Day at the Drags

Yesterday I had the privilege of going to my first drag race. Ken Seals is a long time aficionado and he invited me to join him at the Winternationals qualifying races in Pomona. I tell you it was a hoot.

Not only were the races great, there was lots of wonderful and slightly eccentric people watching as well. Really, it was an introduction to an entirely new world for me, a subcultural place I barely knew even existed.

As was explained to me by Greg this morning, the drags are a uniquely Californian invention. I had been to the Ferrari races at Laguna Seca but this was nothing like it. No confederate flags either, a long way from Nascar. The reigning world champion is a black dude, Antron Brown. The three Force sisters are perennial champions. The crowd was friendly, largely sober from what I could see and comprised of every shade and hue of the ethnic rainbow. Huge hispanic influence, then and now. Knowledgable fans, all inhabitants of a universe I know next to nothing about.

Mt. Baldy shone its white capped head in the distance on this beautiful winter day. Pete and Leslie had both loaned me ear protection and I came bearing a couple extra lenses in my large fanny pack so that I was ready for any photographic eventuality.

I won't ramble on too long. I took about a thousand pictures, got to see a car blow up. Watched Pro Stock, Alcohol, funny car and top fuel. Cars that exceeded 300 mph, could blow by an Indy car like it was standing still.

When the top fuel blow by you feel it deep in your core, they shake the house.

Fast Jack Beckman

Antron Brown

One of the cool things about the races is that the drivers are very friendly and you are welcome in the pits. Ken pranked me by having me step into a garage where they were firing up the nitro and he got the pleasure of seeing me cry and cough. Sentimental about cars, I guess...

We watched the actions in the pits for a while, crew doing the last minute torqueing and setup work. Ken explained how every engine is broken down to its smallest component after every race.

Note to any hipsters out there: If you buy the two foot corn dog, make sure there is nobody around snapping pictures. It is just a bit unseemly.

People bring a lot of cool cars up there and just hang, too. Lots of interesting characters, to say the least.

Really well done ink job

Saw some serious mullet action.

Now that's a set of fingernails!

This Reubenesque beauty is apparently more than a little into Hello Kitty. 

Ken says that at the drags, a guy like me looks positively svelte!

Of course there were cars there as well, lots of them.

Check out the flying object. Its Tony Pedregon's car body. Car exploded and sent this thing hurtling into the heavens. About 50k down the drain for just the body. Not a poor man's game.

Tony Schumacher had a ride where the chute never extended. Another wild ride. This stuff happens awful fast.

I was reading the NHRA magazine American Dragster and a guy wrote a column about how they would never seek sponsorship from somebody like Mercedes because the average fan takes in about 30k a year. A good demographic to hang out with. Very nice, dedicated and knowledgable. This might be a reach, but perhaps they are my brand of misfit.

John Force

I want to thank Ken for a great afternoon. I can't wait to go back. Lot of great pictures still there to take.