NOTE: Click on the thumbnails to display the full-size images
Sunday's Photo Gallery
While heading for the pro pits before the en-masse nitro fireup at 9:00 am, we couldn't help but notice this neat little wheelstander in the middle of the square in Nitro Alley. It would have taken a week's worth of Photoshop work to remove all the people from the picture, as there were constant crowds around this little gem. Note the clear lexan "grille" in the photo on the right - it's the windshield for the driver when the wheels are waaaaay up there.
As we move on to the pits, the crowds parted just along enough to get a semi-clear pic of the early Ford pickup wheelstander. Moving on (right) we see the milling throng getting their Sunday morning nitro fix in the pro pits.
Not all the teams were ready to warm up at 9:00 as seen here with the Ron Capps (left) and Jack Beckman (right) engines still a long way from assembled. Two hours until first round guys, time to get busy.
Another work in progress in the Tim Wilkerson pits as the crew pieces it all back together, until finally we happen upon a real live running car, in the Ron Smith pits. All those high-dollar pro cars are still in a million pieces, and Renton Ron is up and running.
We must have been "wacky on the junk" from sniffing the nitro fumes in the Ron Smith pits so we hung around and snapped two more pictures.
Then we managed to move ten feet north and repeated the process at the Steve Chrisman pit. Low-dollar nitro in the morning: there's nothing like it.
One more shot before we leave "low-buck lane" and believe me, that crewgirl is strong as she kept the car on the airjack when Steve hit the throttle with the traditional big Bang! Moving back up the road we paused for a moment to gaze at cubic money at work in Sheik Khalid's pit area.
Almsot directly across the road from Larry Dixon's pit area was the "Silver Fern" Funny Car enclave of Kiwi (New Zealander if you didn't know) Grant Downing. Quite a contrast in style and substance, eh? But as Grant is so fond of saying "We don't race trailers, do we?" Note: The guy heading towards me in the left photo was not coming to toss me; he was just in a hurry to help the rest of the crew get working on the race car.
Here's the team pushing the car into the pit space before putting it together in an attempt to race at Sonoma next weekend. This race was a wipeout for them but at least the car is (mostly) in one piece. That's Grant Downing with the ball cap and mustache in the photos. And on the right we've got a bunch of fallen soldiers from the last qualifying attempt.
One more look at the Grant Downing Funny Car as we make our way back to the media centre to sit in the bat cave during eliminations.
That's it from the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.