tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43350274060640667912014-12-04T18:25:06.246-05:00Welcome to Indiana-villeDocumenting the journey of one motorsports photographer. Observations on the Indy 500, the IZOD Indycar Series, NASCAR and ARCA stock cars, the TUDOR United Sportscar Series, and racing in general from one Hoosier's perspective.Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.comBlogger442125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-45796450675267843142014-12-03T18:23:00.002-05:002014-12-03T18:23:32.266-05:00Daily Photo Challenge: Week 2 Means Water<div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gIYQ7AqYg4U/VH-KzNqEDGI/AAAAAAADOdI/u9U54eKXE4I/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BCART%2B86%2BElkhart%2BLake%2B(12).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gIYQ7AqYg4U/VH-KzNqEDGI/AAAAAAADOdI/u9U54eKXE4I/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BCART%2B86%2BElkhart%2BLake%2B(12).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Even Lone Star JR raced in the rain - at Elkhart Lake in 1986</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>he poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Coleridge included the famous lines, "Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink." Shooting motorsports is like that sometimes too, especially for road racing events. Needless to say, water and camera electronics are not a good combination but sometimes preparation will get you through a downpour. Sometimes you just get lucky. And sometimes you just get drenched.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The theme for the first week theme of my personal 42 Day Daily Photo Challenge on Twitter was "fire". For the second week, I chose "water" as my theme and you will see from the photos I posted that there was plenty of the wet stuff to go around. The story behind each photo follows, but the overriding lesson is don't forget your rain gear!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b>Water: Day 8</b><br /><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">On this day in June 2008 I was shooting for the defunct <i>American Motor Journal</i> (AMJ) at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, and I just got lucky rather than soaking wet. I had my rain gear since it always seems to rain on races at this road course, and I had just crossed the Honda bridge to the outside of the track to a location at the bottom of the hill after the esses. A downpour had hit the area and there was standing water everywhere. Luckily, that area of Mid Ohio is shrouded in trees so I was able to shoot under cover for awhile until the downpour passed. I stayed relatively dry and my cameras did too. This time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oCGIDasn3Yg/VH-LOt-UsFI/AAAAAAADOdQ/n15b-WgEln4/s1600/Rolex%2BTelmex%2BGainsco%2BRain%2B3467%2BJay%2BAlley-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oCGIDasn3Yg/VH-LOt-UsFI/AAAAAAADOdQ/n15b-WgEln4/s1600/Rolex%2BTelmex%2BGainsco%2BRain%2B3467%2BJay%2BAlley-2.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b>Water: Day 9</b></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">While I don't normally shoot the two wheel crowd, the MotoGP event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a fairly new thing in 2009 so I had to go check it out. I didn't have credentials for the event but the IMS road course offers plenty of locations to get clear shots without any catch fencing in the way. This shot of multi-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi was taken during practice for the event and I only took one camera body and one lens to make sure I could shoot and deal with the elements with minimal risk of damage to my equipment. I am still amazed that these riders do what they do under any circumstances, let alone on a green racetrack which is thoroughly soaked.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jqm5zy8WYQM/VH-MowpXJUI/AAAAAAADOdc/cSA1rWiMcm0/s1600/MotoGP%2BRossi%2B1959%2BJay%2BAlley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jqm5zy8WYQM/VH-MowpXJUI/AAAAAAADOdc/cSA1rWiMcm0/s1600/MotoGP%2BRossi%2B1959%2BJay%2BAlley.jpg" height="458" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b>Water: Day 10</b></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This photo of Michael Andretti (3) and poppa Mario (6) racing into the esses at Mid Ohio is from 1990 and was shot on film, most likely Fujicolor. I had gone to the race with my stepson and a friend and his son and got this shot from the spectator fencing along the track as the cars begin to head uphill in the esses. My first race at Mid Ohio was in 1982 so going there for the Indycar weekend has been a long standing tradition. With its mid-summer weekend schedule slot, it could be 85 degrees with 90 percent humidity one minute and then pouring down rain the next. On more than one occasion, this race has been wet, dry, wet, dry and wet again so shooting here is always an adventure in the summer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mZbjLLRAwmg/VH-NyL3dhQI/AAAAAAADOdk/XmXyLLOjZrw/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BMid%2BOhio%2B1990%2BCART%2B(38).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mZbjLLRAwmg/VH-NyL3dhQI/AAAAAAADOdk/XmXyLLOjZrw/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BMid%2BOhio%2B1990%2BCART%2B(38).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b>Water: Day 11</b><br /><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis in 2014 saw Indycars running in the rain at IMS for the first time ever as far as I know. I was shooting for motorsport.com, working the pit lane during practice and qualifying when a brief but heavy rain shower hit. The old song says "it don't rain in Indianapolis" but we all know that's not true! I escaped the downpour under the Pagoda overhang where the yard of bricks runs through the building and within a few minutes, the rain had stopped but the track was soaked. Shooting the cars going north on the wet front stretch yielded some nice photos with large rooster tails of spray being thrown into the air. Unfortunately for Ryan Hunter-Reay, not long after I took this photo, he hydroplaned through a puddle coming onto the front stretch and cracked the wall while going for the pole. It has been awhile at Indy since I've heard the sound of anyone hitting concrete rather than the SAFER barriers, so that was a memorable day for a lot of reasons.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nqiGyssWRTM/VH-N8SZZ13I/AAAAAAADOdo/uuJMYp7JCn4/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-1289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nqiGyssWRTM/VH-N8SZZ13I/AAAAAAADOdo/uuJMYp7JCn4/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-1289.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b>Water: Day 12</b></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">My photographer friends will never let me forget the American LeMans series race at Mid Ohio in 2011. The ribbing that weekend was endless and continues even now, with witty comments such as "Don't you know when to come in out of the rain?" Apparently, I didn't. I was determined to get photos in the wet conditions, but I underestimated how wet it would become. I had been shooting in the carousel as the skies darkened, the field was running slowly under yellow and there was less than 30 minutes left in the timed race. I decided to cut through the paddock as the rain started falling more heavily to get to the exit of Turn 1 past the infield bridge, as I thought the restart might be dicey with the conditions worsening. As I arrived at Turn 1, it seemed like a monsoon hit. I got this picture - which is one of my favorite rain photos - but I paid the piper for sticking it out. More on that with my Day 14 photo...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6OHy4vgsRLQ/VH-OFRn9WJI/AAAAAAADOdw/PsmLmhPw2MI/s1600/Muscle%2BMilk%2BIMG_7038%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6OHy4vgsRLQ/VH-OFRn9WJI/AAAAAAADOdw/PsmLmhPw2MI/s1600/Muscle%2BMilk%2BIMG_7038%2Bcopy.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b>Water: Day 13</b></div></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">There have been periods of time the last few years where it seemed like every race I shot was hit by rain or a rain delay. So now when I am <u><i>not</i></u> at a race and it rains, I like to post comments on Twitter or Facebook that "it's not my fault" and my photographer friends are all in on the joke. At Mid Ohio in 2008, both the Rolex Grand Am and Indycar weekends were effected by rain and this shot was taken in the carousel after a downpour during the Indy Lights race. One of the great things about shooting racing in the rain is seeing the different lines the drivers take compared to what would be normal on a dry track. This shot is a good example as this section of Mid Ohio leaving the carousel is usually only one groove but Ana Beatriz makes her own middle groove while chasing two other competitors.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kzq3zJR92U0/VH-OPyGMfeI/AAAAAAADOd4/OYCdytj1De4/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BIndy%2BLights%2BRain%2Brear%2Bview%2B6419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kzq3zJR92U0/VH-OPyGMfeI/AAAAAAADOd4/OYCdytj1De4/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BIndy%2BLights%2BRain%2Brear%2Bview%2B6419.jpg" height="420" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b>Water: Day 14</b><br /><b><br /></b><div style="text-align: justify;">Continuing the story of my near drowning at Mid Ohio during the ALMS race in 2011, this shot shows the depth of water after the monsoon hit as the Rahal BMW driven by Joey Hand splashes through Turn 1. Everyone was just creeping through this turn by then and the race was red-flagged shortly after this so I headed to the pit lane to shoot the winners exiting their cars and the victory lane celebrations. I was completely soaked by this time with water running down my arms and straight onto my cameras. The towels I carry for such times were soaked too and I threw them away on my walk to the pits. Even having my gear covered with plastic bags provided no relief as there was just too much water to keep anything dry. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d96Y-Jau-WU/VH-Oept5RrI/AAAAAAADOeA/SwgsGYnEYDo/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BIMG_7076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d96Y-Jau-WU/VH-Oept5RrI/AAAAAAADOeA/SwgsGYnEYDo/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BIMG_7076.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then the nightmare really began. First the view screen on my 40D went blank. Then my 7D started acting up. The 40D quit working completely and I don't think I ever did get any victory lane photos. That night at the hotel I took everything apart and hoped to God my cameras would dry out since the Indycar race was the next day and I was still supposed to shoot that. Sunday dawned clear and sunny thankfully, so upon arriving at the media center in the Tower that day, I took everything apart again and laid both cameras on a ledge by the window hoping the morning sun would cook the moisture out of them. Both cameras came back to life as the day wore on and I still use them today. I know the Canon techs got a good laugh out it the next May at Indianapolis when I took both cameras in to get cleaned and checked at IMS. I think I've earned my reputation as the "regenmeister", so if we go to shoot a race together, you better prepare for rain. I know I will get some photos!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-58896552156160596342014-11-30T12:04:00.002-05:002014-11-30T12:04:51.929-05:00Daily Photo Challenge: Every Picture Tells A Story - Week 1<div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jAcau9Kphzc/VHtMcwxY-HI/AAAAAAADOc0/YFTEyC5wqy8/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BMazda%2Bfire%2BIMG_7459%2Bcopy-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jAcau9Kphzc/VHtMcwxY-HI/AAAAAAADOc0/YFTEyC5wqy8/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BMazda%2Bfire%2BIMG_7459%2Bcopy-2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">And then there was fire</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">E</span></b>veryone knows about the ice bucket challenge. My photographer friends know about the five day Black and White photo challenge. A couple of weeks ago, I decided I needed a personal creative challenge that would drive my Twitter posts @alleygroup. Since the last race I shot was in mid-September, I wanted my challenge to involve motorsports and have some staying power so I would have to be disciplined to stick with it consistently.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As luck would have it, I decided to start my daily challenge with 42 days left in 2014. That number is meaningful for me for a lot of reasons, but especially since it was the number I wore playing basketball for four years at the University of Chicago and two years at Indianapolis Shortridge high school. I thought staying on task for 42 days would be a tough challenge for me and I knew I needed something to tie it all together. I decided to frame my challenge with</span> weekly sub-themes under <span style="font-family: inherit;">these general topics: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Sorrow and Joy. As I write this, I have almost finished the first two weeks involving photos with Fire and Water. I've realized during the editing process that, as rocker Rod Stewart once sang, every picture tells a story, so this post is the story behind each "Fire" picture I've posted during Week 1 of my personal challenge. My next post will include the stories behind the photos with the "Water" theme.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Fire: Day 1</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't normally shoot the straight line crowd but I had the chance to shoot the US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway (then known as Indianapolis Raceway Park) in 2007 for <i>American Motor Journal</i> (AMJ) and I couldn't resist. I shot the drags for four days and this photo of Bob Bode blowing up at the finish line is one of my favorites as the car is engulfed in flames. I was shooting from the backside of the suites by the IRP oval overlooking the top end of the drag strip when Bode rolled through. This was back when they were still racing the quarter-mile.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qar8RA1wQNU/VHs_RE1-YqI/AAAAAAADObM/h-qLPdmPcMc/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BBob%2BBode%2BUS%2BNationals%2BFire%2B5843%2Bjalley-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qar8RA1wQNU/VHs_RE1-YqI/AAAAAAADObM/h-qLPdmPcMc/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BBob%2BBode%2BUS%2BNationals%2BFire%2B5843%2Bjalley-2.jpg" height="457" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Fire: Day 2</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was shooting a lot of races for AMJ from 2006 through 2012, and another event at IRP in 2007 yielded this photo of a competitor in the USA Modified series who had hit the Turn 1 wall on the IRP oval and left a trail of fire behind. This race was not well attended and there were only a handful of photographers there that evening, but I didn't care as I was at a racetrack I know quite well and happy to be shooting racing of any kind.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JCaIvITepvE/VHtAmvJyivI/AAAAAAADObc/GpAMJ0aRaHQ/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BUSA%2BMods%2Bfire%2B7550%2BJay%2BAlley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JCaIvITepvE/VHtAmvJyivI/AAAAAAADObc/GpAMJ0aRaHQ/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BUSA%2BMods%2Bfire%2B7550%2BJay%2BAlley.jpg" height="430" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Fire: Day 3</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">In 2008, I was shooting for AMJ and it was bump day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy 500. It had been a busy month of May as I was the only shooter for AMJ and had been trying to cover the event from all angles. The last day of qualifying, I decided to shoot from Turn 3 and just wait and see if anything happened. Sure enough, late in the day, AJ Foyt IV provided some excitement. Shooting in Turn 3 often involves accidents and the view around the turn is limited no matter what position you take. As AJ IV popped out from behind the infield fencing, I noticed he was already going backwards and it looked like he was on fire. The sequence I shot was spot on and the fireball from the fueling port (which had somehow been left unsecured by a Foyt crewman) was spectacular albeit brief. Later I heard that heads rolled in the Foyt team as legend AJ was not a happy camper.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3sMYnDaqka8/VHtDrMccBQI/AAAAAAADOb0/Ktpk5cuSXxA/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BFoyt%2BIndy%2B08%2BBump%2BDay%2BCrash%2B1%2BJay%2BAlley%2B(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3sMYnDaqka8/VHtDrMccBQI/AAAAAAADOb0/Ktpk5cuSXxA/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BFoyt%2BIndy%2B08%2BBump%2BDay%2BCrash%2B1%2BJay%2BAlley%2B(2).jpg" height="450" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Fire: Day 4</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">One of my goals the last few years has been to shoot more dirt track races but I haven't been able to do as many as I would like. In July 2009, I went to Kokomo Speedway for the USAC sprint car show and was supposed to have credentials through AMJ but apparently the request never was submitted. This was one of those times where looking like a photographer paid off, as I had my photo vest, two cameras, my flash and battery pack on me ready to shoot. I had also brought a copy of the latest edition of AMJ with me so I could prove I was shooting for them. I got the credential I needed to shoot in the infield and Casey Riggs was the subject as his engine let go in a big way during hot laps.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xw7nCDTcLXE/VHtCT5LuYZI/AAAAAAADObo/nIYSd7vrOPg/s1600/Casey-Riggs-Fire-2554-Jay-Alley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xw7nCDTcLXE/VHtCT5LuYZI/AAAAAAADObo/nIYSd7vrOPg/s1600/Casey-Riggs-Fire-2554-Jay-Alley.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Fire: Day 5</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Although this photo from the US Nationals in 2007 did not involve a fireball, I loved the flames being thrown from the headers of Del Worsham's funny car during night qualifying. The experience shooting the drags was unforgettable as I was able to shoot right at the wall near the starting tree for this photo and remember having to brace myself against the heat and shock waves during the Top Fuel and Funny Car races. Looking through my 70-200, the air seemed to liquefy from the heat as these nitro fueled beasts roared past. I haven't been able to get back the drags to shoot since then but I would do it in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity. I think my ears are still ringing, despite the earplugs and gun muffs I was wearing that weekend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FgwiO5qfsSQ/VHtFpfQhURI/AAAAAAADOcA/vTcrLTLVey8/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-Worsham-ORP-5554-jalley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FgwiO5qfsSQ/VHtFpfQhURI/AAAAAAADOcA/vTcrLTLVey8/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-Worsham-ORP-5554-jalley.jpg" height="458" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Fire: Day 6</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I've shot all kinds of racing since 1984, and it is still a surprise to see fire. That was especially true in 2000 during practice for the Brickyard 400 as Chad Little blew up in spectacular fashion coming through Turn 3. I was shooting for <i>Agence France Presse</i> (AFP) that year and was assigned to work Turn 3 for the weekend. I remember seeing Little spewing flames and wondering when he would spin as I shot a sequence, but he never did. I also remember wondering why the yellow light was taking so long to be shown as surely Little had oiled down the groove in the turn. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Jeremy Mayfield roared into 3 at full song and did a half-spin into the wall in front of me. I got pictures of Mayfield's incident as well, and several of my photos were used in <i>Winston Cup Scene</i> and <i>Winston Cup Illustrated </i>publications. To make that happen, I had to get prints made and meet their photo editor the morning after the Brickyard at their hotel before they left town. It was well worth the effort!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EZCMAQY7ECY/VHtHyC_7AaI/AAAAAAADOcM/ImF9rSNdzd8/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BLittle2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EZCMAQY7ECY/VHtHyC_7AaI/AAAAAAADOcM/ImF9rSNdzd8/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BLittle2000.jpg" height="308" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Fire: Day 7</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The last photo of my fire themed week comes from Winchester Speedway and the ARCA Series race in June 2011. Jared Marks had rolled to a stop along the Turn 1 wall after contact. I was shooting for AMJ again and had moved into the pit area where you actually shoot up the banking since the pits at that end of the track are even with the bottom of the race track. I noticed smoke billowing from his exhaust pipes and then several large plumes of fire erupted as he tried to shut the car down and clear the exhaust of accumulated fuel. I like this image because Marks already had the window net down and was ready to climb out, and I only got a few frames where there was actually fire and not just black smoke. Timing is indeed everything.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQqm6YBGF5U/VHtJg-JzlOI/AAAAAAADOcY/0gEXIHJIKP0/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BIMG_0295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQqm6YBGF5U/VHtJg-JzlOI/AAAAAAADOcY/0gEXIHJIKP0/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley%2BIMG_0295.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Up next: Week 2 and the water theme. Water, water everywhere but nowhere a drop to drink.</div></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-51494144785439536432014-10-24T08:25:00.000-04:002014-10-24T08:25:51.999-04:00Another Year, Another Racing Season Done<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MWxEXsLfrxY/VEow6QHQXCI/AAAAAAADOWw/JHhZnqIykRQ/s1600/2014-07-06%2B21.32.28.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MWxEXsLfrxY/VEow6QHQXCI/AAAAAAADOWw/JHhZnqIykRQ/s1600/2014-07-06%2B21.32.28.png" height="200" width="142" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">On the job for ARCA this season</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I </span></b>am a racing photographer. I have been since 1984, and right now I don't know what the future holds. I'm also a teacher, writer, and a soccer and basketball official, so my life gets plenty busy at times. This has been one of those years. I have had some great photography opportunities and spent a lot of time on the road, either on racing road trips, or going to venues around Central Indiana to officiate youth sports, or visiting Akron, Ohio to check on my Mom. Add in a March trip to Chicago to see the Experience Hendrix show, a spring break trip to The Smokies and a summer getaway to South Haven, Michigan, I've covered a lot of ground this year. But since this blog is about one photographer's journey in motorsports, here are the numbers for 2014: Nineteen races at eight different tracks (ARCA - 7; NASCAR - 5; Indycar - 2; Indy Lights - 3; and TUDOR sports cars - 2); two Airtran flights to Florida and the rest behind the wheel of my RSX-S. I'm ready for more.</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-np4na7v5o34/VEoxvGTzY4I/AAAAAAADOXA/xMqonPiV-7k/s1600/ROlex-Daytona-2014-by-Jay-Alley-9350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-np4na7v5o34/VEoxvGTzY4I/AAAAAAADOXA/xMqonPiV-7k/s1600/ROlex-Daytona-2014-by-Jay-Alley-9350.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Deltawing at Daytona</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>My 2014 season started in January shooting the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Series Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona for Associated Press (AP). It was my first ever 24 Hour race and I loved every minute of it. My bucket list includes LeMans and other sportscar endurance races but who knows if I will ever be able to make that happen. It's tough to find paying clients as a racing photographer, but the experiences I've had this year have been worth every penny I've spent. Needless to say, I've generated more expenses than income this year, try as I might to turn that equation around. Along the way, I write about each trip and event here, and try to share my best images through online galleries, Facebook and Twitter, so if anyone who knows me wonders where I am on a given weekend, they can find out by checking my social media accounts!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oV6U455nSYQ/VEoxcnuliaI/AAAAAAADOW4/FVTWJoCz76A/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley-1870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oV6U455nSYQ/VEoxcnuliaI/AAAAAAADOW4/FVTWJoCz76A/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley-1870.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Daytona 500 ran into the night after rain delays</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I was back to Daytona in February for AP for the Daytona 500 race weekend where I got to shoot the truck series, Nationwide and Sprint Cup races. If there is such a thing as a lost leader in racing photography, then these Daytona weekends would fall into that category. While I catalogued numerous images for my portfolio from my Florida trips, got to walk on the beach and feel the ocean between my toes, I still haven't made it to the point where people say "Hey, I want to hire him". I'm not entirely sure why that is the case, but working on spec is a challenge unto itself. I do not regret the investment in time or money that I have made pursuing my passion for racing photography.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oBDErUUFlko/VEo4UuDn0SI/AAAAAAADOXM/952L_CUgH2o/s1600/JWA_3550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oBDErUUFlko/VEo4UuDn0SI/AAAAAAADOXM/952L_CUgH2o/s1600/JWA_3550.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Salem Speedway in the spring</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>March was spent enduring a seemingly endless Indiana winter, so the next race I did was at Salem Speedway the last weekend in April for the ARCA series. I have spent a lot of effort the last few years making connections with ARCA people to shoot for the series and 2014 was the best year I have had yet with ARCA. The Salem weekend was the first of seven (7) ARCA races I would have the chance to shoot this year, although the ones at Salem and Talladega did not involve a direct working relationship as the primary series photographer. That would come during the summer months when I worked for the series at Michigan, Chicagoland, Winchester and Lucas Oil Raceway. More on those later...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_usKU8SzMBg/VEo6kNUZvHI/AAAAAAADOXU/06m-hI2Aiwk/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_usKU8SzMBg/VEo6kNUZvHI/AAAAAAADOXU/06m-hI2Aiwk/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4679.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I love shooting at Talladega; it IS "more than a race" as they say</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>Once April was over and the Month of May began, I was busier than the proverbial one-armed paper hanger. The first May weekend, I trekked to Talladega to shoot NASCAR as a stringer for AP. This was the first time I had been to see my Alabama friends since the passing of AP photographer Dave Martin, and I really needed to be there to honor his memory and support my friends. I had a good weekend overall and got an <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/motorsports/ci_25696614/denny-hamlin-races-first-talladega-superspeedway-win" target="_blank">APTOPix of the Sprint Cup finish</a> out of the deal, so it was a trip where monetary concerns were secondary to other considerations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WwiSqCJtEyU/VEo668c6RRI/AAAAAAADOXc/wQ_Gwan80CI/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-6552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WwiSqCJtEyU/VEo668c6RRI/AAAAAAADOXc/wQ_Gwan80CI/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-6552.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Simon Pagenaud</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>The second weekend in May opened up Indycar activity at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis where I was shooting for motorsport.com. That weekend included two Indy Lights races and a popular win in Indycar for Simon Pagenaud. The first ever Indycar road course race at IMS was well received by the fans and mixed up spring weather brought rain and sunshine at various times to spice up the on track activities. Then the day after the GP of Indy, practice opened for the Indy 500 on the oval which continued through the week and was followed by qualifications the next weekend. The next week brought by Carburetion Day, the Indy Lights Freedom 100 and the Indy 500 itself where a stirring victory by Ryan Hunter-Reay capped off a hectic month.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-epJE2WSyrQI/VEo8Ar6We1I/AAAAAAADOXk/n03bvIXzfRY/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-epJE2WSyrQI/VEo8Ar6We1I/AAAAAAADOXk/n03bvIXzfRY/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9770.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">An "American Boy" won Indy</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>After two weeks of teaching summer school, I headed to Akron to see my Mom and had planned to use that trip as a stopping-of point for my ARCA Series work at Michigan for two days. I got to Akron and discovered that Mom had developed pneumonia so it was a racing trip that almost didn't happen and I sandwiched the race between hospital trips until other family members could arrive a few days later. I started off July working for ARCA again, this time at Winchester Speedway, which is only about 70 miles from home. Similar to the month of May, it is so nice to work hard at a racetrack all day and then be able to come home and sleep in your own bed! Two days at Winchester was productive and the event ended with a fantastic finish and a first time winner in Brandon Jones who was making his very first ARCA race start ever. I know eventual series champion Mason Mitchell was not happy about how Jones snatched the win from him with a last lap 4th turn bump and run, but that's how racing goes sometimes. Two weeks later, Mitchell made up for it at Chicagoland with his first ARCA series win which I had the pleasure to document through two more days of ARCA Series work. Mason capped it off with perhaps the most epic celebratory burnout of the season, with a cloud of tire smoke billowing to the top of the frontstretch grandstands. It was a great moment to capture and was the springboard for Mitchell's season championship.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1LJMYwXcEm0/VEo_NQp_pYI/AAAAAAADOX0/gkJnOAR7tkE/s1600/IMG_JWA-CHI-2375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1LJMYwXcEm0/VEo_NQp_pYI/AAAAAAADOX0/gkJnOAR7tkE/s1600/IMG_JWA-CHI-2375.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mason Mitchell burned 'em down at Chicagoland</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>The next week I was back in Indy for ARCA's single day event at Lucas Oil Raceway. Shooting these one day race events are often more hectic than longer race weekends, as all the shooting requirements for ARCA are crammed into a condensed schedule with little time for editing. Producing the necessary photo documentation then is the biggest challenge under such time constraints, as I try to blend my own quality standards with the needs of the series. That race was memorable for the fact that Brandon Jones got another ARCA win in only his second series start. It was followed the next weekend by another trip to Mom's in Akron and then the resumption of school and my teaching duties.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-resVcg49wOg/VEpBg0FqFKI/AAAAAAADOYE/a5EtdT9u9Lw/s1600/JWA_8153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-resVcg49wOg/VEpBg0FqFKI/AAAAAAADOYE/a5EtdT9u9Lw/s1600/JWA_8153.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Salem winner Tom Hessert is bathed in sparks</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>A racing drought then ensued for me until the middle of September when I went back to Salem to shoot the ARCA race. I was not shooting for the series that Salem weekend so I was able to enjoy the event and shoot without any deadline pressure which was a nice change. As it turned out, that Salem trip would be the final race event of my 2014 season as I was not able to make my usual return trip to Talladega in October. As I write this now, we are starting our fall break on my teaching job, and even though I am looking back on my 2014 racing work, I am already looking ahead to next year to seek other opportunities. I do have an assignment in December to help shoot the annual ARCA awards banquet here in Indianapolis, so that will be fun and a different type of challenge. I know it's not the usual fast cars and the racing fuel vapors won't bring tears to my eyes, but I will get to see my ARCA friends again and help them celebrate a memorable season. Taken as a whole, I am proud of my body of work this year and enter the off season with no regrets. So if you need someone for 2015 who knows there way around a racetrack and Lightroom, I could be your guy! With that I will leave you with a photo from where my season began this year: dawn at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. See you at the races!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bvtW8G97RYY/VEpEHmWWGZI/AAAAAAADOYM/mb3br_Ll1iI/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bvtW8G97RYY/VEpEHmWWGZI/AAAAAAADOYM/mb3br_Ll1iI/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-0015.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">My first Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona was unforgettable</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><br />Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-11240562634446365252014-10-07T08:05:00.000-04:002014-10-07T08:05:15.724-04:00Street Race in Indy Proposed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVnBR6TX4U0/VDPSlznxo6I/AAAAAAADOVQ/W4D6WrbCn5M/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley--2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVnBR6TX4U0/VDPSlznxo6I/AAAAAAADOVQ/W4D6WrbCn5M/s1600/Photo%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley--2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corvette GTP on the streets of Columbus, Ohio</td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">B</span></b>ut it never happened. Oh how I wish it had.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Back in the 1980's when IMSA was racing in the streets of Columbus, Ohio with the Camel GT series, there was discussion about conducting a similar race here in Indianapolis. This was before the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had an infield road course and before NASCAR came to town, so it seemed like a good idea that never got wings. I'm sure the Hulman family would have been against it. Those of us who remember downtown Indianapolis in the 1980's, however, will recall that Circle Center Mall was just a series of full block holes in the ground, Union Station had just re-opened after renovation, the Hoosier Dome was nearly new and other than the Colts coming to town in 1984, there wasn't a lot to crow about for our fair city.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ever since then, I have wondered what a street race course in Indianapolis might look like. Comparatively speaking, Indy's downtown is doing much better today than 30 years ago and I'm sure the merchants, city fathers and others would never support a street race now, but can you imagine having the Indycar Grand Prix of Indianapolis downtown now? What about the TUDOR United Sports Car Series? Formula 1 would never do it and we couldn't afford Bernie's ransom anyway, so that's out of the question. But we have all the hotels we need right downtown today, the racers could go past our fabulous Eiteljorg Museum, downtown zoo, Lucas Oil Stadium, Victory Field and the Mall, while the Convention Center would be an ideal location for the paddock and a motorsports trade show during the event weekend.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If I were to design an Indy street course, it would look like this; they would run counter-clockwise. My racing photography season is over now so naturally I had to do something to keep myself entertained! Some people ask "Why?" I ask, "Why not?"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8JCjkPty5Z4/VDPRmyLBaQI/AAAAAAADOVM/foCFhXaOzkE/s1600/Indy-Street-Course-Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8JCjkPty5Z4/VDPRmyLBaQI/AAAAAAADOVM/foCFhXaOzkE/s1600/Indy-Street-Course-Map.jpg" height="482" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indianapolis Grand Prix street course circuit<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-6426170370842499052014-09-20T17:40:00.000-04:002014-09-30T07:54:47.326-04:00Mason Mitchell: The Making of an ARCA Champion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQGF0CyHzcU/VB3YB06LKTI/AAAAAAADONc/mZ4ufUUs4aM/s1600/IMG_JWA-CHI-4551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQGF0CyHzcU/VB3YB06LKTI/AAAAAAADONc/mZ4ufUUs4aM/s1600/IMG_JWA-CHI-4551.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mason Mitchell leads Grant Enfinger by 200 points with only Kansas race left</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>he 2014 season in the ARCA racing series has only one race remaining and Mason Mitchell is in position to outlast Grant Enfinger for the season championship. Having worked for ARCA this season and shot seven of the 19 race events run so far in the series, I have had an inside view into the ascension of Mitchell into the champion's role and it has been a thing of beauty to behold. What I've witnessed is the maturation of a race driver into a championship favorite who has learned his lessons well and applied them from race to race in a calculating manner. Barring a catastrophe at Kansas, the pilot of the #98 machine will go to ARCA's season ending banquet in Indianapolis in December as a deserving champion and someone to watch in the future as his stock will surely be on the rise.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BfTC03IMxzQ/VB3alAE8tjI/AAAAAAADONk/NaIf761rfQY/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BfTC03IMxzQ/VB3alAE8tjI/AAAAAAADONk/NaIf761rfQY/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4117.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mason racing door to door at Talladega</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">My first ARCA race of the 2014 season was at Talladega where I was shooting for AP. Tom Hessert won that day but Mason ran in the lead pack. The team's equipment was nicely turned out, but I didn't really know who he was at that time. That isn't surprising since ARCA is renowned as a training ground series and race grids from event to event often feature a revolving door of different young drivers. Mason is one of only six (6) drivers this season who made every ARCA race and no less than 140 different drivers have scored some points this year! A couple of months later at Salem Speedway, Mason was beginning to attract attention for his speed and aggressive style, yet unlike many young drivers, he kept his equipment off the fences and didn't wreck anyone else either. I would not see ARCA compete again until June at Michigan, but it was a big weekend for Mason as he won a hotly contested pole position and could easily have won the race. He seemed shy and reserved at the time when he was outside the car, but his confidence inside the car was clearly growing. I was ARCA's main photographer at Michigan and it was great to be there and personally see his growth over those two days at the track.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zhMsKjF0jKc/VB3fSR6KGOI/AAAAAAADONs/GKvEw6bAtkY/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-1235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zhMsKjF0jKc/VB3fSR6KGOI/AAAAAAADONs/GKvEw6bAtkY/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-1235.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mason earned a hard fought pole position at Michigan in June</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Three weeks after Michigan, Mason got probably his biggest lesson of the season at Winchester Speedway. He was clearly not happy after the race when another young lion, Brandon Jones, barged into Turn 4 on the last lap and body slammed Mason's #98 into the wall and stole a sure win away. It was the first ever ARCA race for Jones and I'm sure Mason had no idea what to expect that last lap when the #4 car loomed large in his mirrors near the end. But he learned and it would pay off later in the season.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ijDOqOmRqFM/VB3hZHfW_lI/AAAAAAADON0/VHqUmnSQk_A/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-3854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ijDOqOmRqFM/VB3hZHfW_lI/AAAAAAADON0/VHqUmnSQk_A/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-3854.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Brandon Jones (#4) stole a Winchester win from Mason</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Two weeks after Winchester, Mason had his big breakthrough for the season: that coveted first win. That came at Chicagoland Speedway where I was again shooting for ARCA and I was really glad to be able to capture his honest jubilation in Victory Lane, along with the epic burnout he did on the frontstretch. Those will two enduring memories of my summer of ARCA racing and I'm sure Mason will not soon forget that Chicagoland weekend where he was in control of the race most of the evening and won without being seriously challenged.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ncr2-gWCh3c/VB3i9LpbDsI/AAAAAAADON8/tdGOvDtNxqo/s1600/IMG_JWA-CHI-2375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ncr2-gWCh3c/VB3i9LpbDsI/AAAAAAADON8/tdGOvDtNxqo/s1600/IMG_JWA-CHI-2375.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">An epic burnout followed Mason's first ARCA win - at Chicagoland Speedway in July</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The very next weekend, ARCA was at Lucas Oil Raceway outside Indianapolis and as the racing gods so often seem to do, it was a forgettable weekend for Mason following on the heels of a most memorable one at Chicagoland. Rear gear troubles cut short a promising run at Lucas Oil and Mason had to face the highs and lows of racing head-on which he did with class. You could see the disappointment in his family and crew after they thrashed for many laps with the car up on jackstands in the pits trying to fix the problem and get him back on track to earn some more points. That weekend also brought a measure of disappointment for me as well, since my summer of shooting for ARCA was at an end and I was going to be back in the classroom resuming my teaching duties a little over a weeks' time.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lM1Gck6_TV4/VB3kvXFKeJI/AAAAAAADOOE/7_f9i6ETSh4/s1600/IMG_JWA-CHI-5022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lM1Gck6_TV4/VB3kvXFKeJI/AAAAAAADOOE/7_f9i6ETSh4/s1600/IMG_JWA-CHI-5022.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mason got a Gatorade bath after winning at Chicagoland</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>The next time I would get to see ARCA in person was at Salem Speedway last weekend, and the lessons learned from the first 17 races all came together for Mason that night. He had a very strong car all night and seemed to be able to lead the race at ease most of the night. Veteran Tom Hessert made a late charge to snatch the lead from Mason with just more than 10 laps to go, but Mason regrouped and mounted his own charge on the final lap, where he and Hessert went side by side the entire lap, making contact coming off of Turn 4 which caused Mason (on the inside) to spin and finish the race in second place while crossing the finish line backwards. Hessert held onto his banged up car for the win and Mason was gracious afterwards, acknowledging that he wanted to race Hessert cleanly and didn't want to get a dirty win. Everyone within earshot knew Mason was referring to the one that got away at Winchester in June and yet this time when the roles were reversed, he did everything he could to fight for the win without crashing another competitor. I know Hessert appreciated it and understood what a challenge he had just overcome.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last night the ARCA series raced at Kentucky Speedway where Mason started second and finished third with his main championship contender Grant Enfinger winding up 30th, which benefited Mason tremendously in the series points race with only Kansas remaining. Now his points lead is up to 200 and Enfinger has his work cut out for him to mount any kind of challenge in the season finale. Grant has had an interesting and rewarding season in its own right. Despite changing teams in mid-season, he still managed to rack up six (6) wins, eleven top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. Mason's work is not done yet but a there's no denying he's had a breakout season and the ARCA championship is within his reach now. Adding another win to his Chicagoland triumph would be icing on the cake, and his record of ten (10) top-five and 16 top-ten finishes is no small feat in this highly competitive series. It has been a pleasure working with ARCA this year and watching Mason Mitchell mature as a racer. If he is ultimately successful and wins the series title at Kansas, I can't wait to congratulate him personally at the banquet in December. Either way, he has represented the series well and made some lasting memories for everyone involved, myself included. Best wishes at Kansas to both Mason and Grant. I will be there in spirit.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lAci4mSV-X0/VB725WEpt3I/AAAAAAADOPA/E0kbgY_oYiI/s1600/BxgdHuzCcAA3LpJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lAci4mSV-X0/VB725WEpt3I/AAAAAAADOPA/E0kbgY_oYiI/s1600/BxgdHuzCcAA3LpJ.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mason's last ditch attempt to pass Tom Hessert at Salem Speedway came up short</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2hmTbDc9EIw/VB3twlR8u0I/AAAAAAADOOU/3o3zODyxbEQ/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-1769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2hmTbDc9EIw/VB3twlR8u0I/AAAAAAADOOU/3o3zODyxbEQ/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-1769.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Taking the green flag at Michigan in June</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ab2mqOZ092I/VB3t_THeg7I/AAAAAAADOOc/JOFdKalPcn0/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-3699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ab2mqOZ092I/VB3t_THeg7I/AAAAAAADOOc/JOFdKalPcn0/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-3699.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Avoiding an opening lap crash at Winchester</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lxod8X_PB3w/VB3uOFatJUI/AAAAAAADOOk/DMTc6zqa8zI/s1600/JWA_6490-LOR-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lxod8X_PB3w/VB3uOFatJUI/AAAAAAADOOk/DMTc6zqa8zI/s1600/JWA_6490-LOR-14.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Racing hard with Grant Enfinger (#90) at Lucas Oil Raceway in July</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_2yedv0lWCU/VB3ufQJ1JAI/AAAAAAADOOs/yGw_N-cBHK8/s1600/JWA_3511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_2yedv0lWCU/VB3ufQJ1JAI/AAAAAAADOOs/yGw_N-cBHK8/s1600/JWA_3511.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mason almost got his second win of the season at Salem in September</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QoI0XolEB58/VB3u2md9meI/AAAAAAADOO0/xyfJ9Cawiyg/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-1869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QoI0XolEB58/VB3u2md9meI/AAAAAAADOO0/xyfJ9Cawiyg/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-1869.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ARCA fields are always strong at the top end with young talents taking on seasoned veterans</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-10080651773694615712014-09-12T08:26:00.001-04:002014-09-12T08:26:10.340-04:00ARCA Racing at Salem as Season Title Race Heats Up<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wCQi9wZVBAI/VBLZPrE3WxI/AAAAAAADOLs/FV1LCMKSQ-w/s1600/JWA_3511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wCQi9wZVBAI/VBLZPrE3WxI/AAAAAAADOLs/FV1LCMKSQ-w/s1600/JWA_3511.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Season points leader Mason Mitchell must hold off Grant Enfinger</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b> haven't been to a race since the end of July when I worked for ARCA at Lucas Oil Raceway, but that drought is about to be over tomorrow when I head down to Salem Speedway for the fall night race. It will be my 17th straight ARCA race at Salem, a streak which began in the fall of 2006 when I was shooting for the now-defunct <i>American Motor Journal </i>publication which was run by my friend, the late Don Hamilton. I hope to see Don's brother Larry this weekend, but even if he's not there, I know there will be plenty of other friends to see at this great little short track which has recently received a facelift of new asphalt. So I expect the action to be even faster than usual, and the boys in the pits better be ready for some right front tire failures if they don't have their setups correct. Lots of teams have been testing there this week so hopefully that work will translate to the race. ARCA better give them eight tires in the pits for the race, but they might need 12!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4EW-3qLPLw/VBLcO5MeG_I/AAAAAAADOL0/NxfyM-30kDA/s1600/Four%2BWide%2B8883%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4EW-3qLPLw/VBLcO5MeG_I/AAAAAAADOL0/NxfyM-30kDA/s1600/Four%2BWide%2B8883%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Four wide racing at Salem was possible in September 2006.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">This weekend I am not working but I will still be taking some pictures, and shooting night racing is a special challenge since lighting conditions are variable depending on where you are at the track, and I will need to balance higher than usual ISO settings with fill flash to get natural looking photos. I prefer to shoot without flash as much as possible nowadays and just use available light as I think the photos look more natural, a lesson learned from other shooters over the years. Since this will likely be my last race for 2014, I plan to touch base with all my ARCA friends and have some fun shooting without the pressure of meeting deadlines or public relations requirements. Other than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, there's no track I've been to more than Salem and this is the 96th time ARCA has raced here so it should be a great night. It looks like the weather will cooperate too, although it will be rather cool for this time of year. They don't call it the "Fall Classic" at Salem for no reason so let's hope it lives up to its history and the ARCA gang puts on its usual good show.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9DiY8CUS2U/VBLfnC0aJfI/AAAAAAADOL8/QsKDsQcinTg/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-1554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9DiY8CUS2U/VBLfnC0aJfI/AAAAAAADOL8/QsKDsQcinTg/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-1554.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Grant Enfinger is chasing his first ARCA title with only three races left</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The entry list for this race shows 34 cars which is outstanding. Even with a few that will start and park, the top of the ARCA field is always highly competitive and this race will be no different. Mason Mitchell leads Grant Enfinger by only 20 points in the season standings but has only one win compared to six (6) for Enfinger. I expect both to qualify and race well but a DNF for either one will hurt their title hopes with only Kentucky and Kansas races left after Salem. The local favorite will be 10-time ARCA champ Frank Kimmel; his nephew Will Kimmel will be attempting a double duty race day by running the Nationwide race at Chicagoland in the afternoon and then flying to Salem to race ARCA at night. Justin Boston turns 25 today and hopes to add a third win to his season total which would be a nice birthday gift. Last year's Fall Classic winner Kyle Benjamin is back to lead another crew of young drivers hoping to steal the spotlight from the older veterans like Kimmel, Ken Schrader and Tom Hessert, all of whom have won at Salem in the past.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dVXyvRzSoBU/VBLiiL6BpSI/AAAAAAADOME/4kRpDpL2x2w/s1600/Salem%2BARCA%2B2013%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley-4104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dVXyvRzSoBU/VBLiiL6BpSI/AAAAAAADOME/4kRpDpL2x2w/s1600/Salem%2BARCA%2B2013%2Bby%2BJay%2BAlley-4104.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ARCA's youngest winner is Kyle Benjamin</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The campers started arriving at Salem earlier this week to stake out their territory and if you haven't been to Salem before then you might not appreciate how big this little race track is for local fans. This has turned into their speedweek with all the testing that has occurred to adapt to the new asphalt. I had one fan a few years ago tell me "he growed up out here" and I knew exactly how he felt, despite the Hoosier-ism of his words. Shooting at Salem and working for ARCA and others the last eight (8) years has helped me grow up as a photographer and I have been truly blessed by the opportunities I've had to pursue my passion for motorsports photography. One of these days, I will have to write a blog post that gives thanks to all the people who have helped me over the years. I am not done shooting racing by any means and you can bet you'll see me at a racetrack near you somewhere down the road. This weekend, that means heading south on I-65 into the hills of southern Indiana to the fast and rugged high banks of Salem Speedway. It's only two hours from Indy so get on down there Saturday and enjoy the show. I know I will. See you at the track!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GCl-hVZQFR0/VBLlX3UkPgI/AAAAAAADOMM/cn3zKkPE7ME/s1600/IMG_1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GCl-hVZQFR0/VBLlX3UkPgI/AAAAAAADOMM/cn3zKkPE7ME/s1600/IMG_1000.JPG" height="436" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-83713301343165383122014-07-27T20:55:00.000-04:002014-07-28T06:42:21.312-04:00ARCA Kids Rule Chicagoland and Lucas Oil Raceway<div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vxz2_C4-uzE/U9WjMC1EYLI/AAAAAAADNDs/kaH-w5_qa8M/s1600/IMG_JWA-CHI-2375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vxz2_C4-uzE/U9WjMC1EYLI/AAAAAAADNDs/kaH-w5_qa8M/s1600/IMG_JWA-CHI-2375.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mason Mitchell's monumental burnout after his Chicagoland win was epic</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>he 2014 season continues to be a year of firsts for ARCA and I've had the pleasure of shooting races this summer which added to the series' lengthy history of important moments. After losing Winchester on the last lap, Mason Mitchell came back at Chicagoland two weeks later with a chip on his shoulder and finally got his first win in the series. Mitchell wrapped up his win with a burnout for the ages and there was no doubting the joy this young man was feeling as he celebrated the win after finishing second four previous times this season. Then this past weekend, Winchester Speedway winner Brandon Jones showed up at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis and swept the event in style with a pole and race win. Jones did it without any last lap heroics this time and managed his second win in only two career ARCA starts!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iskdUBd8mJE/U9Wh4Gg1JcI/AAAAAAADNBE/PlbN9RbjCkI/s1600/JWA_6688-LOR-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iskdUBd8mJE/U9Wh4Gg1JcI/AAAAAAADNBE/PlbN9RbjCkI/s1600/JWA_6688-LOR-14.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Brandon Jones: 2 for 2 in ARCA</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>This is exactly why I enjoy ARCA racing so much: young talented drivers finding their way to victory lane and learning racecraft in the process. Whereas Jones needed a last lap, 4th turn bump and run move to get by Mitchell at Winchester, he was up front all night at Lucas Oil Raceway and took advantage of the misfortunes of others to snag another win. And he did it cleanly as the #4 Exide car had barely a mark on it after 200 frantic laps on the virtually flat 5/8 mile Lucas Oil short track. Similarly, Mitchell stalked the leaders at Chicagoland and won comfortably barely two weeks after his Winchester disappointment. It's a wondrous thing to see these young drivers mature before your eyes. For awhile at Lucas Oil, it looked like Mitchell was going to take back-to-back wins as he had led numerous laps until a rear gear problem knocked him down the order. Having worked all three ARCA races this July in succession, I got to see this maturation process first hand and am going to miss working with these guys now that my teaching responsibilities are gearing up again this week. I guess I will just have to wait until they return to Salem in September to see how they've progressed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OBdnHySJW7Q/U9Whyy0VktI/AAAAAAADNAc/fzOM_sdQnpQ/s1600/JWA_6646-LOR-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OBdnHySJW7Q/U9Whyy0VktI/AAAAAAADNAc/fzOM_sdQnpQ/s1600/JWA_6646-LOR-14.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Justin Boston won at Toledo but gave a win at Lucas Oil away</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>Mitchell and Jones are not the only ARCA "kids". Fifteen year old J. J. Haley has already won a pole this year. Haley and Kyle Weber are so young that they are not allowed to race on any of the big tracks yet! Add in Ken Schrder protege Matt Tifft, Kyle Weatherman, Justin Boston, Austin Wayne Self and others, then you get an idea of how strong this series is in terms of young talent. While Grant Enfinger is a relative veteran and the current ARCA points leader, he and other vets like Tom Hessert, 10-time ARCA champ Frank Kimmel and the busiest man in motorsports Ken Schrader have their hands full every time out as these young guys are fast, fearless and hungry to move up the ladder in stock car racing. I hope I can be there many more times as they fight it out!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While the ARCA gang heads to Pocono this week, I will be getting ready to start another school year teaching algebra and geometry, so my racing work will have to take a backseat to my real livelihood for the time being. But rest assured you will hear from me again as the ARCA season winds down and we find out whether old age and treachery will indeed rule out over youth and exuberance. Until then enjoy these slideshows. If you want to see more photos from these (and other) ARCA races, then follow this link (<a href="http://www.arcaracingphotos.ifp3.com/" target="_blank">ARCA Racing Photo Site</a>) for all the action. See you down the road at a racetrack somewhere.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Chicagoland 150 Race Action</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F6040896955512376257%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Lucas Oil Raceway Scott's 200 Race Action</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F6040900568869576849%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-46304239647005539842014-07-08T08:44:00.001-04:002014-07-08T08:45:00.130-04:00History Made at Winchester by ARCA Again: Rookie Brandon Jones Wins First Time Out<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KFAM3_1n0J0/U7vYrKd4SrI/AAAAAAADKxA/U4ighUmPr1Q/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-4024-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KFAM3_1n0J0/U7vYrKd4SrI/AAAAAAADKxA/U4ighUmPr1Q/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-4024-2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Brandon Jones took his first ARCA win at Winchester</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>ndiana boasts more than its share of short tracks, and Winchester Speedway is the granddaddy of them all, celebrating 100 years of racing this year. So ARCA came to town this past weekend for the 25th time and put on another exciting show on the track which bills itself as "The World's Fastest 1/2 Mile". It's the second ARCA race I have worked this season as its primary photographer and I am beginning to think I am a good luck charm for the young racers who make up so much of ARCA's talent base. As at Michigan last month when Austin Theriault won in his first ever ARCA start, Brandon Jones duplicated that feat Sunday at Winchester with a last lap, last corner bump and run pass to take the win. It was also Jones' first ever ARCA start and the first time he had ever been to Indiana! Second place finisher Mason Mitchell was none too happy about getting roughed up on the last lap, but I'm sure he will learn something from this experience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3GD7o-T-AvE/U7veU9hrxpI/AAAAAAADKxM/goSRfzQnu34/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-1864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3GD7o-T-AvE/U7veU9hrxpI/AAAAAAADKxM/goSRfzQnu34/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-1864.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rick Benjamin led the CBS Sports Spectacular broadcast crew</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The race at Winchester was televised live by CBS Sports Network in a new deal for ARCA and the broadcast was very well done, following on the last one televised from Elko in Minnesota. I am really glad someone has picked up ARCA telecasts for the short tracks as people really need to see these guys race. With more exposure like that, I would hope the fans will come out and support the series more. I admit I might be biased in supporting ARCA, but I have been shooting its races regularly since 2006 and have seen many of the current NASCAR stars make their initial impact in ARCA. If you want to get in on the ground floor of stock car racing's future elite, then ARCA is the place to be. With its 37 degree banking and worn, uneven track surface, Winchester is a fast and daunting little race track with 16 second laps creating a dizzying spectacle for race fans who came out this weekend for the Herr's Taste the Chase 200. If you missed it, be sure to find the CBS telecast as the in-car camera shots give a perfect example of how fast and difficult this track is to navigate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rulgiObybdE/U7ve5o3rzXI/AAAAAAADKxU/4U5tv8vbU5w/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-3577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rulgiObybdE/U7ve5o3rzXI/AAAAAAADKxU/4U5tv8vbU5w/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-3577.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lucy Angel sounded great during pre-race festivities</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">It was really quite a weekend at Winchester. I was there Saturday and Sunday when ARCA and the Top Speed Modifieds raced, but there was a winged sprint car show on Friday with a series organized by former racer and current Indycar team owner Davey Hamilton. Ageless workhorse Kenny Schrader took the pole for the ARCA race and set a new track record in the process. Winchester had former driver Merle Bettenhausen on hand all weekend as the event's grand marshal, and he seemed really thrilled to be involved. Venturini Motorsports was involved in getting country music performers Lucy Angel to entertain fans prior to the ARCA race. I have to give the track folks at Winchester credit for doing everything possible to put together an entertaining and exciting weekend at the race track. While I am sure they were disappointed with the turnout for Friday and Saturday, Sunday's crowd was pretty decent and fans sure got their money's worth from the time they entered the main gate until they headed home after another slam-bang ARCA finish.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FFc8owPEqqc/U7vjKkOOYjI/AAAAAAADKxg/2y3lqUl5oho/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-2885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FFc8owPEqqc/U7vjKkOOYjI/AAAAAAADKxg/2y3lqUl5oho/s1600/IMG_JWA-WIN-2885.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Brandon Jones</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">One of my duties as ARCA's photographer is to take head shots of new drivers before they can practice or race. It's a green screen shot which gets used by television and isn't very difficult technically, but it's a fun opportunity to have some conversation one on one with these "kids" that just keep coming to ARCA to race. I love that part, and now for the last two ARCA races I've worked, a first-time participant has won, so that's why I joked earlier about being a good luck charm for these young racers. Next weekend I have the same job at Chicagoland Speedway, so we'll see who the newbies are again and if that good luck streak continues for someone. Get on out to an ARCA race soon. You'll enjoy it and get some autographs of drivers who have, or who will, make names for themselves in stock car racing! Until next time, here's a short slideshow from the race. If you want to see more of my work from Winchester then go to <a href="http://www.arcaracingphotos.ifp3.com/" target="_blank">ARCA's website</a> and order any photos you'd like to have. See you at the track!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F6033666858908714017%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-13313770743744505162014-06-18T14:33:00.001-04:002014-06-18T14:41:20.693-04:00Another Racing Road Trip Adventure: ARCA Michigan<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iNW3SAAGGmM/U58Z9OLGY8I/AAAAAAADKsw/9ezoLLnYMX4/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-1164-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iNW3SAAGGmM/U58Z9OLGY8I/AAAAAAADKsw/9ezoLLnYMX4/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-1164-copy.jpg" height="200" width="154" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rookie race winner Austin Theriault was impressive</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span></b>hen I left Indianapolis Tuesday morning June 10th to go help my Mom in Akron, Ohio for a couple of days before going to shoot for ARCA at Michigan International Speedway, little did I know what the universe had in store for me. The two days shooting at MIS were actually a great diversion and I was able to hone in on the job I had to do and block out everything else as I immersed myself in covering the Corrigan 200 as ARCA's primary photographer. It turned out to be a very entertaining race, as Austin Theriault won in his very first ARCA start. Not only that, it was the first time he had ever raced on a track longer than one mile. On Thursday when ARCA had use of the track exclusively for its teams, I had no idea that this young man, whose headshot I had to get before he could even go out and practice, would turn out to be the winner. Austin was so nice about it too. I had just grabbed a plate of food for lunch and he came over and asked if I wanted to do the headshot later but I told him I was all set up and ready. The last thing I wanted was to put it off, which would have kept him from practicing when that time came less than an hour later. So congratulations to Venturini Motorsports for once again plucking a young talent seemingly out of thin air and putting him in a race winning car. Last year it was Brennan Poole; this time it was Austin Theriault. Remember that name folks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t9MMZtC2Ndg/U58aOA9HqLI/AAAAAAADKuI/mg02Cz0_SsU/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-1769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t9MMZtC2Ndg/U58aOA9HqLI/AAAAAAADKuI/mg02Cz0_SsU/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-1769.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pole winner Mason Mitchell takes the green flag</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Gettting to MIS and working was the easy part. The hard part was what happened surrounding my Thursday and Friday responsibilities. When I got to Akron Tuesday afternoon, Mom wasn't feeling well and she ended up with a trip to the emergency room that night and then spending several days in the hospital with pneumonia. Anyone with senior parents knows how serious that can be but I knew she was getting the best care possible and I would only be three hours away. So I left for Michigan Wednesday night, worked at MIS for ARCA the next two days and then drove back to Akron Friday night after the Corrigan 200. I spent most of the following three days at the hospital with her and thankfully was able to take her home Monday evening June 16th. Once Mom's sister arrived that evening, I was able to head home to Indy where I rolled in after 1:00 a.m. June 17th. All told, I put in nearly 1250 miles on the road with several late night drives, plus I endured a ton of stress and anxiety over the last week. In contrast to what my Mom had gone through, shooting the race was a piece of cake, and I kept telling myself to have faith - everything was going to work out. And it did, thank God.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dv3YqtMcB0M/U58acDsHObI/AAAAAAADKvY/liQgznIxS8k/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-2215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dv3YqtMcB0M/U58acDsHObI/AAAAAAADKvY/liQgznIxS8k/s1600/IMG_JWA-MIS-14-2215.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">One of my favorites from Victory Lane - Gatorade splashes and the race sponsor hat</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I enjoy shooting for ARCA probably as much as any other racing assignment, partly because there are usually surprise entrants and there's always a certain amount of pressure to deliver photos. I like that. If I screw up, then it's on me, and I have no one to blame. The series typically only has one shooter at each race so getting the photos they need is imperative. I have always had the ability to concentrate and go into hyper-focus mode - whether it was shooting free throws in a basketball game during my playing days or shooting photos for an important client. So that kind of pressure I actually enjoy. At the end of the 100 lap race, I asked a young man who had been shadowing me Friday if he noticed how quickly the race went by. To me, that's what happens when I get busy at a racetrack and I am able to get what I need on the go and move on. That is one of my favorite aspects of shooting motorsports and although I would not suggest that I was in "the zone" at this race, everything seemed to work out perfectly and the timing was right every time I moved to another location. I started off the race in the flagstand, which I had never done before, and ended up in Victory Lane, so it was a busy 100 laps, even before the hat dance began.</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The old saying "no rest for the wicked" seems to apply here, as I have summer school to teach this week and next, but I don't have another race assignment until the July 4th holiday weekend when ARCA races a little closer to home - at Winchester Speedway, only about 70 miles from my home in Indy. I love the high banked short tracks line Winchester and Salem so I am really excited about getting back to work there for ARCA again. Life on the road continues to teach me lessons, so I will try and apply those at the next race. I'm grateful for the chance to work and learn while doing something I'm passionate about. If you're not doing anything in a couple of weeks, then get to Winchester! You never know what will happen. You just might see another future racing star make history and you can say you "saw him when..." </div><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F6025563008485444881%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-66189846302787775602014-05-30T16:48:00.000-04:002014-05-30T16:48:19.403-04:00Ryan Hunter-Reay Swipes 2nd Closest Indy 500 <div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ov4DGyWc0c/U4jr-iDPKCI/AAAAAAADJvo/troZndzgaZo/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ov4DGyWc0c/U4jr-iDPKCI/AAAAAAADJvo/troZndzgaZo/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0021.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ryan Hunter-Reay celebrates winning his first Indy 500 in bold style</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">R</span></b>yan Hunter-Reay has clearly learned his lessons well at the Indy 500 as he boldly passed Helio Castroneves with less than two laps remaining to win the 98th edition of the race on Indy's hallowed ground. Thirty-two years after the closest Indy 500 finish ever, RHR put his name in the record books with the second closest winning margin of 0.06 seconds, a distance of barely more than a few feet from what I saw.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ctL--NOzP6k/U4jsUddNxOI/AAAAAAADJvw/rGjtuHrggow/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ctL--NOzP6k/U4jsUddNxOI/AAAAAAADJvw/rGjtuHrggow/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9997.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">RHR's win was dramatic and the 2nd closest ever at Indy</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I was on the mezzanine roof of the Pagoda Tower overlooking the yard of bricks for the finish and after Friday's photo finish in the Indy Lights Freedom 100 race, I was ready for another photo finish in the 500. While Helio couldn't quite pull it off to finally get his fourth Indy win and assume legend status, he and RHR put on a thrilling late race duel which was accentuated by an unprecedented red flag stoppage with eight laps remaining to repair the SAFER barrier in Turn 2 after Townsend Bell's accident. I thought the 2013 race would be hard to top with its dozens of lead changes but 2014 may have topped it for drama and excitement in the end.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WGOW54kS2P0/U4js39_2XBI/AAAAAAADJv4/54n77viSHWY/s1600/JWA_9244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WGOW54kS2P0/U4js39_2XBI/AAAAAAADJv4/54n77viSHWY/s1600/JWA_9244.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Friday's Carb Day Indy Lights win by Gabby Chaves (#5) in the Freedom 100 was a photo finish</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I was at the 1982 500 standing above the old Victory Lane for the finishing duel between Gordon Johncock and Rick Mears, and I think this year's finish was better in some ways. In '82, Mears was catching Johncock but never passed him, while this year Helio and RHR exchanged the lead several times over the final laps so the winner was truly in doubt right until the checkers flew. Shooting for motorsport.com again this year as I did last year, I had the chance to cover Indy from all over the place, and my race day plan involved moving every 20 laps or so and ending up in the pits for the last third of the race, and on the roof for the finish. While it would have been nice to have Victory Lane access like 2013, I knew early in the day I hadn't gotten that coveted pass so that just meant I had to change my strategy for the end of the race. I knew I would get a checkered flag shot no matter what, and that my photos would be far superior to anything I shot back in 1982 with a borrowed Pentax.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WrFQWbdyefE/U4jtRarQldI/AAAAAAADJwA/ZK_oxgwqkj4/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-9294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WrFQWbdyefE/U4jtRarQldI/AAAAAAADJwA/ZK_oxgwqkj4/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-9294.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Indy's Pagoda before dawn on race day</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>It was a hectic finish to an exhausting and very special day for me for a number of reasons. My first Indy 500 as a credentialed photographer was in 1984 so it was daunting to think about how fast those 30 years have gone by. The day began at 4:00 a.m. as we got up to head to the Speedway and my mom, who has been battling cancer, was able to go with us for the whole experience. We were inside the track and parked by 5:00 a.m. and I've always loved that time inside the Speedway in the pre-dawn darkness when the Pagoda is all lit up, flags flying and the date displayed across its message boards near the top. At 79 years of age, we didn't really expect Mom to go out that early with us and she made it through the whole day with flying colors, able to sit in our Stand B seats in the shade and enjoy the race with my brother, his son and my beautiful and talented photographer assistant. That was quite an accomplishment on her part but then she's a true Indy 500 fan and didn't want to miss a thing. We got her a golf cart ride to the seats around 10:30 race morning and the seats my brother and I share were excellent from all accounts. That's when we parted ways and I began to put my race day shooting strategy into effect.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q6BeVDZb0-E/U4jthrpCesI/AAAAAAADJwI/YWpu9XLWW1E/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q6BeVDZb0-E/U4jthrpCesI/AAAAAAADJwI/YWpu9XLWW1E/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9383.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pre-race pageantry for the 500 from on high</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I started off the race on the roof of the Penthouse in Stand E with a view down the front stretch as I did last year. The panorama from up there is spectacular and the lighting conditions were perfect for low ISO, high saturation shooting, so my pictures were dense and colorful. My original plan was to move to ground level if there was an early caution period but I quickly scrapped that when I saw how hard and clean everyone was racing. So I put my 20 lap plan in motion and went to the slot at ground level where the cars enter Turn 1, then to the outside of Turn 1 and then to the inside of Turn 1 as the race got close to the halfway mark. From there I went on the roof of the F1 garages to shoot down on the cars as they entered Turn 1 and could get shots of passing attempts going into 1. I couldn't believe how fast the first half of the race went by and I managed to get into the pits to shoot a couple of late pit stops before heading to the mezzanine roof for the finish. That's when Indy started cranking up the pressure on the drivers and some ill-advised moves led to accidents and cautions which ultimately set up the frantic finish. After the ceremonies in Victory Lane and the kissing of the bricks, I then had a couple of hours of editing and uploading to do before finally leaving the track sometime after 6:00 p.m. By 8:00 p.m., I was all used up and the "Energizer Bunny" was out of juice; I crashed hard for 12 hours without even trying to watch the race replay on local television.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LHVu5Pb_sDM/U4jtxxEAYyI/AAAAAAADJwQ/oyitRdpS3F4/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LHVu5Pb_sDM/U4jtxxEAYyI/AAAAAAADJwQ/oyitRdpS3F4/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9690.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Turn 1 stands in the Southwest Vista were packed</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I had been fighting an upper respiratory bug since the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, so now it was two weeks later, the 500 was over, and the end of Indy's "Month of Jay" had taken its toll. I felt like I had been kicked in the chest by a mule and my head was about to explode. Over the previous five weekends, I had shot at Salem for ARCA, traveled to Talladega and back to shoot ARCA and NASCAR for Associated Press, then worked the Grand Prix and the 500 for motorsport.com. It was a schedule that looked daunting last winter and reality proved that to be true. Did I mention working in different time zones, dealing with crazy extremes in weather, long distance driving, and still managing my regular teaching job? Anyway, I made it to a medcheck the night after the 500 once we got home from driving my Mom to her sister's in Warsaw on Memorial Day. All of a sudden, it seemed, another Indy 500 was in the books. As I write this now I am feeling much better with the antibiotics on board, our school year has ended, and my 57th birthday is this weekend. All is right with the world.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I only have one question: Is it May yet?<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qpyVSfWEUBk/U4juExNKoeI/AAAAAAADJwY/6gibuzKDpE4/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qpyVSfWEUBk/U4juExNKoeI/AAAAAAADJwY/6gibuzKDpE4/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9730.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ryan Hunter-Reay (#28) got the best of Helio Castroneves (#3) in a colorful duel of yellow cars</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-39728173116562904862014-05-20T10:29:00.002-04:002014-05-20T10:29:53.817-04:00The 98th Indy 500: By The Numbers<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sau9G7LQtoE/U3tblT-7GeI/AAAAAAADJS0/_Q_HZjahAT8/s1600/JWA_8971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sau9G7LQtoE/U3tblT-7GeI/AAAAAAADJS0/_Q_HZjahAT8/s1600/JWA_8971.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Indy winners add their names and faces to history on the Borg Warner trophy</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b>he 98th Indianapolis 500 is just five days away and the final practice session on Carburetion Day is up next in three days. So my annual foray into looking at the numbers for Indy is due. Since I'm a numbers guy, this is one of the more enjoyable blog posts I do every year as the history of Indy is chock full of statistics. This month alone, drivers have logged 10,959 total laps on Indy's 2.5 mile rectangular oval which equates to 27,397.5 miles. I'm sure that total would have been much higher if rain had not cut short several practice days last week. That's the equivalent of over 54 full race distances so every driver entered this year could have run 1.66 Indy 500's already. But the only 500 miles that counts is coming up this Sunday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-khP3KdH92iE/U3tc8JPlZhI/AAAAAAADJS8/laodzODe5ig/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-khP3KdH92iE/U3tc8JPlZhI/AAAAAAADJS8/laodzODe5ig/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9075.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ed Carpenter, 2013 and 2014 pole position winner</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">To paraphrase Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, "There's no place like Indianapolis." 500 miles. 200 laps. 800 left turns. Seven or 8 pit stops. 33 drivers. One winner. Over the first 97 races, 67% of the winners have started in the first seven positions, so even though the qualifying format was changed this year due to having only 33 entrants, everyone knows that starting up front matters. That is why the Fast 9 shootout was so important this past Sunday. Thirty years ago in 1984, there were 117 cars entered, so while the times have certainly changed, the importance of winning the pole has not, since 20 previous winners have started in P1. With Ed Carpenter getting his second consecutive Indy 500 pole, he could be the rabbit for the rest of the field to chase on race day. Oddsmakers have him listed as a 7-1 choice to win. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70etny1kE3k/U3td8iYPkZI/AAAAAAADJTE/e8wZPOXhc6s/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-7165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70etny1kE3k/U3td8iYPkZI/AAAAAAADJTE/e8wZPOXhc6s/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-7165.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">JPM could do it again this year</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Car numbers also have an important history at Indy. Ed Carpenter's #20 has only won three times but the last one to do it with that number was Emerson Fittipaldi in 1989 in the famous duel with Al Unser, Jr. So now 25 years later, Ed has a chance to add his name to the list of winners with that car number. The car number with the second most all-time wins is #2, and this year that belongs to Juan Pablo Montoya who returns to Indy this year 14 years after his one and only 500 appearance when he won as a rookie in 2000. Montoya is also listed at 7-1 odds to win and he is with the powerful Penske team which has racked up more wins than any other team in Indy history. He will have his work cut out for him but he was the quickest driver outside the Fast 9 and nearly had the fastest qualifying attempt of the entire field. JPM will be highly motivated to win again and he has the backing to do it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t7VSkXOCpB8/U3tfM2gLpXI/AAAAAAADJTQ/OS1Z1CJA46s/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t7VSkXOCpB8/U3tfM2gLpXI/AAAAAAADJTQ/OS1Z1CJA46s/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9063.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Is Will Power ready to win Indy?</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Second and third place starting positions have each produced 11 Indy winners so James Hinchliffe and Will Power will be forces to reckon with. The Mayor of Hinchtown has had a tough month of May at Indy, suffering a concussion in the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis which kept him off the track for a couple of days during 500 practice last week. But he stormed back in style during the Fast 9 shootout and was on the pole until Carpenter's run as the last qualifier knocked him off. Hinch goes off at 8-1 odds to win. "Willy P" finally won his first oval race last year at Fontana and is at 7-1 odds to win. Historically the third starting position has had an advantage getting into Turn 1 on the start, being on the preferred line, so watch for Will to lead the first lap. I don't think either Hinch or Power will lead the last lap however, as so much can go wrong over 500 miles at Indy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KcO-Ic0_7l4/U3tiegIbT7I/AAAAAAADJTY/PYwD7Swt7i4/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-2593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KcO-Ic0_7l4/U3tiegIbT7I/AAAAAAADJTY/PYwD7Swt7i4/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-2593.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Can Marco Andretti finally get some good luck at Indy?</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the oddsmakers, yellow cars will be the ones to watch this Sunday as Marco Andretti is listed as the overall favorite at 5-1. Marco nearly won Indy as a rookie in 2006 and is always strong in the 500 but the Andretti luck (or lack thereof) always seems to bite him in the race. I don't see that changing this year even though he has a strong team at Andretti Autosports behind him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My favorite to win is the yellow car in the throwback paint scheme: Helio Castroneves. The Pennzoil livery mimics that worn by the car driven by Rick Mears in 1984. Mears just happens to be a four-time Indy winner for Penske and Helio could match that with a win this weekend. He is listed at 6-1 odds behind Marco and is starting fourth where six previous winners have started. He has the #3 on the nose of his Dallara which has been on Indy winners a total of 11 times, the most of any car number. Helio was also the last driver to win wearing the #3 so while his hopes of winning another Indy pole position didn't pan out last Sunday, he would surely trade a pole for Indy win #4 on May 25th. Whatever happens, I will be there shooting for <a href="http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/photos/main-gallery/?sz=2&ph=1622&y=2014&s=2" target="_blank">motorsport.com</a> again so be sure to visit the site often to see my photos and get all the news from the Speedway. It's called "The Speedway" for a reason so come on out to IMS this weekend and see history in the making.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h8q5AqqK_-Y/U3tlFwQ6NOI/AAAAAAADJTg/sAOW7oI2wd8/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-7630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h8q5AqqK_-Y/U3tlFwQ6NOI/AAAAAAADJTg/sAOW7oI2wd8/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-7630.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">My fearless Indy 500 prediction: Helio Castroneves will get Indy win #4 this Sunday</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-36474418491333107352014-05-15T11:19:00.002-04:002014-05-15T11:19:17.039-04:00Indy 500: Rain, Rain, Go Away<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zJkaEXM2t5Y/U3TVxyjcGII/AAAAAAADJR8/ksDCaKDe6gg/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-6949-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zJkaEXM2t5Y/U3TVxyjcGII/AAAAAAADJR8/ksDCaKDe6gg/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-6949-2.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rain gave way to cool, windy gray skies Wednesday at IMS</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span></b>ednesday May 14th was a perfect example of why I love the Indy 500 and living in Indianapolis during the month of May. Spring weather in central Indiana is notoriously unpredictable and the last few days have been all of that and more. Last weekend for the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the first day of practice for the 500, it was in the 80's with lots of sunshine. Yesterday the forecast was for rain the entire day with falling temperatures, which was mostly correct, and when I got up yesterday morning, I thought sure the whole day would be a washout. By 3:00 o'clock I could see that the parking lots were drying at the school where I teach so I kept checking the weather radar, Twitter and the Speedway's "garage cam" hoping that it might clear up enough for some track activity once I was done with classes at 4:00. Sure enough, the weather "window" opened and by the time I got to IMS, track drying was almost complete and I knew I had gotten lucky. Living in Indy is May can provide bonuses like that when it's usually less than 30 minutes to get to the track no matter where you are. But now it was much colder and blustery so I needed the jacket and gloves I keep in my car just for days like yesterday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZtgP_RMrLWA/U3TW3gHsxHI/AAAAAAADJSM/am-POW7_rcw/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-7070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZtgP_RMrLWA/U3TW3gHsxHI/AAAAAAADJSM/am-POW7_rcw/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-7070.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Josef Newgarden's crew makes pit lane adjustments</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Once the track went green, the activity got frantic as there appeared to be another bad weather cell moving in that could cut the already short day even shorter. I knew I had to get busy as well since there would be lots of people that would write the day off and I had an opportunity to get photos for <a href="http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/photos/main-gallery/">motorsport.com</a> that could be unique with so few people around. I decided to concentrate on the garage area, pit lane and the front stretch since it wasn't clear how long the weather window would stay open. I noticed right away that teams were really pushing hard to get laps run and were making lots of pit lane adjustments rather than wheeling the cars all the way back to the garage area. The order of the day seemed to be spring and shock changes and it was very interesting to see that work being done while packs of cars raced down the main straight in the background.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--IvKy8tz68A/U3TWaVJtk4I/AAAAAAADJSE/-CFcfIHZHcs/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-7172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--IvKy8tz68A/U3TWaVJtk4I/AAAAAAADJSE/-CFcfIHZHcs/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-7172.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ryan Briscoe (8) passes EJ Viso on the front stretch</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There was also a lot of drafting and running in packs with passes being made going into Turn 1, which I thought was highly unusual with only two practice days left before qualifying. However, the forecast for today and tomorrow calls for more rain and the weekend temperatures are predicted to only be in the 50's, so any laps the teams could run could prove beneficial as the conditions Wednesday likely were similar to what they will face this weekend. There were lots of concerned faces on pit lane as the next weather system approached and then Jack Hawksworth crashed in Turn 3 around 6:00 which would have been the normal closing time for the track. But in another example of how the Speedway has become more open to adapting to circumstances, they had announced that practice would be extended to 7:00 pm which was quite unusual for a weekday practice day. Then it rained again and the day was over after only an hour or so of practice, yet teams still ran over 1,000 laps.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dR2zm2Qv1Mw/U3TXLKSNbQI/AAAAAAADJSU/nHHDU37QF0Y/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-6981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dR2zm2Qv1Mw/U3TXLKSNbQI/AAAAAAADJSU/nHHDU37QF0Y/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-6981.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Roger Penske looked concerned Wednesday</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">With GP of Indy winner Simon Pagenaud setting fast time in Wednesday's abbreviated practice session and more wet weather in the forecast, teams are going to start feeling the pressure of Indianapolis ratchet up. Everyone starts the week feeling free and easy with lots of time to prepare on the calendar but Mother Nature often has her own ideas about the actual track time. Indy is a place that everyone wants to win and there is little risk of bumping this year, yet teams still want to start up front and the competition between Penske, Ganassi and Andretti has now been supplemented by Sam Schmidt's relatively small team and their talented wheelman Pagenaud. Even if the weather isn't warm, a team and driver can get hot at Indy where everything just seems to fall into place. It's too soon to say whether Pagenaud and Schmidt will have that kind of month but I would be willing to bet the other teams have taken notice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have to teach late today and won't be able to get back to IMS until tomorrow afternoon, so much could change between now and then. I'm glad I'm only 30 minutes away from the track no matter what and I'll be doing my best to make some <a href="http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/photos/main-gallery/" target="_blank">pictures for motorsport.com</a>. Why? Because it's Indy and that's what I do. See you at the Speedway! ANd keep checking <a href="http://www.motorsport.com/" target="_blank">motorsport.com </a>for more Indy 500 news and photos.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hp24BPJbO68/U3TZVPsfzaI/AAAAAAADJSc/i11xxIcYCk0/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-7083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hp24BPJbO68/U3TZVPsfzaI/AAAAAAADJSc/i11xxIcYCk0/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-7083.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tools of the trade at Indianapolis. Who will have the magic combination?</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-73069093982326161192014-05-13T12:54:00.000-04:002014-05-13T12:54:33.729-04:00Simon Pagenaud Wins Inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ipnPRjo7Kxo/U3DkBtK1SyI/AAAAAAADJNQ/TvvsMOYQTCY/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-6552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ipnPRjo7Kxo/U3DkBtK1SyI/AAAAAAADJNQ/TvvsMOYQTCY/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-6552.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Simon Pagenaud: now an Indy winner</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">B</span></b>y just about any measure, the first ever Indycar road course race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) was a success. The weather for race day was perfect and a decent crowd reportedly in excess of 40,000 fans showed up. The infield spectator mounds were packed and the Indycar drivers put on a show for those in attendance. I have suggested to many people that this was a perfect opportunity for the casual Indycar fan to experience the Verizon Indycars in a road racing setting. And what better place to do it than at the Speedway? Not only that, if the only Indycar race you have ever attended is the Indianapolis 500, then watching the Indycar drivers joust on the IMS road course should have been an eye opener. The course was fast and racy, and there was much to see, beginning with a start line accident and ending with the fast and likable Frenchman Simon Pagenaud taking his third career Indycar win. Indiana's harsh winter and late spring did no favors for the Speedway's crews who were tasked with preparing the reconfigured road course for the event, as some areas where earthmoving had occurred were a little ragged and not up to the Speedway's usual level of landscape grooming. But I don't think anyone noticed who was there and the show went on with relatively few glitches.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6VL866kXrPY/U3DmXCAPUHI/AAAAAAADJNc/gTqnH0ox3yI/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-1367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6VL866kXrPY/U3DmXCAPUHI/AAAAAAADJNc/gTqnH0ox3yI/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-1367.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Sebastian Bourdais on the IMS frontstretch following one of Friday's rain showers</b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I was shooting for<a href="http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/photos/main-gallery/?sz=2&ph=1622&y=2014&s=2&p=2" target="_blank"> motorsport.com</a> and had a very busy weekend with two full days of shooting the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on Friday and Saturday followed by a quick turnaround for the opening day of Indy 500 practice on Sunday. The weather on Friday was typical spring in Indiana - if you don't like the weather then wait five minutes and it will change. And change it did, with several different periods of rain quickly giving way to sunshine and dry conditions.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZD62c_kXM8/U3JJJO2wMKI/AAAAAAADJN0/jiNSB3b7eYE/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-5822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZD62c_kXM8/U3JJJO2wMKI/AAAAAAADJN0/jiNSB3b7eYE/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-5822.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ryan Hunter-Reay found the wall in GP of Indy qualifying</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>This really created challenges for the teams but made for some very interesting photo opportunities, with rooster tails of spray galore and a potential Indycar pole winner, Ryan Hunter-Reay, smacking the concrete during Indycar qualifications after hydroplaning in Turn 14. I was waiting near the yard of bricks in the pits to take pictures of the pole award when the sound of squealing tires resonated between the grandstands on the front stretch, followed shortly by the crunch of Hunter-Reay's car into the wall. It has been quite awhile since I have heard an Indycar crack the concrete at IMS but it was quite loud and very different than the sound heard for the last few years when they hit the metal SAFER barriers. It's a good thing it was not a high speed accident and I think this area of the front stretch is something they will need to address in the future by extending the SAFER barrier further north so the cars can't hit concrete when coming back onto the oval from Turn 14.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dhmb1g06xQo/U3JIEtCCqjI/AAAAAAADJNw/jzBfDpQvqCc/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-5019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dhmb1g06xQo/U3JIEtCCqjI/AAAAAAADJNw/jzBfDpQvqCc/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-5019.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Simon Pagenaud navigates a turn in Indy's infield</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I felt like I had a good weekend shooting and it's nice seeing my pictures used with various articles on motorsport.com. The site uses a ton of pictures from a variety of sources and I am glad to be considered as a contributor. Even as long as I've been shooting racing, I am still amazed when a situation comes up which forces me to learn something new. I had a couple of those situations this weekend and I am glad that they arise as they keep me on my toes and force me to evaluate what I am doing and how I am doing it. I won't tell you all the things I've learned this weekend, but I sure wish I had a 500 mm lens!<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AUJIAopCuvc/U3JJo3RgsmI/AAAAAAADJN8/4IbY2okaRf0/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-6677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AUJIAopCuvc/U3JJo3RgsmI/AAAAAAADJN8/4IbY2okaRf0/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-6677.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The new/old paint scheme Helio Castroneves has for the 500</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>Now the attention shifts from the IMS road course to the oval for the Indy 500. Qualifications are this weekend and the whole format has been changed so the pole winner won't be known until Sunday. Helio Castroneves is looking for his fourth Indy 500 win and leads the Penske stable in bright yellow Pennzoil colors this year, a paint scheme virtually identical to the one sported by another Penske driver and four-time Indy winner Rick Mears. Helio even changed his helmet design to mimic the one used by Mears back in the day. It's no surprise that after only two days of practice that Penske drivers are near the top of the speed charts, and the competition this week between Roger Penske's crew of Helio, Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya will be fierce. Power finally won an oval race last season and Montoya won the 500 in his only previous try so they will certainly be drivers to watch. Michael Andretti's five car stable will also be in the mix, despite Hunter-Reay's accident and the concussion suffered by Jame Hinchcliffe in Indy's GP race. Of course the picture wouldn't be complete without Chip Ganassi who has last year's Indy 500 winner (Tony Kanaan), last year's Indycar season champion (Scott Dixon) and the return of Ryan Briscoe who has won the pole for the 500 before.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vNOPkJGK3wI/U3JNZsMBuDI/AAAAAAADJOI/c0n81_FqktE/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vNOPkJGK3wI/U3JNZsMBuDI/AAAAAAADJOI/c0n81_FqktE/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0445.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Every driver wants their likeness on the Borg-Warner trophy</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I am looking forward to getting back to the track to work this week as my teaching schedule gives me limited opportunities until later in the week. Qualifying this weekend should be interesting but Pole Day will be different this year. Pole Day has historically been the first Saturday of qualifications for decades, but now the "Fast Nine" has been moved to Sunday. Changes to qualifying this year have been done to spice up qualifying weekend due to the slim entry list and concerns about whether the traditional field of 33 cars will be achievable this year. No one is certain how this new format will work out, but one thing is certain about the Speedway now: nothing is certain. The new leadership of the track has shown the willingness to try lots of new things in order to maximize revenues from the property. Seeking public funding assistance as they did in 2013 for future improvements was a whole new arena for IMS management. When I read recently that former Governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels, has joined the Board, I knew that the groundwork was being laid for future forays into the politics of public money. Having the Sports Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) conduct a three day race event in June is another new addition to the IMS calendar for 2014. Now if the Town of Speedway can follow through on its plans to change the alignment of 16th Street and other nearby roads, maybe IMS will have enough land on the south end of the track to build a condo/race suite tower ala Texas, Atlanta and other racetracks.<br /><br />I doubt anyone will be thinking about road or condo construction at IMS this weekend, with the possible exception of Doug Boles and Mark Miles. I just hope they can put on a good show for the fans, since I'm not sure the speed and risk of qualifying really translates all that well on television. Now with a few more inches of turbo boost, that could all change too! I'll be back with more later from the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Stay tuned.</div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-61029278271244124152014-05-07T13:01:00.002-04:002014-05-07T13:01:21.191-04:00Dega Done: Grand Prix of Indy Up Next<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dULFwsTJ940/U2kY7PmdGlI/AAAAAAADI-w/tCL8ouZ9Z7M/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dULFwsTJ940/U2kY7PmdGlI/AAAAAAADI-w/tCL8ouZ9Z7M/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0281.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This Is Talladega! The Nationwide Series put on a wild show on Saturday</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span></b>y Talladega road trip last weekend to shoot ARCA and NASCAR for Associated Press went off without a hitch and now I am gearing up for Indycars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) the rest of this month. Track action for the first ever road course race at IMS kicks off tomorrow and then the Verizon Indycar competitors begin Indy 500 practice on the big oval this Sunday, one day after the Grand Prix of Indianapolis is run. It's a quick turnaround for everyone and the big question will continue to be: will they get 33 cars for the traditional 11 rows of three for the 500? We shall see, and I will be shooting for motorsport.com and blogging throughout the month to share my impressions. You know I will have an opinion or ten to share!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f_Id_wGhyLM/U2pedPo1JLI/AAAAAAADJME/gQO14ix5gOg/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f_Id_wGhyLM/U2pedPo1JLI/AAAAAAADJME/gQO14ix5gOg/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4747.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">AP used this shot of Denny Hamlin taking the Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup win on Sunday</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I had an excellent weekend at Dega, not quite as good as last October's NASCAR weekend, but I did get five pictures out on the AP wire from Saturday and Sunday's races. I didn't photograph any flipping race cars like last fall, but I did get to shoot some celebrities, some crashes and cars on fire, which is a pretty good setup for a freelance stringer like me. I really enjoyed the variety of shooting locations from which I worked this weekend, and the confidence my AP bosses have shown in me when I go to Dega. Even if I don't sell any pictures, I am still highly motivated to do a great job for them every time I go down there. Saturday morning for the ARCA race, I was on top of the highest grandstand in the tri-oval. Then I got moved to the Turn 4 photo tower in the afternoon for the Nationwide race. I didn't have a hot pass so I didn't worry about shooting in the garage or pits, and then Sunday I got positioned at pit exit on the inside with a perfect view of the start-finish line and the flag stand. My job was to get the checkered flag shot Sunday and stay ready for anything else which might happen. I was hoping for a photo finish but the shot (above) that I got of Denny Hamlin taking the checkered and yellow flags was on the money so I was a happy camper.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oc_YZaykFJs/U2pfAMTqLFI/AAAAAAADJMM/_0yMQf2yWfA/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oc_YZaykFJs/U2pfAMTqLFI/AAAAAAADJMM/_0yMQf2yWfA/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4420.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kasey Kahne's car caught fire during Saturday's Nationwide race; he was not hurt</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>One of the biggest thrills shooting for AP is to google my name afterwards to see where my photos have been used. Their worldwide distribution is among the best in mass media and the first link I saw of my Denny Hamlin shot was from the <i>Denver Post</i>! Another great aspect about shooting for AP in other parts of the country is the chance to meet and work with people I wouldn't ordinarily encounter. My experience has been that southern hospitality is a real thing, and when I got to the track Saturday morning, one of the first familiar voices I heard was a woman hollering "Hey babycakes!" and I knew it was an AP connection. Last fall at Dega, I had told the wife of an AP shooter about the nicknames my lady friend has given me (including The Energizer Bunny, Mr. Photographer and Babycakes) so it was cool that she remembered and greeted me that way. She was there to shoot and help out as our photo runner and her husband and I kept her busy on Saturday with repeated trips to our location in Turn 4 during the Nationwide race. The above shot of Kasey Kahne was from Saturday's race and for a photo stringer, the more spectacular the incident the better.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bsea1PCUGPA/U2phFDZVFNI/AAAAAAADJMg/wDmgf2bAEss/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-3956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bsea1PCUGPA/U2phFDZVFNI/AAAAAAADJMg/wDmgf2bAEss/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-3956.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Actress Pamela Anderson at Dega</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>A two day race weekend can be exhausting but it's always worth it. Sometimes there's luck involved with photos that get put on the wire and sometimes it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time and being ready. That happened Saturday morning as I went into the ARCA garage area to say hello to my ARCA series friends and was told that actress Pamela Anderson was there with ARCA driver Leilani Munter. Naturally I had to go make some pictures. I forgot all about the shots until later that day when the AP folks were looking at my CF cards. As a result, they found two of Anderson that got transmitted. I assure you celebrity photos were the last thing I expected to get used this past weekend. Does it get any better that that? I keep asking myself the same question and the universe keeps on answering with a resounding "The best is yet to come" the more I shoot and network.<br /><br />So tomorrow the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens for the first Grand Prix of Indianapolis, I have the hot pass I need to shoot in the pits during the race and will be extremely busy covering the event from all angles for motorsport.com. Working for them is a whole different ballgame compared to AP as I have freedom to roam the track, shoot people, cars in action and "event" setting shots for uploading. My next three weekends are set for Indycar racing, my first motorsports love, and I get to do it at the most famous racetrack in the world. For now I will leave you with slideshows from all three races at Talladega this past weekend. Your best bet is to find me on Twitter @alleygroup if you want to track me down. See you at Indy!<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup Race Action</span></b><br /><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F6010718089033775697%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Aaron's 312 Nationwide Series Race Action</span></b></div><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F6010355791090826481%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">ARCA Hall of Fame 200 Race Action</span></b><br /><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F6010401980261275377%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-35585083114764057582014-05-04T10:52:00.001-04:002014-05-04T11:09:34.748-04:00Talladega Baby!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wGWMBUaPiXg/U2ZS1UcQYII/AAAAAAADI5A/zWFdsc-v0OY/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wGWMBUaPiXg/U2ZS1UcQYII/AAAAAAADI5A/zWFdsc-v0OY/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0312.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">As they like to say in Bama, "This is Talladega"</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span></b>o far, so good. The trip south has gone off without a hitch with a near record drive time on Friday, perfect weather for the weekend, and I got four pictures moved by AP yesterday. Today is the Aaron's 499 and I will be in Turn 1 at ground level for the first time and am told I should have a view of the start-finish line. Shooting in the Turn 4 tower yesterday for the Nationwide race was fruitful and I am looking forward to another good day here at Dega. To paraphrase an old Saturday Night Live line: "Talladega has been very, very good to me." </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sb7FeNtfMwI/U2ZTI-OHLNI/AAAAAAADI5I/bsM2AUQc2Es/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sb7FeNtfMwI/U2ZTI-OHLNI/AAAAAAADI5I/bsM2AUQc2Es/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4260.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Elliott Sadler (11) took the Nationwide win</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Today I will just concentrate on doing my job, which is to make pictures that help AP tell the story of the event. Our friend Dave Martin is no longer with us after suffering a heart attack shooting a college bowl game this past New Year's Eve, but he is here in spirit and we are all thinking about him. There's already been conversation about "Mullet-isms" and not having him around this year to engage in the story telling he was known for has been strange. But as I have said before, I learned a lot from Dave and will try my best to live up to his legacy today. His pet phrase and pep talk was to go "make some f-ing pictures" and that sentiment underlies everything we do here. At our photo meeting this morning, we were encouraged to go make the best pictures of our lives and not to "get beat" by the competition. High standards indeed, but the ingredients and experience are here to make that a reality.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hs0qx_b4j_s/U2ZTcKuMERI/AAAAAAADI5Q/d8JSktRqgDQ/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hs0qx_b4j_s/U2ZTcKuMERI/AAAAAAADI5Q/d8JSktRqgDQ/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4311.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Nationwide race had it's "Big One" Saturday in Turn 4</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyone who follows NASCAR knows that Talladega is known for three- and four-wide pack racing which almost always seems to lead to "The Big One" where a wad of race cars ends up in the wall. Yesterday's Nationwide race was no different and I was on it from the beginning as they entered Turn 3. As they came out from behind the wall of motor homes in front of me, I loosened up my framing, and in hindsight I was probably too loose. Consider it a lesson learned for today...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Once I head back to Indy tonight, my crazy month of May will shift gears and focus on Indycar racing for the rest of the month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Being at Talladega is a fantastic way to start off the month and I know that whatever has gone on before today, there is one certainty: the best is yet to come.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XulkqKC5Vdc/U2ZTvdSs5lI/AAAAAAADI5Y/edqEehP0np0/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XulkqKC5Vdc/U2ZTvdSs5lI/AAAAAAADI5Y/edqEehP0np0/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-4337.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Nationwide race got tight and they commenced to wreckin'</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-5396860582503047672014-05-01T14:28:00.002-04:002014-05-01T15:22:00.908-04:00It's Finally May! Let The Madness Begin<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D-YlyStwyME/U2IvrKJn6gI/AAAAAAADI3g/ctwSBfkJ83Y/s1600/JWA_3564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D-YlyStwyME/U2IvrKJn6gI/AAAAAAADI3g/ctwSBfkJ83Y/s1600/JWA_3564.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Schrader (#52) leads the field at Salem on April 27, 2014</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></b>fter shooting last Sunday's race at the rough and rugged half mile of Salem Speedway for ARCA, May has finally arrived and it is off to the big tracks for the next few weeks. So if you ask the question "Where in the world is Jay?" ala Where's Waldo, the answer now will be Talladega and Indianapolis, as I head south this weekend to shoot ARCA and NASCAR for Associated Press and then back home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next weekend for the very non-traditional opening of the track with the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis for motorsport.com. Last weekend started a string of weekends where I will be shooting racing and my birthday wraps up this month so it's no wonder that people who know me refer to this as "The Month of Jay". I like that!<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aaKOqpFwO2o/U2Ingbw00PI/AAAAAAADI1U/qGv5HpRnSsI/s1600/JWA_3619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aaKOqpFwO2o/U2Ingbw00PI/AAAAAAADI1U/qGv5HpRnSsI/s1600/JWA_3619.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Schrader's damaged car after the race</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>This was my 16th straight ARCA race at Salem and the series always puts on a good show. The race is a big deal for local fans and I always enjoy shooting there. It looked like Ken Schrader had it in the bag until about 10 laps to go when he ran into the back of a lapped car which was fighting to stay on the lead lap. Schrader damaged his right front fender and on the final restart blew the right front tire which sent him into the wall in Turn 1 after taking the green. Some people were upset that ARCA did not throw the yellow but Kenny kept running slowly and finished the race out of the racing line, so I think it was a good call to let the eventual winner Grant Enfinger fight it out with Spencer Gallagher. Since ARCA will run as many green-white-checkers as are necessary to finish under green, I don't see how Enfinger's popular win can be disappointing to anyone, but then racers are an opinionated lot, so I am not surprised that there was some grumbling.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V3VUANt2o7w/U2Innn9KgAI/AAAAAAADI2I/L0UdSb2IgMY/s1600/JWA_3699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V3VUANt2o7w/U2Innn9KgAI/AAAAAAADI2I/L0UdSb2IgMY/s1600/JWA_3699.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Schrader congratulated winner Grant Enfinger with style</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I think I've been to more races at Salem now than at any track besides Indy so it has become a home away from home. It's especially nice since I have friends who head up Salem's track safety crew and we have a bit of a reunion each time I make the trek down I-65. I am also looking forward to shooting ARCA this weekend at Talladega for AP. The big bonus for me comes this June and July when I will do five (5) races as the main photographer for the ARCA series: Pocono (for the first time), Michigan, Winchester, Chicagoland and Lucas Oil Raceway. As a result, I will get to see ARCA race on all kinds of circuits this year while providing photos for the series' websites and social media presence. So I'll probably have some other road trip stories to tell this summer on the way to Indiana-ville.<br /><br />Tomorrow I head south on I-65 again, but this time just a bit further south: Talladega! It will be my first event with the Birmingham/Montgomery AP gang since local AP chief photographer Dave Martin died this past New Year's Eve while shooting a college football bowl game. I expect another reunion of sorts is likely with many people I met through working with Dave. I learned a lot from him and he always took care of me at Dega, so I am anxious to see everyone again and make some f-ing pictures, as "Mullet" would say. I'm sure there will be some sort of tribute to him this weekend, and I am glad to have the chance to be a part of whatever happens. My biggest regret in working for Dave is that I don't have a single picture of he and I together, so I hope we make sure and take a group picture with everyone shooting for AP this weekend. Life is short and we never know when our last time together will be.<br /><br />I've had some amazing weekends at Dega, going back to my first spring race in 2011 when tornadoes and severe weather wracked the area on the Friday night preceding the weekend. I was camping in an area outside the track that year and was getting calls from friends and family back home in Indy to see if I was OK as they heard reports of the Alabama weather. Similar weather strafed the Birmingham area this past week and I know several of my AP friends were out in harm's way getting pictures of the storms and their aftermath. Last year's race weekend was also effected by bad weather with lengthy rain delays both Saturday and Sunday, when I spent successive 10+ hour days hiking up and down the main grandstands either shooting or taking cover from the elements. The forecast is much better for this weekend so I am excited to see how the ARCA, Nationwide and Sprint Cup races will play out. I'm thinking the over-under on how many minutes it will take before I hear a fan holler "Junior!" once I'm at the track is two. That may be conservative.<br /><br />After Dega comes Indy the next weekend and the "Month of Jay" will be in full swing. Come on out to the track if you're around. I'll be out there somewhere. Your best bet to find me is on Twitter @alleygroup. Until then, here's a few race action pix from Salem. If you want to <a href="http://www.arcaracingphotos.ifp3.com/" target="_blank">see more pix, then go to ARCA's website</a>. Why not buy a few while you're there? It will help out a future star in stock car racing.<br /><br /></div><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F6008407411227485057%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-32687087062079572432014-04-15T08:26:00.000-04:002014-04-15T08:26:44.733-04:00Indycar Photographer: 30 Years in the Making<div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MEB9p7NuhpI/U00akEkSARI/AAAAAAADIsw/zYY9szMaeAg/s1600/Sam+Hanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MEB9p7NuhpI/U00akEkSARI/AAAAAAADIsw/zYY9szMaeAg/s1600/Sam+Hanks.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">1957 Indy 500 Winner Sam Hanks</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b style="font-size: xx-large;">I </b>was born the day after Sam Hanks won the Indy 500 so I suppose becoming an Indycar and motorsports photographer was to be expected. I originally started this post before the Verizon Indycar Series hit the track for the season opening race in St. Petersburg but life intervened. I was lamenting the fact that I was going to be stuck in Indy enduring our interminable winter rather than being at the racetrack with my left eye pressed against a viewfinder of my Canon cameras. But after spending my way to Daytona twice already in 2014 with little to show for it other than a slew of great images and credit card receipts, I could not justify another trip to the Sunshine State. By this time most years, I have already written a preview of the upcoming Indycar title chase but now that the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a little more than three weeks away with the running of the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis, I am moved to reflect moreso than looking ahead.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hG-AUExLrTY/U00cYvUOWgI/AAAAAAADIs8/hl2Bu7yJU3I/s1600/Indy+1987+(7)+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hG-AUExLrTY/U00cYvUOWgI/AAAAAAADIs8/hl2Bu7yJU3I/s1600/Indy+1987+(7)+copy.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">An Indy 500 infield spectacle from days thankfully long gone</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>This May will be 30 years since I shot my first Indianapolis 500 as a media member and I am thankful that Alex Persons gave me a chance at UPI when I had more passion than skill and just wanted to be a part of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Of course racing has changed tremendously since 1984 but shooting at Indy has been a constant in my life and anyone who knows me understands where they can find me each May. I've written often about how much I love shooting motorsports, especially Indycars, and I could certainly be accused of having more passion than sense at times when it comes to shooting racing. I know of only a handful of people who are actually able to make a living as racing photographers and the media world is entirely different now than when I first got involved. This blog, my <a href="http://www.alleygroup.net/" target="_blank">website</a>, my social media presence on Twitter and Facebook, and the numerous race event photo galleries I post to promote races, tracks and series - they are all a result of pursuing that passion. I often joke that I am still waiting to be discovered - that hasn't happened yet either, but certainly not for lack of trying. Blame it on inhaling too much racing fuel exhaust or too much time in the sun, but when May rolls around each year, I am all in.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wR8qtxItBJ4/U00d9q7NFhI/AAAAAAADItI/LImtclm5te4/s1600/Al+Holbert+Indy+84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wR8qtxItBJ4/U00d9q7NFhI/AAAAAAADItI/LImtclm5te4/s1600/Al+Holbert+Indy+84.jpg" height="320" width="262" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sports car legend, the late Al Holbert, tried Indy in 1984</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>Being a born and raised Hoosier, it should come as no surprise that basketball was my first love. Racing comes in a very close second, however. My grandfather and namesake introduced me to racing at the county fairgrounds in Warsaw, Indiana where he had helped get a small dirt track built. Walking through the paddock with him or hanging on the board fence watching the sprint and stock cars run are memories that have left indelible impressions on me. Moving to Indianapolis in 1968 only cemented the deal. I have been to every Indy 500 since 1976, plus all of the Brickyard 400's, and Lord knows how many other races around America over the years. Yet Indianapolis still has my heart and I am looking forward to another month of May. Last May will be hard to top, however, as it it was my first 500 shooting for <a href="http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/photos/main-gallery/?s=1&y=2013&ph=1622" target="_blank">motorsport.com</a> and I got to shoot from the roof of the penthouse for the start and in victory lane after the finish. Now this May for the first time there's another race at IMS on the revamped road course, Indycar has instituted new qualifying procedures for the 500, and I will be busier than a one armed paper hanger the entire month since I still have my teaching obligations to fulfill as life will inevitably intervene again. But I can be at the track in 30 minutes on any given day and when it's Indianapolis, all is right in my world.<br /><br />I will see you at the corner of 16th & Georgetown, or in Gasoline Alley, or by the fence on the road course, very soon. Is it May yet?<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5wThDUBHz0M/U00hPOFGVBI/AAAAAAADItU/YcvJ4na__ks/s1600/Indy+500+1988+(36)+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5wThDUBHz0M/U00hPOFGVBI/AAAAAAADItU/YcvJ4na__ks/s1600/Indy+500+1988+(36)+copy.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jim Crawford exits the pits during the 1988 Indy 500</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F2FPv2gfcGo/U00hhLdpxoI/AAAAAAADItc/Z9c8d1am72I/s1600/Bobby+Rahal+pit+1991+Indy+(3)+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F2FPv2gfcGo/U00hhLdpxoI/AAAAAAADItc/Z9c8d1am72I/s1600/Bobby+Rahal+pit+1991+Indy+(3)+copy.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Now an Indycar team owner, Bobby Rahal pits in 1991</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-4093716963258639102014-02-25T11:02:00.000-05:002014-02-25T11:02:19.357-05:002014 Daytona 500: A Long Day At The Race<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c4EExr1AeO0/Uwysa2iROpI/AAAAAAAC_Kw/O8KbMX0Xjqw/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-9364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c4EExr1AeO0/Uwysa2iROpI/AAAAAAAC_Kw/O8KbMX0Xjqw/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-9364.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fans autograph the start-finish line; I did too</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span></b>y second Daytona 500 was another interesting day in my journey as a motorsports photographer, replete with monsoons, tornado warnings, wildlife sighting, signing the start-finish line before the race, and a popular winner in Dale Earnhardt, Jr. It was almost unbelievable that they ran the entire 200 lap distance after the initial red flag for "moisture" after 38 laps had been run. The day had started off beautiful but the forecasters had the timing of the rain nailed quite well as it turned out, and I am glad that there were some other people in Turn 2 who helped me out when the worst of it hit the area. Seven hours later the race resumed and it got crazier as the night wore on since it looked like another batch of rain might cut the 500 miles short after all. I'll get back to that in a minute...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GJZqTbu0zK4/UwysH-jN0sI/AAAAAAAC_Ko/FFWyGArOOb4/s1600/Brickyard+lounge+menu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GJZqTbu0zK4/UwysH-jN0sI/AAAAAAAC_Ko/FFWyGArOOb4/s1600/Brickyard+lounge+menu.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Brickyard Lounge menu</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Thursday and Friday nights I had slept in my rental car in the infield parking area but Saturday night I crashed on a pullout sofa bed in the suite a couple of Indy friends had invited me to share. We had gone to dinner at "The Brickyard Lounge" on International Speedway Boulevard after the Nationwide race on Saturday which was pretty cool. The restaurant was in a shotgun of a building, probably less than 20 feet wide, and it's theme was all racing: "Where Indy and NASCAR Fans Meet" according to the menu and the sign on the front window. My friends John & Mike had been to Daytona many more times than I had so after we hung out at their hotel room for awhile following dinner, we hit Main Street in Daytona Beach to see the sights. The Boot Hill Saloon was the primary destination but we stopped in a few other places they knew of and of course I had to check out the gaudy souvenir shop at the corner of Main and A1A. It was a fun evening with loud music, quite a few gorgeous Harley Davidson's and lots of race fans. I went back to the hotel before midnight with the intention of getting up early and heading back to the track early Sunday, not knowing what traffic would be like on race day. I was up by 6 a.m. on Sunday, back inside the track by 7 and in the media center by 8 getting my laptop set up and checking all my camera batteries.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u8sRcrBUC3o/UwytJUeW9GI/AAAAAAAC_K8/DDiZfIFVcZg/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-9297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u8sRcrBUC3o/UwytJUeW9GI/AAAAAAAC_K8/DDiZfIFVcZg/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-9297.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Luke Bryan</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">After breakfast in the media center, I made a trip around pit lane and the frontstretch to experiment some more with the 8-15 mm fisheye lens I had on loan from Canon. On my way out, I saw country music star Luke Bryan and some other celebrities and after signing the start-finish line as my brother had requested, I was back in the media center by 10:30 to rest my legs for what promised to be a long afternoon on my feet. I had no idea at the time how long it would actually turn out to be and I did not want to believe the Intellicast reports of rain coming in sometime after 1 p.m., which naturally was about the time the race was to start. By 12:30 I was packed up with my rain gear and everything else I needed to shoot from the inside of Turn 2 at the pumphouse where I had been for all the races during the weekend. It was starting to cloud over as pre-race festivities were winding down and I started to feel a few raindrops around lap 30 but it didn't look too bad so I just bagged my gear and stowed it on the fender of a flat bed truck nearby used by the track fencing crew.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fifteen minutes later, I was crouched beneath that flat bed seeking shelter from the downpour which had erupted. Then a car backed into a space next to the truck, the rear door opened a crack and I heard someone ask "You want in?" Without hesitation I jumped in the back seat as my car was still a mile away in infield the parking area and there was nowhere else for me to go. I have been through plenty of rain delays over the years where any kind of shelter will do but this time seemed different. It turned out the guys in the car were all with FOX and one of them was the camera operator who had been on the tower near the pumphouse all weekend. His name was PK and the driver introduced himself as "Turtle" who manned the camera at the entrance of Turn 3. Ironically Turtle said he was from Carmel and Terre Haute originally so we had a Hoosier connection. Over the next 30 minutes as they figured out when the best time was to cover their video gear with what they called "elephant bags" the rain worsened and announcements were made on the track PA system that a tornado warning for the area had been issued and everyone should seek shelter. We were all checking weather radar on our phones and trying to sort out what to do and they thankfully took me back over to the media center before they took off for the TV compound which I learned was outside the track near Turn 3. So I got dried out in the media center and joined everyone else checking weather reports and radar, Facebook, Twitter and whatever else we could find to kill time waiting for news on when (or if) the race would be restarted.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GGAzEGDYDT8/Uwy71XajYfI/AAAAAAAC_Mc/7qfpxZ426BE/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-1735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GGAzEGDYDT8/Uwy71XajYfI/AAAAAAAC_Mc/7qfpxZ426BE/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-1735.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rumors had gone around that the race was going to be moved to Monday at 5:00 p.m. so FOX could do a live broadcast and that bummed me out since I had to catch a flight back to Indy at 8:00 Monday morning. After driving home and missing the race in 2012 due to rain, I was hoping against hope that the same thing wouldn't happen again. Around 6:00 Sunday evening it was looking more realistic to get the race in that night so I was relieved and starting to feel more optimistic. The fried chicken dinner they served in the media center was just what the doctor ordered. By 7:30 I had driven back out to my position in Turn 2 and was ready to work, so if it did rain again I had somewhere to retreat. I was hoping the whole 200 lap distance could be run, not just a rain shortened version, as no one could say how big of a dry weather window we had to work with. I really didn't care: I had quit looking at the weather radar hours earlier praying that the racing gods would smile down on us and keep that window open to "get this thing in".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jhGoEoArMDs/Uwy7aqGhH7I/AAAAAAAC_ME/qX8DNOT3SJE/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jhGoEoArMDs/Uwy7aqGhH7I/AAAAAAAC_ME/qX8DNOT3SJE/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-2015.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Trevor Bayne (21) almost caused another "Big One" where I was positioned</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">After the restart a lengthy green flag run ensued and then it started to get a little crazy with big wrecks on the frontstretch and also in Turn 3 and 4 where my Indy friends John and Mike were positioned. I knew they would get some pictures so I was happy for them but not much had happened where I was. After watching and shooting packs of cars roar by all weekend without anyone getting even the least bit squirrely, I finally got some action with Trevor Bayne hitting the wall and spinning so I was happy to have a chance to turn in my memory card for AP. I also felt that I probably didn't have much chance of moving a picture from Bayne's incident since it was not spectacular like the other wrecks had been. That didn't matter to me. It was just as important for me to know that I had nailed the sequence and for AP to know that I hadn't missed it. With about 40 laps to go, my new friend the FOX cameraman "PK" whistled down from his video position in the tower and shouted that "Rain and lightening are 30 miles away" and then the racing really started to get intense. After my experience at Talladega last October with huge crashes on the last lap in both the truck and Sprint Cup races, I knew I had to stay ready for anything to happen right to the end. But nothing did and it was back to the media center to get my gear packed up to leave.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NkSj3b-lXYk/Uwy8eLcepqI/AAAAAAAC_Mk/RmZftYggiWE/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-2003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NkSj3b-lXYk/Uwy8eLcepqI/AAAAAAAC_Mk/RmZftYggiWE/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-2003.jpg" height="266" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">My view from the Turn 2 pumphouse</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">By half past midnight, I had said my goodbyes and thanked everyone for the opportunity and started to head out of the track and back to Orlando. I turned in my rental car at the airport around 2:00 a.m. and waited for the hotel shuttle to pick me up and finally got to sleep around 3:30 after getting my boarding pass ready to print. I was up at 5:00 a.m. to catch the 6:00 a.m. hotel shuttle back to the airport and slept almost the whole flight back to Indy. Strangely enough, I think I got more sleep during the night at the Rolex 24 Hours race in January than I did after the Daytona 500, but I ran on adrenaline all day yesterday through my teaching job, shipping the loaner lens back to Canon, and a nice dinner out with my lady friend. It was good to be home again after more than four days on the road and I hope my blog posts have helped give a sense of what it's been like. I tell people all the time that I am still waiting to be discovered, and until I find that sponsor, benefactor or hit the lottery, there may be other weekends like this one where roughing it a little to get "the shot" is more than worth it in hindsight.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Did I mention that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the race? I will be back with more pictures in a complete Daytona 500 gallery soon. Until next time, be safe and happy shooting!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C7wq1EqOLZY/Uwy8teZCvCI/AAAAAAAC_Ms/ijL_iLqJtEA/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-1763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C7wq1EqOLZY/Uwy8teZCvCI/AAAAAAAC_Ms/ijL_iLqJtEA/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-1763.jpg" height="213" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (88) raced to the front of the pack to win his second Daytona 500</span></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOtJJSh-kiw/Uwy9HTGt1xI/AAAAAAAC_M0/9h2pPn12pcY/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-2090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOtJJSh-kiw/Uwy9HTGt1xI/AAAAAAAC_M0/9h2pPn12pcY/s1600/Photo+by+Jay+Alley-2090.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dale Earnhardt, Jr.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-21224979828945948382014-02-23T09:49:00.004-05:002014-02-23T09:49:58.993-05:00Daytona 500 Race Day!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I42zGRtatjI/Uwn3VoGP8GI/AAAAAAAC86U/OVIYZPzkHeE/s1600/Daytona+sunrise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I42zGRtatjI/Uwn3VoGP8GI/AAAAAAAC86U/OVIYZPzkHeE/s1600/Daytona+sunrise.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sunrise at Daytona over the backstretch</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">D</span></b>ay 3 of this trip to Daytona was the shortest so far and it gave me the opportunity to have dinner and check out some of the night life on Main Street in Daytona Beach with a couple of fellow photogs from Indy. In my previous visits here I had never had the chance to check out much of the local scenery (other than the beach) so hitting a couple of nightspots after dinner to listen to music and check out the people was a lot of fun. And I saw a motorcycle unlike anything I had ever seen before: a Boss Hoss with a Chevy V8 engine in it! It was insane looking, had a nitrous injection system and boasted 740 horsepower. I was really glad to get the chance to take more of a look around and I almost didn't go out since I was feeling the effects of little sleep and miles of walking after we had finished dinner. But then I decided I needed to get out and not be so consumed with just the track activity and see more of the local sights. I'm glad I did!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qiHaQdeymCQ/Uwn521aIToI/AAAAAAAC86c/dWdIoERs5pE/s1600/Boss+Hoss.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qiHaQdeymCQ/Uwn521aIToI/AAAAAAAC86c/dWdIoERs5pE/s1600/Boss+Hoss.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Boss Hoss motorcycle seen at Boot Hill Saloon</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Now today is race day and it has dawned bright and sunny. We really haven't seen much sunshine since my first day here last Thursday so I am hopeful that the day continues that way. The cars and pomp and circumstance on any race day are always so much more colorful and vivid when it's a 1000 f11 day. We love that! It's Day 4 of the trip and I'm back in the media center early, but not near as early as the first three days. The guys I hung out with last night were kind enough to let me crash in their hotel room and after sleeping in my car at the track for the two previous nights, it was very welcome. The sofa bed wasn't like my king bed at home in Indy, but it was still far better than the Dodge Avenger's driver's seat! It was fun talking about racing photography with them. Often my road trips are solo journeys and it's easy to spend too much time in my own head so the outside input was most welcome! On top of that, when you walked out the door of the hotel room, the ocean was right there and you could hear the waves crashing on the shore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qcn73-J0NYE/Uwn6aQj9JTI/AAAAAAAC86k/nW5y7QZIoDU/s1600/Ocean+sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qcn73-J0NYE/Uwn6aQj9JTI/AAAAAAAC86k/nW5y7QZIoDU/s1600/Ocean+sunrise.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ocean view shortly after dawn on race day</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">With the 500 today, this will be my fifth race to shoot in four days at Daytona and will conclude over 1350 miles of racing that I've covered since I got here. I haven't had any wire service worthy action where I've been stationed but I think I've done some good work, even though the shooting spot makes the pictures all kind of look the same. It has really challenged my creativity but that's another one of the reasons I do this: to exercise the right half of my brain and learn something new. So maybe today I'll have the "hot corner" and get the chance to do what I am suppose to do, which is to capture the spectacular action that can happen at any time. Today's only track activity is the 200 laps of the 56th Daytona 500 (assuming it doesn't go to a green-white-checker finish) and then I am headed to Orlando to fly back to Indy tomorrow morning. Then it's back into the classroom tomorrow afternoon to teach and like everything else I do, I am "all in". Today that just happens to mean racing. Monday it will be algebra and geometry. Whatever happens today, I have no regrets as I know I will have given my all.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For now, here's a gallery from yesterday's Nationwide Series race won by Regan Smith.</div><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F5983604479236309793%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed><br />Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-35838571894804845822014-02-22T17:00:00.000-05:002014-02-22T17:00:08.935-05:00Daytona Day 2: A Stringer's Life<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nNVUuaukcTE/Uwi6tqvkHiI/AAAAAAAC80c/palJZoSK5ns/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nNVUuaukcTE/Uwi6tqvkHiI/AAAAAAAC80c/palJZoSK5ns/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9184.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Daytona sunset</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I </span></b>need a sponsor. Or a benefactor. Or something. Working as a wire service photo stringer as I am this weekend at Daytona has its challenges but it also has its rewards. The biggest challenge is working on spec where you don't get paid unless a photo is used, so it's a risky deal to foot the bill for traveling with no guarantee of success. It's also risky since the area you are assigned to shoot may not be the "spot" where the action happens and pictures can be made that the wire service will want to use. The more spectacular the better but you can't chase the action around, and even when you find yourself in the right spot, you still have to be ready and not following some other cars in the area.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But the rewards are not just financial as if it were just about the money, then most of us wouldn't be out here doing this. The hours are long, you have to deal with traffic, fans or people with hot passes and iPhones who always seem to get in the way at just the wrong moment, adverse weather, and a host of other issues that the average race fan never encounters. I have been to a ton of races the last eight years and everywhere I go I see many of the same faces in the media centers. I don't know everyone's name but I would be willing to bet that there are only a handful of shooters who make a living in racing photographer. I have dreamed of being one of those people for years and worked by tail off at every race I've worked yet these plum jobs in this industry are extremely limited and highly competitive. But the biggest reward is getting the shot. Or when the action slows down and the engine noise drones to a low hum and you feel the photos before you even press the shutter button. That zone is hard to achieve and if I push for it, I miss it; it has to just happen organically. When it does it is magical.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday was Day 2 on this trip and it was marked by repeated weather interruptions. I managed to miss most of them but the waiting, as they say, is the hardest part and I was in position for last night's truck race over an hour before they track was truly ready for racing. I am not fortunate enough to have a golf cart to get around so I am putting on the miles again this weekend by foot, which is OK since I love the exercise even though at times I feel like a pack mule with a couple cameras on my shoulders, lenses, rain gear and my belt bags packed to the brim to be ready for every possible situation. I needed all of that yesterday and today's forecast looked like it might bring more of the same but the Nationwide race started on time. I was hoping I could wear my prescription sunglasses today (I am in Florida, the Sunshine State, after all) and I am glad to report that I was able to do that, even though today was mostly overcast all day. By no means am I complaining about these opportunities as there are plenty of people who would love to have the same chance I do to go racing. I am blessed in that regard and the hard work pays off in images if not in dollars and cents.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_veI5iE2JF8/UwkbZ5vXdGI/AAAAAAAC80s/Bs1-Wpxi6uA/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_veI5iE2JF8/UwkbZ5vXdGI/AAAAAAAC80s/Bs1-Wpxi6uA/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9285.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Daytona International Speedway hawk over Lake Lloyd</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">So we've had two photo finishes in back to back races now. Kyle Busch made a high side pass to win the trucks race last night and Regan Smith nipped Brad Keselowski in an even closer finish in today's Nationwide race. The most exciting thing I saw today was a very large hawk that flew over Lake Lloyd during a late caution period, and as everyone who knows me well will attest, I have a special affinity for those birds so I know good luck is coming. At times today I felt like a gunslinger ready to aim and fire away, but the pumphouse was not the place to be for action today. Maybe tomorrow will be the day, as so far I have not sold any pictures for the wire, although I have made a lot of pictures, not nearly the volume I would have shot in a more freelance capacity as I often do at other races, but shooting for AP has taught me that economy (and a high shutter speed) are quite valuable in their own right. And it sure makes editing a whole lot easier! Until next time, here's a gallery from last night's truck race. The Daytona 500 is next!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F5983344983598359393%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-17678334987961735852014-02-21T10:13:00.000-05:002014-02-21T10:13:27.774-05:00Daytona Duels: Screaming In The Night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bQbvEJ2Nlig/UwdjLSKxODI/AAAAAAAC8xg/Luc0xKdkdDM/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bQbvEJ2Nlig/UwdjLSKxODI/AAAAAAAC8xg/Luc0xKdkdDM/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0543.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Y</span></b>esterday here at Daytona, the evening skies were filled with the sounds of screaming race cars as the Budweiser Duels qualifying races were run at night for the first time. I am personally glad they were switched to night races as I was never able to get here in time to shoot them in the past when they were run in the afternoon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k39lkhetwSE/Uwdjdws98CI/AAAAAAAC8zU/JKDAkwMivUw/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k39lkhetwSE/Uwdjdws98CI/AAAAAAAC8zU/JKDAkwMivUw/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0817.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denny Hamlin won Duel #2</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, until the last lap of the second Duel, both races were pretty much single file parades which was a disappointing. Then all hell broke loose coming onto the tri-oval as Jimmie Johnson got loose and tore up another race car (his second for the week) and Clint Bowyer flipped in a huge melee as Denny Hamlin was taking the checkered flag. I was positioned on the exit of Turn 2 for both races so I tried to get racing action with multiple cars int he frame whenever possible, which was difficult at times. I did get a nice shot of Hamlin on his cool down lap as he thankfully had dropped his window net and you can see his face with his visor flipped open. Matt Kenseth won the first Duel so it looks like Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota has the upper hand at the moment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-akpCpSh6DkI/Uwdjc6hgmgI/AAAAAAAC8zM/G7pLHqUaiCw/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-akpCpSh6DkI/Uwdjc6hgmgI/AAAAAAAC8zM/G7pLHqUaiCw/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0780.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Jimmie Johnson's crew has to go get another car in North Carolina after another wreck</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Today I got to the media center early and was the first one here other than the staff person who signs people in and manages the photo vest process. She is a nice older woman and I have wondered why someone would do that job since she probably never gets out to see any of the on track action. On the other hand, I can understand why someone who is not necessarily a race fan would want to do that job since the photographer's room is a place of constant activity with lots of conversation about what's going on at the track and an occasional funny story or silliness. Plus all the track action and timing and scoring is always shown on TV monitors in the room so it must be like watching from home with the ambience of the hectic media room in surround sound. But today's action will likely be interrupted by moisture so it will be interesting to see how that disrupts the schedule where NASCAR had planned its first attempt at knockout qualifying for both the Camping World trucks and the Nationwide series.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't know where I will be positioned tonight for the truck race yet and I have already told everyone that if we get adverse weather then you can blame it on me. I'm used to it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Ur7TmfDkXc/UwdjMtsByII/AAAAAAAC8xo/xOrNAOckULk/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Ur7TmfDkXc/UwdjMtsByII/AAAAAAAC8xo/xOrNAOckULk/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-0632.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Matt Kenseth won the first Duel and will start third in the 500 Sunday</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F5982859612760344593%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-63706533733529634832014-02-17T15:47:00.000-05:002014-02-17T15:47:06.014-05:00Back to the Future: Daytona Speedweeks<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TsIeTW0STN4/UwJmBGdhlyI/AAAAAAAC8uM/sV3hVL_v7vU/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-5693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TsIeTW0STN4/UwJmBGdhlyI/AAAAAAAC8uM/sV3hVL_v7vU/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-5693.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Austin Dillon took a wild ride subbing for Tony Stewart at Talladega last October</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he last time I shot pictures of Austin Dillon in a race, he was airborne in Tony Stewart's #14 car at Talladega this past October. Now he's back at Daytona in the legendary #3 car for Grandpa Richard Childress and will start on the pole for next Sunday's Daytona 500. Skeptics have wondered if there was any favorable treatment from tech inspectors since this is the first time the #3 has been on the track in Cup racing since the late Dale Earnhardt crashed and perished on the last lap of the 2011 Daytona 500. I am not one of those skeptics, but it's a fun argument to have in social media and I will be listening in to see how it all plays out. I am really looking forward to getting back to Daytona this weekend. I leave Indy in 3 days...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4EIXToxzZ8/UwJnt0YoLNI/AAAAAAAC8uY/5jUOGnOO--k/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4EIXToxzZ8/UwJnt0YoLNI/AAAAAAAC8uY/5jUOGnOO--k/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9089.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Tony Stewart at Indy 2013</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Tony Stewart will also be back, although his car and the team car of Danica Patrick will have to start at the back Thursday in their qualifying races and Sunday in the 500 after blowing engines last weekend before qualifying. Tony has been awesome historically in everything at Speedweeks except for the 500 itself so it will be very interesting to see how he manages a run from the back this Sunday in his first major test since breaking a leg last August in a sprint car accident. And no repeat of last year's pole winning form for Danica this year. She will also have to contend with lots of traffic to get to the front. Maybe she can make Richard Petty eat some crow after his recent comments that she couldn't win in NASCAR unless everyone else was off the track. Tony has the better chance to win so I think the King is safe this weekend.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yFOOCxLQ_6U/UwJpO1B5AZI/AAAAAAAC8uk/PGGYkMY2smo/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yFOOCxLQ_6U/UwJpO1B5AZI/AAAAAAAC8uk/PGGYkMY2smo/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9001.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jimmie Johnson</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The true list of favorites begins and ends with 6-time NASCAR Jimmie Johnson, although he crashed out of the Sprint Unlimited early in last Saturday's all star event. Stewart and another favorite Carl Edwards got collected in "the big one" Saturday night which was started by an ill-timed blocking maneuver by still another 500 favorite Matt Kenseth. Of course fan favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has to be on the favorite's list as well since he always seems to run well in the restrictor plate races. I would also consider Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne among the contenders but they will all be chasing Dillon and Martin Truex who have the only two "locked in" positions for the 500. Dillon and Truex will each lead the field in a qualifying race Thursday so it will be interesting to see if their qualifying form can hold up in those 150 mile races.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NUZVU0eOGNI/UwJxhh8R8eI/AAAAAAAC8u0/mLQzIt14D40/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NUZVU0eOGNI/UwJxhh8R8eI/AAAAAAAC8u0/mLQzIt14D40/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9026.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little E</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of qualifying races, this will be my first chance to shoot them as I finally have been able to get my travel schedule worked out to get to Daytona in time. The change to night races certainly helps. This should be my fourth Daytona 500 but it will actually only be the second one since 2011 that I have the chance to work. I drove down in 2011 and everything went off like clockwork. I drove solo again in 2012 and the race was postponed by rain for the first time ever and I had to drive back to Indy without actually shooting the race. Then last year I decided I had had enough of the 16 hour drives so I decided to fly down, but I never made it as my flight was cancelled the day before I was to leave for an ice storm in Indy. I am flying down this year so hopefully the weather gods will shine on me for the whole weekend this time. Five races to shoot from the Thursday night duals through the 500 on Sunday means five chances to "make some f-ing pictures" for Associated Press, so wish me luck. I have to admit that it is a bit surreal to be going back to Daytona barely four weeks since I was there for the Rolex 24 Hours, but it's a great opportunity and I don't know if it will happen again so I have to go.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Back on the road again to "Indiana-ville" in just 3 days folks! Photos to follow soon (but not soon enough)!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AuGQaLoaaGg/UwJzm0Ssb_I/AAAAAAAC8vA/A2toV3u49l8/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-1169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AuGQaLoaaGg/UwJzm0Ssb_I/AAAAAAAC8vA/A2toV3u49l8/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-1169.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Daytona 500 favorite Jimmie Johnson pits at the Brickyard in 2013</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QC4D16S822k/UwJz7l-r9iI/AAAAAAAC8vI/iVTpU_6VuOY/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QC4D16S822k/UwJz7l-r9iI/AAAAAAAC8vI/iVTpU_6VuOY/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9027.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Could 2014 be Matt Kenseth & Toyota's year?</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vFdnRR6iNho/UwJ0ONg4LII/AAAAAAAC8vQ/AgkhHXWD3Ys/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vFdnRR6iNho/UwJ0ONg4LII/AAAAAAAC8vQ/AgkhHXWD3Ys/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-9051.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kasey Kahne & Kevin Harvick share a lighter moment in 2013 before hitting the racetrack at Indy</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tjNo55VwWLc/UwJ0hmV-prI/AAAAAAAC8vY/MWxrAzvG67Y/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-8875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tjNo55VwWLc/UwJ0hmV-prI/AAAAAAAC8vY/MWxrAzvG67Y/s1600/Photo-by-Jay-Alley-8875.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jimmie Johnson knows how to win and is the man to beat (again) in 2014</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-73810055831783167962014-01-28T16:09:00.001-05:002014-01-28T16:09:04.034-05:00My First Rolex 24 Hours Is In The Books<div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CSWZL3GKfrk/UugDuLI2LkI/AAAAAAACdeE/zYQ8pCNiez0/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-0294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CSWZL3GKfrk/UugDuLI2LkI/AAAAAAACdeE/zYQ8pCNiez0/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-0294.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The #5 Action Express wins the 2014 Daytona Rolex 24</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">D</span></b>aytona: my work here is done. At least for the month of January, as I will be back in less than four weeks to shoot the Daytona 500. But my first Rolex 24 Hours race at Daytona was an incredible experience, more like six races rolled into one as the event ran twice around the clock from the 2:10 p.m. drop of the green flag Saturday January 25th. My impressions of the event are positive, although I know there are folks who are upset with technical issues and glitches which have resulted from the merger of GrandAm and American LeMans under IMSA's new TUDOR United Sportscar Series banner. I'm sure those issues will be worked out in due time and I was simply ecstatic to have the opportunity to work this event and check it off my bucket list of races I want to shoot. The next big one on my list is the 24 Hours of LeMans so maybe someday I will get to do that one as well. I'm sure it is a much different event as Daytona seemed wholly American to me, with the self contained circuit and infield hairpins comprising the road course. The noise inside the track was heavenly and only stopped one time, following Saturday's red flag for a wicked accident involving the Gainsco #99 driven by Memo Gidley who ran up the back of a Ferrari driven by Matteo Malucelli. The accident occurred just before 5:00 with slightly less than 3 hours run in the race and may have served as a wake up call for everyone at the track that the festivities are indeed serious.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q6XjNHdlxt4/UugIk4qYXvI/AAAAAAACdh0/qdPPb9gxYCw/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-8969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q6XjNHdlxt4/UugIk4qYXvI/AAAAAAACdh0/qdPPb9gxYCw/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-8969.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Matteo Malucelli's Ferrari rests against the guardrail after the wreck with Memo Gidley</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I was walking out from the media center after downloading pictures I took during the first two hours when I saw crash trucks on the track in the infield and all the competitors stopped in a long line behind them. I knew it was something serious so I walked to the scene and got there in time to photograph the extrication of the drivers. When I first got there, the Ferrari was against the ARMCO and didn't look too bad as the rear end had what looked like moderate damage. It seemed like all the track's safety and medical crew personnel were on the scene though so I knew someone in the accident may have been seriously hurt. As it turned out, that was Memo Gidley, but I couldn't see the Gainsco car with all the safety team surrounding it, but as time went on and I kept shooting, the gravity of the situation became obvious.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vZfBAJYk81A/UugKDiFaiaI/AAAAAAACdio/Jsiz7kREYgk/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-8407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vZfBAJYk81A/UugKDiFaiaI/AAAAAAACdio/Jsiz7kREYgk/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-8407.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Memo Gidley receives medical attention from Daytona safety crews</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I had to put that out of my mind and make some pictures, since shooting as a stringer for a wire service like I was this race almost always means capturing the details of any serious incident, including the aftermath and extrication of drivers. I learned some more photo lessons in the process of shooting the scene, and it was one of those times where I had to quell any emotions I was feeling and just do my job. I had originally gone back out to shoot around 5:00 to get to a spot for some sunset pictures, but by the time the race was restarted, the sun had fully set behind the main grandstands. Those sunset pictures will have to be taken another time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ReLdXCAKJPc/UugNaAT7ooI/AAAAAAACdn4/1aqVgs9A9sc/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-7724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ReLdXCAKJPc/UugNaAT7ooI/AAAAAAACdn4/1aqVgs9A9sc/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-7724.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Indycar's Graham Rahal was one of the drivers of the #56 BMW</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">After the restart from the red flag, it was time to grab some dinner and go through the race photographer's cycle in the media center. That cycle reminds me of the old shampoo commercials which recommended "lather, rinse, repeat", only the photo cycle would be "shoot, download, backup, edit, repeat". It was a cycle I was to repeat during the Rolex 24 hour at least six times and keeping track of images became the challenge as time wore on. I was glad I had used Friday to find my way around the road course as it came in handy for the start of the 24. I had walked out about 1:00 to get in position for the start at the place where the cars go back onto the oval track and then proceeded to work my way back around the infield in my first photo cycle. It was a nice vantage point for the start with great lighting and a position where I could get up on a concrete retaining wall with a corner worker and look down on the cars as they took the left hander back onto the oval.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HfmQAscNexk/UugOWPQG02I/AAAAAAACdpA/gQZpW1xjbec/s1600/ROlex-Daytona-2014-by-Jay-Alley-9350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HfmQAscNexk/UugOWPQG02I/AAAAAAACdpA/gQZpW1xjbec/s1600/ROlex-Daytona-2014-by-Jay-Alley-9350.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Deltawing at night</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">My second cycle started after dinner and extended into the darkness and past the fireworks which were set off around 9:00 p.m. I had time to experiment with some long exposures, fill flash, and straight available light with high ISO settings. I was looking for glowing brake rotors, trying very slow shutter speeds on pans and all sorts of ideas that I would not often get the chance to play with during the course of a normal two or three hour race event. My next cycle took me down into the infield by Turn 1 of the oval and I found someone who let me get up on the platform they had on top of their motor home to shoot cars on the high banks. I then went into the pits for awhile and by 11:30, I was getting hungry so decided to try to get some food and rest back at my rental car in the media parking lot. I had intended all along to spend the night at the track to soak up the whole atmosphere and I'm glad I did. The day had been chilly and blustery and the night brought more of the same but while I was out walking around the track, I was plenty warm. Settling in at the car I began to get cold so I bundled up, kept the earplugs in and put the driver's seat in full recline to rest. I think I slept about four hours and woke up about 4:30 with Entemann's powdered donuts and Diet Coke before I headed back to the media center around 5:00 a.m. to start the next cycle. The race car serenade that night was symphonic and quiet loud, although I couldn't sleep for long as I had plans for the sunrise.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hw6KWRQyrJs/UugQtuClEkI/AAAAAAACdpU/iyY_yLXmiXY/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hw6KWRQyrJs/UugQtuClEkI/AAAAAAACdpU/iyY_yLXmiXY/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-0015.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dawn at Daytona</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">By 6:00 a.m., I was headed back to the bus stop chicane on the backstretch as I knew the sun was going to come up around 7:15 that morning and I wanted to shoot cars going through the chicane in the darkness. I had to walk through an infield tent camping area to get to the bus stop and there were a few people up but it what struck me immediately was the smell of all the burning campfires. Occasionally, I could see someone behind me popping a flash photo but I was intent on using available light as much as possible, so I cranked the ISO out to 5000 and went at it. By about 8:00, I had walked back around Turn 4 of the oval and headed back to the media center to complete that photo cycle. I was hoping there would be something hot for breakfast so I could eat and get ready for the next cycle.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SuW6PorVank/UugTw_Qc3jI/AAAAAAACdpk/0zWu7CGOtkU/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-8953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SuW6PorVank/UugTw_Qc3jI/AAAAAAACdpk/0zWu7CGOtkU/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-8953.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Magnus Racing Porsche limped to the finish in 12th</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Before heading into the homestretch with about 6 hours to go in the race, I decided to take a shower at the facilities in the infield and change clothes. Downing several Diet Cokes and some Excedrin in the process, I got energized again to finish out the race with a couple more photo cycles in the pits, garage area and then finally Victory Lane. I loved how dirty the cars looked in the morning light after about 20 hours of racing. A few racers had engines which had gone off-song while many had incurred damage at some point and appeared to be kept together with duct tape and bailing wire. I spent the last couple hours of the race in the pits and went looking for a spot to shoot the checkered flag with about 45 minutes to go. I saw a bunch of photographers at one of the few openings on pit lane so I headed to Victory Lane as I had remembered from the Continental Tire Series race on Friday that there the risers there were high enough in some places to see over the teams' pit lane tents and I got the angle I wanted. That photo is the lead for this blog post.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QF6LnGxfI1U/UugVYMvJX5I/AAAAAAACdps/g5ySe_1_8bY/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-0331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QF6LnGxfI1U/UugVYMvJX5I/AAAAAAACdps/g5ySe_1_8bY/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-0331.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Action Express driver Joao Barbosa, wife and son in Victory Lane at Daytona</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Then there was just the Victory Lane ceremony to shoot and the last cycle for the event was done. I tried to look for something unusual and there it was: Joao Barbosa's son holding back tears as his dad and mom embraced once Joao climbed out of the car a winner after 24 Hours. I could go on and on with the stories from this experience at Daytona, and I'm sure there will be more to say at another time. Needless to say, it was the longest day of my racing life and I hope I get the chance to shoot here again. And then there's LeMans...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Al3zQ9sx7fY/UugXCNMYIDI/AAAAAAACdp0/66bCdK70uz0/s1600/Action-Express-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-8788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Al3zQ9sx7fY/UugXCNMYIDI/AAAAAAACdp0/66bCdK70uz0/s1600/Action-Express-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-8788.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Action Express machine driven by Barbosa, Fittipaldi and Bourdais in the bus stop shortly after dawn Sunday<br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKxLxlG4_M8/UugX2-VkAQI/AAAAAAACdp8/Hpa4-TqImyg/s1600/Mazda-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-9830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKxLxlG4_M8/UugX2-VkAQI/AAAAAAACdp8/Hpa4-TqImyg/s1600/Mazda-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-9830.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Skyactive Mazda diesels were beautiful and so very quiet, but only one finished.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F5974028407215720081%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-32525380062121074272014-01-26T05:41:00.004-05:002014-01-26T05:41:37.223-05:00Daytona Rolex 24: The Longest Night in Racing<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cNOLJ4H_vhA/UuTlH_6vFpI/AAAAAAACdMU/RD5NyQB87mg/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-8597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cNOLJ4H_vhA/UuTlH_6vFpI/AAAAAAACdMU/RD5NyQB87mg/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-8597.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ganassi Racing's second team car</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>t's a little after 5:00 in the morning as I write this and I am back in the media center. I got a few hours of sleep which is more than I can say for a lot of people around me, many of whom have stayed up through the night. Wayne Taylor Racing with Max Angelelli is currently leading with a little more than nine hours to go. Sunrise will be with us in a couple of hours and I still have some other shooting to do. I will make a swing through the pits and then head out to the bus stop again after hitting the oval track Turn 4 area. There have been 11 cautions so far but remarkably nearly 60 cars of the original 68 which started are still running. That in itself is pretty amazing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5mXSIdtl3Rw/UuTlKyV8XPI/AAAAAAACdMU/lOWCgl3jCDw/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-9678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5mXSIdtl3Rw/UuTlKyV8XPI/AAAAAAACdMU/lOWCgl3jCDw/s1600/Daytona-2014-Rolex-by-Jay-Alley-9678.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Patrick Dempsey</span></b> </td></tr></tbody></table>Before I grabbed a little sleep in my car here at the track, I had been in the pits and saw Patrick Dempsey take over the #27 Porsche. The pit setups each team has are incredible with large, well lit tents enveloping everything they need to compete twice around the clock. The driver changes have always been one of my favorite parts of sports car racing and a 24 hour race has them in droves. There's so much to like about sports car racing that I can see why people have it as their favorite form of motorsports. Living in Indiana most of my life, everyone knows that Indycars are where my heart lies but I do love the sounds and smells of these TUDOR sports cars.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Going out to make some pictures now, so until then here's an updated gallery to tide you over until my next update.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F108073926976922258449%2Falbumid%2F5973030872499393905%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4335027406064066791.post-67410693105718806382014-01-25T11:22:00.000-05:002014-01-25T11:22:33.623-05:00Daytona It Is!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tlW8rKLs1zA/UuPA7L9kNSI/AAAAAAACc44/vq8pibsTUso/s1600/TUDOR-Rolex-Daytona-2014-by-Jay-Alley-7477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tlW8rKLs1zA/UuPA7L9kNSI/AAAAAAACc44/vq8pibsTUso/s1600/TUDOR-Rolex-Daytona-2014-by-Jay-Alley-7477.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The new Mazda diesels are beautiful and so quiet!</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span></b>y first day at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona was a blast. I spent most of the day finding my way around and seeing where I could shoot and how to get from point A to Point B. I've been here for the Daytona 500 but the infield road course makes accessing certain areas quite difficult. I also found out a couple of areas which are off limits to photographers by mistake! People have been great down here and the corner workers have been extremely helpful when I had questions. I got out yesterday morning in time to shoot the TUDOR United Sportscar Series final practice, mainly from locations around the infield road course, going wherever the light was favorable. But man was it windy and chilly - still better than back home in Indy!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Coming here this year has been on my radar for a long time and today it's race day. It will be the longest race day of my life so far and this time tomorrow morning, the cars will still be circulating and there will be about five hours still left to race. Friday was easier by comparison and other than the crappy hotel I was in, this weekend has gone off like clockwork so far. I supposed that is fitting since the 24 Hours is sponsored by Rolex. The Continental Tire Sports Car Series (CTSCS) yesterday was full of yellow flags due to incidents and I already have my first spin and contact for the season, so I got that one out of the way. As it turns out, my Victory Lane pictures with Turner Motorsports are mostly unusable since the 96 car of Bill Auberlen and Paul Della Lana was disqualified after post race inspection for a technical violation and excluded from the results. But history was made in the aftermath as the DQ elevated Shelby Blackstock and Ashley Freiberg to P1 and gave Daytona its first female winner. To top it off, it was her first CTSCS race! Three BMW's took the podium positions from the race which unfortunately finished under yellow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I got rolling early this morning to get a decent parking spot and get set up in the media center. A light rain had fallen overnight but the day has started off with less wind than yesterday. The day started off a little chilly at 45 degrees but the sun is out now and it is warming up. It is supposed to get up to 69 degrees today with partly cloudy skies, so it could be a good situation for photos with flat, even lighting and no harsh shadows which can be the case under bright sunshine. I would still take the bright skies anytime! Then the daylight will start to fade as sunset is at 5:57 p.m. and the real photo challenges will begin as nighttime shooting, even with the track's MUSCO lighting system, will probably mean high ISO settings. Direct head-on flash use is being discouraged as you might imagine, as the driver's pupils will be fully dilated during night racing stints. I'm not sure how much I will sleep tonight but I am staying at the track to soak in the entire 24 Hour experience. Sleeping in the car will still be preferable to the cheap hotel room and the periodic rumblings of a fast moving mile long freight train right outside my day which I've dealt with the last two nights. The sound startled me the first night as it sounded like the train was coming right into my room! The sweet sound of race cars will be so much better tonight.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In my last post I wrote about the sounds of language as well as the cars. Both are quite varied, and I got what I expected in the garage area as I heard multiple languages being spoken yesterday. The same has turned out to be true in the media center, as this event is truly international in scope and the photographer's room is probably representative of the countries on display in the race itself. Me? I'm just a Hoosier with a passion for the sights, sounds and smells of racing, so I go where that leads me whenever I can. Today, that's at Daytona International Speedway for the 52nd running of the Rolex 24 Hours. You should be here too. Back with more later!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jay Alleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742085931858012555noreply@blogger.com0