ARCA rolling to Talladega grid

Delayed from Friday, the ARCA teams are heading to the grid for a very early race start today at 8 am. Weather today is crystal clear but windy and chilly. Tire temps and a green racetrack will be issues.
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Talladega Day 1 Update

Tornado warnings at Talladega have chased me east to Oxford, AL until the storm blows through. What a day this has been. And I still haven't shot any race cars at speed yet. Having dinner at Chick-fil-a. Somebody needs to play REO's "Riding The Storm Out" for me.
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Talladega Day 1

My day started at 3:15 this morning and I was on I-65 heading southbound by 4:45. Driving through torrential downpours off and on between Nashville, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama made the drive extremely interesting. I got to Talladega and was parked in the infield media parking at 1:45 pm Indy time so despite the conditions and making three stops along the way, I still made very good time.

When I got here, Sprint Cup cars were practicing their nose to tail dance just like at Daytona but that was essentially the only dry session and I was busy checking in with Associated Press and finding my way around so I heard the cars but had no chance to shoot anything. Only 8 cars got out for the second Sprint Cup practice before rain hit again and now track activity has been washed out completely as of 3:30 CDT. The ARCA race will go off at 8 am tomorrow morning, so Day 2 will start very early and have two races. Looks like I will be in a tower at the exit of Turn 2 Saturday.

More to come folks!
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Indy 500: Is It May Yet?

Just saw my first #Indy500 Camaro pace car on the street in Indy. Today is 30 days until @IMS opens. Sweet!

And even though I am headed southbound on my Talladega road trip in about 22 hours, I will still be thinking about the IZOD Indycar brigade hitting the streets of Long Beach. Go Simona!

Thank God for DVR's!
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Will Power: INDYCAR's Comeback King

INDYCAR's Will Power is on a roll for Team Penske like few have ever experienced. With his dominant win this past weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, Power is primed to return to Long Beach this weekend with designs on another clean sweep - pole position, leading the most laps and the race win. When you consider how far he has come in the last three years, Power's current streak is even more remarkable. While many drivers have to recover from injuries to resume their chosen profession, Power's comeback has been spectacular by any measure and the obstacles he has overcome would have been insurmountable for most people. But not for this unflappable Australian. Here's why I believe he deserves to be called the "Comeback King".

In 2008, Power came to the INDYCAR in the last second consolidation with ChampCar and faced learning new equipment, new oval tracks and new competitors with the KV team that had been solid and backed him to street circuit wins at Las Vegas and Toronto previously. Three years ago this month, Power won the last ever ChampCar race held at, where else, Long Beach. A year later with his Australian funding dried up, Power was essentially without a ride until Roger Penske hired him as a stand-in while Helio Castroneves dealt with tax and legal issues. Before he could even get comfortable as Penske's pinch hitter, Helio wins an acquittal and hops on a plane to Long Beach to qualify and race after months away. All Will did then was win the pole and make the ultimate sacrifice for the team, handing over the equipment he had set up to Helio. He raced an unfamiliar car that day and soldiered on as Penske's third driver with his future still very uncertain throughout most of the 2009 INDYCAR season.

Fate struck another cruel blow at Sonoma in late August 2009. Cresting a hill on the circuit, Power found Nelson Phillipe's crashed Dallara in his path and no way to avoid him, t-boned the helpless Phillipe in a violent incident which broke Power's back and dictated extensive sheet time for both himself and Phillipe. Roger Penske showed in 2010 why he is "The Captain" and arguably the greatest INDYCAR team owner ever. He held a ride for Power and with Verizon's help, Will took five road course wins and eight pole positions during a breakout season where he led the season standings for most of the year only to fall short in the last quarter of the title chase when oval track results could not match his road course record. I am sure it hurt losing the title in the final race of the season to Dario Franchitti after pancaking the wall at Homestead trying desperately to chase the points he needed to win the season crown. But considering where he had been just one year previously, I'll bet the pride of coming back so strong and coming so close to winning the IZOD INDYCAR title in 2010 salved most of any remaining wounds.

Now not quite 20 months since that horrific day at Sonoma, Power continues his road and street circuit roll in the first two events of 2011: winning the pole at St. Petersburg and chasing Dario to the checkered flag followed by his flag to flag win from pole at Barber. He has now started P1 in nine of the last ten road or street course events. He's also collected six wins and two second place finishes in the last 11 races of that kind spread over two seasons. So not only is he the Comeback King, he is fast becoming the road and street circuit king in the IZOD INDYCAR series so you know where you can expect to find him this weekend at Long Beach: likely P1 after Saturday's Quick Six final qualifying and on the top step of the podium come Sunday. Anyone who can do what he has done since 2008 in an INDYCAR deserves the highest praise and with Rick Mears coaching him on ovals, it is only a matter of time before he becomes a terror on those tracks as well. When he does, the rest of the field may be sucking ethanol fumes from Power's Honda at every track on the circuit.

I will be heading south to Talladega this weekend to shoot the ACRA, Nationwide and Sprint Cup series races rather than going west to Long Beach for a number of reasons. It's another chance to shoot for Associated Press and expand my contacts in motorsports photojournalism. I have never been there so it's another track checked off my bucket list. A year ago, my brother and I had talked about meeting at Long Beach but we just couldn't make it happen this season. Maybe next year. See you soon. Feedback is welcome! Follow me here and on Twitter @alleygroup this weekend as I post throughout my Talladega road trip!

IZOD INDYCAr Season Starts with A Bang: Franchitti Wins Opener

Dario Franchitti has kicked off the 2011 IZOD Indycar season with a dominating win at St. Petersburg, leaving the first lap carnage behind him and staking an early claim to the season points title. As my predicted season title winner for 2011, I was glad to see Dario jump out ahead in the standings. I'm sure the other teams in INDYCAR are not near as happy however, most notably Andretti Autosport after Marco Andretti ended up on his head in the first turn first lap melee, and teammates Mike Conway (immediately) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (later) were eliminated in the mess that Marco blamed on Helio Castroneves.

The double file restarts were a source of contention in their first implementation at an INDYCAR race. Slower speeds coming to the green flag on the start and every restart caught some drivers out at St. Pete, but I am sure they will be able to adjust for the next road races, beginning this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. Cold tires and brakes are part of the equation, but with INDYCAR fields being so tightly bunched and competitive, drivers are looking to make up places at every opportunity. With the gap between pole and 25th on the grid roughly 1.86 seconds, it was predictable that the first corner was going to be a problem.

Other than physically being at a race, I had the most fun watching the St. Pete event and couch racing while watching the ABC telecast and following everyone's comments on Twitter, adding a few of my own along the way. I did almost the same thing on Saturday but with the disappointing discontinuance of live streaming video on Indycar.com, I had to rely on Twitter for my qualifying fix. It was marginally better to listen to the radio broadcast online Sunday morning for the Indy Lights race. I'm sure the same issue exists for all media outlets with the urgency for instant communication that exists today - how to provide meaningful content without giving away the farm.

One of the reasons I created a Twitter account last fall was to engage in the wave of urgency that media outlets, race promoters, drivers and others all seem to be riding. The publication I have been shooting for since 2006, American Motor Journal, is about to unveil a new website to which I will contribute from all the races I shoot once again this season. I am hoping that Twitter feeds can be a part of that site's evolution. My next race event will be at Talladega in two weeks for Associated Press. My plans a year ago were to be at Long Beach for the INDYCAR weekend but that didn't pan out this time so I will be driving south once again as I did in February, but only going about half the distance as Daytona. I will be blogging, shooting the ARCA, Nationwide and Sprint Cup races, and tweeting like crazy throughout the whole Talladega road trip weekend. Talladega is another bucket list racetrack for me to check off, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to shoot for AP down there. See you at the track!

Mid Ohio Sports Car Course

Hard to believe June will be 5 years since I went to @FollowMidOhio driving school.
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St. Petersburg INDYCAR GP - Bourdais Crashes in Final Warmup

Dale Coyne's INDYCAR team took a double hit this morning in the final warmup session as Sebastian Bourdais pinballed off one wall into another and severely damaged his car while James Jakes hit the barrier as well. Bourdais' machine was damaged too badly to repair with the limited spares on hand but Jakes will be able to start the race so at least one Coyne car will take the green flag today. Here's the INDYCAR video from today's final warmup session.

IZOD INDYCAR Countdown: Evolution of Winning

With the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR season about to commence in three days in St. Petersburg, Florida, the series embarks on a historic year that should be a battle for the ages among the top teams. This Sunday's race will also begin in earnest the countdown to the Indy 500 as well, which will be just 63 days away at that point. Followers of the series know that this will be the last year for the current car specification and that the 2011 Indy 500 is a celebration of 100 years of history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since Ray Harroun won the first 500 in the single seater Marmon Wasp. History will be made on many fronts this season and the IZOD Indycar Series and the Speedway are doing a great job of honoring that history in the buildup to this year's 500. Perusing Twitter and motorsports blogs will tell you that the buzz has returned to the series and excitement will continue to build through the Las Vegas finale in October.

This past weekend, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum held a special event as part of its Centennial Celebration with the opening of a new display of 67 of the winning cars. On Sunday, race winning drivers Rick Mears, Bobby Unser, Arie Luyendyk, Gil de Ferran and Al Unser, Jr. were at the museum and throngs of fans flocked into the exhibit area to see the cars, talk to these Indy legends and get memorabilia autographed. I saw fans with wing pieces, cardboard cutouts, books, model and diecast cars, race programs and ticket stubs at the ready. Lines were long to meet the drivers and rather than spend time standing and waiting, I took a different look at the exhibit as a whole. I did have the opportunity to talk with Gil de Ferran and offer sympathy for the Tony Kanaan deal that didn't pan out. And Al Unser, Jr. was gracious enough to talk with me about his recovery program as I passed along messages from a Twitter friend. Donald Davidson was there too and I did get him to sign my autographed copy of Tom Carnegie's Indy 500 book so I was grateful to have the chance to be there among like minded people who love INDYCARS and the Indy 50).

What struck me about the event was the evolution of the cars since 1911 and the following photo slideshow is my attempt to show that evolution by looking at the front ends of the cars. The Wasp as everyone knows was highly controversial as a single seater in the days of riding mechanics but that led to creation of the first rear view mirror on a car. The decision by the Marmon company to enter a single seater and bring Ray Harroun out of retirement for the first 500 is the cornerstone of all that defines an Indycar. One seat. A driver. Go fast. Turn left 800 times, plus one more left turn into Victory Lane. But the Wasp was a hulking beast of a race machine with a frontal area about the size of a large suitcase and the aerodynamic efficiency of a dump truck. Compare that to today's single seat Indycars, where the frontal area is minimized and wings create downforce fore and aft, and it might not appear at first glance that a Dallara has much in common with the Wasp. If you look over time at how the cars have evolved however, they have much more in common than a casual fan might notice. The cars gradually lowered their centers of gravity and smoothed out the frontal areas. Tires got wider and lower. Then wings were added in the 1970's when aviation technology began to find its way to Indy. The bridge for all those changes is found in the roadster era and the winning Lotus of Jim Clark. While I never got to see the roadsters run at Indianapolis, I have watched and photographed the evolution of winning Indycars since 1970. By this time next year, the next generation car will be a reality and promises more of the innovative and evolutionary INDYCAR technology as the current Dallara-Honda package gives way to more customizable chassis-engine combinations than at any time since the mid-1960's when roadsters, rear engined cars, four-wheel drive and the legendary turbine all battled for the Borg Warner trophy during a turbulent decade.

Meanwhile, the IZOD INDYCAR Series drivers will take on a variety of racetracks this season, likely with abandon, as the cars have no utility other than as show cars once the Las Vegas race has been run. Best wishes to all this weekend at St. Pete! It's the start of something really big.

One final note: back in my January 17, 2011 blog post, I made a list of predictions for this INDYCAR season that I repeat here as a quick reminder.

1. Dario Franchitti will deny Helio Castroneves his first INDYCAR championship once again.


2. Helio will win the Indy 500 and punctuate Penske's decades-long dominance of the race, 100 years since Ray Harroun won the first 500.


3. Tony Kanaan will get a win for De Ferran Dragon racing.


4. Danica Patrick will become the leader Andretti Autosports needs.


5. Simona di Silvestro will finish in the top 10 in points.


6. Alex Tagliani will win on a road course with the FAZZT team.


7. Rookie of the Year will be fought to the last race between Charlie Kimball and James Hinchcliffe with "Hinchtown" winning because of the testing Newman Haas will provide.


8. Ed Carpenter will get an oval win for Sarah Fisher Racing.


9. The top five in the championship will be Dario, Helio, Kanaan, Scott Dixon and Danica.


10. Graham Rahal will give the Ganassi "junior" team at least one win and finish in the top 10 in season points with teammate Kimball.

Al Unser Jr. At IMS Museum

Normally I am not much of an autograph seeker but I've always liked Little Al and can appreciate his off track difficulties and how he has turned his life around. He's the real and first "Jr.", with all due respect to NASCAR fans.
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IMS Winning Cars Exhibit

Large crowd at the Speedway Museum this morning to see the winning Indy 500 cars and get autographs from winning drivers. Not sure I will stand in line but I'm wishing I had gotten here earlier. Just saw a friend who said he got here at 9:30!
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INDYCAR Open Test Begins at Barber Motorsports Park

The entry list for the open test at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama includes 24 cars, but only 22 drivers are listed. STill no Tony Kanaan or Dan Wheldon...


IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test

March 14-15

At Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala

Car Driver Hometown Car Name Entrant

3 Helio Castroneves Sao Paulo, Brazil, Team Penske

4 JR Hildebrand (R) Sausalito, Calif, National Guard Panther Racing

5 Takuma Sato Tokyo, Japan, Lotus-KV Racing Technology KV , Racing Technology - Lotus

6 Ryan Briscoe Sydney, Australia ,Team Penske

7 Danica Patrick Roscoe, Ill., Team GoDaddy Andretti Autosport

8 E.J. Viso Caracas, Venezuela , PDVSA rC" Lotus - KV Racing Technology KV Racing Technology - Lotus

9 Scott Dixon Auckland, New Zealand, Target Chip Ganassi Racing

10 Dario Franchitti Edinburgh, Scotland,Target Chip Ganassi Racing

12 Will Power Toowoomba, Australia, Verizon Team Penske

14 Vitor Meira Brasilia, Brazil, ABC Supply Co A.J. Foyt Racing, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

18 Sebastien Bourdais Le Mans, France, Dale Coyne Racing Dale, Coyne Racing

19 TBA Boy Scouts of America Dale Coyne Racing

22 Justin Wilson Sheffield, England, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing

24 Ana Beatriz (R) Sao Paulo, Brazil, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing

26 Marco Andretti Nazareth, Pa., Team Venom Andretti Autosport

27 Mike Conway Bromley, England, Andretti Autosport

28 Ryan Hunter-Reay Boca Raton, Fla, Andretti Autosport

34 TBA Conquest Racing Conquest Racing

38 Graham Rahal New Albany, Ohio, Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing Service

77 Alex Tagliani Lachenaie, Canada, Sam Schmidt Motorsports

78 Simona De Silvestro Thun, Switzerland, Nuclear Clean Air Energy HVM Racing

83 Charlie Kimball (R) Camarillo, Calif., Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen Novo Nordisk Chip Ganasssi Racing

02 Oriol Servia Pals, Spain, Newman/Haas Racing

06 James Hinchcliffe (R) Toronto, Newman/Haas Racing

Twenty-four cars entered. All cars use Dallara chassis, Honda engines and
Firestone tires.

Daytona 500 Road Trip Recap

What are we willing to do to pursue the things we love? In my case, I was willing to drive solo 2,047 miles on a round trip to the Daytona 500 to have the chance to shoot the race at this legendary cathedral of speed. It's hard to believe that it has already been a week since I was there and I am still trying to process all that happened during the trip. When I made the decision to go, I had major doubts about whether I would be able to handle such a long trip driving on my own. I love to travel and I really love to drive, but this trip tested me in ways I could not have foreseen beforehand. All's well that ends well and while I was not in a position to produce photos that Associated Press wanted to put on the wire, I still shot nearly 2900 images from Friday through Sunday and am pleased with the work I was able to do. The slideshow with this post includes scenes from the road trip and the racetrack and are in addition to the slideshows I posted previously about the weekend's three race events themselves.

I told the AP person in charge to put me wherever they needed me and brought back pictures of what was available from my viewpoint. Having shot the Indy 500 since 1984, it was odd being a Daytona 500"rookie" shooter and as the weekend went along, I asked myself several times why I had never gone down there before this year. I did not have a good answer. One word describes my trip however: surreal. I left Indy on a Thursday morning after my class at Marian University and the next morning I was standing on the beach in St. Augustine, Florida. The trip back gave me a similar feeling as most of it was during the night, and I only stopped for breaks, fuel and a couple of catnaps on the road. Nineteen hours after leaving Daytona International Speedway, I was back home in Indy, bedraggled but happy that my '99 Integra got me there and back safely.

The most fun I had during the trip involved technology and social media. I posted like crazy on my Twitter account, posted mobile blog notes here and kept a chatter going on Facebook whenever I could. When I got home, I saw that I had done nearly 25 blog posts, including three race reports with photos. I'm not sure who (if anyone) took the time to wade through them all, but I sure had fun doing them!

Scroll down past the slideshow for a few other random thoughts from the trip:

I love the whistle the AEM cold air intake makes on my Integra under acceleration. She turned over 189,000 miles on the odometer this trip.

Bullitt County, Kentucky had me thinking of Steve McQueen, Mustangs and Chargers.

The "See Rock City", "Ruby Falls" and "Lookout Mountain" signs seemed to be everywhere in Tennessee. I recall as a kid these signs were mostly painted on barns but billboard proliferation has apparently replaced most of those. I prefer the barn signs.

The steep, sweeping turn near Monteagle, Tennessee southbound was a sight to behold. I can't imagine driving that in an 18 wheeler. And how do they make brown asphalt in Tennessee? I saw it all over the place around Chattanooga.

Rolling into Georgia and then hitting Atlanta at 6 pm was no picnic. I loved all the pine trees along I-75, but why in the world do they need so many double decker billboards along the interstate? They were a major distraction, especially at night when they were all lit up and hundreds of feet off the ground, poking up above the tree lines.

I found plenty of towns that ended in "-ville" along the way and my favorite was Maxville, Florida. There's a Maxville, Indiana too.

What was everyone burning in Georgia and Florida? It smelled like campfires everywhere. That might explain the "FOG SMOKE" signs in Florida.

I loved the drive on I-10 and I-95 at night in Florida. No billboards. Driving through a canyon of pine trees in the darkness. The hum of my Integra's Magnaflow exhaust with the cruise control set and the music blasting. This is why I love to drive.

On the way back, I stopped outside of Jacksonville at a "Race Trac" convenience store to get fuel and a black guy in a big SUV asked "You got a price on that car?" I wasn't sure what he said at first but my response was "Nah. She's got almost 190,000 miles and is just getting broken in." He responded "That's a sweet car!" I'm thinking the same thing and got back on the road laughing about the encounter.

I turned the counter over for the second time on my Canon 7D during the weekend. That means over 20,000 images since I bought it last April, the majority taken at races.

On the topic of towns ending in "-ville", I'm not sure I would want to live in Barneyville, Georgia, although I am sure it's a nice town. I couldn't help it when images of purple dinosaurs and Don Knotts flashed through my mind though. Glad I am back in Indiana-ville! Now I can plan the next race trip and I am no longer a Daytona 500 rookie.

Back Home Again In Indiana

My #Daytona500 road trip ends safely after 986 miles and 19 hours. 15 hours of seat time, 3 hours for cat naps and 1 for fuel/other breaks! The last hour in blinding rain was really hard work. It's all good.
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Trevor Bayne Takes Daytona 500 As Rookie

In a most remarkable Daytona 500 that went 208 laps rather than the scheduled 200, rookie Trevor Baynes survived the carnage on the race track to prevail for the storied Wood Brothers team in the classicly painted #21 made famous by the "Silver Fox" David Pearson. On a perfect weather day, Baynes got the right drafting assistance at the right time and held off all challengers through the final green-white-checker finish to get to Victory Lane one day after his 20th birthday. On a record setting day for cautions and lead changes, the race was topsy turvy from the very beginning as the "Big One" occurred on lap 28 and took several favorites out of contention right from the beginning. The tandem pushing draft work was a sight to behold as drivers ran inches apart at close to 200 mph in pairs or pairs or fours, or eights - sometimes a pack of 20 would roar by my position in Turn 1 and it was difficult to get them all in the frame.

For my first Daytona 500 experience, I loved every bit of this weekend, but now I must hit the road back to Indy. I know I will be back again and am very appreciative of the opportunity given me by Associated Press to work for them this weekend. And while I did not sell any pictures to AP, I made some new friends, added to my racing photography resume while checking off a Bucket List item. When I get back to Indy this week, I have several thousand images to sift through from the last three days of on track activity, and notes from the long drive or conversations with my racing friends to put into another blog post. Until then, here's my first quick slideshow from today's race. Enjoy. See you at the racetrack!

Let the Daytona 500 Editing Begin!

In the #Daytona500 media center. Backing up image files then a quick edit for the web. Nothing I shot in 1 was of interest to AP. Oh well. It was an awesome experience.
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Rookie Upstages Vets to Steal Daytona 500

Congrats to Trevor Bayne & the Wood Bros. Great to see those colors in Victory Lane. Sun was right in my eyes last 20 laps. #Daytona500
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Daytona 500 - 62 laps to go

Shot Kyle Busch spin and Labonte's amazIng save in Turn 1 so far. Of course the "Big One" was at the other end of the track!
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Daytona 500 Race Day Update

I've been assigned to Turn 1 by AP for the 500 today so I will get to shoot a different part of the track for the race. Should be fun. Hope I get something out on the wire!
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Daytona 500 Race Day

Sunrise over the Sprint Cup garage area. Everyone is getting busy and the heavy early fog has already lifted. Off to photo meeting.
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Tony Stewart Storms to Win Daytona Nationwide Race

It was a great day at the beach for Hoosier Tony Stewart as he seemingly came from nowhere after the final restart inside 10 laps to go to win by a nose. My vantage point in Turn 4 enabled me to shoot lots of pack racing, side by side and tandem pushing attacks as leaders fell back then moved up through the field with partners all day long. On a chamber of commerce day at Daytona International Speedway, any number of contenders could have won today, but it was simply a matter of who was going to get the right push at the end. Clint Bowyer and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were in the final push to the finish line, but I hope Tony is going to take Landon Cassill out for dinner tonight, as that young man gave Stewart the shove he needed to get by in the last few feet. Cassill was very impressive all day and might just have earned a return favor from "Smoke" on another day.

Here's a quick slideshow of action from my viewpoint this afternoon. More to come later as I get time to do some serious editing. I do not yet know where Associated Press will position me for the 500 tomorrow but I am looking forward to it as the race promises more of the same pushing and shoving that we've seen in the truck race last night and today's Nationwide event.

Daytona Nationwide Race

Here we go!
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Daytona 500 Road Trip Day 3 - 12:30 pm Update

Uneventful #Daytona500 happy hour. Never did see Stewart, J Gordon or JJ. They must be really happy with what they've got. NNS race next.
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Daytona 500 Road Trip - Day 3

#Daytona500 Sprint Cup Happy Hour about to get underway. Hot & not a cloud in the sky. I'm hearing there have been lots of engine changes.
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Daytona 500 Road Trip - Day 2 Recap: Truck Race Pix

Michael Waltrip earned his first Camping World Truck Series win on the 10th anniversary of his Daytona 500 victory and the death of Dale Earnhardt in a wild and woolly 250 mile event. The race itself was uneventful until past the halfway mark when all hell broke loose - everywhere except Turn 4 where I was working! I saw lots of damaged race trucks and close racing - nose to tail, side by side and in packs. And it was a very long day that didn't end until almost midnight. For my first race event at Daytona, I was very happy with the lighting and the help I got from lots of folks around the track. Today is another busy day but after the Nationwide race, I should have some time to relax and do some proper editing of my photos from yesterday and today. Until then, here's a quick slide show from last night's truck race.

Daytona Camping World Truck Series Race

Daytona 500 Day 2 - 2:30 Update

Standing on the Sprint fan deck along pit lane. No action on track right now. Just saw Roger Penske, Kurt Busch, Bobby Allison and Carl Edwards around the media center. I will be working the exit of Turn 4 for the truck race tonight and the Nationwide race tomorrow. Sunday's assignment is unknown as of now. I will go to the spot for Nationwide qualifying which starts at 4 pm to scope everything out.
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Daytona 500 Day 2 - 1 pm Update

Finally parked in the infield at the #Daytona500. Road trip miles from #Indy here totaled 1061. Infield is already jam packed. Now I have to find the media center and see what my assignment for AP will be today.
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Daytona 500 Day 2 Noon Update

#Daytona500 credentials are in hand. Time to head into the track. The weather is just gorgeous. Beautiful day for motor car racing!
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Daytona Day 2 update

Left St. Augustine beach and headed to #Daytona500 credential office. About time to get busy!
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At the Fort at St. Augustine

Off to the beach and a cruise down A1a next!
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Daytona 500 Road Trip - Day 2

Taking the scenic route from JAX to get my #Daytona500 credentials today from St. Augustine down A1a. Going to the beach first.
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Daytona 500 Road Trip - End of Day 1

Found room at Bobby Rahal's old sponsor, Red Roof Inn, in JAX. Good to be out of the car. Done with third leg of #Daytona500 road trip. Insane amount of solo driving. Find the nearest beach tomorrow for the sunrise - or as close as I can make it. Got to get a few hours sleep!
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Daytona 500 Road Trip - 3rd Leg

Almost to Valdosta, GA. I swear ATL needs to get another bypass for the I285 Bypass. Worse than the Dan Ryan in Chicago. #Daytona500
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Daytona 500 Road Trip 2nd Leg

Hit ATL right at rush hour. Good time to refuel and grab dinner. Rockin' to Jimi, Tull, Scorps, DP, SRV and Satch on #Daytona500 road trip.
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Daytona 500 Road Trip Update

Bowling Green KY for gas & food. Drove through Bullitt Co looking for green Dodge Charger. #Daytona500 road trip first leg.
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Indy 500 Oldtimer as Daytona 500 Rookie

The longest racing road trip of my life starts in less than 15 hours as I head to Daytona to shoot this weekend's races for Associated Press. My goal is to be on the beach for Friday morning's sunrise. I will have the chance to shoot the Camping World truck race that night, the Nationwide race Saturday and the 500 for Sprint Cup on Sunday. With NASCAR making changes to the rules all week to keep the packs below 200 mph on the freshly paved surface, it will be an interesting 500, especially now that pole winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. hit the wall in practice this afternoon and will have to start from the back in tomorrow's Duels and in the 500 on Sunday.

I have been crazy busy lately with teaching, officiating basketball and my own classes at Marian, so a long racing road trip seems like just the ticket! My race photography season has never started this early before, but I've been salivating ever since the Rolex 24 hours race three weeks ago. I hope to post regular blogs and photos throughout the weekend but I have no idea what AP will want me to do or where I will get to shoot. Whatever happens, I will try to post it here so stay tuned race fans.

RIP to longtime Indy 500 public address announcer Tom Carnegie who passed away this week. He's calling races with all the legends now. God rest his soul; prayers to his wife and family. The words "It's a new track record" will never be the same at Indy again.

INDYCAR News & Good Intentions

While it has been quiet in Indiana-ville since the holidays, the same cannot be said for the INDYCAR world. A new logo was unveiled by Randy Bernard at the recent "State of INDYCAR" media event and a host of INDYCAR drivers have been preparing to run the upcoming Rolex 24 Hours of Dayton. As a result, the IZOD Indycar Series has splashed across the media in style already this year. I am not someone who believes that the road to hell is paved with good intentions so this post will not head down that road. Rather, as a spiritual mentor and peer coach once told me, it is important to be intentional in all that we do. I see the steps taken by INDYCAR to increase brand awareness and generate excitement about the upcoming 2011 season in that light. On a personal note, recent weeks have involved the holidays, my better half lost her father to cancer, and I have been consumed with the next steps in a career change into teaching, photography and coaching basketball. Most but not all of these involved intention on my part so other than posting on Twitter, I have not done much writing about racing so far this year. There has been no shortage of exciting news for Indycar fans however, and the silence in Indiana-ville is officially over.

In addition to the new logo and Rolex 24 participation, INDYCAR and the Indy 500 have created a buzz with the Centennial Tour of military installations overseas and the announcement of new double-file restarts on all oval track restarts. These would be attempted for the first time at the Indy 500 so it may have just been Brian Barnhart floating a trial balloon, but I think it was intentional in order to keep the Indycar Series in the news and gauge driver reaction. Firestone has announced it is negotiating its return to the series for 2012 and my guess is they want assurance they will be a sole supplier; say goodbye to the road course "reds" in the process - all intended to reduce costs for Firestone. Lots of new sponsor and team announcements have also been occurring which has the same effect, even with the first race still almost ten weeks away. As the last year of the current chassis & engine specification looms, lots more news will be made in the months ahead, and I intend to cover it with words and pix here and for American Motor Journal which will unveil a new website soon. For the time being, here are my fearless (crazy? foolish?) predictions for INDYCAR in 2011:

1. Dario Franchitti will deny Helio Castroneves his first INDYCAR championship once again.
2. Helio will win the Indy 500 and punctuate Penske's decades-long dominance of the race, 100 years since Ray Harroun won the first 500.
3. Tony Kanaan will get a win for De Ferran Dragon racing.
4. Danica Patrick will become the leader Andretti Autosports needs.
5. Simona di Silvestro will finish in the top 10 in points.
6. Alex Tagliani will win on a road course with the FAZZT team.
7. Rookie of the Year will be fought to the last race between Charlie Kimball and James Hinchcliffe with "Hinchtown" winning because of the testing Newman Haas will provide.
8. Ed Carpenter will get an oval win for Sarah Fisher Racing.
9. The top five in the championship will be Dario, Helio, Kanaan, Scott Dixon and Danica.
10. Graham Rahal will give the Ganassi "junior" team at least one win and finish in the top 10 in season points with teammate Kimball.

When all is said and done in October, we will see how great (or awful) my predictions are! Feel free to sling darts at any time and I reserve the right to claim temporary insanity as the season unfolds. Too much time in the sun and ethanol exhaust can do that to a person. As Helio said at Edmonton last year, talk to my attorneys...

With respect to my own intentions, when I started this blog in January 2007, I had no idea where it would lead but thought it would be a fun and creative outlet for my racing photography and especially my Indycar interests. It has been all of that and more. For 2011, I intend to bring home pictures that tell stories from whatever race I shoot. I will create more blog and photo content that is meaningful to fans and photographers. I will shoot the Daytona 500 next month for the first time. I will shoot at least six INDYCAR races as a media member and develop opportunities to provide photo support to teams, sponsors or drivers at the races. I will use my passport this year. I will integrate my passions for racing, basketball and photography in an educational context. I will get back to the dirt for USAC and ARCA races to reconnect with my racing roots. I will post to this blog, to  http://www.alleygroup.net/ and Twitter with sufficient frequency so that linkages between my work and the racing community become obvious to those within the motorsports industry. Finally, I will be a better father and friend to those I care about and to those who have helped me survive to this point in my journey. God bless and keep us all.

Racing Recap 2010: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

It's all over but the shouting for the 2010 racing season and there have been many memorable moments to savor through the winter months. Soon enough, the Rolex series will be running at Daytona around the clock and the 2011 season will be underway. In the meantime, here's my take on The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from 2010. My slideshow at the end of this post chronicles many of those moments captured through my cameras this season, including my sequence of Mike Conway's horrific crash on the final lap of the Indy 500.

The Good

As a photographer and diehard Indycar fan, some of the best moments came from the IZOD Indycar season. Will Power's comeback from serious injuries in 2009 to battle Dario Franchitti for the series championship was among the best stories of the season. While Power came up short in his challenge for the series title in the final race, this storyline provided a fantastic backdrop for lots of other good news in the series. Tony Kanaan's victory at Iowa chased away his demons at that short track and provided Andretti Autosport with one of its few highlights for the year. Ryan Hunter-Reay was rewarded will full season support by IZOD after a strong early season showing when it appeared his ride was in doubt due to funding; his job at Andretti is now secure for the next two seasons as a result. One of the big surprises of the season was the strenght of Alex Tagliani's new FAZZT team which showed surprising speed and consistency throughout the year. The series also announced that its Road to Indy ladder system would be bolstered by Mazda going forward and a $300,000 reward would be given to the USAC Driver's Champion; this funding puts Bryan Clauson in a Firestone Indy Lights ride for six 2011 oval races. Rising stars like Conor Daly have benefited from the ladder system already, and his Star Mazda series domination resulted in a GP3 test in Europe following the season along with television interviews during the Indycar finale on Versus. Graham Rahal appears to be set for a full 2011 season with financial support from National Tire & Battery and JR Hildebrand, the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights champion, is jumping into the Panther Racing seat occupied for the last two seasons by Dan Wheldon. Lights driver Pippa Mann got her first win at Kentucky and the talent level in Indycar and its support series continues to be on the rise. Indycar's best news came during silly season when it was announced that Dallara would build it's new Indycar facility in Speedway, Indiana and Chevrolet, Lotus and Honda would all provide engines under a new technical formula for the 2012 season.
Chip Ganassi's success in multiple series, including winning the Daytona 500, the Indy 500, the Brickyard 400 and the Indycar and Rolex Series championships was a remarkable feat. Dario got his second Indy 500 win, Jamie MacMurray won Daytona and the Brickyard, while the duo of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas cleaned up in the Rolex Series despite rules changes during the season which were intended to handicap them. Congratulations to all the Ganassi teams for their awesome 2010 seasons! In NASCAR, Jimmie Johnson had to come from behind in the Chase to secure an unbelievable fifth straight series title. The ARCA series had a stellar year with young guns taking over for the veterans and continuing to brand itself as a proving ground for up and coming stock car racers in need of taxicab experience. Dakoda Armstrong's last lap charge at Talladega was a sight to behold and he grabbed a second win at the Salem Speedway high banks to mark himself as a driver to watch. I am personally excited that ARCA has announced a return to Winchester Speedway next year after a four year absence, and that it will team up with the USAC Silver Crown and Midget Series at O'Reilly Raceway Park in July as part of NASCAR Speedweeks leading up to the 2011 Brickyard 400. I could go on and on with the 2010 good news from the racing world as there was far more good than bad from my perspective, but "The Bad" and "The Ugly" often generated more headlines this season.

The Bad

For Indycar drivers Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon, "The Bad" included the loss of their rides for 2011. For TK, it was a simple matter of economics while Danny left an acrimonious situation where he had to sue the team over contractual issues and finds himself on the outside looking in despite two consecutive second place finishes in the Indy 500. While Will Power's season was a bright spot for Penske Racing, Helio Castroneves had one of his worst seasons in years with several DNF's and the memorable black flag at Edmonton after which he went ballistic on Indycar officials and created the season's most embarrassing moment. NASCAR found itself on the downslope in attendance and television ratings again in 2010. Several factors have negatively impacted NASCAR including the cookie-cutter "Car of Tomorrow", the locked in teams being guaranteed starting spots which has made qualifying largely irrelevant, the lack of exciting racing at most tracks, but mostly I believe the Chase format is to blame, since winning races no longer seems to be the primary objective in the series. Attendance at this year's Brickyard 400 was the worst ever with thousands of empty seats available. Danica Patrick's foray into NASCAR was essentially a "made for TV" sideshow and her race results left much to be desired as she is still learning how to drive a loose racecar. For me, part of "The Bad" was that I was unable to travel to shoot as many races as I would have liked in 2010, but I am hopeful that 2011 will be my breakout year as a motorsports photographer.

The Ugly

Ugliness in racing can take many forms, most often from on track altercations involving serious injuries or worse for drivers or crew members. One of the ugliest incidents this season involved Mike Conway in Indycars and USAC driver Shane Hmiel, albeit with different results. Conway's Turn 3 accident was by far the worst I have ever photographed and when it first happened, everyone feared the worst. Thankfully he is on the mend from leg and back injuries and could be back in an Indycar next season. For Shane, the recovery from a USAC Silver Crown flip at Terre Haute is much more daunting and he may never drive again. Shane's seems especially ironic considering the personal demons he has battled and the fact that he had back to back USAC sprint car wins at Salem and Winchester that I photographed less than a month before his accident. Shane's Facebook page is "The road to Recovery" and I would encourage any race fan to support him and his family in any way they can. The Firestone Indy Lights accident I photographed at Kentucky Speedway was ugly as well but no one was seriously injured in that one.

Post Script

For racing drama and excitement, nothing beats a good wheel to wheel battle in an open wheel car in my opinion. As a racing blogger and photographer, I have been very fortunate to be up close and personal with teams and drivers over the years and am grateful for the opportunity that American Motor Journal has provided me to cover some of the most dramatic races in recent history. I never want to see anyone get hurt and working as a photography often gets me in position where I could be in harm's way personally. So far, I have been lucky. As racers often say, "I'd rather be lucky than good". I'll take either. See you at the racetrack next season.

Indy Motorsports Show - Final Day

The 2nd Annual International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) winds up a highly successful run in Indianapolis today with an estimated 18,000 racing industry people attending during the week. With three days of open exhibits and an additional two days dedicated to technology and safety seminars, IMIS is carving out a unique niche in the racing world as the primary trade show where racers go without the general public being invited. Tom Wiesenbach of the Indiana Motorsports Association (IMA) has indicated that roughly 580 racing industry companies are involved in the show which is expected to have an economic impact in excess of $16 million dollars on the local economy.

As with any other business, networking within the motorsports industry has become vital for manufacturers, drivers, racing series and race teams. Walking through the exhibit hall, I have seen recently crowned USAC National Driver's Champion Bryan Clauson, ARCA's Frank Kimmel and NASCAR Nationwide driver Justin Allgaier among others. The ARCA series had a very nice display and the Must See Extreme Sprint Car Racing series was also represented. Beyond the exhibits, almost all of the manufacturer booths had quality peripherals, either as handouts, decals, promotional items or contest drawings. One of the best elements of the show was the ability to have one's name badge scanned into the company's contact system for additional followup. Often at trade shows, there is a lot of foot traffic but little "qualified" traffic. My sense after spending the last two days here is that the majority of attendees at this show would be considered qualified traffic and generate quality leads for companies that they could turn into future business.

With the show designed to create business for motorsports related companies, whether that goal has been achieved remains to be seen. The fact that all the booths sold out this year and exhibitors are already signing up for 2011 would seem to support the show's purpose. The promoters and businesses involved must be happy with those indicators. The most surprising element of the show to me, and one which probably needs to be pursued further, is the involvement of university programs where the future technological development for racing can find talented personnel to drive the industry forward. Indiana State University, where Bryan Clauson was playing a drag racing simulator, Northern Ohio University and other institutions for higher education, almost certainly have a role to play in the development of racing's future. With Dallara's new plant being built in Speedway, Indiana, and a host of racing businesses already located on Indy's west side and in Hendricks County west of Speedway, the young men and women in school today need to be invited to shows like IMIS to build their own networks and provide an outlet for them to serve internships, or find future employment in racing related firms. The sky is the limit and racing takes money and talent. These were all on display here at IMIS and I am glad I got the chance to attend this year. Now the real work begins.

Indy Motorsports Show Packs 'em In

The only thing missing at the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) today was the smell of racing exhaust fumes. If you couldn't find what you needed today for your race team, then you just weren't looking hard enough. I have been to lots of industry trade shows in my former profession and I would have to say this one ranks near the top in terms of the quality of displays and the professionalism of the exhibitor presentations. Due to my basketball coaching obligations, I wasn't able to stay as long as I would have liked today, but I will start bright and early tomorrow with a meeting before the exhibit opens with one of the exhibitors with whom I spoke - Rydin Decal. These guys appear to make every kind of decal or graphic one could want to stick on a race car.

Anyone who knows me knows that my mechanical ability is nil but I love to drive. What I wouldn't give to take a spin in some of the machinery that was on display! Too late to offer up my first born, but perhaps tomorrow I can swing another type of deal with someone! But seriously, I overheard lots of conversations between exhibitors and racers that indicated to me that business was being done today, and that is the point of any trade show after all. Many of these exhibitors will be packing up after the show ends tomorrow and heading for PRI to do it all over again, and Indianapolis should be grateful that Tony Stewart and his people have put this second annual show together as a fantastic Midwestern addition to the convention calendar. Next year's show is already scheduled for November 30 through December 2, 2011 and I already have it on my calendar. Seeing all this great racing gear has me salivating for the 2011 racing season already and I'll have more to add tomorrow. In the meantime, I have updated my slideshow from earlier today and will be adding links to video over the next few days as I finish my editing and production work. See you at the Convention Center!

Motorsports Show In Indy - First Slideshow

International Motorsports Industry Show Invades Indy

Motorsports companies from around the globe have converged on Indianapolis this week under the theme of "IMIS Means Business, Because Indy is Racing". If the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the capital of auto racing, then this industry show is the capital annex as the sold out exhibit hall would indicate. I will be working the show and reporting from the media center today and tomorrow with news and photos of all that is going on. We are waiting right now for a press conference where news of the addition of ARCA stock cars to the O'Reilly Raceway Park schedule is to be announced. The ARCA series will be added to the ORP Kroger Speedfest race week leading up to the 2011 Brickyard 400 as part of the Thursday night activities that have historically involved the USAC Midget and Silver Crown Series. It will be the first time since 1985 that ARCA has raced at ORP and promises a great night of racing with this triple header.

Motorsports Show Comes to Indy; Carpenter Takes Wheel at Sarah Fisher Racing

This week the International Motorsports Industry Show opens at the Indiana Convention Center with a sold out exhibit hall and roughly double the interest from 2009. This should not be surprising to those from the Indianapolis area where the automobile and auto racing have been centerpieces of Indianapolis culture and development for over a century. The show’s theme is “Indy Is Racing” for the simple fact that motorsports companies are in abundance in the region and more will surely follow as the Dallara Indycar plant takes roots in Speedway. I will be covering this year’s show for American Motor Journal and will be blogging during the show whenever possible. It should be a dynamic event for the industry and I hope to make a small contribution to the media coverage of this important industry gathering.

Meanwhile, news in the motorsports community continues to unfold even though all the major racing series have completed their seasons. I tend to specialize in Indycar racing, so that is my normal focus and the IZOD series continues to gain momentum following the recent Dallara factory groundbreaking. Today, Sarah Fisher Racing announced that Ed Carpenter will be piloting the #67 Dollar General machine in 2011 for nine (9) races as Sarah begins her transition out of the cockpit and into team ownership on a full time basis. Seen here signing autographs with Ed before a Butler basketball game, perhaps the Bulldogs will come on board as an associate sponsor to cement Ed and Sarah's Butler connection! In other driver news, Tony Kanaan recently tested with Dragon de Ferran racing so the rumors of an all-Brazilian pairing may be true after all, even though no formal announcement has been made. The FAZZT race team has tested a Chinese driver recently so a two car team for 2011 might be in the offing.
Other recent news includes Lotus jumping into the engine building fray for 2012 so Indycar teams will now have three engine marks from which to choose: Lotus, the recently announced return of GM through its Chevrolet brand, and historical supplier Honda. This will no doubt present additional technical challenges for Indycar inspectors but they have plenty of time to get ready.
For the 2011 schedule, it looks like the Edmonton race is back on again after the City Council voted last week to continue supporting the event, now that expenses with repaving have been ironed out. That is fantastic news for the Indycar series and Canadian fans in particular since the feared hole in the schedule has now been plugged with the confirmation that Edmonton will be held after all. In addition, Firestone ran a tire test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway recently and the finale for the 2011 season appears to be locked in for the weekend of October 16th. No doubt the season ending awards celebration will now also be held in Las Vegas following the race so a good time will surely be had by all. It will also be the last time the current spec Dallara-Honda combo runs and everyone will likely be glad to kiss this workhorse goodbye in anticipation of more technical variety and competition for 2012.
Finally, the Road to Indy deserves mentioning as it too is building momentum. The crowning of the 2010 USAC National Driver’s champion Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Indiana, has earned him a seat for selected Firestone Indy Lights races in 2011 along with $300,000 from Indycar to help pay those bills. I’ve seen Bryan race many times and it would be hard to find a more deserving guy for this support. Bryan’s first chance to run a Lights race will come on the “big track” at Indy next May in the Freedom 100 held on Carburetion Day, the Friday before the Indy 500. In true short tracker fashion, he will then probably go to O’Reilly Raceway Park the next night and run a USAC midget in the annual “Night Before the 500” event.
That’s it for now. See you at the motorsports show or a racetrack near your home soon, camera in hand.

Indycar Silly Season in Full Swing

Since the 2010 Indycar season ended October 2nd at Miami, news about the series has been swirling, and it's not just driver changes that are making this silly season one of the wackiest in recent memory. At a time when it could be argued that any Indycar publicity is good publicity, announcements made and rumors surfacing since the season finale have been alternately shocking and exhilarating for Indycar followers. The biggest driver news comes from Andretti Autosport, where Tony Kanaan was released from his contract due to the withdrawal of sponsor 7-Eleven from the team. Paired with that announcement was the news that Andretti had inked Ryan Hunter-Reay to a new two year deal. Seen in this photo having a conversation before pre-race introductions at Kentucky Speedway this season, one wonders what TK and RHR were discussing. Setup information? Post-season plans? I doubt they were talking about contracts.

On the one hand, I am very happy for Ryan to have some job security, if there is such a thing in Indycars these days. On the other hand, Tony has been the ultimate team player with Andretti and deserves a top ride in the series for 2011. Since Penske seems set, the best prospects would seem to be either Ganassi, where he almost went a few years ago, or KV Racing. I think he could help KV the most and serve as a mentor to young gun Viso and newcomer Sato who suffered through a miserable 2010 season with crashes and DNF's. If only two seats are available for KV next year and Tony takes one, then Viso is probably the odd man out since Sato has backing from his homeland that should keep him in the ride. With Lotus announcing recently it will partner with KV in an increased technological role in upcoming season, this team could be on the rise and Tony is just the guy to take them to the top. Tony is also likely to be the most fit driver in the paddock next year as he takes on the moniker of the "World's Fastest Triathlete" and competes in that grueling sport to get ready physically.

Speaking of Ganassi, a three car team for 2011 is not out of the question with the recent story of General Motors coming back to Indycars in 2012 as an engine supplier. While the Chipster claims he knows nothing about this possibility, he is not one to show his cards prematurely. No announcement has been made about GM's plans but reports are one may come soon, perhaps even this week. Having Kanaan on hand for 2011 to help prepare for GM's return to Indycars the next year makes a ton of sense for Ganassi who would then have a three-headed monster with Dario, Dixie and TK fighting it out with the Penske trio of Helio, Briscoe and Power week after week. That would be a sight to see. In the end, I think Andretti is the loser in this particular version of musical chairs with their primary setup guy out and now having to rely on Danica, RHR and Marco to get the team's cars into the top five on a regular basis. Even though Danica and TK had a wonderful dice at Miami, they had on-track issues elsewhere and it is clear to me that Andretti had to go with those who had financial backing. Rest assured he was not going to give up son Marco to another team. If Andretti can win races in 2011, I think it will be Hunter-Reay that shows them how, but I still think they will end up whiffing ethanol fumes from the Penske and Ganassi boys.

Sandwiched between the Kanaan and GM announcements was the surprising news from Edmonton that the scheduled 2011 race had been cancelled over cost issues associated with paving the airport course. That is going to be a tough blow for guys like Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani who rely on the annual Canadian swing for their sponsor support. It's really a shame for Canadian fans who have supported Edmonton very nicely in the race's short tenure. The worst part of the deal is the gap that now leaves in the Indycar schedule, although other Canadian alternatives are being explored. A photographer friend of mine suggested that Michigan be slotted into the Edmonton space and my response was they should run 500 miles while they are at it, like they used to. With Michigan an ISC track, that option probably isn't there for 2011 but if GM is truly coming back to Indycars, racing at either Michigan or Belle Isle in Detroit will almost surely be back on the Indycar schedule of the future to be close to GM's home base.

Indycar has also announced financial support for the USAC National Driver's champ to get a shot in Firestone Indy Lights for 2011. A $300,000 prize will be awarded by Indycar to that driver to help them fund at least a partial season ride. It's a fantastic gesture although I have to say it sounds like deja vu all over again with comments accompanying the announcement that indicate Indycar's desire to tap into USAC's traditional midget, sprints and Silver Crown open wheel series for future driver talent to have a shot at running the Indy 500. Lord knows there's plenty of talent running USAC events - just look at NASCAR and how many drivers have followed Tony Stewart to the taxicab circuit. How this effort will match up with the "Road to Indy" series (Star Mazda and US F2000) is anyone's guess right now, but a ladder system of some kind is essential.

Unfortunately, a ladder system for Indycars is stymied by a lack of competive rides in the IZOD series. Tony Kanaan's future is the domino that will set the others falling, and even with Dan Wheldon likely leaving Panther, new drivers have few options once they rise to Indy Lights and show they have race winning potential. This season's crop of Indy Lights drivers is loaded with talented shoes like James Davison, James Hinchcliffe, Pippa Mann and others. Where do they go to keep climbing the ladder? I look forward to the 2011 season for the answers.

While I am working on my 2011 travel and race photography schedule, if there are teams, sponsors or drivers out there who need an experienced motorsports photographer to help promote their efforts next year, then look no further. My recent work with American Motor Journal has been very rewarding and although Indycars are where my heart is, I would like to expand my race coverage to include more personal engagements in Indycars, Grand-Am, American LeMans, USAC and other series. If it moves, I can shoot it and I always bring back pictures. That's what I do.

Finally, USAC driver Shane Hmiel is no longer undergoing treatment at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and will be continuing his rehabilitation near the Hmiel home in North Carolina. The news about Shane recently has continued to get better and I hope he is able to make a full recovery, even if he doesn't race again.

Congrats to ARCA Champ Patrick Sheltra; Prayers for Shane Hmiel

Congratulations to 2010 ARCA Champion Patrick Sheltra for holding off Craig Goess by 20 points to take the season title. Shooting ARCA series races at Salem Speedway and elsewhere is always a treat and the championship couldn't come for a more deserving guy. The primary reason I enjoy ARCA so much is the opportunity to see up-and-coming racers learn their trade and do it on a variety of race tracks. The 2010 season was made even more remarkable by the fact that 14 different drivers found victory lane out of 20 races and 11 drivers got an ARCA win for the first time. The ARCA teams and drivers are always very approachable and the atmosphere is more laid back than many of the other more high profile series. These guys (and ladies) race and make no mistake about their desire to finish first regardless of the type of circuit they are running on any given weekend.

There's no other series that runs high banked short tracks, superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega, dirt miles like DuQuoin and Springfield, and road courses. To win an ARCA championship is truly a challenge and the weekly additions of one-off racers who arrive to gain stock car experience makes it even more difficult for the regulars who run the whole season for the points championship. With 2652 laps run over 20 races, lots can go wrong once the beating and banging starts, and fans should not overlook this gem of a series when making their racing travel plans for 2011. I know I hope to shoot several more ARCA races next year and can't wait for their season to get rolling again at Daytona next February.

On a more somber note, by now everyone in the racing community has heard about Shane Hmiel's wicked USAC Silver Crown series accident at Terre Haute recently. My photos are from his back-to-back USAC Sprint Car wins this summer at Salem and Winchester where he thoroughly dominated the competition on successive weekends and he really seemed to be enjoying himself. His injuries at Terre Haute are thankfully no longer considered life threatening although he has had a number of surgeries since the accident and has a long way to go. It would be a shame if he never races again since he has overcome a lot the last few years both on and off the racetrack to regain a winning form. He has lots of friends at all levels of racing pulling for him to make a complete recovery - even Jamie MacMurray recognized Shane after Jamie's most recent NASCAR win and of course Tony Stewart has been quoted often with supporting words for Shane and the Hmiel family. You can follow Shane's recovery on Facebook at "Shane Hmiel - Road to Recovery" where his family is posting regular updates about his ongoing recovery at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

As a racing photographer, the harsh reality we face every time we look through the lens at the racetrack is that someone we know could be seriously hurt or worse. When it happens to people you feel you know, there is a sympathetic reaction that is difficult to explain to those not involved in this crazy and dangerous sport we love. If Shane saw me on the street, I don't know if he would even recognize me, but that doesn't matter. Anyone who straps in and risks their lives in racing is a friend of mine and I don't like it when someone ends up with extensive sheet time. I sign my life away every time I get a media credential at a race too but that doesn't matter either since we share a passion for the speed and noise that repeatedly makes Steve McQueen's words in the movie "LeMans" so meaningful to me: "Racing is life; everything else is just waiting."

Thank goodness Shane is on the mend. He and his family still need our prayers to get through this most difficult time. I'm hoping I get many more chances to take his picture in the Winner's Circle in years to come. Godspeed and God bless.

Sounds of Racing 2010

Dario Franchitti Takes IZOD Indycar Season Title

Congratulations to Dario Franchitti and Target Chip Ganassi Racing for taking the IZOD Indycar Series championship this past Saturday! It was a championship day for the Franchitti family as well, since Dario's brother Marino helped Patron Highcroft Racing win the Petit LeMans race at Road Atlanta and take the American LeMans Series LMP2 crown for the team's second consecutive LMP2 series title. Dario's title winning run at Homestead-Miami was a textbook case of how to win a season championship: he had to earn all the bonus points available and win the race in case his only contender, Penske Racing's Will Power, had a strong run. He had to take pole position - he did - then lead the most laps - he did - to be in position to win the race and he would win the Indycar title no matter what Power did. Just past the halfway point of the 200 lap race, Dario had hit the first two benchmarks with Power running fourth. Before the race hit three-quarters distance, Power had to really push hard to get to the front as he knew at that point that he had to finish ahead of Dario to win the series title. Alas, Power scrubbed the wall and damaged his Dallara's suspension in lapped traffic to put himself out of the race. Once that happened, Dario backed off knowing he only had to finish 10th to win the title and write the last chapter in that season winning championship textbook.

Power's inexperience on oval tracks got the best of him and ultimately he could not muster the speed or race savvy over the last four races of the season (all ovals) to get the job done. Arguably the move of Dario's season occurred at Chicagoland, where he started his assault on Power's points lead, when the team opted for a fuel-only pit stop late in the race which vaulted him to the race win. With Power struggling on ovals, Will couldn't close the deal but completed a spectacular comeback season just 5 points behind Dario in second place. No doubt Power's 2010 experience will benefit him next year and I expect he will challenge for the title again in 2011. With a team like Penske behind him, and the Verizon sponsorship rumored to be leaving NASCAR to fully support, Power, he most likely will be a force to reckon with next season.

And what can you say about Chip Ganassi's 2010 season? Dario wins the Indy 500 and the Indycar title for the Chipster. Ganassi backed cars win the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400. His Telmex Rolex team wins the Grand Am title in dominant fashion despite rules changes mid-season which were meant to even the playing field; it didn't happen! While Ganassi's drivers did not win as many individual Indycar races in 2010 as arch rival Roger Penske's drivers did, Chip came up big in all the high dollar events and you can bet there was a heckuva party in South Beach this weekend after Dario gift wrapped another Indycar title for Chip for the third year in a row. Dario's teammate Scott Dixon took the series during 2008 when Dario was trying his hand at NASCAR. In effect, Dario has now won the Indycar title three straight seasons (2007, 2009 and 2010) with a year off for the taxicab circuit. No doubt Dario's last two titles were more challenging than the first since these came following unification with ChampCar and the driver talent and car counts have increased dramatically since 2007.

So what's next for Indycars? The off season has already started with a bang, given the recent announcement of Graham Rahal securing sponsorship from Service Central. Could he end up at Ganassi also? It's quite possible, but Newman Haas is more likely. Graham's sponsorship may be at the expense of Sarah Fisher who had that funding this year for her second car and who has already talked about moving into an owner-only role to keep her small team afloat heading into the final season with the current equipment package. And what is going to happen with Andretti Autosport? It has been reported that long time sponsor 7-Eleven will not be back next year for Tony Kanaan and that Michael Andretti has given Tony "free agent" status to pursue another ride for 2011. With the struggles Andretti had in 2010 fielding four cars and keeping Ryan Hunter-Reay on track, they could shrink to a two-car team with only Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick at the wheel next year. That would really be a shame as Marco has not fulfilled the promise of the Andretti name and Danica's Indycar tenure is questionable with all the NASCAR interest in her future. To top it off, Danica and Kanaan put on the best racing of the night at Homestead, running wheel to wheel for the last 20 laps as she grabbed second place in by far her best race of the year. Kanaan passed on an opportunity to join Ganassi when Dan Wheldon left a few years ago so could that opportunity arise again in 2011? Chip would have his own three-car juggernaut to challenge Penske's stable then. And will Helio Castroneves finally win that elusive first Indycar title? I can hardly wait to find out.

On the lighter side, I thought it was funny that Dario referred to the new trophy for Indycar season title as "the naked guy on the unicycle" in his interview Sunday night with Dave Despain on Speed's "Wind Tunnel" program. And my favorite line of the whole season was Bryan Herta referring to his team at Indy as "Two Men & A Truck Racing" when his rookie driver Sebastion Saavedra was finally in the Indy 500 despite crashing their car on bump day after all the last minute moves by other teams put them in then out then back in the race several times.

With the 2011 season opener 5 months away, silly season is just getting underway and the teams will be running the current Dallara package for the last time during 2011. Indycar's czar for the new equipment rules, Tony Cotman, is scheduled to be on "Wind Tunnel" with Robin Miller this Sunday so it will be very interesting to find out where preparations for 2012 stand. Lotus has announced it will expand its role with KV Racing and build ancillary parts for the next gen Dallara tub, but everyone wants to know what's going on with the engine rules so that design work can begin in earnest for the next turbo era in Indycars in 2012. Randy Bernard's first year as Indycar executive has gone better than I ever would have expected and the return to Milwaukee next year is a major coup for the series in returning to its roots. As the teams head off to assess their prospects for 2011, so do I as well, as I hope to shoot at least half the 2011 races (preferably all) and get away from the couch racing I have had to do this year. Only time will tell, but as they say, more will be revealed. See you at the track!