NHRA at Route 66 pics

[topfuel]

Here are some pics from the NHRA event in Joliet this weekend, where I was invited to be a guest in the pit area of nitro funny car driver Bob Bode. I tried to capture some of the action and intensity in the pit area of a nitro team. Notice the gas masks during the warm up, and the yellowish haze of nitro in the air, that stuff is brutal.
Check out the massive clutch pack in pic #401 which needs to be reconditioned after each run. No cool down time means the clutch is still approx. 800 degrees as it's being disassembled.
Take a close look at the block deck in #399, it pushed out a head gasket and torched the block, you'll see what the head gasket looked like after that. He had to use the fire bottles on that run.
You'll see future driver Bob Bode jr in pic #352, he's still a bit too small for the car!
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/nitro...=&.done=http://photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

 

[JeffW]

Nice pics ! I'm a long time fan of NHRA. I watched the race on TV yesterday. I just wanted to say thanks for posting the pics. I really enjoyed them.

Jeff W.

 

[topfuel]

Thanks for the compliment Jeff.
You ever get out to Thunder Valley?
I'd really like to go watch a race there sometime.

 

[JeffW]

Never have made it to Thunder Valley. I do go to the Memphis track for a variety of events. I've been to NHRA events in Atlanta (actually Athens, GA), and Baton Rouge when NHRA used to race there.

 

[topfuel]

I've been to Chicago, Indy, Denver, Texas, St. Louis and Pomona.
I think Chicago has the best facility by far, we'll be back in September for sure!

 

[troGNman]

They're in my neck of the woods this weekend!

I hope the humidity drops some so that they can put up some big numbers on the resurfaced track.

Great pics! You really have to be there to experience it.

I try to spend some time with my wife's cousin but he is too damn busy! Kevin is the cylinder head man. http://www.snakeracing.com/drivers_crews/dixon_crew_safe.asp The Larry Dixon team was recently featured in Hot Rod magazine with their cars.

 

[topfuel]

The wife and I are fans of the Miller Lite team, she thinks Larry is cute and I'm a HUGE fan of Dick Lahaie. That's cool that you know the cylinder head man, I'd love to have that job.

Have fun at E-town and grab a big whiff of Nitro fumes

Mike

 

[troGNman]

Originally posted by topfuel
Have fun at E-town and grab a big whiff of Nitro fumes
Mike

It's funny how the people run towards a T/F car during fire-up!

a) You can't see because of the thick Nitro fumes.
b) You cant hear a thing because of the zoomie headers.
c) You can't breathe because the Nitro sucks all of the oxygen out of the air.
d) You can't keep me away from this stuff! I look forward to this every year. My favorite is the Friday evening session of T/F qualifying under the lights.

Mike, your invite on the "other side of the ropes" sounds like an experience that will stay with you for awhile. But then again, your username leads me to believe that you've done this before.

 

[topfuel]

It seems everything else in the world just stops when 8000 hp is brought to life and it's amazing how drawn in you are despite the pain you know are about to endure.

Yeah, Friday nights rule! Goin down with the candles lit.

I used to work with this team back in 2000 and 2001.
http://www.ralphwhiteracing.com/
Small "out of pocket" operation with a limited schedule but it was quite an experience none the less.

 

[DCVING 6]

I'm about 7 miles away from Rt.66, its cool because I can always hear them if the wind is blowing this way.