(Photos by Dave Nutting) – We often think about the drivers and the fans when temperatures at a drag race soar. That’s all well and good but the crew men and women who are working on molten hot engines in 100 degree heat really have it the worst. Not that it is ever pleasant to be showered with oil while servicing the lower end of an engine but when you are laying on boiling hot ground and having that same experience, things get even less fun.

New England Dragway was a furnace for Friday and Saturday before a weather front rolled through and cooled things off for Sunday eliminations. Dave Nutting was out there roaming the pits and manning the wall next to the track blasting action photos on those days so he got the same experience that 10s of thousands of fans got as well.

We dig these pit photos because they concentrate on parts, people, and the work that goes into running the most powerful racing vehicles on Earth. Heat, cold, whatever the conditions, these crews go at full bore and do so with precision.

Enjoy this trip around the pits in Epping.

Hit the images below to expand them and then scroll on to see ’em all –