It's kind of funny (some folks might actually think it's "sad" in a way) that even during my time off, I'm still usually doing something that's associated with Mustangs or racing, "work" or all of the above.

Some people could look at it as "having no life." I'd argue that in a heartbeat. I've got a great life, as I'm able to be involved with two of my favorite things--Mustangs and racing--pretty much any time I please.

The dragstrip is where I ended up on Saturday. The West Coast Hot Rod Association kicked off its 2011 racing season at Auto Club Dragway in Fomoso, California (better known as "Bakersfield"), so I took a drive out to the track and caught Saturday's qualifying sessions.

Figuring the race would be a good opportunity to keep my photo skills sharp for my coverage of NMRA events (the NMRA/NMCA West Coast Shootout at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California [July 8-10] is the next race I'll be writing about for 5.0), I brought my camera rig with me to Fontana, and knocked down a few photos.

Details on this sequence are after the jump...

 You're looking at John Fields' 1986 Mustang GT, leaving the starting line hard, on teeny-tiny Goodyear 8.5" (slicks). John is teamed up with my buddy Mark Washington who drives the nitrous-fed 'Stang, and together they've dominated the WCHRA's Outlaw 8.5 class, running as quick as high-5.30s on the small tire.

I caught this photo sequence during the second round of qualifying on Saturday afternoon. There were a few more photos of this launch, but these are the shots that I think are interesting.

We've seen plenty of hatchback Mustangs leave the line with the hatch doors unlatched, but it was kind of wild to see fuel spraying from the fuel cell as the 'Stang took off. Needless to say, the hatch door popping up and acting like a huge sail doesn't do very much good, either.

Mark and John made sure the hatch stayed shut for the rest of their runs...and they also went on to win the event on Sunday!