Sticking the launch might be the trickiest part of the run for a drag racer. Doesn’t matter if you’ve been running pro for decades or you’ve got your grandma’s 1997 Regal out on run-what-ya-brung night at the local strip, if you can’t keep traction, your run will suffer. Spinning tires isn’t cool when you’re trying to whip up on the guy in the other lane…at best, you’re shedding time and at worst, you’re counting the clock down to a meeting between sheetmetal and the nearest barrier. But get the launch right, especially when you’re driving something with a bit of grunt under the hood (and maybe a bottle or some boost) and you walk away looking like a hero.
When shooting trackside, occasionally I can hear the fans through my earplugs, and I always enjoy hearing it when a car hikes up and hauls ass off of the starting line. It’s always expletive-laden, but in a positive way: “Did you see the way that mother—– took off? Sum’bitch was gone like a shot!” Doesn’t matter if the wheels were up, if the car dead-hooked and stayed level, or did the G-body shuffle halfway down the strip, if it’s gone, it’s good!
The sounds were freaking awesome! But some of that video looks sped up?