John Edwin Mason: Racing Photography

ADRL Pro Mods at Maple Grove, 6-7 May 2011

I may be the only person who left Pennsylvania's Maple Grove Raceway happy, last Saturday night.  You can be pretty sure that most of the racers, crews, officials, and fans who were on hand for the American Drag Racing League's [ADRL] Penske Inaugural Northeast Drags were singing the blues.  Rain had delayed the race for about four hours, late in the afternoon, and the track's 11:00 PM curfew stopped it.  No champions were crowned.  Nobody earned first-place points and, just as importantly, nobody picked up the winner's paycheck.

On the other hand, I was as happy as a clam, because I'd manage to prove that you can shoot motor sports with an iPhone -- at least, that is, with an iPhone that has the amazing little QuickPix app installed.  Sure, it was something of a stunt.  But what I was able to do with the iPhone absolutely stunned me.  (You can read a full account of using the iPhone at the track and see lots of "iPhotos," here.)

On the other hand, the iPhone has its limitations.  For instance, the photos below are some of my favorites from the Maple Grove race.  I shot them with my Nikon DSLRs, and only one of them could have been (and was) made with the iPhone.

 

 

Extreme Pro Stock driver Cary Goforth performs a burnout, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.  [All photos copyright John Edwin Mason, 2011.  Click on any image to see a larger version.]

The QuickPix app gives you much more control over the iPhone's camera than the factory-installed software.  But it can't do everything, so here's the first example of what you can't do with an iPhone.  You can't drag the shutter.  That is, you can't use a slow shutter speed to radically blur the background and foreground, as you pan the camera to follow a speeding car.  As you'll see, it's one of my favorite effects.

 

 

Another burnout.  This one by Extreme 10.5 driver Todd Moyer.  Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

If you had asked me, the day before the event, what I thought about black race cars, I would have told you that I hate them.  They make for bad photos.  Give me something orange or red or blue or all three, I would have said.

So, here are four black cars in a row, and, you know what?, I really love the look.

 

 

A burnout by Pro Extreme driver Jay Diedrich, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

Yes, another burnout.  Can you blame me?  Smoke is cool, especially at slow shutter speeds.  You can almost see it swirl.

 

 

Pro Nitrous driver John Hall, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

Catch it right, and the blur creates a powerful sense of motion.

 

 

Pro Extreme driver Frankie Taylor proves that these cars can also go from left to right.  Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

Pro Extreme driver Frankie Taylor had a terrific qualifying session, setting a new world record elapsed time for his class.  He and his supercharged '05 Corvette covered the 1/8th mile course in 3.581 seconds, at a top speed of 210.11 miles per hour.

You should be amazed by that time and speed.  Let me try to put them in context.  Suppose you won the lottery and decided to buy yourself a quarter million dollar Ferrari, one of the fastest road cars on the planet.  It would take the Ferrari more than twice as long to cover the 1/8th mile and, at the end, it would be going less than half as fast.

 

 

Pro Extreme drivers J.R. Todd, left, and Alex Hossler, right, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

There are two things to say about this photo.  First, it's not a burnout.  Second, I shot it with my iPhone.  If you click on the photo to see a larger version, you'll notice that it doesn't have the detail or tonal range of the other photos.  On the other hand, it ain't bad.  Considering what I was asking a cell phone camera to do, the result really is wonderful.

 

 

Exteme Pro Stock driver Richie Steven, Jr., launches.  Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

Back to my Nikons, now with a telephoto zoom lens attached.

This is a standard drag racing shot -- the wheels-up launch.  But there's nothing wrong with the classics, especially when they capture something of the human drama of motor sports.  (By the way, the young woman in the sunglasses is Erica Enders, one of the most popular drivers on the National Hot Rod Association [NHRA] drag racing circuit.  She was on hand to support and crew for Richie Stevens, Jr.)

 

 

Extreme Pro Stock driver Richie Stevens heads down the track.  Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

I like this kind of shot as much as the slow shutter burnouts.  You make it with a telephoto zoom lens, zooming out and panning as the car approaches.  The result is a blurred background and an elongated car.  Very cool.  (And you can't do it with an iPhone.)

 

 

Back to burnouts with Extreme Pro Stock driver Steven Boone.  Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

The night time is the right time.  Darkness, track lights, smoke, and a flash make for great theater.  By the way, you also can't do this with an iPhone.  (Sounds like I'm knocking the iPhone, but I'm not.  I'm just reminding myself why I'm not selling my Nikons on Craigslist.)

 

 

Top Sportsman driver Marco Abruzzi burnsout.  Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

Maple Grove was the first ADRL race to feature the Top Sportsman class.  Fine with me.  Top Sportsmen are entertaining, and Marco Abruzzi's car is gorgeous at night.

 

 

ADRL Pro Extreme Motorcycle World Champion Kim Morrell performs a burnout.  Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

I'll end with what might be my favorite photo from the weekend.  It was late, cold, and the air was still damp.  (Although the track was dry, of course.)  Most of the crowd had long since fled.  But there we were, racing and shooting.  In a strange way, it was fun.

* * *

For full coverage of the race, surf over to Drag Racing Online.

The ADRL at Maple Grove: Have iPhone, Will Travel

It was a crazy idea -- shooting motor sports with an iPhone4.  Anyone who's ever used the iPhone's camera would tell you that it can't be done -- it's too slow, too inflexible, too cumbersome.  And they'd be right.  Out of the box, the iPhone's camera is crippled.

A couple of weeks ago, I downloaded the QuickPix app, and it changed the camera (and my thinking) completely.  QuickPix cures most of what ails the iPhone's camera -- it speeds it up, allows you to shoot bursts, and gives you control over the exposure.  It also infected my mind, and I began to have ridiculous dreams.  Cover a drag race with an iPhone?  Well, ok, I said to myself.  Let's see what happens at the American Drag Racing League's [ADRL] race at Maple Grove Raceway.

 

 

Richie Stevens, Jr., performs a burnout, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.  (All photos copyright John Edwin Mason, 2011.  Click on any image to see a larger version.)

The first things to say is, yes, you can shoot drag racing with an iPhone4 and the QuickPix app.  There are some limits, of course (I'll get to those in a minute), but the overall results blew me away.  They were far better than I dared to hope.  (Remember, you can click directly on any of the photos to see larger versions.)

 

 

Richie Stevens, Jr., continues his burnout, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

A couple of factors allowed my to indulge my iPhone fastasies.  First, I also had  my big ol' DSLR's and big ol' lenses with me.  I shot with them about half the time.  Second, I was working for East Coast Drag News, last weekend, and Dave Bishop, the editor was there, too, cameras in hand.

 

 

Matt Guenther's team works on his car in the pits, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

So, I had the freedom to find out just what an iPhone could do trackside, in the pits, and around the grounds.

 

 

Joey Martin's '55 Chevy Nomad, in the pits, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

The Maple Grove race was a good test of the camera's (and apps') capabilities.  The Pro Mods that race on the ADRL circuit are some of the quickest (measured by acceleration) and fastest (measured by top speed) on the planet.  Racing on an 1/8th mile track , cars like Joey Martin's Nomad can reach the finish line in 3 and a half seconds, at a speed of 210 miles per hour.  To give you an idea of just how staggering those numbers are...  A quarter million dollar Ferrari -- one of the quickest road cars in the world -- would take over twice as long and would be going less than half a fast.

Looking like cartoon versions of cars that you might see on the street, Pro Mods are also visually appealing.

 

 

The hood of Frankie Taylor's Extreme 10.5 race car, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

Racers are well aware of both the ferocity and the cartoonishness of their cars.

 

 

A car being worked on in the pits, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. 

The cars, by the way, are technological wonders.  It takes a lot of money and talent to keep them moving.

By the way, here you can see the QuickPix app's strong points.  It allowed me to adjust the exposure in this shot, something that can't be done with Apple's iPhone software.  The iPhone's meter was initially confused by the bright outside light and the relative darkness, under the awning.  The mechanics could hardly be seen.

 

 

Joshua Hernandez (center) and his team in the pits, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

 

 

Members of Bert Jackson's and Larry O'Brien's teams in the staging lanes, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

Here's another example of the flexibility of the QuickPix app.  Facing into the brightness of the sun, the camera initially left the two men in deep shadow.  I changed the exposure to reveal their faces.

Clearly, there's not a lot of latitude in an iPhone image.  The highlights here are lost.  But what's more important is the way that the subjects are exposed.

 

 

Steven Boone performs a burnout, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

Not surprisingly, the iPhone performs best in ideal conditions -- bright light behind the camera.  What's more interesting, however, is it's ability to shoot quickly enough to capture fast action.  Here and in all of the trackside shots, I was making use of QuickPix apps' lack of shutter lag -- it's nonexistant -- and ability to shoot bursts at two frames per second.

 

 

Kim Morrell performs a burnout, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

This image was over-exposed.  That's my fault.  I was overly aggressive when I adjusted the exposure.  In my defense, I'll say that it's hard to see the iPhone's screen in bright sunlight.

By the way, Kim Morrell (yes, she's a she) is the reigning ADRL Pro Extreme Motorcyle champion.

 

 

A crew member guides Bob Rahaim back to the starting line, after a burnout, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

 

 

Mahana Al-Naemi (near lane) and Joe Dunne (far lane) race down the track, during qualifying, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

To get this shot, I was shooting a burst at 2 frames per second and panning the iPhone (that is, swinging the camera to follow the cars).  I caught the action at the perfect moment, with both cars in the frame, just as they pass the "Christmas tree."

Panning creates an interesting effect, which I can't explain.  Not only is the background blurred (some that you would see in a photo made by a conventional DSLR), but the static elements are leaning in the direction of the pan (something that you don't see in a DSLR photo).  You can see this effect some of the other photos on this page, as well.)

I know that this has something to do with the type of shutter that the iPhone uses.  That's all I know, however.  I'll be grateful if someone can supply the details.  (Well, that was fast.  Josh, who works for Two Teeth Technologies, QuickPix's developer, just left a clear, detailed explanation.  Scroll all the way down to read it.)

Update, 17 May 2011:  Josh has now blogged about the "leaning" effect.  He describes why it happens, how to create it, and how to avoid it.  It's a fascinating read.  You can find it on the Two Teeth Technologies blog, here.

 

 

A Marine high school ROTC honor guard, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

 

 

Photogs (the grizzled veteran is the legendary Roger Richards), Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

Here's another example of QuickPix's ability to deal with harsh backlighting.  I adjusted the exposure to reveal the photographers' faces.

 

 

Vendors, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

Rain stopped the racing, late in the day.  That gave me a chance to wander through the midway and make a new friend.

 

 

A reporter interviews a racer, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

The iPhone likes good light, but it managed to cope reasonably well with the night, as long as nobody moving fast. 

 

 

A motorcycle racer performs a burnout, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

Ok, now let's talk about some of the downsides of shooting drag racing with an iPhone.

QuickPix or no QuickPix, the camera still has a tiny sensor, with a limited dynamic range.  It produces a 5 megapixel image, which is marginal for cropping and not suited for magazines or for making large prints.  The iPhone's screen is very hard to see in sunlight, making it difficult to judge exposures.  I badly over-exposed the photo above.  What you see is the result of trying to save it in Lightroom.  It's nice and arty, but sometimes arty isn't what you want.

Anybody who shoots action sports is also going to get frustrated with a maximum frame rate of 2 per second.

Finally, it's worth pointing out that drag racing is the only motor sport that's suited to the iPhone's wide-angle, 28mm (equivalent) lens.  Unlike road courses and circle track racing, drag racing photographers can get close enough to the cars to fill the frame, when shooting wide.  Sometimes, I was no more than ten feet from the cars and bikes.

But even drag racing photographers can't survive on a steady diet of wide shots.  We often shoot long -- very long, 300mm and up -- and you just can't do that with an iPhone.

 

 

Mick Snyder performs a burnout, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

So, will I take the iPhone back to the track?  More to the point, will I continue to shoot race cars with it?

Yes, indeed.  It's a lot of fun and the photos are often surprisingly good -- if the light is right and the photos are intended for the web or newsprint.  iPhoneography is no joke.

But the limitations are real.  My main battle cameras will remain my Nikon DSLRs.  (At least until the iPhone5 arrives, with its 16 megapixel sensor and 24 to 300/2.8 zoom.)

 

 

Todd Tutterow burns out, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.

* * *

Here's Josh's explanation of the leaning "Christmas Tree":  The "leaning" you see is caused by the iPhone sensor having a rolling shutter rather than a global shutter.  With a global shutter, all pixels in the image are capture at the exact same time so you wouldn't see this effect.  With a rolling shutter, each line of the image is captured one at a time.  So the first line is captured right away, then the second, third and so on.  Some time later, although not long, the last line of the image is captured and the photo is complete.  So if the camera is moving, the first line will be from the initial position of the camera.  The last line will be from another position.  This is what causes the leaning effect.  You can see this obviously by holding the camera in portrait mode and moving it up and down.  You should see a slanting to the left and then to the right as you move. 

ADRL Dragstock VII and Ohio Drags, Final Wrap: Winners, Losers, and Other Interesting Things

If the tens of thousands of fans who attended the American Drag Racing League's (ADRL) Summit Ohio Drags, at Summit Motorsports Park, had been paying for their tickets, they would have gotten a hell of a deal:  Two races for the price of one -- the conclusion of the rained-out Dragstock VII and the regularly scheduled running of the Ohio Drags IV.

Of course, as you probably know by now, admission to ADRL races is free (although peanuts, parking, and beer aren't), so no one actually saved any money.  But they did see some terrific racing.

 

 

Extreme Pro Stock driver Richard Penland makes a qualifying pass, 24 September 2010.  (All photos copyright John Edwin Mason, 2010.  Click directly on any of the images to see larger versions.)

At first, it looked like the weather wasn't going to cooperate.  A few sprinkles on Friday briefly shut down the track.  Fortunately, heavy rains stayed away.

 

 

Extreme Pro Stock runner-up Cale Aronson, doing a burnout just before a pass that served as both a Dragstock elimination round and a qualifying round for the Ohio Drags, 24 September 2010.

 

 

One of the big stories coming out of the Ohio Drags was who didn't make the show.  Bubba Stanton (near lane) failed to qualify, in Pro Extreme, and Jason Scruggs, far lane, qualified a surprisingly low 13th.

 

 

Tommy D'Aprile (above) ran a stout 3.794/199.73, in qualifying, but that was only good for the 15th spot in Pro Extreme.  (By the way, if you're not familiar with drag racing, you'd have a hard time believing how fast and hard cars like D'Aprile's run.  Imagine a very fast street car, far faster than most of use will ever own -- say, a $250,000 Ferrari.  It would accelerate to 60 miles per hour in the time that D'Aprile's car reaches 200 miles per hour.)

 

 

Friday was good to Spiro Pappas, however.  He won the rain-delay Dragstock race in the Extreme 10.5 class.

 

 

Cary Goforth, seen above performing a burnout, also enjoyed his Friday evening.  He was the Dragstock winner in Extreme Pro Stock.

 

 

If you had bet on Doug Riesterer taking home the Dragstock gold in Pro Nitrous, you would have gotten some pretty attractive odds.  A surprise winner, that's him above, spitting flames.

 

 

No surprises here.  That's Todd Tutterow winning the Pro Extreme class, in the rain-delayed Dragstock race, on Friday night, at Summit Motorsports Park.

 

 

The weather on Saturday was just about perfect for fans and racers alike -- sunny and cool for the elimination rounds of the Summit Ohio Drags IV.  John Montecalvo, seen above performing a burnout in front of a standing-room-only crowd, took advantage of the conditions and made it all the way to the final round of Extreme Pro Stock.

 

 

Another surprise winner.  This time it's Jim Laurita, seen here during an early round of eliminations.  He took first place in the Pro Nitrous class of the Ohio Drags.

 

 

Alex Hossler was the number one qualifier and runner-up at the Ohio Drags, in the Pro Extreme class.  He's seen here performing a burnout, just before making a pass during eliminations.

 

 

Chuck Ulsch's Camaro is as fast as it looks.  He won the Ohio Drags, in the Extreme 10.5 class, when his opponent, Dan Millen, went red.

 

 

Toward the end of the day, the light at Summit Motorsports Park, turned absolutely golden.  Here it is, lighting up Isaias Rojas Pro Nitrous Cobalt (and the Puerto Rican flag).

 

 

Terry Housley, the Ohio Drags runner-up in the Pro Nitrous class, performs a burnout during eliminations.

 

 

There's always down-time, as eliminations near their end.  Crews are working on the cars, preparing them for the next round of eliminations.  The ADRL filled some of the time by staging foot races involving spectators.  Here are two of the nearly 50 who took part.

 

 

Two more ways to keep the fans happy during down-time:  a pretty young woman and give-aways.

 

 

It was well after dark, by the time the race concluded.  Here's Ohio Drags Pro Extreme winner Mick Snyder performing a burnout, just before his victory in the final round.

 

 

Nobody enjoyed the weekend more than Cary Goforth.  He doubled up, winning both Dragstock and the Ohio Drags in Extreme Pro Stock.  That him above, defeating runner-up John Montecalvo, in the final round.

You can see more of my photos from Dragstock VII, here and here, and more Ohio Drags photos, here.  They'll also appear in East Coast Drag News.

 

ADRL's Dragstock VII: 10-11 September 2010, Part 2

The ADRL doesn't race on Sundays.  Ask Kenny Nowling, president of the American Drag Racing League, and he'll tell you that the rule's in place because (1) he'd rather go to church on the Lord's Day, and (2) the drivers and crews have jobs to get to on Monday morning  -- on Sundays, they need to be on the road, heading home.

 

 

John Stanley performs a burnout before a near-capacity crowd, on Saturday, 11 September 2010, just before the rain starting falling.  (All photos copyright John Edwin Mason, 2010.  Click directly on any of the images to see larger versions.)

As I mentioned in an earlier report on the ADRL's Simpson Dragstock VII, held last month at Rockingham Dragway, the no-Sundays policy, combined with rain on Saturday, meant that the race had to be postponed.  It was completed two weeks later, at northern Ohio's Summit Motorsports Park.

I'll be posting an account of events in Ohio in a couple of days.  In the meantime, here is some of the action from Rockingham.  (Many more of my photos from the race will appear in East Coast Drag News.)

 

 

Terry Leggett warms the tires, during qualifying on Friday, 10 September 2010.

If Friday's weather had held up, it would have been a terrific weekend for racing.  Sunny, but cool, it was perfect for both the fans and the drivers.

 

 

Pro Nitrous number one qualifier Shannon Jenkins heads down the track during a qualifying run.

 

 

Pro Extreme racer Frankie Taylor made the most of the cool conditions.  Later in the day, he set a new E.T. [elapsed time] record, covering the 1/8th mile in 3.596 seconds, the quickest run ever for a door car.  By the way, in just over three and a half seconds, Taylor had accelerated to 210 miles per hour.  How fast is that?  Let me quote my earlier post:

Unbelievably fast, unless you've seen it done.  Taylor's Vette is arguably the quickest door car on the planet.  Imagine, for instance, that you've just spent $450,000 on a new Ferrari.  With enough practice, you'll be able to accelerate your sparkling red 599 GTO -- one of the most potent road cars in the world -- to 60 miles per hour in the same time that it takes Taylor to reach 210.

 

 

Frankie Taylor wasn't the only driver to set a new class record.  Here Dan Millen, competing the Extreme 10.5 class, heads down the track on a record setting pass.  He posted an E.T. of 3.858 seconds at over 200 miles per hour.  That's a truly astonishing time for a car that runs on the relatively narrow 10.5 inch wide tires that the class uses.

 

 

Not everyone enjoyed the weekend as much as Taylor and Millen.  Charles Carpenter, seen above, one of the best known Pro Mod racers on the East Coast, surprised everyone by failing to make the field in the Pro Nitrous class.

 

 

Chris Patrick had one of the best looking cars at the track, but he also failed to qualify for the race in Pro Nitrous.

 

 

As hard as it was to qualify for the race, some teams turned to prayer.  Here, a member of Jason Scruggs crews pays homage to the god of the supercharger.

 

 

It must have worked.  Scruggs qualified third in Pro Extreme.

 

 

Rickie Smith also qualified third in his class, Pro Nitrous.

 

 

And he looked good doing it.  Smith always has a great looking hot rod.

 

 

Not every cool car qualified, of course.  Ric Fleck and his Batmobile (a turbo-charged '07 Corvette) went home early.

 

 

Bubba Turner also found himself exiting much too soon.  But his wacky orange '68 Firebird turned a lot of heads.

 

 

Night racing is sure to be fun for the fans and photographers.  It probably suits the drivers, too, especially when the chilly temperatures create a tight track.  Here's another shot of Pro Extreme driver Terry Leggett, who qualified 15th.

 

 

Finally, Extreme Pro Stock drivers Bert Jackson, top, and Cale Aronson, bottom, race off into the night, during qualifying, as if they were on their way to Summit Motorsports Park, for the completion of Dragstock VII.

Everybody was frustrated by the rainout and the need to complete the race in Ohio.  But you can't argue with Mother Nature.

In a separate post, from Summit Motorsports Park, I'll show some photos of the Dragstock VII winners.

ADRL Dragstock VII and Ohio Drags IV: 2 for 1 Pro Mods at Summit Motorsports Park

It was a great weekend of racing, at Summit Motorsports Park.  Fans got to see not one, but two American Drag Racing League [ADRL] events:  the Simpson Dragstock VII, postponed from earlier in the month, and the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags, at their regularly scheduled time.

There were plenty of great story lines:  cloudy skies, on Friday, cool temperatures, on Saturday, and terrific prep work, on both days, created a track that was so tight that it flummoxed some of the best drivers and car tuners in the business.  That lead to record setting E.T's and surprising winners, on the one hand, and a long line of equally surprising DNQs, on the other.

 

John Edwin Mason:  Todd Tutterow heating up the tires, on Friday night, just before winning the Pro Extreme class of the Dragstock race.  (All photos copyright John Edwin Mason, 2010.  Click directly on any of the photos to see larger versions.)

Surprises among the winners?  How about Doug Riesterer, who was victorious in the Dragstock Pro Nitrous race, and Mick Snyder and Jim Laurita, winners of the Ohio Drags in Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous.  You would have done very well betting on any of these guys.  Sure, they're strong racers, but the odds against them would still have been pretty long.

 

John Edwin Mason:  Cale Aronson performs a burnout on Friday night, just before the final round of Extreme Pro Stock.  Cary Goforth beat him on a holeshot.

Of course, some of the winners were no surprise at all.  Veteran racers Todd Tutterow (seen in the first photo) and Spiro Pappas took the Dragstock crowns, in Pro Extreme and Extreme 10.5, respectively.  Chuck Ulsch won the Ohio Drags portion of Extreme 10.5.  Points leaders Ashley Owens, in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, and Cary Goforth, in Extreme Pro Stock, doubled up, winning both Dragstock and the Ohio Drags.

 

John Edwin Mason:  Cale Aronson fans in the the staging lanes.

The list of unexpected DNQs for the Ohio Drags starts with Bubba Stanton, in Pro Extreme, and goes on to Rickie Smith, Shannon Jenkins, Burton Auxier, Mike Castellana, Steve Vick, and Charles Carpenter, in Pro Nitrous, Todd Moyer, in Extreme 10.5, and Bob Bertsch, in Extreme Pro Stock.  Yes, the track was a puzzle, but you'd guess that if anyone could figure it out it would be the likes of R. Smith and company.  (Several are in the top ten in points.)  Watching all of this happen was truly weird.

 

John Edwin Mason:  Isaias Rojas flies the Puerto Rican flag, during a burnout on Friday afternoon.  He qualified 9th for the Ohio Drags.  Friday's sparse crowds were due to the weather.  The forecast had been for scattered thunderstorms, and the threatening skies didn't clear until late afternoon.  On Saturday, the grandstands were packed.

The new record E.T [elapsed time] belonged to Dan Millen in Extreme 10.5.  He posted a staggering 3.780/202.52,  on Friday night.  Only one other driver, eventual winner Dan Ulsch, was within a 10th of a second.  The number 16 qualifier was a half second behind, an eternity in 1/8th mile racing.

 

John Edwin Mason:  The sheer weight of Bob Lutz's NMCA Camaro was significant disadvantage, during Friday's qualifying for the Ohio Drags.  Just the same, he came within 4/100ths of a second of making the field in Extreme 10.5.  And he looked great doing it.

Millen's record is an impressive feat, especially given that it was accomplished on the relatively narrow 10.5 in wide rear tires that the class uses.  But it's not necessarily good for the health of the class.  Millen's team is unusually well funded, and is capable of out-spending everyone else in the class.  That doesn't guarantee victories, but it sure makes them more likely.  (Millen threw away a sure win on Saturday night when he lit up the red light in the final round.)  Teams that are getting out-spent and out-qualified by 3, 4, or 5 tenths of a second -- 19 out of 23 cars, at the Ohio Drags -- might decide to avoid ADRL races and look for events that Millen isn't likely to attend.

 

John Edwin Mason:  A couple of Chevys doing side-by-side burnouts during Pro Nitrous qualifying, on Friday.  Dan Stevenson, in the near lane put himself into the top half of the field.  Charles Carpenter, in his famous '55, failed to make the show.

My full report on the races will appear in East Coast Drag News, and I'll be posting more photos and comments on this website over the next few days.

In the meantime, enjoy these photos of some of the action.

 

John Edwin Mason:  It looks bad here for Kenny Doak, but he and his fire engine-red Chevelle managed to qualify 13th for the Ohio Drags in Extreme 10.5.

 

John Edwin Mason:  This photo really doesn't need a caption, does it?

 

John Edwin Mason:  Talented young women can do a lot more than stand around and look pretty.  That's Kim Morrell underneath that helmet.  She had a good weekend, qualifying 3rd in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, for the Ohio Drags and making it to the semi-final round.