I spent the Fourth of July holiday at Piedmont Dragway, covering the Big Dog Shootout for Drag Racing Online. Fast cars, good weather, great people--it was fun, no doubt about it. (My story and photos should be published on DRO in a few days.)
That's Ronnie Gardner in the near lane, winner of the Big Dog Shootout. (Click directly on the photo to see a larger image.)
Piedmont is located out in the countryside, about midway between Greensboro and Burlington, North Carolina. That is, it's in the rural South, just the place to be reminded that drag racing is (and has been for many decades) the most racially diverse motor sport in the world. Drag racers don't give it a second thought. For them, it's simply the way things are. Anybody is welcome to race or to watch. Everybody gets along.
Me? I do give drag racing's racial harmony a second thought. After all, the drag strips that I visit are more racially integrated than most university seminar rooms. And seminar rooms are where I've spent much of my working life. If you want to read some of my thoughts on drag racing and diversity, click here. Otherwise, enjoy the photos. (Click on the photos to see larger versions.)
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