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This year a bunch of really cool photos came our way. One in particular took up the most time. Here's exactly what we got: First off, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to you and your family. I want to say, I've really enjoyed your website and want to contribute to it's success. You are always looking for old pictures of race cars and stuff interesting, well, I dragged out an old set of pictures, and thought you'd like to see the most interesting one. Let me explain this one to you. I forget the year, had to have been in the mid 80's. We were at the Div 6 race in Yakima. Alcohol funny cars were running and I was trying to teach a friend of mine on how to shoot with a motor drive camera. We got down about the 1000ft mark just off the right side of the track. Bob Ver Steeg popped a wheelie coming out of the burn out box. I told Annette to put her camera on this car, she might get a few good shots of some action. Well, Bob staged the car, launched into a huge wheel stand, back pedaled, hit the throttle again and put it into the wall, barrel rounded it, I think three times. You can see on the guard rail where he hit the first and second time. In the back ground you can see people running for cover. I was trying to shoot pictures of it with my 35mm and wind it as fast as I could. The crash scared Annette so bad she took her finger off the trigger. After it was all said and done, the crash hurt Bob pretty good. I took my film to Carlson and told him where I was and
I though I had a good chance of having the picture of the day. Rich
developed the film overnight and asked me the next day if NHRA could
use my film for their safety meeting following the crash. What developed
from this crash was that all open cockpit cars and funny car drivers
had to have arm restraints. If you blow the picture up, Ver Steeg's
arms are both out of the car as it was flipping. You have my permission to use this picture. And later: Larry The guy that made Distefanno's pice look so good, Stu Wotypka, has the coolest Xmas card of the year with this beauty. Prairie shooter Blair Alderton sent us some neat photos in 2003. He's back in '04 with a choice few very prairie drag pics. A return road has NEVER looked better Island guy Rick Gonder sent two beautiful Tom Posthuma pics of former Van Isle property. Van Isle San Cobble Vern Scholz can now consider himself among an editor's
worst mistake...cool stuff though. 1 2
3 4 Vern
Racer Ron Mack has alwasys weilded a pretty hot hand when it came to shootin drag pics. Here's a few of his best. Here's a shot of the year's most requested car. Vicki Strell gets the bucks from Mike English Mike Carter got this outstanding shot of John Smith's big starting line fireball at the 2004 Seattle National Event... which reminds me, we've got some of that comin' your way later tonight
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