As a newcomer to the drag racing industry, many races and tracks are still on my bucket list. This weekend I had the honor of covering the 10th Anniversary of the YellowBullet.com Nationals at Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland. Admittedly, I was nervous. Not only am I new to the industry, I am brand new to the photography/media circle within this industry. Spectators, racers, crew, and track staff have all come to expect a certain level of coverage from E3xtreme and I knew going into this race that I had to meet those expectations.

Upon pulling into the gates at Cecil County, I was instantly impressed by the geography and layout of the track. There is enough of a hill on the tower side, where most of the bleachers stand, that spectators have a fantastic view of the entire track. At first I was weary of the path through the staging lanes to cross into the pits, but as the weekend went on I realized this was a great opportunity for spectators and fans to see the cars and drivers up close. The most pleasant surprise however, was the cleanliness of the entire facility. Walking from pits, to parking, to top end, to concession bathrooms I never noticed overflowing trash cans or loose trash. Track employees truly did an outstanding job of keeping the grounds clean all weekend.

Very recently I decided to put a camera in my hands and see what I could do with my passion for this sport. I am constantly learning and developing my technical skills, and to be completely transparent, most of the time it still feels like I have no idea what I’m doing. However, with the support and guidance from Damon and Ellen, I have the opportunity to be involved in creating content for E3xtreme. Cecil County Dragway is a challenging track for media. Many photographers and videographers cautioned me about the lighting, or lack thereof. Each photographer has a different method of countering night time shots and while I definitely still need practice, I am happy with what I was able to achieve at night. ‘Golden Hour’ and ‘Blue Hour’ at Cecil were phenomenal. These photography time periods occur just before the sun sets and provide both beautiful red-orange and blue natural light tones respectfully. Understanding and utilizing natural light to my advantage was definitely a simpler task at Cecil.

Racing at the YellowBullet Nationals was exciting. The mix of Pro and Sportsman classes made for healthy car counts and a large variety of cars. It was a treat to be able to watch quarter-mile and eighth-mile racing in the same weekend. My personal favorite, X275, never fails to excite spectators with some of the best heads-up racing of the evening. Not to mention, the fan-favorite Promod class is always a show. Hard (Promod), Hall (Outlaw 10.5), Hull (X275), Smith (Warriors), Purdy (8.50 Index), Newman (Top Sportsman), McMillan (Pro Dial), Albrecht (Ultra Street), Saiber (Super Pro Street), and Yeznach (10.0 Index) all clinched victories at the 10th Anniversary YellowBullet Nationals.

By far, the one aspect I was most impressed with at YellowBullet was the attitude. Not only were more seasoned media members welcoming and helpful, racers, crews, and fans were all welcoming and supportive as well. I was impressed with the applause and cheering from fans when racers came down the return road in front of the bleachers. I was even more impressed with the lack of fights and drunken stupor one might typically find at a race this size. Ultimately, I was relieved when my first-race jitters subsided and I truly felt at home. Monty, Maria, and David Mikho run a fantastic operation and I look forward to attending YellowBullet for years to come.