“ The beauty of Top Alcohol Funny Car is that the class is very driver dependent – you have to drive it right . It will show on the scoreboard when you don ’ t .” - SEAN BELLEMEUR

HELPING HAND : Past PDRA Elite Top Sportsman world champion Buddy Perkinson packs his parachutes with a little assistance from his young son , Ryan . The Virginia native has qualified No . 1 at three of the first four races of the PDRA season .

ALL-STAR SIGHTING : NHRA Pro Stock wheelman Dallas Glenn signs hero cards for Route 66 Raceway fans during a special autograph session ahead of the first-ever NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout , where Glenn was the No . 1 seed .

GROUND-POUNDING POWER : Carolina Panthers offensive linemen Austin Corbett and Brady Christensen are taken aback by the multi-sensory experience that is standing on the starting line when four nitro-powered Top Fuel machines take off during the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway .

FATHERLY ADVICE : Past NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Hector Arana leans in to give his son , Hector Arana Jr ., some guidance before he makes a qualifying pass at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte .

FLEXIN ’ FOWLER : PDRA Elite Top Sportsman driver Jamie Fowler flexes for the camera in the staging lanes at GALOT Motorsports Park . Fowler recently made the move up to the Elite field with a ‘ 69 Camaro previously campaigned by Chris Rini in Pro Nitrous .

PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER , JOE MCHUGH , RICK BELDEN , AND NHRA

64 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 183