7 Days to the Indy 500

 

7 days to the Indy 500. I took this photo of Brian Herta in 2006 so I am declaring my support for his son Colton to win the 500 next Sunday.

I am incredibly disappointed about not getting media credentials to photograph the race, or even being able to attend, and that disappointment has added a foul edge to my life recently. As a result, I have decided to stop my daily countdown to the 500 after this post. I am going to try and let that disappointment go and support my photographer friends and colleagues who were lucky enough to be chosen to document the event. In addition, I will not be posting any more of my Indy 500 photography, which dates back to 1984, until this year’s 500 is over in order to defer to those who are out at the track working this race. .As the late Dave Martin at AP used to say, “Go make some freaking pictures.”

My close friends and family know why I say this most recent disappointment has tainted my life, but people who only casually know me may not understand why missing the 500 is such a big deal. For context, I would suggest the last 18 months of my life needs to be considered as a backdrop for this most recent punch in the gut. In February 2019, I had lung cancer surgery to remove part of my right lung; I had found out earlier in the year that I also had emphysema. As such, all of this year during the pandemic I have had to live with the knowledge that I am in a high-risk group and consequences could be dire if I were to contract the coronavirus. So try to imagine living under the cloud of constant anxiety every time you go out in public.

At the same time I was dealing with lung cancer recovery last year, my fiance was preparing for her own surgery after finding out she had breast cancer. So we were both trying to recover from major surgeries most ofl last year. Earlier this year, my fiance’s brother died of lung cancer. While he was struggling and ultimately succumbing to his cancer, my 85 year old father was in a rehab facility in Indy for a variety of illnesses. The last time I was able to see him in person was February 29, 2020. Meanwhile, a trip we had planned for France and Greece, and a return trip for me to shoot the 24 Hours of LeMans race, was scuttled and the Indy 500 was postponed because of Covid-19. On May 12th, we learned that my Dad had contracted the virus. The last time I talked with my father was on my birthday, May 31st and then he died June 10th as a result. In that last conversation he told me that 19 people in his facility had died from the virus, so watching him fight the virus on top of his other infirmities added stress all year long.

Within the last two weeks, I learned I would not be able to go to the rescheduled LeMans in September, nor would I get credentials for the 500. My string of consecutive Indy 500 races started in 1976 and was unbroken prior to this year, so missing out has just been the straw that broke the camel’s back. So if I’m curt or snap at you, then know in advance that I’m sorry. Try as I might to control my emotions, they burst through sometimes. If I am more of a jerk than normal, it’s because my nerves are raw. Living in a constant state of anxiety can only be done for so long before something has to give.

Being forced to miss The Race is no joke. Did I also mention that my work as Chief Photographer for the ARCA Menards Series totally evaporated this year as well? Loss after loss after loss these last 18 months has exacted a toll on me that’s left me feeling exhausted, constantly angry and nearly broken spiritually. But I am getting help and am grateful for the people in my life who can prop me up and point me in the direction I need to go. If I hadn’t been able to go out and ride my bicycle this spring and summer - and I’ve been riding the wheels off of my Trek  this year - I hate to think where I would be mentally.

I write this now not to make excuses for popping off but to explain the precarious state of mind I’ve been living with. The sarcastic joke in our family is that the “Shue Grit” combined with the Alley stubbornness is a double whammy.  I was raised to figure things out myself so it’s hard to ask for help. I do not normally show much emotion and I don’t get too close to very many people. Moving from town to town frequently as a Methodist’s minister's kid is partly responsible. My training as an athlete is behind some of that too - you can’t let people know when you’re upset or that you’re nervous; you have to keep your cool to perform when the pressure’s on. If you know me, then you know the things I am passionate about and motorsports photography is at the top of a fairly short list.

Like a bad country music song, when the things you love are stripped away one by one, what is left? I’m still trying to figure that out but I guarantee you I will. Once I do, I’ll be able to play that song in reverse and get back most of what I’ve lost and come out the other side a better and stronger person.

On the Road (Again!) with ARCA Racing Plus Back to School

Youngster Chandler Smith Picked Up Another Dominant ARCA Win  From Pole

The last two weeks bounded by three weekends have continued my whirlwind summer with classes starting again at the Excel Center Noblesville where I teach. On top of that I had three long drives for three straight weekends to shoot races at three very different tracks in the ARCA Menards series. First there was the 3/8ths mile in Elko, Minnesota, then came the 7/8ths mile Iowa Speedway and fiinally the 2.5 mile superspeedway at Pocono Raceway. I started writing this post on Saturday evening July 20th while sitting in the media center at Iowa Speedway waiting out a rain delay for the NTT Indycar Series. At the beginning of that week, school had resumed where I teach and after four days of teaching, I had left Indy for Iowa right after work Thursday July 18th and arrived at about 11:00 pm local time after a seven hour drive to Newton, Iowa to work the June 19th ARCA event.  I stopped at the I-80 truckstop on the way for the first time and it was a hoot - the world's largest truck stop so they claim. Friday turned into a grueling 17 hour day in conditions unlike any I'd ever experienced at a race before, in dangerous heat that felt like more than 110 degrees. It was still 85 degrees at 11:30 pm when I got back to our hotel after the race! It was crazy how hot it was - it just pressed on my chest every time I left the media center that day.  On race day July 19th, I got my second (or third) wind before ARCA's "Friends With Benefits" 150 and loved the chance to work this cool little track again for the fifth time since 2015. I know everyone felt wiped out Friday evening in Victory Lane as Chandler Smith picked up another dominant ARCA win for Venturini Motorsports. I told team principal Billy Venturini afterwards that their teams were killing it this season and they continue to rack up pole positions and race wins with a variety of talented young drivers. Their team has clearly been the class of the series this year.

Iowa weather seemed almost as fickle as Indiana's!

Ever since it was announced last year that ARCA would race Friday night and Indycar on Saturday night at Iowa, I had planned to shoot both races and return to Indy on Sunday. The weather forecast for Indycar's race day (July 20th) promised a bit of relief from Friday's oppressive heat and we did get some relief but the timing was awful. The track was hit by a ferocious rainstorm complete with lightning just as the Indycar grid was supposed to be forming. For a race that was supposed to start at 6:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT), that rainstorm was very unwelcome, since it sent everyone's plans into a blender and no one knew if (or when) the race would be run. A couple of hours later came word that Indycar would shoot for a 10:30 CDT start if the track could be dried and no more rain fell. But there was another storm cell to the west so everyone was a bit nervous since no one wanted to deal with a postponement to Sunday morning for an 11:00 a.m. start. At about 10 o'clock, they started rolling cars to the grid and it looked like we were going to get the race in so everyone was relieved. I especially enjoyed having a lot of time to walk the whole Indycar grid and get driver photos. I'm pretty sure I got at least one decent shot of every Indycar driver in the race. The highlight for me was talking to Conor Daly who is from Noblesville so that was cool making a connection with him even though we have been social media acquaintances for years.

Josef Newgarden was on a mission at Iowa

I wrapped up my Indycar  shooting of winner Josef Newgarden in Indycar Victory Lane about 1:30 local time, went back to the media center to download my images and then sort out what I was going to do next. Since I had not made a hotel reservation in advance and it was closing in on 2:30 in the morning in Iowa (3:30 a.m. back in Indy), I decided to drive awhile and see how I felt. I got almost to Iowa City before the need to sleep started hitting me so I pulled into a rest area and slept for a couple of hours before a tour bus full of giggling and chatting high school girls behind me work me up. Back onto I-80 east I went and drove a few more hours before stopping again at another rest stop somewhere in Illinois for an hour more sleep. I finally finished the drive home at about 1:30 p.m.  in Indy. What was normally a seven hour drive became an exhausting ten hour drive with just enough sleep mixed in to keep me from crashing my Civic Si. I don't think I've ever been so glad to home; a nap followed almost immediately!

Chandler Smith also won at Elko

The weekend before Iowa, I had driven to Elko Speedway just south of Minneapolis, Minnesota for ARCA's 250 lap race there on July 13th. That was a 10 hour drive on Friday followed by the race on Saturday and then a return trip to Indy of another 10 hours on Sunday. I had never been to Elko before and I really loved working that little bullring. I worked the entire race photographing the action from the flagstand and along the outside track wall. Seventeen year old Chandler Smith picked up another impressive win for his Venturini team which set the stage for Iowa the next weekend. The Monday following Elko, we started the first day of our new school year and it was quite an adjustment. I have to admit I was feeling some travel fatigue as I had not done a drive that lengthy since going to Charlotte in May.

Christian Eckes continued the Venturini sweep of July ARCA races

The week following Iowa, I left Indy Thursday evening after school for another long drive - this time to Pocono in far eastern Pennsylvania - for another one day show where we would practice, qualify and race all on the same day. I got to our hotel after 2:15 Friday morning and had to be up early to go to the track, so I was one tired puppy after the Pocono race was over. At least this time I had somewhere to stay (unlike Iowa) so I didn't try to drive home until Saturday. I have been called crazy for keeping this kind of schedule but I am not the only one doing it. In a span of 15 days, I drove about 3,650 miles to shoot four races in three different states, plus I sandwiched my regular teaching job in between the race dates with eight days in the classroom! It was another stretch where I felt like I was working two full time jobs. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining! I love to drive and motorsports photography is a huge creative outlet for me.

Christian Eckes celebrates his Pocono win

Part of the reason I committed to doing all of the ARCA Menards Series races this year is because hardly anyone is certain what is going to happen in 2020 when NASCAR takes over full control of the series. The schedule for next year is not available yet but races at Phoenix in March, a rturn to Iowa in July, a single June race at Pocono, plus Talladega in the spring and the annual pilgrimage to Daytona in February have already been announced. I will definitely be going to Phoenix when I hope my brother and his family will be able to come up from Tucson. There's a newer addition to my niece's family I haven't even met yet and he's already two years old so it will be good to get together with all of them. The rest of the 2020 ARCA schedule is still up in the air and my plans to return to Le Mans for the 24 Hours next June will hopefully not have too great an impact on my ARCA photography. I love working for the series as I have a lot of creative freedom, I know I am contributing to making the cars and drivers look good, and the series attracts some of the best young talent in stock car racing, so next year promises to be very exciting. Stay tuned for more as we get into the final stages of 2019 with only five races remaining. I will have more to add another time as more information about next year's ARCA schedule becomes available. In the meantime, be sure to visit the series website by clicking here to see more photos and the latest news about the series. Until then here's a few of my photos from Elko, Iowa and Pocono for you!

It seemed like we were racing on the sun at Iowa

Josef Newgarden had the Indycar field covered once the race finally got underway.

Known as the "Tricky Triangle" because it only has three turns, Pocono is a unique track to work.

Local fans really came out to support the series at Elko which made it that much more fun.

Excellent pit work like this at Iowa for Chandler Smith has helped Venturini's drivers all season long

Since I teach in Noblesville, I had to include one of local product Conor Daly, who I talked with during the pre-race delay.

More Penske Power in Indy 500 as Will Wins His First

Will Power got his first Indy 500 win on the hottest race day ever

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway continued to be a Penske playground this May as Will Power waltzed into Victory Lane at the Indy 500 to take his first ever win on the big Indianapolis oval. This was the 102nd rendition of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" and most teams struggled to find grip on the melting asphalt of what some said was the hottest Indy 500 in the history. While it was Will's first Indy 500 win, it was Roger Penske's 17th win as a team owner, and there has rarely been a more excited winner than Willy P. Will's usual demeanor is all Aussie cool but he was going absolutely nuts in Victory Lane which was so out of character for him. During his lap around the track for the fan salute after he drank the winner's milk, he just kept saying "I can't believe I won the Indy 500". He did it in style with a calculated victory as other top contenders dropped out with self inflicted crashes or couldn't make the fuel numbers work to pull off a win similar to Alexander Rossi's two years ago. It was an amazing display of emotion from a guy who is usually as outwardly emotional as dry toast and it was awesome to be there to photograph it. I'd love to see more emotional displays like that from Will when he wins and I'm happy to see him finally grab the big prize at Indy.

Danica did well after being away from Indycars for several years

One of the big stories before this 500 was the fact that it was Danica Patrick's last race. She held station early on but crashed out on her own when her car snapped loose in Turn 2. Defending champion Takuma Sato had gone out just a few laps before Danica after running into the back of James Davison's awful handling machine in Turn 3. Before the day was through, there would be several other incidents involving some surprising names who struggled with the handling of their Dallaras with the new aero kits. Helio Castroneves spun and crashed on his own. So did Tony Kanaan, Sebastian Bordais, Ed Jones and Sage Karam. Danica couldn't explain what happened in her crash and it seemed to be the same mystery for just about everyone. From the outside it looked like a combination of factors: a ridiculously hot day, lack of grip on the slick surface which had been washed clean by a downpour the previous day, and the cars would suddenly get loose coming off the corners as a result of lower downforce levels, especially when drivers were running in a group. The most impressive drive of the day was put in by Rossi who came from 32nd starting position to finish second. He seemed to have a handle on his car like no one else and I saw him make some crazy outside passes in Turn 1 that had me flinching when I was shooting down there, but he made it work in spectacular style.

Sunrise on race day is special - quiet before the mayhem and roar of the event

It was a fun race for me and everything seemed to fall into place as the day went along. I got to the media parking about 5:00 in the morning and went into the track about 45 minutes later so I could shoot the sunrise over the Pagoda Tower. There are usually a lot of other photographers in the Penthouse sections on the front straightaway doing the same thing and this year the sunrise was absolutely gorgeous. That was a portend of things to come for the day as the skies above central Indiana were powder blue with cotton candy clouds all afternoon during the race which made for some spectacular scenic shots. My initial shooting position for the race has been the same since 2013 and even though I don't like heights, I am going to keep going up on the Penthouse roof over Stand E to shoot the pre-race pageantry and the start. The view from up there is incredible and though I only stay up there for about the first 10 laps, I love starting my race from that vantage point.

I managed to get photos of Simon Pagenaud's final pit stop

I more or less followed my normal "10 laps and move strategy" as the race went on since I was the only photographer representing French media company MPS Agency in order to get some variety in my photos. For the day as a whole I shot roughly 2600 images and walked over 15,500 steps by the time I got back to my car at 7:30 that evening. After starting on the roof, I went trackside at the end of the front stretch, then around to the outside of Turn 1 and then on a yellow, went inside Turn 1 for awhile as I had a feeling there might be a crash there. When that didn't materialize, I went to the inside of Turn 2 past the halfway point and then to the pits around lap 125. At the time I was debating whether to go on the top of the stands behind the pits or go directly to pit lane. I decided to go straight into the pits and am glad I did, as not long after I got there. I could see teams on the south end of pit lane were laid out and pole winner Ed Carpenter soon came in for service. I love shooting pit stops in Indycar and capturing the air guns as they get tossed aside and the smoking tires as drivers peel out to get back in the race. I continued to work pit lane or on the top of the stands behind the pits until about lap 180 when I decided to look for an angle to shoot Victory Lane since I did not have a reserved spot this year.

Will Power had calmed down by the time of the winner's photo shoot Monday morning

I went into the media center to grab a bottle of water and see if I could get a vantage point from one of the balconies but there were already too many people gathered around so I went back to ground level adjacent to the photographer's stand and just waited for the finish. It was cool to watch the late race fuel gamblers drop by the wayside and I was especially happy that Stefan Wilson led some laps but he couldn't stretch his fuel far enough, nor could Jack Harvey or Oriol Servia, Will Power was there to claim victory when those guys all had to pit for a splash of fuel in the last 10 laps. I wasn't finding a decent angle to shoot the winner's celebration so I decided to take a gamble on positioning myself next to the photographer's stand. That decision paid off as I got some great celebratory shots of Will when he first got out of the car. After his lap around the track, and the kissing of the bricks ceremonies, I went back by Victory Lane and got invited in to photograph the remaining hat dance and trophy celebrations, so I got photos I hadn't even planned on when the race started. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, but on this race day I felt I was both. I trusted the universe Sunday and I am grateful that everything woked out so I could do a good job representing MPS Agency.

My view from the roof

With the Month of May now in the history books, I finish out our school year in a couple of weeks and then get to take a week's vacation so it will be nice to relax and unwind. I gear back up in July to work more races for the ARCA Racing Series and work on 2019 which I hope will include Sebring, Indianapolis and Le Mans for MPS Agency. I turned 61 the last day of May and I am not ready to slow down by any stretch of the imagination, so I'm excited about what the future may hold. In the meantime, enjoy a few of my photos from the 500 or go to the MPS Agency website to see all of the photo galleries I contributed this month by clicking here. Come on out to a race sometime and say hello. I'll take your picture!

I was surprised that Josef Newgarden (1) wasn't more of a factor

Will Power (12) had the car to beat all day

Alexander Rossi seemed to be able to pass at will during the race

Passing this year occurred mainly on the straightaways and made for great photos

Penske's Power Takes Indycar Grand Prix - Again; Carpenter Upsets Penskes for 500 Pole

Penske Racing owner Roger Penske - "The Captain"

There's a special connection between the Indycar teams of Roger Penske and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), and they proved it once again as Will Power got his third win in the Indycar Grand Prix on the IMS road course out of the five times the event has been held. That Penske stranglehold on P1 at IMS did not hold up for Indy 500 qualifying however, as local favorite Ed Carpenter was the only driver in Sunday's Fast 9 to crack the 230 mph barrier in taking pole position and holding off Penske's four horsemen,  Helio Castroneves, Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud. Power took the Grand Prix pole position to kick off the month of May and then followed that up with a masterful drive on the road course to claim his 30th career Indycar win. It was also the 200th win in Indycar for Penske. The drive of the day was turned in by Scott Dixon however, who had a miserable qualifying effort and started 18th. After "throwing in the kitchen sink" before Saturday's final Grand Prix practice session, Dixon managed his fuel and tires to snag second place over rookie Robert Wickens who had another impressive outing after starting on the front row. Wickens admitted he did not have the experience to manage the dwindling late race fuel supply like Power or Dixon, but he managed another podium finish while holding off Alexander Rossi.

Robert Wickens (6) has been the series' most impressive rookie so far

Having a race on the IMS road course to start off the month of May is a relatively novel concept since it was only introduced in 2014 and this year's event was held Friday May 11th and Saturday May 12th to very receptive crowds. A little over a week later after several practice days on the oval, the field was set for the 102nd Indy 500 on Sunday May 20th. The Carb Day final practice period is already this coming Friday and the 500 is Sunday! Where did the month go? I have been so busy since the month started that I haven't been able to finish this blog post even though I started it over a week ago. For me, May is like working two jobs as I take care of my teaching responsibilities and then banzai out to IMS to catch time during practice on the weekdays. Then I am up until 10:30 or 11 each night to finish editing my images for the day and then upload them to the MPS Agency website and another French site every night. The time difference means my French counterparts will just about be getting up around the time I upload my images since they are 6 hours ahead of us. Then Saturday and Sunday brings Indy 500 Bump Day and Pole Day with very early photo meetings both days and 14 to 18 hour days taking photos or editing and transmitting them. It is physically exhausting but I don't mind for a second. My fiance calls me the "Energizer Bunny" since I keep going and going!

The Pagoda Tower plaza is quiet after practice

Whether it's the Grand Prix or the 500, I cover a lot of ground at the Speedway whenever I am there, and my step counts reflect that as I have to make my way around the circuit on foot. I have always felt like IMS is a home away from home since I've been going out there so long. I once calculated that if I added up all the days I have been at the Speedway for practice, qualifying or a race since I first started going in 1970, and you put all those days back to back, then you could say that I had spent almost 2 years of my life at the track! The coolest part is I am still learning as a photographer, even though my first race with credentials was in 1984. And I never take any of the experience for granted as it is humbling to think that I am contributing to the documentation of a great American sports institution at what one of my photographer friends called "The Cauldron of Speed."

Will Power is almost unbeatable on the IMS road course

While IMS feels like home to me, Will Power is turning the Indycar Grand Prix into his personal playground. Power said afterward that this year's race was the toughest he had driven on the IMS road course. I would chalk that up to a number of factors. First, the newer Indycar body kits with less downforce were noticeably slower in the corners and drivers were all having to work much harder to get their cars to turn in. Second, while I had expected record lap speeds due to the decrease in downforce, the opposite turned out to be true. The cars were obviously quicker in a straight line but that increased speed dissipated in later braking and more difficulty in putting the power down while exiting the corners. The good news for fans was that these factors created a lot of great racing and overtaking at the key braking zones in Turn 1 at the end of the oval's main straightaway, at Turn 7 at the end of Hulman Boulevard in the infield, and entering Turn 12 where they go inside Turn 1 of the oval track.

If a French driver like Simon Pagenaud wins the 500, that will help MPS Agency

I am providing photography this May for French media company, MPS Agency, and I had an absolute blast walking all over IMS during the Grand Prix weekend. I wanted to get lots of variety in the photos I would deliver to MPSA so shooting from multiple different vantage points was a must. I usually start off a race with something resembling a strategy and then adjust as I read the race, so this year was no different as I knew I would start the race in Turn 1 where history has shown that accidents often occur on the first lap. Sure enough, I had Jordan King come through the sand trap and stop at my feet after punting Simon Pagenaud who spun through the sand and kept going. On many races, I try to follow a "shoot 10 laps and move" strategy which allows me to cover most of a racetrack no matter its size. At Indianapolis, that is a daunting task and I ended up logging nearly 18,000 steps on my pedometer for the Grand Prix race day as a result. Thankfully the rains never came which had been predicted originally (I was prepared if it had rained) and the weather was warm but still pleasant. It was definitely a workout getting from one end of the circuit to the other with about 25 pounds of camera guy strapped on, and my legs were on fire walking up the stairs to the Penthouse seating with about 25 laps to go in the race. When the Grand Prix was over, I was exhausted but happy with the work I had done but I knew I still had a lot of editing to do to wrap up the event before the emphasis switched over to the Indy 500 in just a couple of days.

Helio Castroneves is a sentimental favorite to win the 500 for the 4th time

This past Tuesday was the first day of practice for the Indy 500 and my goal was to be working every day I could make it out to the track once my teaching duties had been fulfilled. I didn't miss a day but the time was extremely limited until Friday when I could be there all afternoon. As the sole representative for MPSA, I had some work to do with the IMS photo staff to ensure the access I needed to do the best possible job for MPS Agency and everything I could have hoped for came together. The weekend culminated with some great shot of the pole winner Ed Carpenter, his family and team after the pole award ceremony Sunday evening. I still am not sure about my race day access for the 500 yet but I will find that out on Carb Day. I am optimistic and excited to be shooting another Indy 500 as a credentialed photographer for the 31st time! There's nothing like it so come on out and join the fun this weekend.

To see photo galleries from my May work at IMS on the MPSA website, please click here for the Indycar GP and click here for Indy 500. See you at the track!

Will Power made the Fast 9 but couldn't take the pole for the 500

Ed Carpenter took his third pole at the Indianapolis 500 and must be considered a favorite to win the race

Indycar's other French driver, Simon Pagenaud, got punted at the start of the Grand Prix

Pagenaud Rules Grand Prix of Indianapolis

Simon Pagenaud claimed the pole and race

On the coldest race day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since the 1992 Indy 500, Team Penske ace Simon Pagenaud continued his winning ways in 2016 with a dominant win on the IMS road course last Saturday in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. It was not surprising since he also started on pole position and seemed to have the field covered in almost every track session. Teammate Helio Castroneves took second while James Hinchcliffe prevented an all-Chevy podium by taking third with his Honda powered machine. The Verizon Indycar Series put on a good show for the fans who turned out over the three day event as there was plenty of track action to follow from Thursday morning through Saturday evening. The Mazda Road to Indy support series were on the card and the Indy Lights series ran two full races, so fans got a lot of racing for their dollar if they came out to IMS for even part of one day.

The weekend started off beautifully

I was there all three days shooting for motorsport.com while covering the Indycar and Indy Lights series. In typical Indiana Spring fashion, our weather was ultra changeable with everything from rain showers to bright sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80's to Saturday's overcast, windy and cold conditions. It made no difference whatsoever for what I had to do, however, as I still had to make some pictures and get them transferred for the website to use. To do that, I covered a lot of ground and loved every second of it, as I was on a mission to add variety to the photos I was delivering. On Thursday's practice day, I walked over 27,000 steps around IMS. I followed that up on Friday's qualifying day with more than 18,000 steps and another 18,000 plus on Saturday's race day. My Thursday numbers were a personal all time best according to my pedometer app and equated to more that 16 miles hoofing it around the Speedway to find those photos! I was glad that Sunday was an off day as the Speedway got converted to oval track configuration!

Pagenaud winning pole was no surprise

Once the race was over Saturday evening, I was not the last to leave the photo "cave" in the media center but it was close. What I call the cave is the second floor area where photographers work with the main room lights turned off so it is dark and we can all see our computer monitors better. May has become somewhat of a singular pursuit for me since I am not working with any photographer colleagues at Indy yet nor is there a photo editor on site for me to report to. I love being in that cave when everyone has finished shooting as you hear other photogs discuss what they got (or missed) and what they may have encountered during the day while trying to get photos they needed.

John Menard's reaction in Victory Lane was priceless

I got rebuffed once during the Grand Prix when I tried to get above the F1 garages which had suddenly become off limits to photographers. Something like that seems to happen every year at IMS as the rules seem to change willy nilly about who can go where on the property, so we just have to adjust. That happened to me late in Saturday's race so I had to find another place to shoot the finish. I finally decided to give up on that and just get ready for the checkered flag to get a shot and then be close enough for the winning driver's reaction as they exited their car. That turned out to be a great decision as I was right in the middle of all the celebrations in pit lane as team owner Roger Penske, primary sponsor John Menard, and even competitor Scott Dixon came around to offer congratulations. It was an awesome feeling to be in the midst of that and hear all the conversations that were going on at the time, so I would make the same decision again if I get the chance.

Now we move on to the big show - the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500. I have been to every Indy 500 since 1976 as a spectator or photographer so this is my 41st consecutive race and 43rd 500 overall. Since I started shooting at Indy for UPI in 1984, I have seen and photographed a lot at Indy but I still get goosebumps every year.  I expect this year's race to be even more intense as the drivers vie for the title of Indy champion for the 100th time. It used to be called an "International Sweepstakes" and I know media interest in this race worldwide is higher than it has been in years, so I am grateful for the chance to be a contributor. I will even have a couple of colleagues on race day this year as I'm told there are two photographers from France coming over, so that will be something fun and different as well. It still looks like a Chevy will win this year if you ask me, but I hope it's a fast, safe month for all concerned. Let's go racing, ladies and gentlemen. See you at the track!