Oil downs were more frequent that usual at NHRA events in 2009, as the NHRA opted to not penalize the fuel teams for them as they did in previous years. For some photographers, this is a chance to chat with others or grab a beverage from the media center, but I prefer to hit the staging lanes and see what I can come up with.

I shot this photo as Bob Bode waited beneath the tower in Houston as the Safety Safari did their thing out on the track.