NHRA Mello Yello Assignment Stock Photographer Images
Michael ONeill Photographer Writer Motorcyclist Adventurer
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NHRA Mello Yello Assignment Stock Photographer Images

I had the privilege this year of being credentialed to photograph two national events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The first of the two events was The New England Nationals which took place in Epping, NH at New England Dragway. The second event was The Summernationals which was held at the legendary Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ. For both of these events I was on assignment from a major international motorcycle magazine. In the New England event the Top Fuel Harley motorcycles were on the schedule. These are 1,000 HP drag racing bikes that burn Nitro Methane fuel and cover the quarter mile track in about six seconds with top end speeds in excess of 200 MPH!!! The following weekend, down in Englishtown, NJ the Pro Stock Motorcycles were on the card. These gas burning bikes cross the finish line in the six second range as well. As of this writing they have not broken the 200 MPH barrier yet, but they are ever so close…199+ MPH. Of course the motorcycles aren’t the only racing machines on the track at an NHRA national event. The "Big Three" professional classes are the highlight of the weekend’s events. Those are the Top Fuel Dragsters, the Funny Cars and the Pro Stock Cars. The Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars generate in excess of 10,000 HP with their nitro methane burning engines. They go from zero to more than 300 MPH in lass than 4 seconds! The Pro Stock cars cover the quarter mile in the six second range with top speeds of over 200 MPH with naturally aspirated gasoline engines. Less conspicuous on race day are some of the sportsman classes of highly modified actual production vehicles. Ford, Chevy, Plymouth, Dodge and other brands can be seen leaving the starting line launching skyward in radical wheel stands covering the course in under eight seconds…and some of these cars are actually street legal…perhaps even being driven, not trailered, to the track on race day!!! There are gas dragsters, alcohol dragsters and alcohol funny cars as well as junior classes for children as young as five years old, piloting miniature versions of the Top Fuel Dragsters. The vehicle you are looking at here is a Pro Mod Dragster. This is an entirely different type of dragster. The bodies are made of carbon fiber and loosely replicate a stock automobile. The one pictured loosely resembles a late 1950’s Chevrolet. Pro Mod cars can utilize superchargers, turbochargers and nitrous oxide injection to generate anywhere from 2,500 - 4,000 HP resulting in quarter mile times in the five to six second range.