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Herman Marchetti Photo Collection

Herman Marchetti

Album Links at Bottom of Page

I grew up in the sixties reading my brother’s Hot Rods, Car Craft’s, and Rod and Customs. I would always turn to the race pages first to see who was winning. My first trip to the drag races included a single run by a AA/Fuel dragster. I was about 2/3 the way to the finish line, hanging on top of the fence watching the noise from the starting line. On green the dragster shot straight up into a near vertical wheelie, came back down, hit it again and went by me in a flash. My first taste of nitro. It was 1965 and I was eleven years old. The fascination with drag racing would continue thru plastic models and magazines like Drag Racing USA. I had to have Don Garlits’ Wynns Jammer. I got it for I think $1.88 at the 88Cent Store. I wish I had kept it in the box.

After graduating High School and getting a job I started going to Seattle International Raceway with my Kodak Instamatic camera, thinking I would become the next Steve Reyes. Unfortunately, with an Instamatic you have to get real close. The first time out I was delighted with two good burnout shots of Jerry Ruth and Kenney Goodell. The next time out I took extra film and ended up coming away with some shots of Historical value. I finally bought a 35mm Canon camera with four lenses for I think $200 from a friend of mine. Now it was off to the races.

For the first couple years I took shots from the first row of the grandstands at the starting line and from the second level of scaffolding in the back of a 1953 GMC dump truck with plywood sides backed up to the fence at the finish line. Then an unnamed benefactor came to me and gave me a starting line pass. This benefactor also helped me get a starting line job at the 2000 AHRA World Finals here in Spokane. Big thank you to him but since he is still involved in racing, will not be named.

After a couple weekends of the same old burnout pictures I started experimenting with settings to try to get some special effects going. This increased the error factor but it did help me get some Steve Reyes’ type photos. I would look at his photos in pictorials and they would list his settings under the pictures. I tried his set ups and the quality went up and error factor went down. Thank You, Steve.

In 1982 I got married and quit going to the races, no money now for film, or admission. It was the start of the great “NHRA Beer Wars” and the number of cars running was way down. There were only eight National events. The racing for the title happened at “division’ races. What fun it was watching NHRA Division 6, “The Land of the Leaders”, during those times. Fuelers racing funny cars, 64 Funny Cars, Bill Doner, Fallnationals. My 1973 and 1974 SIR schedule has eight weekends of fuel racing each year plus two extra days for the Fallnationals. Twenty nitro days in two years at one track. I was at every one of them. Then I got into Unlimited Hydroplanes. And air shows. But that is another story. One that should be told.

Fast forward to 2003. Now days I live in Spokane, Washington and work weekends at Spokane Raceway Park. Took a whole roll of night pictures with huge header flames only to find out the film didn’t advance last year. Only three nitro events a year. Still can’t afford the NHRA but, I can stand between nitro Funny Cars and Dragsters when they launch. This summer I started going through my collection. I had photos of cars I didn’t even remember. I had lunch with Gordie Bonin and the Greek. I met George Crittenden over the Internet and had breakfast with Gordie and Dana Winters, Nitrogeezer photographer at CHRR 2003. I sent George my complete collection of photos. As far as I know George is the only other person to handle these slides and negatives and see the collection in its entirety. I thank George very much for the unbelievable amount of time and effort it took. Without him, my collection would never be saved or shared with those of us who remember Bill Doner on the radio screaming ”SIXTY-FOUR FUNNY CARRRRS!!!! This Saturday at SIR…!!!!!”

I want to thank my benefactor at SIR. He knows who he is. Thanks for Spokane!!! And thanks to Gordie Bonin. He inspired me to write a story. Maybe it’ll turn into a weekly. And last to Duke McIntyre, Official AHRA Starter. Thanks for the help. We will meet again on the 1320 highway. I guess I am just a Nitrogeezer at heart. And proud of it!

Enjoy the ride, when there were more cars, and burnouts were BURNOUTS!!!

Herman Marchetti hermanhermanator@cs.com Fall 2003

View TOP FUEL Album

View FUNNY CAR Album

View 73' "Oly All Pro" Album

View Northwest Heavy Hitters Album

View "Northwest Invaders" Albums
Funny Car

Top Fuel

View "Shooting the Big Guns" Album

Much more Coming Soon

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