Gallery: 2007 NHRA Mac Tools US Nationals Qualifying

The NHRA Mac Tools US Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park is quickly becoming my second most favorite event on the Indiana motorsports calendar. There is simply no other sport that can match the raw power and intensity of NHRA drag racing, and every one of the competitors speak about the event with the same kind of reverence the open-wheel ranks show to the Indianapolis 500. These photos were taken on the qualifying days of August 31 and September 1, 2007.

If you’ve never been to the US Nationals, you have no idea what you’re missing. Don’t think for a second that you can just watch it on TV and say you’ve “seen it”. It is absolutely something that must be experienced in person. The sounds that shake the earth, the blinding speeds, the sting of nitromethane fumes… it’s a total rush!

This was my third trip to the US Nationals (and yes, I have many photos and sound recordings from 2005 and 2006 that I have not yet posted). This one was a little special because my employer, MacAllister Machinery, along with Caterpillar helped sponsor the points-leading top fuel dragster of Hot Rod Fuller for the event. So I spent much of the day on Friday passing out autograph cards, talking with fans, and pestering the crew with questions. As usual, I had a great time!

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