Tire smoke and Nitro

[SumoDethRat]

Tire smoke and Nitro (Warning 56k)

I'm Back from Pomona qualifying and there is nothing that compares to top fuel...
I've only seen top fuel do exhibition runs at about 1/2 throttle, but this... omg you can see the freakin air vibrate when they got wot. I only stayed for funny cars (they're much cooler anyway unless its a front engine drag) and my girlfriend is hooked. The expression when the first car on a solo run went by was priceless. She thought she didn't need ear plugs... Anyway I got some 250 pictures that I must sort through I missed a couple of good ones cause the butthead infront of my keep standing even though were on the starting line with the cars only 50-100 feet away.

In hind sight, I should've stayed for the fuel dragster but I was already there for over 6 hours. Also I can forgive ticketmaster for the extra cost... it was still well worth it.. but just once and not again.

And Yay for my nikon d50 dslr with 28-300mm lens and polarizer, dslr absolute must.
Also I would've had a lot more pictures except the camera's new and my old digital didn't do a good job compressing files I didn't know over 250 equaled 1/20 of a 2gb card.

Screw nascar... I think I almost paid $240 to see nascar under the lights at california speedway and pit passes cost extra.

 

[dannyd]

sounds like a good time beside the butthead in front. get them pics posted.

 

[SumoDethRat]

Ok just go home from San Diego now its pictar time-xmas-

Damn Photobucket resized them

This is superstock (no porting mostly stock parts or available options)
1970 Cuda 340 6bbl AAR Burnout

1970 Cuda Wheelstand

Gas Rhonda (this was the opposite stand obviously atleast 100 yards away)

Some Fuel Altered looking kind of car

Pro Stock 2005 champ Greg Anderson

Funny Cars

Right before Frank Pedregon Threw rods and oil all down the track

Frank Pedregon Go Boom

And DAMN THIS GUY! (I saved a few in hopes of cropping them)

 

[Jeep]

I recall the first time I saw a top fuel car run in Memphis, Tn at the Midsouth Nationals, I'm in total agreement, there is nothing on this planet that can begin to compare to that much HP in a single engine, SpaceShuttle Included!

The first one I ever heard fire up, I said to myself "that doesn't sound so mean", but I didn't know at that moment that they fire it off on alchohol and then feed the nitro to it. As the next few seconds changed my opinion forever! When they fed the nitro to it, it sounded like it was terribly out on ignition and valve timing and the heads or crank or both were about to blow out of it!

Don Prudhomme actually broke my buddies video camera, as we were really close to his pit area when he ran his funnycar, and on the video my buddy took, you can see the guy starting to flip the throttle, and the video and sound went black and silent and faded back in,,and again, same thing,,the video camera mic never worked again! The shockwave must have eaten the cam mic.

It is awesome to say the least!
Television certainly cannot do these cars any justice at all!

They have more horsepower in one engine than the first 8-10 rows of any nascar race.

Jeep

 

[SumoDethRat]

Photobuckets taking a long time I will have more resized so I can put them without linking. Until then I found the most experience pit crew member

 

[SumoDethRat]

More pictures

Super Comp with the desired ET

Whit Bazemore

"The Sarge" (taken through bars)

Smoke Screen

Scott Kalitta

2005 Top Fuel Funny car champ Gary Scelzi

Scelzi Setting Track speed record (note the fuzzy picture a result of the enormous vibration screwing with the camera)

Ron Capps Pit

Some how Frank Pedregon saved his car from nailing the wall at 300+mph after throwing the rods and taking a hard right to the opposite side of the track then a hard left to the wall missing it by inches

I think this is Brandon Bernstein

Robert Hight Broke his funny car after burnout

Force team side by side

Cory Mac (the umbrella increase the cars aerodynamics )

The Force daughters cars (2 atleast)

 

[MonsterCowpower]

Great pics! Hope your hearing is intact,these monsters cause a ring and hiss in your ears if not careful.When you have around 7000HP unleased from a displacement so small,you know the compression is sky high and with no mufler you have a dB fest in store.

Again thanks for sharing the pics!

 

[SumoDethRat]

I made that mistake about a year ago when I was invited by a teacher to go with another school to NHRA day. They had vintage drags doing the cacklefest thing and a few nitro funny cars doing half throttle passes. Didn't bother with earplugs after the pass I couldn't hear crap, then they had cars fired up that we could go up and see and the guy opened the butterflies a bit when I was next to the zoomies.... constant ringing the rest of the day and some of the next.

But all in all.... I'll trade my truck, my computer, and pay to drive one of those :hamster:

I'll be heading to the goodguys vintage drags in May some more pictures on the way. Besides old school front engine nitro drags are much cooler.