TRIBUTE
Roger Richards
1944 – 2024
By Nate Van Wagnen
In the final production days of this issue , the DI team was stunned and saddened to learn that longtime friend and drag racing photographer Roger Richards passed away on Tuesday , June 25 th .
Formerly a wedding and portrait photographer , Richards started photographing drag racing events in 1999 as a founding member of Bobby Bennett ’ s CompetitionPlus . com event coverage team . This fall would ’ ve marked his 25th anniversary as the Director of Photography for the online drag racing news magazine . Richards logged hundreds of thousands of miles traveling the country to shoot a wide array of
drag races , trade shows , and other industry events . Along the way , he became friends with drivers , crew chiefs , crew members , fellow media members , race officials , fans , and family and friends of racers who looked to him for photos and updates .
Richards was also a longtime DI contributor and frequently supported events like the Drag
IllustrateD World Series of Pro Mod and DI 30 Under 30 ceremony through his coverage . He will be missed in the media centers and along the dragstrip walls he frequented . See the DI State of Drag Issue in September / October for a more comprehensive tribute to “ the Geezer .” DI
PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER
54 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 189