This month, Auto Imagery Vice President and photographer Alex Owens, along with photographers Gary Nastase and Rich Lawce, sorted through thousands of images to hand-select 10 great photos from recent races. In March, the Auto Imagery team aimed their cameras at three NHRA national events to start the season: the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals, the Arizona Nationals, and the Lucas Oil Winternationals. The trio of events marked the beginning of the 2025 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, where racers in Pro and Sportsman categories battle for some of the most meaningful trophies in drag racing.
Check out the 10 Photo Greats for March, courtesy of Auto Imagery. If you like what you see and want more, head over to the gallery on the Auto Imagery website here. Each photo is available for purchase in various sizes, in either digital or print format. The photos below are to be credited to Auto Imagery.
Second-generation racer Daniel Wilkerson nestled in the seat of his monstrous SCAG Power Equipment nitro Funny Car. (Auto Imagery photo shot by Alex Owens)After competing in eight races in 2024, 2003 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Geno Scali joined the class again at the season-opening Gatornationals. (Auto Imagery photo shot by Alex Owens)Pro Stock Motorcycle legends Terry Vance and Byron Hines, former Top Fuel and Funny Car world champion Gary Scelzi, nitro team owner and driver Jim Head, former racer and racetrack owner Charlie Allen, drag racing pioneers Jay Howell and Gary Dyer, and NHRA National Dragster Editor Phil Burgess were the 2025 inductees of the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Racetrack owner/operator Debbie Bader and Summit’s Paul Sergi were also honored at the event, which was established by “Big Daddy” Don Garlits in 1991. (Auto Imagery photo shot by Alex Owens)Dennis Bargeron, of Screven, Ga., launched off the starting line in Gainesville with his SS/AH ’68 Dodge Dart. (Auto Imagery photo shot by Alex Owens)Division 7 racer Gary “Pirate” Tackett goes wheels way up in his SS/AS Chevy II Nova at the Lucas Oil WInternationals. (Auto Imagery photo by Rich Lawce)Tripp Tatum, the 2022 Gatornationals Top Fuel winner, wrecked his ride in round one at this year’s race after smoking the tires and making contact with the guardwall. (Auto Imagery photo shot by Rich Lawce)A pair of 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters launch off the starting line with header flames reaching toward the Phoenix sky at the Arizona Nationals. (Auto Imagery photo shot by Gary Nastase)Funny Car legend John Force looks over his Peak Chevrolet Camaro, now driven by Jack Beckman, in the John Force Racing pits at the Lucas Oil Winternationals. (Auto Imagery photo shot by Gary Nastase)Tony Stewart, shown with parachutes blossoming at the finish line in Phoenix, is proving comfortable in a Top Fuel dragster this season. After picking up round wins at each of the first two events this season, he reached the final round in Pomona at the Winternationals. (Auto Imagery photo shot by Gary Nastase)“The Big Unit” Randy Johnson, a famed MLB pitcher who played for 22 seasons, folded into Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s Pro Stocker at the Arizona Nationals. Johnson, at 6′ 10″ tall, was all smiles despite cramped quarters. (Auto Imagery photo shot by Gary Nastase)
About Auto Imagery
Auto Imagery, Inc. was established 45 years ago by acclaimed drag racing photographer Richard Shute, who decided to make a business out of his favorite hobby: photographing drag racing. Shute and his team of proven photographers have traveled near and far to catalog NHRA drag racing from every angle on the series tour. Auto Imagery houses well over a million photos and archives each NHRA national event and the racers who participate. The easily searchable database allows drag racing enthusiasts to purchase both digital and print versions in a variety of sizes. View the vast collection online at AutoImagery.com. Follow Auto Imagery on Facebook here.
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