After a long day of shooting the action at the biggest drag race on Earth, the US Nationals, all my clients were done running and I faced a decision.

Get out of the muggy weather and grab an ice cold beverage as I edit photos and eat food OR stick around at the track and shoot the first round of Pro Mod.

Hmmm I think I will stay for Pro Mod!

Pro Mods are by far the wildest cars in the NHRA. Short wheel based cars going over 250 mph in the quarter mile are guaranteed to put on a great show for the fans.

In the first round of eliminations at the US Nationals while racing alongside 2012 champion Troy Coughlin, Tim Tindle would get close to the center line in his Camaro.

The car immediately made a hard left turn…

Going up on its side now, Tindle can do nothing but brace for the inevitable impact…

As he hit the wall, I fully expected the car to roll over…

I certainly wasn’t expecting the car to ride up on top of the concrete wall…

It looked like he was gonna clear the wall and possibly land on his wheels…

Until the front end of the car caught something on the wall which shot the front end skyward…

As I an shooting here I can promise you my jaw is dropped. I cannot believe what I am viewing through the little viewfinder on the camera on my hands.

Acting more like a drag boat catching air than a crashing race car, Tindle’s car easily clears the wall…

At this point I have no idea of what is going to happen next…

But its very obvious its about to get ugly…

The car would lawn dart into the grass along the track…

The edges of the car would catch the grass beginning a terrible series of cartwheels…

Note the injector scoop launching off the car…

As the car flew through the air, it was followed by a huge cloud of dirt and debris…

Have you ever seen a crash in a movie that is so over the top you have a hard time believing it? (Watch the movie Driven)

That was that type of crash.

As the car cartwheeled it looked like it was going to go back onto the track…

The back end of the car would make a big impact atop the wall…

Sending it back into the grass…

For another series of barrel rolls…

It may look like I should be running now but he is about 1000ft away from me in these photos.

The crash seemed to go on forever…

Look at all that dirt and grass flying…

Note the hat flying in the top left of the frame. Had Tindle won the round he would have been wearing that hat for the interview.

The car would come to a stop upright in the grass.

Tim Tindle would climb from the car on his own power. He was taken to a local hospital for some back injuries that I’m told he will fully recover from.

I highly doubt I will ever shoot another crash that intense.

And thats ok with me!