NHRA Top Fuel Dragster Motorsports Photos Pictures Pics
Michael ONeill Photographer Writer Motorcyclist Adventurer
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NHRA Top Fuel Dragster Motorsports Photos Pictures Pics

The Top Fuel dragsters of the NHRA Mello Yello drag racing series have to be some of the most awesome machines ever built. Theses incredible "cars" have 11,000 HP engines that run on nitromethane fuel. They accelerate from zero to 330+ MPH in about three and one half seconds. They race against a similar machine and often the margin of victory in one of their speed contests is measured in the thousandths of a second. The sound that these machines produce is beyond belief. Sitting in the spectator seats requires wearing protective hearing devices or, at the very least, plugging your ears with your fingers as they race. Standing trackside to capture a photograph like this is an experience that defies description. Let’s just say it is exhilarating, deafening, physically abusive to both your ears and your lungs. Oh yeah…it can be quite dangerous as these machine explode on a somewhat regular basis. It helps to be a certain kind of crazy to want to stand trackside to photograph one of these speed contests. As a motorsports photographer I am often forced into dangerous situations in my quest to capture the defining moment in a race. It could be an NHRA drag race like the one pictured here. It could be an IMSA GT sports car race on one of the many beautiful road courses in North America. It could be trackside at The Pirelli World Challenge, A MotoAmerica race or one of the Loudon Road Race Series contests. But capturing the defining moments in motorcycle and car racing is what I do. It is what I live for. Getting the perfect shot can be serendipitous in nature but more often than not it is the result of careful study and planning. Being familiar with the track is paramount. Knowing where the best action will be, and where to position yourself to capture it is the first order of business. I find myself studying videos of past races to accumulate that knowledge. A great racing photographer should be informed…knowing who all the players (drivers, riders, tacticians, etc) are. Knowing where they stand in the individual race allows you focus on the parts of the race that are going to wind up being truly important when the checkered flag falls. If you’re looking for a photographer who can bring home the goods from a motorsports event give me a shout. I’d love to take the right pictures for your needs.