Motorsports Stock Images Assignment Racing Photographer .
To quote Troy Coughlin, Jr: "I'm completely humbled…It’s just so fast. Everything comes at you so quickly in the seat. It's much more intense than I ever imagined. This is one aggressive race car, and it never stops accelerating during the run. It's a beast, and it's also very, very cool." It is Troy Coughlin, Jr who is behind the wheel of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Dragster pictured here. Coughlin and his Kalitta Motorsports teammates, led by crew chiefs Rob Flynn and Connie Kalitta are sponsored by Sealmaster in this, the 2017 NHRA season. I had the pleasure and privilege of taking this picture at the NHRA Summernationals held every year at the legendary drag strip, Raceway Park, in Englishtown, New Jersey. A week earlier I had travelled to Epping, NH and photographed Troy and his machine during The NHRA New England Nationals held at New England Dragway. When working as a racing photographer on assignment from a magazine, newspaper, or internet racing news portal my mission is always to capture the defining moments in any race. Any one who is well versed in the world of drag racing knows how important a driver’s reaction time. It refers to how quickly the driver reacts to the green light when it comes on and is often measured in thousandths of a second. This image shows the flames shooting out from the Nitro Methane burning engine in the dragster, indicative that all eight cylinders of this monster 10,000+ HP motor are firing. This car will go from a standstill to past my camera position in about one second. The reaction time of a drag racing photographer is therefore as important as the driver’s reaction time if you hope to capture defining moments such as this one. Only through extensive experience in photographing these amazing cars can one hope to consistently deliver great images to the editorial, advertising, sponsor or public relations people who have retained my services to produce these images. It matters not to me if I’m shooting NHRA Drag Racing, IMSA and Pirelli World Challenge Sports Car Racing or MotoAmerica motorcycle road racing. My objective is always the same: to capture those defining moments in every speed contest that tell the story of race day. The proper equipment is just a fraction of what is required. Being in the right camera positions at the track, anticipating the action and knowing how to set yourself up for the best chance of capturing the defining moment are critical.