.Check out my Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to "like" the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!
