The induction of Steve Reyes into the International Drag Racing Hall of
Fame in 2002 should speak volumes about his importance to
the history
of drag racing, but it doesn’t. What speaks louder are the hundreds of
exceptional photos that are the hallmark of his almost five decade
career. From the days he began shooting at now long-gone tracks in
Northern California in the 60s, through his successful stints as a
remarkable staff shooter for the likes of
Popular Hot Rodding
and others, to his more recent contributions as a still-active
freelancer, sharp, incisive and often exciting pictures have been what
Reyes is all about. While his “crash ‘n burn” spectaculars are
engraved in the minds of so many fans, it’s his just-as-spectacular
“every day” race and personality shots that have set him apart from the
crowd.
Quarter-Mile Chaos: Images of Drag Racing Mayhem, Fuel
Altereds Forever and Slingshot Spectacular: The Front-Engine Dragster
Era (all available online from
www.cartechbooks.com ) by Reyes are indicative of the man’s skills. He is a welcome addition to CompetitionPlus.com.
The induction of Steve Reyes into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2002 should speak volumes about his importance to the history of drag racing, but it doesn’t. What speaks louder are the hundreds of exceptional photos that are the hallmark of his almost five decade career. From the days he began shooting at now long-gone tracks in Northern California in the 60s, through his successful stints as a remarkable staff shooter for the likes of Popular Hot Rodding and others, to his more recent contributions as a still-active freelancer, sharp, incisive and often exciting pictures have been what Reyes is all about. While his “crash ‘n burn” spectaculars are engraved in the minds of so many fans, it’s his just-as-spectacular “every day” race and personality shots that have set him apart from the crowd. Quarter-Mile Chaos: Images of Drag Racing Mayhem, Fuel Altereds Forever and Slingshot Spectacular: The Front-Engine Dragster Era (all available online from www.cartechbooks.com ) by Reyes are indicative of the man’s skills. He is a welcome addition to CompetitionPlus.com.
This Top Gas dragster belonged to the Parris Brothers and this photo was taken at the 1969 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, my first-ever. There was a rash of big wheelstands that year. This shot shows an amazing wheelstand in which both front wheels and one rear wheel left the ground. The car was balanced on a single rear wheel before slamming back down to the ground.
Herbie Buttera’s place in Bellflower, Ca., was a one-stop shop for Funny Cars in 1971. If you look closely in the photo you will see Kenny Youngblood lettering the latest Candies and Hughes Funny Car. If you had an engine, you could get a chassis from Buttera, the tinwork and body from Kirby, and then he’d paint them. You could see people there like Don Schumacher, Kenny Goodell, Candies and Hughes … you name it. I used to live six miles away from the shop and I got to know the racers. I always believed this was a neat sight. Looking back it was the perfect shot to describe the era.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
Click to visit our sponsor's website
This shot was taken back in 1967 at Kingdon Drag Strip in Lodi, Ca. That was the beginning of a wheelstand that almost took Emery over backwards. That was a big all-star event and if you remember some of my old photos, you will recall a photo of Wild Willie Borsch almost running me over that same day. There were no guardrails at this track. I photographed my hottest (122) and coldest (36) drag races in Lodi.
This was at the 1971 Northern Nationals at Fremont, Ca., Mike Snively was substituting for Don Prudhomme, who was off racing his Funny Car. Snively won the race and beat Rick Ramsey in the final round.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
Click to visit our sponsor's website
I took this photo on the same day Billy Meyer unveiled a brand new Buttera Mustang. He was racing at an event in Lakeland, Fla., when the parachutes failed and he went through a fence at the end of the track and ended up submerged in a pond. Billy couldn’t get his belts loose and a crewman named Ronnie Guyman drove to the water, dove in and saved Billy’s life.
This odd looking ride was photographed in 1965 with Ray Alley driving. I considered this Allison-powered, 12-cylinder car to be one of the first goofy looking Funny Cars. The car is now in Don Garlits museum. It was a real duster when it ran, with the way those pipes were mounted, you shot your photo quickly and turned your back because it blew smoke and dust all over.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
Click to visit our sponsor's website
Dave Hough was always one to set his car up for the unusual photo shoots and he’d do anything for publicity, so would I. In this particular photo, we had shot the previous Nanook cars in the desert and in other settings, but never in the snow. We took the car up to Big Bear in Southern California and found a great background that resembled a snowbank. This photo is one of the best ones we ever took and ended up on the cover of Drag Racing USA magazine. Oh yeah, firesuits might make one feel comfortable in a fire, but I can tell you that Hough was freezing his butt off in the snow that day. To this day I still get nice comments from fans on this photos.
This was the infamous Greek Fleet. The Greek had his pals and they lettered their cars and wore those sailor type hats Bob Creitz, John Weibe, Jim Nicoll and Don Cook.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
Click to visit our sponsor's website
This photo sequence was almost as impressive as what it took to get it. I was at the end of Fremont during one of the 1971 AHRA Grand American Series races when I had to urinate really badly. Back in those days, your options were limited. There was no way I was leaving my spot to go to the bathroom, so I went off to the side at the top end. Joe Winter, one of the only one-legged Funny Car drivers, had a latch failure and I was at the end of the track when the latch let go. I had the camera in one hand and something else … I snapped photos and this was one of a sequence. The photos were a combination of horizontal and vertical. I was more worried about the composition of the photos than I was whizzing on myself.
Once upon a time Garlits had a red dragster. This was taken at the 1967 Winternationals in Pomona, Ca., and he failed to qualify. The car didn’t qualify at the next race. I believe Garlits painted the car black and never went red again.
Steve Reyes has a Reyes on Tour store on eBay. Click
here to visit.
