Easter. A time of renewal and rebirth. Yesterday, Christians all over the world celebrated the promise of new life in the resurrection of Jesus, the risen Lord. Children hunted Easter eggs (a pre-Christian symbol of birth and renewal that’s still with us, interestingly enough) and bit the ears off of chocolate Easter bunnies (another pre-Christian symbol of new life, thanks to the rabbit’s prodigious fertility).
For drag racers and fans (and photographers) in my part of the world, Easter brings the beginning of the drag racing season, another kind of rebirth and renewal. Warm weather brings us back to the track, and we bask in the glow of old friendships. The cars--tested and tuned, promising to be faster and quicker, making money magically disappear--prove to be as unpredictable as ever, bringing joy and pain in just about equal measure. Every round, after all, has a winner and a loser.
Eastside Speedway, in Waynesboro, Virginia, has been celebrating Easter in its own special way for the last 44 years. All over central Virginia, people know that Easter Sunday means that it's time for the annual Funny Car extravaganza. Yesterday, a couple thousand fans and well over 100 racers (in a number of different classes) packed the joint. The star of the show was the legendary Carol "the Easter Bunny" Burkett, one of the great pioneers of drag racing and the first woman to win a Funny Car world championship. In fact, she’s been the star of this show for many years. Six Funny Cars were on hand, but, let’s face it, there are lots of Funny Cars but only one Bunny Burkett. Here are some photos from yesterday.
A woman drag racer? You bet. Since the '60s, in Burkett's case. And she's not the only one, not by a long shot. For more about her and about drag racing and gender and racial diversity, click here or on Drag Racing and Diversity under "Categories" on the right side of the screen.
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