11/23/2021
Import vs Domestic
Let me just say it’s good to be back. First event after getting honorably out the Marine Corp was the best one of the year! This has to be one of the best drag racing events out there. My first time shooting at World Cup was in back in 2017 and I’ve been hooked ever since. Just can’t get over the lifestyle at events like this. It is the literal EAT SLEEP RACE life for 6 days. More if you travel further and hats off to anyone who travels cross country or even internationally to come to events like these. This past World Cup was one to remember. It was cold like very cold.......... every day almost all day. The heaters were going the coffee was a brewing and the cars were well the cars some of them they didn’t put enough . We’ll get back to that hashtag later.
The event was great overall seeing so many World Records is what amazes me. The racers come here every year to push the boundaries and, limitations on what these cars can do. Or even what they can do (For those stick shift guys out there that row them gears). You see these pictures I’m posting here they could tell thousands of stories. But what I see the most in them is hard work. The cars have all been modified in someway shape or form. They did this to make the car look better sound better or go quicker.
There’s so much that goes into those three details I pointed out Look, Sound, and Quickness. The look is what catches everyone’s eyes most of these cars are either painted, wrapped or look like they’ve been just taken out of a war zone. Either way I like it because they both give the cars character. The character of a car is a big element in drag racing when you see your favorite car go up to the line you call it by it’s name. Some cars have some wonky names and some of have them powerful ones. It’s actually pretty funny with a wonky name because it’s like “The Blue Turd Wins”. Like how can you not get a kick out of that. Cars without names eventually make a name for themselves. But honestly most cars at World Cup are well known. They could be well known from the look or the sound. The sound is one of the best parts of physically being at the track. It’s the sound and the feeling you get from the sound. There’s a melody that plays at the track it starts right after they say “fire em up” or better yet “put heat in your motor”. Or when a 4000hp 2JZ is in sync with every gear on the track. Thats music to my ears! I should say though these sounds are good from a distance. Being a couple feet away is loud like I need new ear drums loud. But that’s what it’s all about it doesn’t matter how loud your car is as long as it’s fast. That brings me to my last point about character of a drag car.....Quickness It’s all about that time and to get the time you want you need power, brains and a whole lotta money. That’s what’s awesome about World Cup the variety people use to get these quicker times. Most people are using different cars, trucks, engines, motors, intakes, turbos, exhausts, computers, tires, and so much more! Just to go 1320 feet or a 1/4 mile in however many seconds it takes.
The love and passion people have for this sport is incredible you have to think most of the people at World Cup traveled to get there. Spent thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Put time and effort into preparing the car. Buying, building, painting, tuning, testing, washing waxing. Left work behind some left family some even brought their families. That’s what’s great about this event the people you meet there are like no other. You could pull up and be parked up next to someone from a different country. Like my racer buddies Walid Dahman and Jf Kelly from Canada who were pitted next to Tom Turner and myself. I travel down from New York to Maryland with a racer Tom Turner. I get to see what all happens behind the scenes racing at World Cup. So imagine planing a camping trip for a week all of the little items and necessities you’ll need. Then add on a whole race program to the plan. So as you can tell it’s a lot of work but it’s all for the love of the Sport.
Import vs Domestic is exactly what it says it is Imported(International) race cars racing Domestic(National) race cars. The excitement when two to thousand horsepower plus vehicles come to the line for example Jason Marsh in his 67mm B Series Honda Civic and James Golden in his twin turbo Red Eye Challenger is un real because of the rivalry of Imports Racing Domestics. By the way that race was amazing. Having Golden leave Marsh at the tree and watching Marsh reel and back half him in was a show to watch. I also do believe it was meant to be because civics are my thing ya know I am The Honda Center.
But seriously PUT HEAT IN YOUR MOTOR! That saying will stick with me forever and I think it will forever be a inside joke when my friend Thalia Vargas and I are out in public. That saying all came from Jason Miller Co Owner of Miller Brother Productions(they’re actually the ones who host the event). Jason had said over the intercom “Racers make sure you put heat in your motors it’s cold out” and oh boy did the commentator Fabian Brown really take that seriously. He said it every thirty seconds and blamed every breakdown or shutdown on the racer not having heat in the motor it was comical. You just had to be there and that’s what I want you to do if you’re reading this be there. For the next one ya know. If you’re a racer not a drag racer a fan a cousin brother, uncle, aunt, chicken, whatever the case but are interested come to Maryland International Raceway November second through the sixth and I promise it’ll be worth it. The vibes at this event are non other the atmosphere is perfect literally. They say records are broken there because the density altitude is lower which make the cars take in more air which also means the cars make extra horsepower!
This event is like a holiday to me now just know where you’ll catch me the first week of November every year.
