John Edwin Mason: Documentary, Motorsports, Photo History

An iPhone at Dragstock

"Woodstock for rednecks. "That's the way that I used to describe Dragstock to anyone who wanted to know. As long as you understand "redneck" isn't about skin color -- there are plenty of black rednecks at drag strips all over the South and Midwest -- and that "drag" refers to... Read more →

The ADRL U.S. Drags VI at Virginia Motorsports Park

Poking around in the nooks and crannies of American car culture with a camera in my hand... God help me, but that's my idea of fun. I like the people, the cars, and the race tracks (and other gathering spots) that are central to the culture. And I especially like... Read more →

Crazy for VWs: Bug Out 73 at Virginia Motorsports Park

I spent last Sunday in the company of about 1,000 crazy people. Or, to put it another way, I spent last Sunday with a bunch of folks just like me -- folks who don't think it's strange that seven out of the 12 cars I've owned have been VWs. They... Read more →

John Gutmann: The Photographer & the Automobile

It's no secret that I like cars. More precisely, I'm endlessly fascinated by car culture, especially in America. I've even got another blog that's all about cars and motorsports. A couple of days ago, I stumbled across this terrific video about an immigrant photographer and American automobiles. It's a short... Read more →

Bunny Burkett and the 48th Annual Easter Sunday Funny Car Show, Eastside Speedway

For the last decade or so -- the amount of time that I've been documenting the quirkier ins and outs of American car culture -- Easter Sundays have found me impaled on the horns of a dilemma. (Ouch! is right.) Do I go to church to praise the Risen Lord... Read more →

ChumpCar World Series at VIR, 30 March 2013

I spent a warm, sunny Saturday photographing the ChumpCar World Series at Virginia International Raceway [VIR]. It was a lot of fun. VIR is beautiful. The people were friendly. And ChumpCar is a hoot -- racers have to build fast, safe, durable machines that can be worth no more than... Read more →

Grey Villet, Interracial Love, and Drag Racing, 1965

Update: 30 January 2012. I've just seen a small but superb exhibition of Grey Villet's photos at the International Center of Photography, in New York. It includes the photo directly below and about 20 others that he made while working on the story about interracial love for Life magazine. I... Read more →