1 of the things I did this summer.....

[PHAT400]

Went to the Drag races in Indianapolis this summer and had a blast. My son had yet to experience the crazy power these things make. He was lucky enough to see it all up close and personal.

We spent the day with Doug Herbert and his crew.

Here are some pix..

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Sorry.. pix to big.. I'll downsize and post in a few..

[culookn]

i dont live to far from atco or englishtown so i actually had a chance to go check out the funny cars and top fuel cars this past summer too. there is nothing else in this world thats comapres to when they launch off the line.

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Doug's a big dude to be driving a dragster and be competitive.. I'm 6'.... He is 6'5" I believe..

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and

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We got to hang with Doug's wife and Tresa his crew cheifs wife and son in the recovery vehicle...

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on the line behind the AIRHOG Dragster

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Doing his burnout... and man was that freaking loud...

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After his win against Tony Schumacher...

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and the break down begins...

Mason ended up getting some engine parts while there were doing the rebuild. He has the 2 pressure relief plates from the intake, also a connecting rod and piston.

They did this one in 43 minutes. They get 75..

Way cool..

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My friend Cameron Evans from Red-Line oil got me the hook up and he had this game boy with a telemetry reciever.. Really cool, we could see all the et's for every run...

Enjoy the pix..

[Scro]

Awesome, How were you able to get that close?

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RedLine Oil is a key sponser for them and I know the president of the company, as well as the marketing guy for Yokohama tires. Yokohama does not do drag tires but all of Doug's rig's have Yokohama commercial tires on them. I have been in the Tire industry since 1987 and have developed some really great relationships with these guy's.

In conversation with Mark (Yokohama) he indicated that he had the ability to get us into the hospitality suite... we showed up, hung out and got to know the crew and they offered us a front row seat to the rest of the day...

We loved it...

[SGA]

I tell people nothing, I mean nothing compares to the power Top Fuelers make leaving the line. The ground literally
shakes.
Its a must see at least once in your life, TV just cant show what its really like.

Add on, If you go to a race, walk down close to the finish line as you can when the Top Fuelers go by. Its kind of quiet when they are coming, then a thunderclap and a blur goes by. Its insane.

[jwick07]

And I thought I was big pimpin getting my pic taken with Force and Cruise giving me group hug at Heartland Park back when I was in high school, 1998

[z400guy]

i was there somewhere in the crowd. thats awsome you got to spend time with doug. i ended up getting jesse james autograph, that was my highlight of the races. granted we go about every other year.

[400exrules]

Originally posted by SGA
I tell people nothing, I mean nothing compares to the power Top Fuelers make leaving the line. The ground literally
shakes.
Its a must see at least once in your life, TV just cant show what its really like.

Add on, If you go to a race, walk down close to the finish line as you can when the Top Fuelers go by. Its kind of quiet when they are coming, then a thunderclap and a blur goes by. Its insane.

yah, i havent been to an NHRA event yet, but i want to goto one sometime with my dad. but theirs some asphalt drag tracks around here that ive been too...and its nothin like watching it on tv. The tv will never replace reality, you might get up close shots and good angles, but theirs nothin like bein their. When these things take off and your close by, you literally feel like your internal organs are shaking around and about to bust, its crazy.

at the dragstrip i race at, when you stand by the start during pro class with full the drag shee's with drag pipes.....when they take off its so frickin loud i can feel my ear drums shakin

[PHAT400]

Originally posted by z400guy
i was there somewhere in the crowd. thats awsome you got to spend time with doug. i ended up getting jesse james autograph, that was my highlight of the races. granted we go about every other year.

Well, I was'nt going to bring that up but....... we were of course in the van waiting in the lineup (almost an hour and a half) and schumacher is next to us, he jumps out of his H2 recovery vehicle ... whips open the door thinking Doug is right there, jumps in and lands squarely on my lap.... Shocker for him right..

After that it's just kind of hanging out listening to doug and the rest of us talking !

Here comes someone else up to the van doors, I was'nt paying attention and my wife say's... "honey.... honey...... DEAN!!! is that who i think it is?" Jesse opens the door and starts chatting us all up... To funny... these guy's were all totally cool... shook hands, asked if we were having a good time...

It was great... hopefully going to Indy and Chicago this season.

:D