NORWALK, OH. — As much as we all love the roar of the engines as the cars scream down the track, there is so much more to an NHRA weekend than the final round of eliminations you get to watch on television.

In the pits, drivers work on their cars and interact with the fans. Nitro engines roar and fire out green-hued exhaust that simultaneously attracts and repels curious onlookers. Sportsman racers wrench on a wide variety of different types of racing machines. Children ooh and ahh at three- and four-second passes.

It’s the NHRA. The fastest sport on Earth.

We’re blessed to be part of it.

Here are some things that caught our eye throughout last weekend’s Summit Racing Nationals:

 

ford mustang funny car in pits
crews working on an nhra funny car
Jason line and greg anderson talking between races
Harley Davidson motorcycle V-rod
late model chevy impala sedan
jr dragsters lined up prior to a race
nhra pro sock drag racer Jason Line signing an autograph
engine in an nhra pro stock drag race car
engine in an nhra pro stock drag race car
dragsters in staging lanes of an NHRA national event
close up of hood scoop on a drag race car
marco abruzzi's sportsman drag race camaro
end of a drag race track, 2 dragster in distance with scoreboards
dodge ram monster truck on display
dodge charger fuselage era drag car
pro stock style hood scoop on a sportsman racer
Summit Nationals 2013 938
chevy 2 nova drag car
second gen chevy camaro drag car
Chevy Monza Drag Car
Children posing for pictures next to their Jr. Dragster race cars
small block chevy powered small toy 1957 chevy bel air kiddie car
Custom chevy chevelle ss on display
hemi exhaust zoomie headers on a nhra drag race car
second gen chevy camaro drag car
John Force riding around on a pit bike
group of kids watching a drag race

(Image/OnAllCylinders)

(Image/OnAllCylinders)

(Image/OnAllCylinders)

(Image/OnAllCylinders)

(Image/OnAllCylinders)

(Image/OnAllCylinders)

(Image/OnAllCylinders)

Author: Matt Griswold

After a 10-year newspaper journalism career, Matt Griswold spent another decade writing about the automotive aftermarket and motorsports. He was part of the original OnAllCylinders editorial team when it launched in 2012.