NHRA New England Nationals

I've been a huge Drag Racing Fan since I was little. I live in New England and have been going to both the Spring and Fall Vegas Races over the years. Imagine my excitement when they finally announced that we were getting a National Event here at New England Dragway. Needless to say I was all over it and it did not disappoint!

Here are some pics I took during Q2 on Friday afternoon, I hope you like checking them out as much as I like taking them / working on my panning skills.

All taken with my Canon 5D Mark 2 and 70-200 f/2.8L IS, Shot RAW and converted with Canon DPP Software.

Not bad i like them. I sell traxxas everyday lol.

Thanks and Courtney is my favorite FC Driver... She's got all that energy just like her dad and Sponsor must love her since (like her dad) she's plugging them all the time. Here's a Pic of her I took at the Vegas 1 Race back in April.

Great pics. I live in Boston and would like to attend and photograph the cars at the New England Dragway. I usually shoot endurance and sports car racing and have never been to a drag racing event or this track and was wondering if you could give me some tips for shooting from the spectator areas in terms of lens options and which part of the track to shoot from? I have a 5DIII, 50, 70-200, and 300 f2.8 (with 1.4x and 2x extenders). Thanks for your help.

New England Dragway has many different vantage points that you can shoot from. Unlike almost every other track I've been to you can actually stand against the fence which goes pretty much the length of the track so your options are endless.

That said I personally like to shoot from a high vantage point somewhere near the starting line or even a little down track. This gives you an opportunity to shoot the cars when they start and coming towards you. This gives you the best chance of getting the two cars side by side after that who knows if one smokes / shakes and let off then you only have one. Of course by the time they get to you they will be going well over 100 MPH so your panning skills will be put to the test depending on how far down track you are.

Since the bleachers at New England Dragway are old and relatively small compared to other tracks you do get a lot of distractions when the Pro Classes are racing. They have a ton of track photographers that are even up on ladders sometime taking pictures which can be a real pain. I ran in to that a lot at this event.

My suggestion would be to go there on any Wednesday or Friday night for their "Street" night and scope it out. You will see mostly street cars going down the track but you can get some practice and see where you want to shoot. Just remember that during national events it will be packed so you will have to get there early to claim you spot unless you get a reserved seat but they sellout usually within a few days of being released.

As for what gear to use that will really depend on where you are shooting from. All of the pics you see on my site from New England Dragway were shot using my 70-200. In Vegas I switch between my 24-105 and my 70-200.

Hope this helps, if I missed anything let me know. I'm happy to help.

~ Pete

Wombat5050 wrote in post #16086732
Great pics. I live in Boston and would like to attend and photograph the cars at the New England Dragway. I usually shoot endurance and sports car racing and have never been to a drag racing event or this track and was wondering if you could give me some tips for shooting from the spectator areas in terms of lens options and which part of the track to shoot from? I have a 5DIII, 50, 70-200, and 300 f2.8 (with 1.4x and 2x extenders). Thanks for your help.

Hi Pete, many thanks for the shooting tips. Sounds like exciting racing to shoot. As you mentioned, I'll go to some of the street car races first to get an idea of how and where to shoot this type of racing. Also, thanks for the advice on lens selection. This helps a lot. Regards David.

There is a big Divisional Race coming up in a few weeks at New England Dragway you might want to check out. While their might be a few Nitro Cars there won't be all of the top drivers. There will however be a ton of alcohol cars along with some Jets (I think) and lots of Super-Comp Cars.

Here's the link http://sportsman.nhra.​com/2013/Flyer/14.jpg

Thanks for letting me know about the race and the flyer. I'll see if I can make it

That's the strip in Epping, right?

I grew up in Weymouth where that Camco place is at.

Great pics. I've been thinking about shooting some pics at the local strip here. I need practice panning.