NHRA at Charlotte

The NHRA rolled into Charlotte this weekend, and being the track is all of 3 miles from my place, I really needed to get up there. I spent Friday at the track, first time I've been there, and first time in a few years I've been to an NHRA show.

One of the unique things about this NHRA event at Charlotte is the 4-wide format. This is the only event on the tour running dragsters four-wide - even the fall Charlotte round is normal two wide racing. For Sunday eliminations, the first two cars across the line advance, until final round winner.

1 - Funny Cars go 4-wide



2 - Top Fuel Dragsters



3 - 200mph Dodge Dart - not your typical grocery-getter!



4 - One of the neat things about NHRA events is the access you get - the "pits" are part of the spectator area, and you can get up close to the teams working on their cars.



5 - Teams tear down the engine and transmission between rounds.



6 - Pro Stock driver Vincent Nobile is making a name for himself in the series. At age 22, he has 8 event wins in three full seasons. Like me, he's a Long Island native, and I used to work with his aunt when I was at Newsday. I had a chance to talk with Vincent and his father (a veteran Pro Stock driver himself, that's him near the left front wheel) between qualifying rounds. Really nice people.



7 - Nobile making a qualifying run.



8 - Pro Stock Motorcycle - fastest pass was 198.3 mph...that's just crazy on a bike!



9 - What the well-dressed dog wears to the drag races.



Thanks for looking!