Most drag racing fans who are familiar with my story, know that I worked as a photographer for many years before my own racing career finally got underway in 1986. Once I started racing, I put away my cameras and focused (pun intended) solely on my career. All of my past work was no longer important to me. But even though I no longer cared about my past, I did manage to lug around 11 big plastic bins of negatives and transparencies from the mid eighties all over the country. They've been stored in numerous storage units, moved from Atlanta to Indy back in 1994, stacked up in the not-so-dry 1932 era basement of my first house, and most recently, stored in the garage next to all of my and my family's cycling and ski equipment out here in Oregon. How I kept them, and why, I am not sure, but, boy, am I glad I did. I kept all of my camera equipment too, for the most part, although I did sell my 500mm lens to noted photographer and fellow Super Stock Magazine contributor Francis Butler after we had blown something up in the funny car in 1990. I last did a professional shoot (for WInston) in 1989 to raise some quick money when Gary Evans and I formed our own team, Bazemore Evans Racing. I next shot our car in 1996 for the cover of National Dragster. That was it until 2005 when my son Dashiell was born. In 15 years, I had picked up a camera exactly one time.

A week after Dash was born I returned home from Gainesville and shot of few rolls of B&W film of our little joy, only to find it impossible to get the film processed in Indianapolis! Times had changed.

Fast forward to now, and I am back into photography, although not making a living at it the way I once did. I enjoy it in ways that I never did before though, and I do shoot professional cycling races several times a year. I shoot my kids, and I am trying to do more landscape fine art, as well. But one of the most fun, and satisfying, projects has been going through some of my old stuff and getting a handful of images scanned and reprocessed. I can spend hours in Lightroom doing post processing work. Editing the images has brought me back to a time in the sport when things were different, and dare I say, better. The cars looked like cars and the drivers could be who they were, not some sponsor kissing drones. The tracks were full and there was genuine excitement in the air every day of every race. I may be jaded (in fact, I know I am!) but I think some of my images tell the story of that difference.

Each photo is presented on its own, there is not an order to them, or a continuous theme. They should stand alone for what they are.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed re-editing them and going back a few years in time.  ---Whit Bazemore

BOB GLIDDEN 1985 - As photos go, this one represents the rewards of perseverance and patience for me. It was my first cover for Super Stock and Drag Illustrated magazine. I'd first been published in SS&DI back in1980, thanks to the late Woody Hatten, who shuffled through a small pile of prints of the previous weekend's Gatornationals on a very blustery March day in Darlington, SC.  Woody said, "send me this one, this one, and this one, kid."  That in itself was the realization of a big goal, and naturally, the next goal was to get the cover! It took a lot longer than I wanted it to, that's for sure, but it finally happened. As far as magazines go, Super Stock was pretty small, but if you were a drag racing fan like me, it was a monthly moment of nirvana when it arrived in the mailbox. Super Stock was cool and so were all the people connected to it. It was always a special moment too, when I could open it and see my work published in it. The pay wasn't all that good, but it just meant something to be part of it.

JODY SMART, RICHARD THARP 1983 - Back then, IHRA races were a lot of fun and ended up being a place where up and coming racers could "cut their teeth" before moving "up" to NHRA. Mark Oswald and Kenny Bernstein are perfect examples, and actually, so am I. But back in the Winston days, there were usually a strong contingent of NHRA stars in addition to the up and comers. Check out this photo from Rockingham and you can see just how popular the races were ... packed stands and great racing. Sure, there were some leakers, but that was part of the draw.
 
Tharp, of course, was – and still is – a real character, and is someone who would come bounding into our trailer when I was with DSR, and ask loudly, "where is my picture?" Seems he wanted a reprint from some image I had given him from back in the day. I had to explain, "hell, I don't have any idea ... it is in a bin in the basement!" Well, maybe this is the one... But Tharp was always one of my favorites, just because he was always entertaining and fun to watch and be around.
 
While Tharp was not a saint, Jody came across as one of the most soft spoken and nicest guys you will ever meet. In fact, he let me warm up his dragster once, in 1982, which as you can imagine, was an unbelievable opportunity of a lifetime. I'll never forget it, but all it did was throw fuel on my already strong desire to someday race.

DALE PULDE, MIKE HAMBY 1980 - I was only 16 when I shot this, late at night at some IHRA race, and only now does it have some significance. No banners, no barriers, just a very respectful crowd standing behind a white line, watching intently as Dale and Mike get ready for the next round. The thing that really strikes me is that no one is asking for an autograph! The fans are getting a close up experience, and are content, as well they should be! Of course, the pit experience today is very different from this. Instead of a real life experience of being close, really close, to the action, the fans of today must be content with standing behind the trailers and waiting for the driver to come out and sign autographs. And just as I wish I had been around to experience the sport in the 70's, I am sure that some younger fans will see this photo and wish they had been around to experience the sport in the 80's. The sport has come a long way in many, many ways, but at the same time, maybe it is best that the new fans don't realize exactly how it really was back then...

WARREN JOHNSON 1983 - WJ is one of my favorite drag racers, regardless of what he thinks about FC drivers. I had to laugh at his comments a few years ago about how easy funny cars are to drive – even if they did have a little bit of merit. Just a little. The truth is, today, because of over-prepped tracks, huge downforce, and auto everything, fuel cars ARE easier to drive than they used to be. And there are very few fuel car drivers who can safely drive a car, full throttle, smoking the tires in the lights. Hell, there are very few of the new ones who could even do a proper burnout without a throttle stop, even if the engine was detuned for it. The pure art of driving has been reduced, which in my opinion, is a real shame. An unpopular opinion for some, to be sure, but never–the–less, true. Winning, of course, is as hard as it ever was, if not more so. So it is still a very challenging, and thus rewarding, endeavor.
 
Also true is the fact that WJ will never know exactly how easy, or hard, a fuel car is to drive. Because, for two small reasons, I don't think he will ever want to drive one. Fuel cars are very, very fast. Ungodly fast. I am sure Jim Head would let him make a few laps if he had proper crash insurance and asked politely...
 
But none of that keeps me from liking – and respecting – WJ. He is a hell of a racer, and the fact that he has intelligent and strong opinions (usually!) along with a very dry sense of humor, makes him an interesting person to talk to and a real icon of Pro Stock.
 
I don't think this shot from Darlington was ever published, but it is a nearly perfect example of a "pan" shot in great afternoon light. I kinda like it. And WJ might like it too, until he remembers that at least one funny car driver can actually take an in-focus picture...

WARREN JOHNSON 1982 - I am not sure of the date for this, but it was cool for me to have access to nearly everyone in the sport, even those I did not know all that well. If you want to be a good photographer, you have to adopt the thinking that rules are for others. Otherwise, you will almost always be on the outside when the good stuff is happening on the inside. That type of thinking doesn't always transfer well to other facets of life, speaking from experience, and I don't recommend it, but here, making myself at home in WJ's pit, as an uninvited guest, gave me a few decent shots. A good photographer goes where he wants – and needs – to go, but always tries to make himself as small and invisible as possible.

This is one I don't even remember seeing until a month ago. For sure, I never printed it back in the day.

MARK OSWALD, LEONARD HUGHES 1984 - The old cliche' "a picture is worth a thousand words" is so true when looking at this. Definitely a teacher - student thing going on here. Just look at Leonard's expression. Mark obviously paid attention.

CHI-TOWN HUSTLER 1982 - This one tells a story too ... is Hawley obviously proud or what?
 
I never knew Frank all that well when he raced; he was always under the engine when I dropped by. These guys worked incredibly hard and lived – hell, they were – the drag racing lifestyle as it was back then. Fun? No. Exhausting? Yes. Worth it? Yes.
 
I don't think I would have had a racing career if not for the fact Frank started his school back in 1984. I was the seventh guy to get signed (TAFC license) out of maybe 50 or so who had attempted at that point. Going through his school was a life changing experience. Really. You think you want something, you think you can do something, but when the moment actually comes, when it is time to put on the helmet and perform, it is a real test unlike any other. You learn who you are and what you are. Sometimes the answer isn't good, but you will have an answer. I jumped into the school's alcohol FC having only done four Skip Barber FF races, and while I had been quick, and had a second place finish to my credit, a FF has no power. An alcohol FC is a REAL race car, which is what was painfully obvious as I climbed into it for the first time. It was a huge moment for me and it was all I could do to not puke right then and there. You have to understand that this was the only thing in life I wanted ... the only thing. What if I failed? Up until then, 43 out of fifty already had...
 
By the second or third day, it was time for our first full run. I had done ok up until then – meaning I hadn't totally over-revved it on the practice burnouts, hadn't backed up over Frank, or his assistant Ronnie Swearingen, hadn't driven the thing under the tow vehicle, etc. Before the first full pass, Frank's instructions were perfectly clear: among many other things, if you ever lift off the throttle, ever, do NOT get back on it.
 
Even today, I remember every detail of my first full pass ... the car left, then a little past the tree it shook and moved right a little. I was off – and back on – the throttle before I even knew what I was doing and shifted at the same time ... Instantly I knew I had just made a big mistake. But it was too late and the car was going straight back into the groove and straight down the track. Suddenly we are at the finish line and huge, unbelievable speed (180 mph!) and I know that this was it, I was done. Hawley was a hard ass (and rightly so) who did not tolerate mistakes.
 
I immediately apologized profusely, but he had a big grin on face and just said "perfect." It was an unbelievable moment and perhaps the moment that gave me the confidence to throw away everything and embark on a racing career.
 
Frank and his wife Lana (third from left) did a huge amount for me in the ensuing years and I will always be indebted to them for taking me under their wing and pushing me in the right direction. I have no doubt that being successful in life takes hard work and a little luck. A big part of that luck is meeting people who believe in you and help you along the way. Frank is one of those people.

FRANK HAWLEY 1983 - This is the first time I have printed this ... kinda cool with a nice cockpit full of smoke. The stories Frank tells are alone worth the tuition of attending his school. If you ever want to see what you are made of, really made of, I highly recommend it. Of course, now, you have to drive a sportsman car before you can get in an Alcohol car. Still, they are quick and will get your attention. But an Alcohol car... whew. Hang on.

JIM & ALLISON LEE 1983 - Darlington had nice light, from a photography stand point, and I remember shooting this, and getting it back from Kodak. Sometimes blurs like this don't work, but other times they work really well. I liked this one a lot. I remember the Lees as being super nice people, but I never knew them all that well. Again, thinking back to this time, and a team like this, just reminds me of how different things are today. Not better, or worse, just different.

DALE ARMSTONG, BILLY MEYER, TOM ANDERSON 1981 - This is the immediate aftermath of Dale Armstrong's horrific fire in Columbus at the Springnationals. Car Craft Magazine and then editor Jon Asher ran a spread of the actual images of the car, and I do not have the originals in my possession. I do have this, which shows Tom Anderson running towards the car. I was perched at the top of the small hill on the return road atop a step ladder, and at first, did not see the chassis behind the burning body. It was obvious the body (car) was upside down, and obvious that time had already run out. There was no doubt in my mind that Dale had perished. It was a bad moment and I did not know what to do, or what to think. I had already experienced fatalities (Indy '79 was my first ever NHRA race) but this was really bad,  it had happened right in front of me, and worse yet, I had pictures of it.
 
After a moment, I started running towards the car, because they were obviously not putting out the fire, and only then could I see the car behind the body. I clicked off this frame.  It was a huge relief that Dale was ok ... I had images of him walking around the wreckage. Unfortunately, those images are among the missing, but this one brings back some memories. Several years later I thought Columbus had some sort of jinx, there were a lot of fires and crashes there, and sure enough, in 1993, I had my own bad fire and only real crash of my career there when the crankshaft broke just before the finish line. You have to put that type of stuff out of your mind, because if you think something bad might happen, it probably will.
 
This was a really bad one though ... There is nothing worse than the smell, heat and sound of a funny car on fire, even if you are just watching, or shooting it.

CAN'T GET ENOUGFH BAZEMORE FILES? - THE COMPLETE COLLECTION

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