The March Meet was GREAT! I feel this thing is really going to take off, as more fuel coupes are being built every day. The track does need to look into upgrading its facility and grandstands. It was standing room only on Saturday. It looked like there were more fans at this event than the Winternationals in Pomona one month earlier and it wasn't just due to the weather.

As great as the event was, there is still a MAJOR problem. The problem is the photographers. Yep, the guys that take the pictures. They totally blocked out the entire track from the starting line down to a red line at about the 300-foot mark. In other words, the fans (who paid) in the grandstands could not even see a burnout, let alone take a photo. There were over 75 of these camera monkeys at the wall. Some on ladders. Some seemed to have camera-less helpers with them. We have pictures to prove it.

Personally, I (along with a lot of other fans we talked to) found it to be very RUDE and disgusting. We are considering never attending again. Drag racing has a couple of important parts. The burnout (very unique and entertaining to the sport, not to mention a fan favorite), the win lights and the score board. The car going by is basically fairly mundane. As fans, thanks these photographers, we basically could not see a burnout. All we could see was the cars going by us (Yippee-ki-yay, MF, as McClain said in "Die Hard"). Unless a racer did a half track "smoker", you could not get a clear view of a burnout.

And why all the photographers? There is NO REASON. There are only about three-four publications that use the photos and most of the 75 photographers seemed to be taking the same shot. Many were taking pictures for resale purposes. How great that is for us paying fans. Getting to see some photographer using a camera. I can see that anywhere for no cost at all. If all the photos taken were for our (the fans’ benefit) so we could see them later in a magazine or the newspaper or some web site, then maybe all of us fans should just no longer attend any drag racing events. We could just wait for the newspapers, websites or magazines to see the photos. Why spend our 'hard earned money' to have most of our viewing pleasure obscured 'rudely' by other 'so-called professionals'.

The bottom line. It should take no more than a half a dozen trackside photographers to take all the photos necessary to recap the event(s) in all the publications. The other photographers could wander around the pits and get photos and photos from the stands. The 75 photographers we counted did not count the half dozen or so at the finish line area and beyond.

As for fans taking pictures. They have the right to for personal use. I take photos of everywhere I go for memories, keepsakes, etc. Fans prefer their own 'prized photos' over any taken by some photographer.

We all appreciate the photos in the racing publications, but it should in NO way take that many photographers at any drag racing event. Obviously, a NASCAR super speedway would take more photographers than at a drag race. Interestingly enough, there were less photographers all around the road course at Sonoma for the Sprint Cup Race (only counting those that blocked views of the fans) than at the NHRA Autolite Nationals. It is totally ridiculous and we are sick of it

You mentioned that NHRA seems to be reducing the number of them at their events due to (possibly) fan complaints. I sure as hell hope so. They almost ruined the March Meet for us. If it wasn't for the great drivers and their willingness to talk drag racing and the 'old days' with us fans, the event would have been a dud. One lady was at the track selling photos for about $20 each from the event (pictures taken at the event). These photos were taken by any one of five to seven photographers working together to supply her with pictures. She did the marketing and selling and they (the five-seven of them) got in everyone else's way to take the photos.

How would you like it if you paid money ($30-100) to see a football game only to have you view (or most of it) of the game blocked by a bunch of photographers? I think you being a little "pi--ed" would be putting a little mildly.

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