WTH? No Indy 500 Memorial Day Weekend?

Happier days lie ahead

My, my. How quickly things change. Two weeks ago when I last wrote, I was feeling pretty good about getting through this coronavirus pandemic and planning for Europe. In the last few days, the 24 Hours of LeMans has been postponed to September and today the Indy 500 was postponed to August. My plans just went kablooey and now I have plane flights, lodging and train reservations to change or cancel. I suppose I was like a lot of other people in the United States who treated this virus as no big deal, but recent events have turned out to be anything but that. It has turned into the biggest deal of my lifetime and I have paid attention to the warnings and the "shelter in place" editc here in Indiana.

Technically, this is my Spring Break week from teaching and our building is shut down until at least May 16th since my school is in a facility owned by Ivy Tech. When school does resume the week after next, we will be teaching remotely utilizing online curriculum. That will be a major shift for our Excel Center staff and students, but that's probably the easy part of this situation. My fiancee works in health care and I hear her every day working on procedures and discussing preparations for the expected onslaught of COVID-19 patients in Central Indiana. I am thankful that right now she does not have direct patient contact but everything in her world is in such a state of flux that it's hard to know what tomorrow holds, let alone next week or the week after.

I had said in my last post here that I was not that concerned about some flu-like bug but I have changed my tune as the numbers of infected and dead continue to mount. What does all of this have to do with racing? That is normally what I write about here and my plans for 2020 have been totally upended by this virus. I am in a high risk group so my plans have become the least of my concerns. Over the last 48 hours, I have only gone out of the house to take a walk, to work in the yard, and today to ride my bicycle. It is just so strange not being able to plan anything for the weeks and months ahead. None of that matters if I get sick. Not only did I have part of my right lung removed in March 2019 because of lung cancer, I was diagnosed with emphysema which puts me squarely in the high risk category. I wasn't concerned two weeks ago when I said the virus wasn't going to keep me from living my life, but that is not the case anymore.

Thanks Helio!

The good news in all of this involves the time I suddenly have had to organize at home among other things. I've been working on a book project for quite some time and I've been able to do more writing on it this week than in the previous six months put together, so that's a real blessing. I've also had time to use the Google Scan app on my phone and scan a huge number of photos that I shot on film which had never been digitized before. That makes me very happy and came with an unexpected side benefit of posting photos on social media: I got a digital autograph on one of my scanned photos from Helio Castroneves! I hadn't even requested it, but there it was in my Twitter notifications. So for now, I will leave you with a few more of those old photos that I've recently digitized. You're seeing them here before I can get them posted on my website but stay tuned for more. Here's hoping we can get back to racing soon.

Al Unser Jr.'s team celebrates winning the Indy 500 pit stop competition in 1989

Sports car racing on the streets of Columbus, Ohio 1985

The late Scott Brayton was always quick at Indy

Lewis Hamilton

Emerson Fittipaldi on the streets of the Motor City in 1989

Life in the Rear View Mirror

"Mr. Photographer" at the racetrack

What a year this has been! I couldn't be happier that 2019 is almost over, and if you've been reading my blog this year, then you already know why. As 2019 comes to a close, I think back to twenty years ago today, when I was managing a sewer utility and watching the news with trepidation all day, waiting for the lights to go out as "Y2K" hit (what a scam that was BTW). My life has changed in so many ways since then. Today I am excited for the New Year to come because of what I believe lies ahead for me as a teacher and photographer!

I made it to Daytona and had surgery 10 days later

So now it's my turn to do a recap of the last 12 months. I am also going to provide a glimpse at a few favorites from the more than 50,000 photos I shot at races this season. Last year at this time, I was concerned I had lung cancer following a CT scan, and that diagnosis was confirmed January 4th. Thankfully the only treatment that was being recommended was surgery to remove the cancerous spot and the upper lobe of my right lung. My concern instantly shifted from uncertainty about cancer to whether or not my plans to shoot the first ARCA race of the season at Daytona in early February would be effected by the surgery. Thankfully the surgery was scheduled for after I got back from Daytona and I only missed three weeks at my teaching job and one ARCA race in March.

My "hole in the wall" shot means it's Salem

Getting back to "normal" was a challenge and my goals shifted to improving my breathing and my stamina and my racing photography helped me do that, starting with the next ARCA race near the end of April. I also had a deadline coming up in June to complete my "Hoosier Cemeteries" photo project under the grant I had received from the Indiana Arts Commission. While I was getting back to work and finding my feet again, my fiance was hit with her own cancer diagnosis, and we found out her brother also had cancer, so we had to deal with a trifecta of bad news the first quarter of 2019. Just before the Salem race, my fiance had breast cancer surgery and I was running back and forth between southern Indiana and Methodist Hospital in Indy the whole weekend.

Tommy Vigh, Jr. spun right at me at Talladega

Two weeks after Salem, I drove to Talladega for the next ARCA race event which started a string of ten straight weeks with racing to shoot. The Nashville ARCA race followed Dega, then the Indycar Grand Prix was the next weekend, followed by Indy 500 practice during the next week. A weekend in Toledo was next for ARCA and then on Wednesday I headed to Charlotte  for ARCA, driving back to Indy on Friday to shoot the Indy 500 on Sunday. The Thursday following the 500, I drove to Pocono for ARCA, then went to Michigan the following Thursday, then to Madison, Wisconsin the following weekend, then to Gateway near St. Louis the next weekend and finally to Chicagoland Speedway the next week to wrap up the month of June. I was feeling stronger but I was also exhausted having really only taken one day to relax with no commitments that entire ten weeks, as I was still teaching through the first week of June.

After one of my longest drives (to Elko , Minnesota) fans were great 

The first weekend in July, my fiance and I flew to Dallas to see her brother over the 4th of July holiday. When we got back my teaching job was resuming the very next day and then I had three more race weekends in a row in July: Elko, Minnesota for ARCA, then Iowa Speedway for Indycar and ARCA and then back to Pocono for ARCA for the second time in less than two months. August was a piece of cake by comparison as I only had one ARCA race (on the mile dirt track at Springfield, Illinois). Labor Day weekend ARCA had its second dirt track race of the year at the DuQuoin State Fair and I was finally feeling like I was able to catch my breath a little. I only had three more ARCA races to work between Labor Day and the end of October (Salem again, Lucas Oil Raceway and Kansas), and only one of those involved a long drive  (Kansas). That stretch brought my 2019 season to a close with a final tally of 19 ARCA races (out of 20 on the schedule) and three Indycar events.

The Indy 500 is always on my calendar - thanks Simon!

I put over 13,000 miles on my 2015 Honda Civic Si and had six race trips of more than 1000 miles, three of which were over 1300 mile round trips. I had flown to Daytona in February or my mileage total would have been even higher! I did all but one drive solo and the only time I had company was on the DuQuoin weekend when my brother went with me to help cover the race and that trip was only 535 miles! All of that driving and 21 of the race events occurred over the 27 weeks between the first Salem race in April and the season finale in October at Kansas. It was a grind but I loved it all - except for that moment in Shelby, North Carolina in May where I met one of the City's finest while passing through.

See you in June

I had another CT scan in September so I continue to be cancer free and don't have any other follow up scheduled until the next CT scan this coming March. I do not know what 2020 will be like but it has to be better physically than this year. I know I am going back to LeMans in June 2020 but I do not have any ARCA race assignments yet, mainly because new people are involved in the decision making since it will be the first year under full NASCAR control of the series. I know there is a new website in the works for ARCA and I am comfortable with the contribution I made this year to photography for the series. I did everything in my power to be in a position to be considered for future work so I trust that will pay off at some point. When it does, you can bet I'll be writing about it here, so stay tuned.

That's my life in the rear view mirror so the only thing left to do is show you some of my favorite photos from this season. What drove me this year was just getting to the next race. My body was tested but my faith never wavered so I greet the new year with renewed energy and commitment to my goals. Godspeed everyone. Be safe and have a prosperous 2020!

Gotta start them young like this fan at Toledo Speedway!

Where else but Pocono?

The future of racing is here: Ty Gibbs (left), Michael Self and Carson Hocevar (right)

Weather was often an issue this season.

Charlotte with "Big Willie"

Ty Gibbs 

Travis Braden has his game face on.

Indycar under the lights at little Iowa Speedway is always spectacular.

Race fans come in all shapes, sizes and ages.

 

ARCA races on dirt tracks twice every season; this is Springfield from the groundhog's view.

Shooting from the flagstand is always a thrill and Daytona was one of the best!

Grabbing private moments like this with ARCA rookie driver Tim Richmond makes it even more fun.

Getting dirty again.

Future flagman gives the green to the ARCA field.

Ty Majeski was ARCA's hottest driver during the middle of the year.

You see all kinds of people at the races!

I always look forward to throwback weekend at Salem Speedway.

Hailie Deegan was popular with fans every time she raced this season.

Christian Eckes got the guitar trophy this year at Nashville.

ARCA Veteran Bobby Gerhart is still fast whenever he races.

Waiting is the hardest part, right Christian?

Rain brought out the checkers at Toledo for Chandler Smith.

Christian Eckes won at Kansas and clinched the season title in the final race.

Christian Eckes (left) and teammate Michael Self fought for the ARCA driver's championship all season.

Sunrise on a race weekend is something we catch a lot to start long days.

NASCAR executive Mike Helton (left) conferred with ARCA President Ron Drager often this year.

Will Power at Iowa Speedway

Kids making their mark at the racetrack is a common sight.

Travis Braden sparks on the front stretch at Gateway.

Short track racing is a staple of  the ARCA Menards Series.

Carson Hocevar's eyes tell the story .

The trophy at Gateway was almost bigger than winner Ty Gibbs.

Simon Pagenaud swept the month of May at Indianapolis.

Doing It In The Dirt With The ARCA Menards Series

The State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois is a classic dirt track

Last weekend, I got the pleasure of photographing ARCA stock car racing on dirt for the fifth straight year at the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile in Springfield. Michael Self put "Dino" into the makeshift Victory Lane  last Sunday and got another kiss from "Big Bill" Venturini. "Selfie" maintained his lead in the season points standings over Christian Eckes in the process and now there are only four races left in the season. The series is off this weekend but next weekend we go to southern Illinois to complete the dirt double Saturday night on the Magic Mile at the Duquoin Fairgrounds. I can't wait to get dirty again and this year my brother, Steve Alley, will be there helping me out with photography for the series so that's an added bonus.

This angle from under the guardrail is one of my favorites

The ARCA series has been racing on dirt since the 1950's and while lots of people make a big deal about the Gander Truck series racing at Eldora the last few years, these two mile dirt tracks have been on the ARCA schedule for decades. It's so much fun to be able to work these two races back to back as they are quite unique and each track is different even though they are both a mile in length. There is no place else where I can get get closer to the racing surface. The experience of feeling these 3000 pound stock cars roar by me mere inches away on the other side of the guardrail is a rush of the first magnitude. It has to be felt to be believed. I also have a signature photo I try to shoot at these tracks from under the guardrail. I got my inspiration for that photo from horse racing, believe it or not, and it's fitting since they still race horses on these tracks when the fairs are going on. I've written about this experience before but every year at this time it still hits me how much fun it is to get to do what I do for ARCA.

Illinois driver Ryan Unzicker is a fan favorite on the mile dirt

It was fun also having a friend tag along at Springfield and show him the ins and outs of what we do to support the series at the racetracks. Occasionally I am able to invite a guest to a race like that and it's always fun to hear their reactions once the race day is over. I look at those invitations as part of spreading the word about the series. I still think word of mouth is one of the best promotional techniques - the six degrees of separation theory in real life. If every person I invite talks about how much they enjoyed the racing to their friends and followers on social media then it will attract even more interest. When I tell people what I do for ARCA, I still am surprised when they ask me what kind of cars are used in the series or they say they aren't familiar with the series at all. I know I am biased since I'm neck deep in the series, but I still think it's some of the best racing around.

This image is straight from the camera and has been used by the Venturini team

A big reason that I love shooting for the ARCA Menards Series is that it has made me a better photographer. When you shoot as many races per year as I have the last few seasons, it's almost inevitable that some improvement would occur but my feeling is my improvement has been exponential and noticeable. The first area I notice is in my vision: I know the shot I am looking for even before I press the shutter release and I am not hunting around or just snapping photos to be taking pictures. The second area is in what photos I accept on the spot as I am much more critical and know that it has to be right when I take the shot. The third area is in editing as I must go through 700 or more photos from a race in less than an hour once the race is over and there's no time for lots of tweaking or fancy Lightroom editing. This makes area #2 even more important since in quick editing mode, if it isn't right in the camera, I won't use it. A photographer friend told me back in the '80s when I was first starting out that the difference between a pro and an amateur is you never see a pro's mistakes. Of course I do some experimenting and I still make plenty of mistakes when an image doesn't come out quite like I want it to, but no one will ever see those and I learn something from every single one.

You know you're at the State Fair when you see the ferris wheel

The Springfield race was on Sunday afternoon August 18th and I knew going in that I wouldn't get home to Indy until after 9:00 p.m. or so, but the evening got interesting as I approached Brownsburg on I-74 from the west. I had to hit a rest stop near there and as I walked inside the totally dark facility, I said to a man leaving the bathroom with his cell phone flashlight on,"What happened? Did the State forget to pay the light bill?" We laughed but I didn't know that storms were knocking power out all around the area. Soon after I got back onto the interstate, my fiance called and told me our power was out, a tree in the yard was on fire, and we had a power line lying across our street. I was seeing lightning in distant clouds to the east and I was still about 30 minutes from home when she called. It was a helpless feeling knowing there was nothing I could do. When I got there, power was out on our whole street and the fire department was finishing their work while the power company addressed the downed power line. We decided to wait it out and finally got power back about 1:30 in the morning. 

A shower would have been nice

The funniest part of the whole ordeal? I was filthy dirty and sweaty from the race and I was looking forward to taking a shower but since our house is on a well, without power we had no water! I had to bring out some water jugs to wash up and get the top layer of sweaty grime off before going to bed, so it was a crazy ending to a day that had started with a 4:00 a.m.alarm on my phone so I could make the 5:00 officials meeting at the track. That's the sort of thing that happens on the road sometimes and Labor Day weekend we do it all over again with the series at Duquoin in southern Illinois! If you come out to the fair, then be sure to say hello. I'll take a selfie with you! So until next time, here's a few more of my photos from Springfield. Be sure to visit the ARCA Menards Series website at this link to see lots more and read about the great racing action.

It felt really good to get drenched in Victory Lane - it was worth it for this reaction shot of Michael Self

Alabama native Bret Holmes has really been coming on strong this season

Dirt track ace Logan Seavey has been a terror at the ARCA dirt track events this year and last

Christian Eckes could not make it two in a row at Springfield