Movie Reflection: Watching Documentary on Drag Racing in America (Reaction Paper Sample)

Movie Reflection
Student name
Institutional affiliation  Prior to watching this documentary on drag racing in America, I had very limited knowledge on the origin of the sport. However, after the end of the documentary, I received valuable insights, especially the introduction of slingshot dragster in the sport. This essay is my reflection of the evolution of drag racing from a participant to a spectator sport that caught the attention of many people. The documentary details the historical evolution of the sport, but my main emphasis will be the significance of the slingshot dragster in the sporting event. I believe this was the most crucial development, which made many spectators to develop interest in drag racing.
Initially, drag racing took place in public roads, therefore, there were genuine concerns regarding spectator safety. I concur with the narrator’s assertion that addressing such safety concerns was one of the main milestones in this sport. Spectator safety was addressed by developing guidelines and safety rules. It was also prudent that drag strips be constructed to move the sport away from public roads to avoid conflict with law enforcement agencies in California. In addition, since drag racing was at its infancy in the late 1940s, there was a need to codify the rules of the game in order to allow the sport to become competitive. I believe codification of rules such as official timing, charging entry fees and prices for the winners played a big part in making the sport professional. Since the sport started as an amateur event, it lacked many spectators. I also feel that the invention of the slingshot brought the came into maturity by making it both a participant and spectator sport. The racers designed their cars in such a manner that engines were located at the rear of the car. This enabled the racers to sit behind the car’s rear wheel akin to a rock in a slingshot. It is this added weight to the rear wheel that I consider crucial because it increased traction between the tires and the drag strip.
The slingshot dragster was instrumental in exciting many fans hence it made the sport an affair for participants and spectators, a feature that was never witnessed before. I found out that crowds that attended the drag racing events were fascinated by the noise generated by the traction. Initially, I had the least idea that fans would be excited by the nitro-gulping slingshot dragsters. However, the amazing power of these cars, characterized by the nitro and burning rubber through traction attracted more fans to the sport. The formation of the roadster association that coordinated exhibitions runs also helped in consolidating a large spectator base. From the documentary, I felt that many fans turned up during these exhibition runs to take pictures with their favourite racers and their cars.
In conclusion, the unique nature of the dragsters embedded in their shapes was another attraction that changed drag ra...