Roush Jr. & Johnson Take Mid Ohio Continental Tire Challenge

Continental Tire Challenge Winning Mustang with Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson

In a race fraught with full course yellows, the Mustang started by Jack Roush, Jr., and finished by Billy Johnson overcame an eighth place starting position and a field of 62 cars to win at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course today in the preliminary race of the EMCO Classic. Roush and Johnson led a heated battle among the GS contestants to the checkered flag, as the final two laps were the deciding factor following a late full course caution in the final minutes. The Rum Bum Porsche piloted by Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi faded to third with overheating problems after starting on the pole. Eric Curran and Lawson Aschenbach took second in their Camaro. In the ST class, Michael Valiente and Chad Gilsinger won from the pole for the Honda American Race Team (HART) and were clearly the class of the field. Valiente is pulling double duty today racing in the Grand Am feature event later this afternoon in the #90 Spirit of Daytona DP machine.

The Grand AM race should be a real barn burner even though there are fewer than 12 DP cars entered this weekend. The #99 Gainsco entry wheeled by Jon Fogarty took pole position and should be hard to beat this weekend with teammate Alex Gurney. The new Corvette DP chassis has been strong so far this season and took the top five starting positions for this afternoon's sprint race which is scheduled for 2 hours and 45 minutes. Perennial favorites Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas will start from sixth today and have their work cut out for them in their Ganassi Racing Telmex BMW Riley. Twenty-six cars will take the green flag for the EMCO Gears Classic today and I'll have more on that later today. Until then here's a slide show from the Continental Tire Challenge Race.

Dario Franchitti Snags 3rd Indy 500 Win

Dario Franchitti celebrates Indy 500 win #3 with Simon Pagenaud

On a day when record setting temperatures threatened to be the story at Indianapolis, Dario Franchitti held off teammate Scott Dixon and a host of others to win the Indy 500 for the third time. The race finished under caution after a hard charging Takuma Sato tried to make a move under Dario in Turn One but appeared to pinch the car and spun into the wall after the white flag had waved. That left Dario three-fourths of a lap to cruise home ahead of Dixon and Tony Kanaan who took third. It was a great effort by all of these drivers and Sato's bold move nearly paid off and you have to give him credit for making the attempt. It was the last lap of the Indy 500 after all, and Sato had been quite strong in the middle segment of the race leading numerous laps and never being far from the top five all day.

This race featured an amazing amount of passing on the front stretch, even without double file restarts this year and the lead changed hands on seemingly every lap over the last 20 laps. From my vantage point in Turn 3, I saw lots of hard clean racing all race long and no one even so much as left a smudge on the wall. The IZOD Indycar Series officials and Dallara should be quite proud of their new car creation as it showed it was very raceworthy on an oval with race speeds often near 220 mph. There was also good racing throughout the filed but several drivers had trouble with loose race cars, most likely for the first time this month. Rookie Bryan Clauson, Ana Beatriz and Ed Carpenter all had harmless spins in Turn One, and Carpenter's had the worst effect as he had charged up into fourth place and seemed poised for a late race move. Mike Conway had another scary Indy crash, this time in Turn One, and Will Power became collateral damage after hitting Conway's airborne machine with nowhere else to go. Marco Andretti also found the Turn One wall late in the race after a strong showing when he drove it too low to keep it from swapping ends. Marco led early and looked ready to challenge for his first win up until that point.

It was too bad that both the Indy 500 and Friday's Indy Lights Freedom 100 finished under yellow as both races were set for fantastic finishes. The slingshot move has become de rigeur at Indianapolis and numerous drivers used it to great effect today. Let's hope that the momentum continues onto the short ovals but it sure looks like Dario and the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team has fixed whatever has ailed them so far this season with a one-two sweep at Indy. A cold bottle of milk will do that for a team though, and Dario knows that as well as anyone. A great day at Indianapolis, and a fitting race to honor last year's departed champion Dan Wheldon. The race has barely been over for two hours and already I am looking forward to next year when the Indycars race at the Brickyard for the 97th time. See you then if not sooner!

Franchitti Fastest on Indy Carb Day - Guerrieri Takes Indy Lights Win

Dario Franchitti led teammate Scott Dixon in Indy's Carb Day final practice

The Target Chip Ganassi Racing boys have thrown down the gauntlet at Indy for Sunday's 96th Indianapolis 500 after setting the pace in the final one hour Carburetion Day practice session with laps in excess of 222 mph. They were the only drivers to crest that mark and with their fifth and sixth row starting positions in the middle of the pack, their progress will be exciting to watch on race day. Pole winner Ryan Briscoe was the fastest Penske in fifth just behind Takuma Sato. Marco Andretti was the pacesetter for Andretti Autosport in third with teammates James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay in eighth and tenth respectively.

I was talking to a spotter for Townsend Bell while walking to my Turn 3 shooting location before the Carb Day runs and he said he thought race speeds would be around 213 to 215, so the big numbers put up by Dario and Scottie D surprised me somewhat. Getting through raceday traffic is always an issue and this year perhaps moreso with the impact of the larger tow from the new Dallara design still largely unknown. My February 2012 blog pick to win Indy, Helio Castroneves, lurks with the 11th fastest time from Carb Day and last year's hard luck champ JR Hildebrand rounded out the top 12. It is going to be hot and greasy so the teams are going to need all the downforce they can muster during the race to get a grip on Indy, especially in the corners. It is going to be fun to watch.

Indy Lights winner Esteban Geurrieri in Victory Lane

The Firestone Indy Lights Freedom 100 was a thoroughly entertaining race as another comeback story unfolded at Indy. Esteban Guerrieri won from the back of the grid with a daring charge through the field. He had a wicked crash in Turns 1 & 2 in this race last year so seeing him take a win at Indy in a race filled with overtaking and two- and three-wide racing was a real treat. An early four car crash in two brought out a red flag for a cleanup, but when the race resumed, the competition was furious as multiple drivers took turns in the lead. Pole winner Gustavo Yacaman settled into a race pace that occasionally dropped him as far back as fifth, but he was in the hunt for the win in the closing laps. Unfortunately, another accident in Turn 2 on lap 38 meant the race finished under yellow so the sun baked fans who swarmed to Carb Day for the festivities never got to see a final shootout among the Indy Lights leaders. These guys have really figured out how to race in close quarters at Indy and this was arguably the best Freedom 100 in years.

I will be back shooting in Turn 3 again Sunday for the 500, which is my 37th straight and 39th in total overall. I started out as a fan and became a photographer because of my love for this race and nothing has changed through the years to diminish that. My hair is more sparse and a lot more gray, and I don't have to worry about anything other than being ready when the action begins. See you there! Until then, here are two slideshows from my work during Carb Day.

IZOD Indycar Series Carb Day final practice

Firestone Indy Lights Freedom 100

96th Indy 500 Field Is Set - Carb Day is Next

Ryan Briscoe starts P1 at Indy for the first time May 27, 2012

The 96th running of the Indianapolis is now just days away and I'll bet Ryan Briscoe is on pins and needles waiting for the final practice session on Friday at Carburetion Day. Most teams have run in small packs during practice leading up to qualifications this past weekend, but Friday will be the first real opportunity to experience raceday conditions on the 2.5 mile IMS oval. I hope it is a safe practice session, especially since there were only 33 cars available to qualify this year, and the slowest two are both sporting Lotus power, more than 10 mph slower than Briscoe's pole winning pace.

Simona DiSilvestro drives for HVM

Speaking of Lotus, I feel terrible for Simona DiSilvestro and Jean Alesi. They deserve better than what has been given them for powerplants, and if not for Penske's pull with Chevy, then Sebastian Bourdais and Katherine Legge would likely have been in the same situation. The Lotus engines are woefully shy on speed and since Indycar has decided not to let them run at higher boost levels for their twin turbo engines this weekend, odds are very good that Simona and Alesi will get blackflagged early for not being able to run within 5% of the leaders speed. Simona could barely get to 214 last week and Alesi's best lap was only 210, so if race speeds are between 210 and 220 for the leaders (which is likely going to be the case with larger aero tows on race day, even with the Chevy's and Honda's dropping back to pre-qualifying turbo boost levels), then the two Lotus runners are going to be in trouble if they are running around 200.

Jean Alesi struggled with Lotus power

When did anyone think 200 mph would be slow at Indy? This year, it's not just slow, it's potentially dangerously slow. Simona deserves so much more than this after her practice session accident which burned her hands in Turn 4 last year, and Alesi will not be given a chance to really race at Indy, which I'm sure is why he came to Indy at age 47 after being away from Formula One for a few years. Racers are racers and it's just too bad that Lotus couldn't get its act together before now, and whatever gains Bourdais brought them with their lone Top 10 finish earlier this season on a road course, they have thrown them away now that Jay Penske's Dragon Racing team has fought its way into the Chevy camp this past week. Who can blame them? Not me.

Jay at IMS Turn 3 drop gate

For the first time in memory, I did not even make it to the Speedway for Bump Day this past Sunday, and anyone who knows me would surely be surprised at that. I had other commitments that day and I knew there would be no real drama with only a total of nine car-driver combinations available to make qualifying runs for the final nine open positions. The real drama was Saturday on Pole Day and there was no way I would miss that.  I have not been able to spend as much time at IMS this year due to work conflicts and what I've discovered is that I have had to take a different approach with my photography and race coverage writing. Limited time at the track has forced me to be more selective and creative in what I shoot, rather than just blasting away and I think my recent experience shooting for Associated Press at other races has helped me hone in on getting the right shot and getting it quickly. I'd like to think my work has improved as a result, but I'll leave that up to others to judge. I am hoping to do at least one other blog post following Carb Day to wrap up final preparations for this year's 500 and provide coverage of the Firestone Indy Lights Freedom 100. Until then, if you would like to see all of the slideshows I have posted so far, then please click here. See you in Turn 3 this weekend!

Indy 500 Pole Won by Penske's Ryan Briscoe

Ryan Briscoe celebrates his first Indy 500 pole position

It was a sweltering day at Indianapolis today for Indy 500 Pole Day and Penske's Ryan Briscoe took the pole position after the final Fast 9 qualifying session by millimeters over James Hinchliffe of Andretti Autopsort. Hinch made a last ditch effort to unseat Briscoe but could not muster the necessary speed  and wound up second ahead of his teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay, who also tried unsuccessfully in the last hour to snatch the pole from Briscoe. Once again, Penske has shown the way to go fast at Indianapolis but I'm sure it was closer than Roger would have liked today. He will still cash the $100,000 check though.

Three drivers hit the wall today but they were all able to climb out unharmed. Rookie Bryan Clauson did a half spin into the Turn 1 wall at the start of his fourth qualifying lap on what would have been a solid run shortly after noon. The track continued to heat up and then Oriol Servia lost it coming off of Turn 4 as he was about to take the green flag to qualify. Servia's accident was scariest looking as he spun into the inside wall and then smacked the end of the wall which separates pit lane from the race track which sent him into several more violent spins. Ed Carpenter had the day's hardest hit in Turn 2 but he was in pit lane during the Fast 9 session talking with Tony Kanaan so he's OK too. Thankfully the new Dallara design seems to be quite crashworthy, although I know no one really wanted to test that out this weekend, especially with the short car count where virtually everyone who makes a qualifying attempt is assured of racing in the 500 next Sunday. Except perhaps those who have Lotus power, and other than an early appearance in the morning practice session by Simona DeSilvestro, those with Lotus engines were nowhere to be seen the rest of the day.

One of the coolest things that happened all day was the ceremonial lap turned by Parnelli Jones in the #98 roadster which became the first car to be driven to an average qualifying speed in excess of 150 mph at Indy. He clearly enjoyed the laps and the sound of that old Offy sure was sweet. They will run for final qualifying tomorrow and another hot day is forecast so the old Brickyard will be as tricky as ever. I'll be back Carb Day for the final practice and the Freedom 100. Until then enjoy this cumulative slideshow of photos from today's action.

2012 Indy 500 Pole Day Photos

Indy 500 Pole Day Dawns Clear - Hot One Expected

Marco Andretti fastest so far at Indy

Set up in the IMS media center this morning, today promises to be filled with excitement and probably a few surprises. Marco Andretti was fastest on "Fast Friday" at Indianapolis after the IZOD Indycar Series officials bumped up the turbo boost pressure. The extra boost had 13 drivers crest 225 mph and and another 10 crack the 224 mark so the competition for the Fast 9 spots which will compete for the Indy 500 pole today should be fierce. Weather may also be a factor as the hottest temperatures of the month are forecast. With the advent of daylight savings time in Indiana a few years ago, the front stretch does not get nearly as much shade late in the day as it used to so the driver who can wait into the final hour for the best conditions may have the best shot at the pole. Tony Kanaan drew the first qualifying spot and ran over 225 yesterday so he may be the one to set an early benchmark for the day. The Andretti Autosport team continues to look very stout with four drivers in the top 10 Friday, including Ana Beatriz in a one-off ride for the team. Rookies Josef Newgarden and Bryan Clauson have been very impressive for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing this week and it will be interesting to see how they handle the pressure of their first Pole Day at Indianapolis. And lest we forget the Penske juggernaut:  Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves have the second and third fastest speeds of the practice week, also set on Fast Friday. Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti lurk nearby for Target Chip Ganassi with the fifth and ninth fastest speeds so they cannot be counted out. It could be a wild day here at Indy so until I can get back on line later, I leave you with the following slide shows from practice days I shot earlier this week.

Practice Day May 15, 2012

Practice Day May 17, 2012

Indy 500 Practice Photos - Day 3

Ryan Hunter-Reay

On a beautiful day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for practice, the Andretti Autosport team continues to be near the head of the pack and the young lions of the IZOD  Indycar Series are making plenty of noise. Andretti's team had three of the top five speeds today with Ryan Hunter-Reay second overall, Marco Andretti third and Sebastian Saavedra fifth quick. Another Andretti driver was in 10th - James Hinchcliffe who I caught doing major consulting with RHR leaning into the cockpit. Rookie Josef Newgarden continues to set the pace with the first lap over 222 mph on this the third day of practice. I was only able to get out to the Speedway for less than two hours today but it was a very productive day for no more time that I had to work with. I spent time looking for people and found them. The most interesting thing I overheard today was Roger Penske saying to his team over their radio was "we're having the same problem with all three cars." I don't know what problem they are having but it must be serious as Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves and Will Power were back in 15th, 16th and 17th positions today. Maybe they were just work on race day setups...

This is my 350th blog post and I am dedicating it to a fellow photographer who passed away this weekend on Opening Day:  Keith Pritchard. I always considered Keith a friend and mentor as he was someone who helped me time after time when I was first starting out as a racing photographer. We went on many road trips together - Toronto, Michigan, Columbus - and I always knew I could find him in his favorite spot, shooting in Turn 1 every May. Sadly it was not to be this year and even though we all have known of physical troubles he has had the last few years, it was still a shock to hear that he had reached the finish line. His pictures of Danny Sullivan's "Spin and Win" in 1985 made Sports Illustrated that year, and were used again in last year's commemorative Indy 500 issue that SI put out with the Speedway's program. Gone but not forgotten. Keith ran a helluva race. He was always an AJ Foyt fan and I'll never forget the stories he told about AJ's injuries at Road America which he was there to shoot for the Indianapolis Star. And that would be just one of many racing stories he could tell. Rest in peace friend. My prayers go out to his family and friends - we've lost another friend. The slideshow which follows is in Keith's honor.

Marco Andretti

Sebastian Saavedra

James Hinchliffe - Mr. Mayor @Hinchtown

Rookie Josef Newgarden Tops Indy Opening Day

Josef Newgarden leads Simon Pagenaud through Turn 3 in practice at Indianapolis

Rookie Josef Newgarden topped 220 mph to lead the speed parade at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today on the opening day of practice for the 2012 Indy 500. In quite a surprising outcome, Newgarden surely gave little Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing a shot in the arm which hopefully they can build on through the rest of practice. If he keeps this up, he could be a contender for the Fast 9 or even the pole next Saturday. I'm sure there were a lot of raised eyebrows in the garage area following Newgarden's times today as he got to 219 early in the afternoon and then followed up with his 220 lap late in the day. Quite impressive for last year's Firestone Indy Lights champion.

It was a great day for practice at the Speedway today and I am always overjoyed when the track finally opens each May. Every year it's old home week at IMS and a chance to connect with old friends, some of whom I haven't seen since last May, plus meet new connections. I've been shooting Indy for so long that sometimes the biggest challenge is seeking creativity in my images and I can't say that I always get it right. But I do try to tell a story with my pictures and the shots I end up liking the most are often not action pix, but ones like the father and son watching with the boy halfway climbing the balcony railing, or the one with Dan Wheldon's face on the Borg Warner trophy for his 2011 win. So enjoy these photos and I will have many more to add as the week goes on, with Pole Day being the last day I can work at the track this week. Then it will be time to have the anticipation build for Carburetion Day the Friday before race day and then the 500 two days later on May 27th. I have not missed a 500 since 1976 and I'm grateful to be able to keep the streak alive. There's no place like it, but the biggest surprise I had today was that I did not need earplugs. That's too bad - I like it loud! But I did get several strong whiffs of ethanol exhaust when I was shooting outside of Turn 3 today, so that sort of made up for the lack of volume. Sort of, but not quite. More soon race fans!

Indy 500 Practice Opens - Penske & Helio Favorites

Helio Castroneves on track during April 2012 open test at IMS

This weekend marks the opening of official practice for the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 and Penske driver Helio Castroneves will share the favorite's role with IZOD Indycar points leader and teammate Will Power. The Penske team has been a juggernaut so far this season with Helio capturing one win and Power taking the other three races - two on road courses from starting positions uncharacteristically deep in the starting fields at Barber and in Brazil. Helio has a chance to make history this month and join Indy legends AJ Foyt, Al Unser, Sr., and Rick Mears as the only four-time winners of the 500. I predicted earlier this year that Helio would win the 500 in my season preview story on the 2012 IZOD Indycar series so I hope he is able to make me look good. For the full story click here. It's hard to believe that it has been 25 years since Big Al won his fourth 500 but time passes when you're having fun, as the saying goes, and I am excited to be back shooting the biggest race in the world again this May.

Preparations for this year's 500 have been compressed again into a single week of practice with Pole Day and Bump Day at the end of the week. Sadly, there will probably be no bumping this year as the entry list has only just reached 33 car-driver combinations with the late of addition of former Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi and a brand new team with Lotus power. Teams have been leaving Lotus lately like rats jumping from a sinking ship so it is unlikely, as Alex Lloyd so eloquent wrote in the May 10, 2012 Indianapolis Star, that we will see any additional entries since Indycar wants to keep Lotus in the field and their underpowered, underdeveloped engines are not likely to be very quick at all. With no testing at IMS whatsoever thus far, Lotus teams will likely have the last row party all to themselves, which is a real shame for Simona DiSilvestro who has shown both talent and courage in her brief Indycar career thus far.

I can't talk about this year's Indy 500 without mentioning the fallen - last year's winner, the late Dan Wheldon. His presence will be sorely missed this month as he had been pegged to drive the GoDaddy machine for Andretti Autosport this season not long before he was lost at Las Vegas. James Hinchliffe has done a marvelous job as his replacement so far this season and it would be fun to see him win Indy and make good on his promise to shave his head if he wins Indy this month. To do it in Dan's honor, in a car Danny was slated to drive, would somehow see justice served and Indy is usually full of surprises so it is not beyond the realm of possibility for Hinchtown to come through on May 27th and get to chug the winner's milk. Even though I picked Helio to win, sentimentally I'd like to see Hinch pour the milk over his head ala Danny a little more than three weeks from now so we'll just have to see what happens.

As the late radio voice of the Indy 500, Sid Collins, used to say:  "Stay tuned for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing".

Keselowski takes Penske & Dodge to Win at Talladega

Brad Keselowski took Kyle Busch's assist to win the Aaron's 499

Roger Penske couldn't have sounded any happier following Brad Keselowski's win in Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway; unless of course Penske teammate AJ Allmendinger had finished second. Vindication for Keselowski and Dodge was won on this day after Brad snookered Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle on the final restart in a single green-white-checkered finish. The race itself was fairly uneventful for more than two-thirds of the event, dominated by pack racing under mostly green flag conditions with Matt Kenseth showing the way and leading the most laps. Jimmy Johnson had dropped out early with an engine problem, but almost all the other front runners in Sprint Cup points were still in the hunt for the win. It seemed like almost everyone took a turn in the lead, although they would usually drift back into the pack to cool their overheating engines or hopefully avoid "The Big One".

Jimmy Johnson finished 35th with engine problems

But the whole race changed when The Big One finally happened between Turns 3 and 4 on lap 142 and lots of good cars were damaged or knocked out of the race. Pole winner Jeff Gordon was among those damaged in the wreck which also took out Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex and effected numerous others. Soon after, Kurt Busch took a wild ride through the tri-oval in his Ricky Bobby car, and then there was another late yellow for a second "Big One" in Turn 1 which set up the final restart. Last year's Sprint Cup champ Tony Stewart had fuel mileage problems throughout the day and was later caught up in the second "Big One" which set up the final restart.

The first "Big One"

On a hot Alabama spring day that started off under rainy conditions which forced a minor delay for the start of the race, engines ran hot and fans saw a typical Talladega pack race. The grumbling started right after the race though, mainly from drivers upset about the rules package or the wrecking (or both). The fans seemed happy for the win by the Blue Deuce and Keselowski celebrated in style with burnouts at both ends of the tri-oval. My vantage point was atop the tallest grandstand in the tri-oval area so I could see and shoot virtually the entire track. The lead photo with this article was used by Associated Press as the leaders came to take the checkered flag and there was no dramatic pass for the win this year, unlike the fall race in 2011. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to shoot for AP here again, and it was my third straight Talladega road trip. 

Kurt Busch spins late in the Aaron's 499

On this trip I actually got to see the City of Talladega for the first time and owe a debt of thanks to other local AP photogs who led me out of the track after the race on Sunday. I also saw some very nice Alabama scenery on the backroads between the track and Birmingham to get on I-65. It reminded me a lot of Brown County with the twisting hilly roads and lots of trees. I drove roughly 1200 miles over the weekend and things didn't always go like I had planned but everything worked out. When race day opened with heavy rain, I was initially concerned that I might get washed out like I had at this year's Daytona 500, but I had set my mind to stay until the Aaron's 499 was run even if it meant driving back late on Monday. Thankfully it didn't come to that. Normally I like to have all my travel arrangements nailed down before a big trip like this but not this time - it was an exercise in faith and flexibility. I had originally intended to camp at the track but I ended up staying in three different hotels over the weekend - the best was the Quality Inn in Irondale, Alabama and the worst was the Red Roof Inn in Goodlettesville, Tennessee. Regardless of lodging arrangements and the vagaries of the local weather, I had a great photo weekend. And this year there was no threat of tornadoes in the area like the spring race last April, thank God.

My race slideshow follows this post so I hope you see something you like. Now it's time to settle in to work in my hometown on the Indy 500 as practice opens this Saturday following rookie orientation Thursday. The Month of "Jay" is well underway so start your engines and follow me to the track. I will see you there!

Talladega Journey Continues - Logano Takes Nationwide Race

Joey Logano passed Kyle Busch at the line to win the Aaron's 312 at Talladega

From blazing heat on Saturday during the Nationwide race to wet and humid conditions this morning - greetings from the media center at Talladega Superspeedway. Joey Logano pleased raced fans yesterday in the Aaron's 312 by passing Kyle Busch at the checkered flag for the win. The "ABK - Anyone But Kyle" fans really whooped it up in the backstretch stands with Logano's win. The race itself was marred by a scary accident which saw Eric McClure take a wicked hit on the inside wall near the end of the backstretch which brought out a red flag. McClure had to be cut from the car and was later taken to a local hospital fir further evaluation. After a red flag for McClure's incident, two green-white-checkered attempts finally resulted in Logano's victorious pass coming to the finish line.

It was a fairly entertaining race as of course the Alabama fans cheered every moved of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Eric Almirola in Jr's team car. Fans also seemed to appreciate Danica Patrick's run to the front she was competitive all day and actually led the race at one point. There weren't a lot of cars still running at the end as the 117 lap scheduled distance was extended to 122 at the finish, and there were several other spins and wrecks elsewhere on the track. Danica even got some payback with Sam Hornish Jr. on the last lap after he ran her out of room and she hit the wall - she got him back in the next corner and punted him into the fence for good measure. This track is amazing and my day wasn't nearly as exciting shooting for Associated Press as nothing of significance happened where I was stationed on the inside at the beginning of the backstretch. I had a good photography day nonetheless and the following slideshows give you some idea of what I was able to see from my vantage point atop a television camera tower. Today could be a different story but it was raining hard on my way into the track and there's a chance for isolated storms all day today, so it will be interesting to see how the day unfolds. I've already had to miss the Daytona 500 this year due to weather but I will stick this one out and see what happens, rain or shine!

Talladega Weekend Off to Hot Start

Local and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car in pole day tech line at Talladega

Setting up in the media center at Talladega Superspeedway brings immediate relief from what is already a sweltering Alabama spring day early in the morning. NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying kicks off in a couple of hours and then the Nationwide race will be run later this afternoon. I do not know where AP will have me working as yet, but the garage area is quiet so far with the exception of teams going through tech inspection. My drive south from Indy yesterday got interesting around Louisville with a wicked rainstorm creating all kinds of visibility problems but I didn't have to stop. Driving 20 miles south the skies cleared and the rest of the trip was a breeze. I'm glad I stopped last night instead of making a bonzai run to the track as I feel really good today and am ready to go to work. More on that shortly folks. 

Jeff Gordon's crew pushes the 24 car to the pole day tech line

Youngster Alex Bowman Fends off Vet Frank Kimmel for ARCA Win at Salem

Salem Winner Alex Bowman celebrates with the checkered flag

Youth was served once again at Salem Speedway (Salem, Indiana) as the field was full of up and coming young drivers and one of them somehow managed to hold off hard charging ARCA and Salem legend Frank Kimmel to win the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 today. The race included the youngest driver ever in ARCA, 15 year old Erik Jones who wound up 5th ahead of 16 year old Clint King on a perfect day for short track stock car racing. Salem is known for its bumpy high banked surface and fellow young gun Chris Buescher looked strong from the pole early in the race, but it was Bowman who showed experience well beyond his years dealing with traffic as Kimmel was breathing down his neck over the last 50 laps. Another youngster, Chase Elliott, son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott, mixed it up all day and finished in fourth after experiencing the banging and bumping at Salem for the first time.

It was a mixed up day full of close calls and hard charging, but the person who had the toughest day was former Indycar driver Milka Duno, who took a hard hit on the driver's side early in the race and was lucky not to be injured in a three car tango in Turn 1. With so many newcomers in the field, it was literally a day where you couldn't tell who was who without a scorecard, as the field of 34 cars had close to 20 drivers who had never run at Salem before. Not surprisingly, there were incidents but no more than seems customary for this fast short track as the top 24 starting cars were within one second of the pole time. This was a quick trip from Indy for me and next weekend I go to Talladega, although I will not be able to get down there in time for Friday's ARCA race. But such is the diversity of this great training ground series, which runs on dirt miles, short tracks like Salem & Winchester, a road course and the big tracks of Talladega and Daytona. Anyone who is a fan of stock car racing must go see an ARCA show as the racing is usually quite spirited and the older NASCAR style equipment is plentiful, so there's always excitement with close quarters action. And you get the chance to see tomorrow's stars today before most anyone knows who they are. Get a pit pass and an autograph while you can still get near these drivers folks. You won't regret it! Here's more pix from today's 200 lap event at The Salem Speedway:

Indycar's Chevy Has Will Power - And Fuel Mileage Too!

Will Power Wins 2nd Straight

The Long Beach Grand Prix IZOD Indycar Series race was again a shot in the arm for Penske's Chevy powered team, with Ryan Briscoe taking pole position for and Will Power hanging on for a second straight road course win from deep in the pack. Willy P grabbed the headlines with a masterful drive from a 12th place starting position after winning from 9th at Barber the previous race. Power winning on a road course is not a shocker, but it was Chevy who really surprised everyone with great fuel economy in its twin turbo engine after every Chevy powered team lost 10 grid spots following wholesale engine changes dictated by the manufacturer were made before the Long Beach weekend.

2012 Indy 500 Entry List

Now the teams head to Brazil following an off weekend to prepare and controversy has begun to swirl around the Indycar paddock. Chevy objected to Honda's turbo modification request to no avail after an Indycar appeal fell on deaf ears. And Lotus has lost two teams heading to Indy (Bryan Herta Autosports and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing) who could see the writing on the wall and were fearful of being totally uncompetitive in the 500. Lotus teams have been woefully underpowered and under-supplied so far this season after the engine mark's late start for the 2012 season, and BHA/DRR are the first to jump ship. After winning Indy last year with the late Dan Wheldon at the com, there's no way BHA wanted to show up this year and possibly miss the show.

Simon Pagenaud

With Indycar in Brazil this weekend for the last race before the Indianapolis 500, getting bumped out at the Brickyard is looking like a real possibility after all, with 34 car-driver combinations announced on the entry list and the possibility of two more in the works - one for Michael Shank Racing and one for Newman Haas which would feature former F1 star Jean Alesi. So far this season it's been all Penske all the time with wins for Helio Castroneves and two by Power, and there's no reason to believe this weekend will be any different. The Long Beach race was not without other interesting developments, despite the appearance of Penske dominance. After Graham Rahal jinked over in front of Marco Andretti who was attempting a pass, Marco got airborne after running into the right rear of Rahal's Dallara, so now Rahal is on six weeks of  probation for his subtle maneuver which created "avoidable" contact. No such determination was made when pole starting Dario Franchitti punted aggressive rookie Josef Newgarden in the first corner at Long Beach, but I chalk that one up to cold tires for Dario and a rookie mistake by Josef. It sure would have been nice to see him stick that move and lead the race for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing! That kid is quick and fearless so I am looking forward to seeing how he handles Indy. It was somewhat surprising that the grid penalties for all the Chevy engine changes were overcome at Long Beach, but it made for a thoroughly entertaining race, especially when Simon Pagenaud starting chopping a second per lap off of Power's lead in the last 15 laps. Brazil will likely include more of the same dramatic action as the teams are getting increasingly comfortable with the capabilities of the new DW12 chassis and the engine wars are heating up.

Mr. Mayor, @Hinchtown

Watch out for my man James Hinchcliffe who's the Go Daddy guy and ready to win races after a third place at Long Beach. He said on the post race interview that he would shave his head if he won the Indy 500 this year, and I can't wait to see what the Mayor of Hinchtown has up his sleeve to entertain the fans next! I still think it is going to be hard to unseat Penske at Indianapolis, and Helio is a strong candidate for the pole and race win once again.

Helio at 2012  Indy Test

In two weeks, all the teams come to Indy and practice starts May 12th at the Speedway with Rookie Orientation set for May 10th. After the recent open test at Indy where top speeds were only in the 218 mph range, it will be interesting to see what tricks the teams have come up with, and whether the pole speed will top 220 or not. I am most interested in Carb Day May 25th to find out how quick they will run in a pack to see if the new Dallara may actually run better in groups than by itself as winning the pole at Indy is certainly special, but leading the last lap after 500 miles is the real prize. There are 800 left turns involved, not 799 as J. R. Hildebrand found out last year to Dan Wheldon's benefit, so anything is possible at Indy so stay tuned race fans, for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing!  

Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana

While my Indycar friends are racing south of the equator Sunday, I am trundling off to "God's Country" in southern Indiana to shoot the ARCA race at Salem Speedway, the fast & bumpy high banked half mile. The two series and locations are indeed world's apart, but I need to shoot a race and no one has offered to pay me to shoot Indycar in Brazil yet. I'm not about to pout over it as my racing schedule gets busier starting now. Next weekend I head to Talladega to shoot NASCAR for Associated Press and the following weekend the real excitement in Indianapolis starts to build as the Speedway opens once again. Now that my schoolwork is done for my teaching license, I am really looking forward to getting my cameras a workout at racetracks this season. Who knows what opportunities await me out there. I will see you at the track!

Will Power Storms Barber - IZOD Indycar Test at Indy

IZOD Indycar Series Points leader Helio Castroneves at IMS Test

Even though track time was limited due to rain and foggy conditions, Will Power found his way to the front despite starting ninth at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday. Helio Castroneves maintains his points lead in the IZOD Indycar Series after finishing third in the race behind perennial Barber bridesmaid Scott Dixon. It was a highly entertaining race on a track with a reputation for being tough to pass, but the Indycar drivers found ways to make moves in sometimes unlikely ways, and also found out how tough their new Dallaras can be with enough wing and wheel banging for two road course races. The best drive of the race was put in by Sebastian Bourdais who put on a show all afternoon in his gorgeous black and gold machine, giving those with Lotus engines a shot in the arm for the engine supplier which is currently short on equipment for the teams it services. But by now you have read all about the race so it's time for something different:  testing at Indy in April!

Oval Track Rear Wing Assembly Seemed Massive

Sadly, however, no Lotus powered cars were at the open test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as nine cars hit the track for the first bonafide shakedown of Dallara's new oval track aero package. In a look which reminded me of the "Batmobile" Interscope Records design run by Danny Ongais from the 1980's, the oval version of the Dallara is quite distinctive. A healthy crowd was on hand on the Turn 2 mounds and it was great to see the number of school buses arriving for tours of the track. That's how new fans are going to be created for Indycar - start them young. There was a lot to like at IMS today, although these cars are going to take some getting used to visually. Teams spent the morning running a couple of laps at a time, but my late afternoon, you could see them start to find a groove and run quicker. At times, drivers like Scott Dixon and Justin Wilson seemed to be hitting the rev limiter as their engines gave off a distinctive pop-pop-pop-pop sound that is new at Indy. Tony Kanaan,Takuma Sato, JR Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter, Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti  and Mike Conway also took part in the test today.

The Turn 2 Mounds drew a sizable crowd.

I loved the way the cars looked and sounded, and it felt like a practice day in May with the warm weather and the sweet smell of ethanol in the air. I just can't get enough and you know I'd love to be going to Long Beach next weekend, but for now these pictures will have to tide me over until opening day at Indy on May 12th. There was even bagpipe music in the air as two members of the Gordon Pipers displayed their wares for the fans in the handicapped seating section in the south short chute. It doesn't get much better than this for an early spring day in April in Indianapolis!

IZOD Indycar Opener to Helio: Dancing with Danny

Helio and daughter at Indy 2011

The first Indycar race of the new era is now in the books, stirring memories of the late champion Dan Wheldon throughout the weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida. In one of the most stirring Indycar moments in years, Helio stopped in Turn 10 on the course during his victory lap, and climbed the fence on Dan Wheldon Way, overcome by emotion as he pounded on and pointed to the street name sign on the portion of the circuit where Danny made the winning pass in the Inaugural St. Pete GP in 2005 which kicked off his Indycar championship season. The pre-race salute to Dan during the ABC broadcast was monumental, and his sister Holly Wheldon waved the green flag, and later handed out the winner's trophy, to cap an Indycar weekend full of promise for this new era.

Dan Wheldon, Indy 2011

Nearly stealing the show before it even began was James Hinchcliffe, who donned a long brown wig during driver introductions before the race as "Manica" made an appearance in the GoDaddy colors. In a remarkably clean race, Helio made an outside pass on Scott Dixon in Turn One and led the final 25 laps to take his third win at St. Pete. No one else has won this race more than once and after Helio failed to score a win in 2011, he was one happy camper afterwards. Seven different drivers led laps Sunday led by Scott Dixon's 37, who has now finished as runner up to Helio each time Helio has won on the streets of St. Pete. Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe both finished where they started (in 3rd and 4th respectively) and Helio's teammate Ryan Briscoe rounded out the top five. The drive of the race, however, was put in by Simon Pagenaud who finished 6th from 16th on the grid after his team made an unapproved engine change after Saturday's qualifying and was hit with a ten-spot grid penalty for the start of the race. It looks like Indycar's new "sheriff" Beaux Barfield is all business after enforcing this penalty, along with making the car of EJ Viso carry an extra 15 pounds of ballast after a random weight check of the driver revealed a discrepancy from his pre-season weigh-in.

Given the past history of this event where first turn shemozzles have routinely taken out numerous contenders,  it was expected that there would be lots of  car contact but it never materialized, even with the larger bodywork and massive front wings on the new Dallara DW12 design. Only James Jakes found the barriers during the race, so now everyone is in good shape heading for Barber Motorsports Park this weekend and the quick turnaround should make everyone more comfortable for their second race with the enw equipment. The flipside is that teams will have less time to work out electrical and gearbox gremlins which took out Tony Kanaan and others. Lotus clearly has more work to do to get on par with Chevy and Honda, but should surprise no one that Penske and Chevy are leading the way so far this season with Ilmor as their engine building. All those years of Honda experience are clearly being put to use with the new twin turbo that carries the Chevy badge. No one should forget what Ilmor was able to do for Penske in years past, as "The Captain" continues to seek the "unfair advantage" while somehow always managing to stay within the rules. Honda will need to step up its game and respond to competition with a little more agressive approach as Honda's history of super reliability may not help them win many races in this new era of engine competition.

It's a good thing the Indy 500 is still 61 days away so the teams can continue to fine tune their gear. The cars sure looked gorgeous on television and in the pictures I checked out on the PaddockTalk and Trackside Online websites (who my friends shoot for). If I can't be at the track, these are the folks I go to for Indycar photos and information since I know who's behind them, but Twitter has become the best source of "in race" chatter for me. If you want to know more about Indycars, then  these are the people behind the media who  I follow on Twitter; check them out:  https://twitter.com/#!/alleygroup/indycar-media

Until next time, keep those cards and letters coming race fans. The next one I get will be the first one! See you at the track.

Countdown to IZOD Indycar Series Action

2011 IZOD Indycar Series Champ Dario Franchitti

The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is barely a week away for the IZOD Indycar series teams, and with it surely will come bittersweet moments. This will be the first time for the series to return to action in anger since losing Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas last October. A street on the circuit has been renamed in Danny's honor; 2012 Indy 500 tickets are now out with his likeness honoring his 2011 500 win; this race was first won by him on 2005; and his wife and children still call St. Pete home, a place which Danny adopted and which adopted him. Bittersweet indeed.

I wish I were shooting the St. Pete race, as well as the rest of the races in the series this year. If you follow me @alleygroup on Twitter or have seen my website, you know the kind of motorsports  photo work I am capable of producing. But  until someone hires me to shoot for their team or sponsor, I have other fish to fry right now which will keep me away from racetracks for awhile. I am wrapping up my basketball officiating this weekend and will have done 79 youth games since last October, nearly equivalent to a full NBA regular season. Soccer officiating is starting up this weekend also, so that will keep me busy and help pay the bills. In addition,  the school year where I am currently teaching is 75% complete and I must finish my Marian University internship portfolio by the end of April to get my full time teaching license in May. As a result it looks like I may not be able to get back to shooting motorsports until the end of April. I have the ARCA race at Salem Speedway penciled in, then the May NASCAR weekend at Talladega and then Indy 500 practice, qualifications and the race the rest of May. Somewhere in the mix, I must find work for the summer and a full time teaching job for the 2012-2013 school year. 

Whew! Lest anyone think I'm spewing sour grapes, rest assured that I consider myself blessed by the experiences I have had since deciding to make a career change in October 2009. Keeping busy has not been a problem, although making  a living has been challenging at times. Some of my best experiences have come at racetracks and I've met lots of great people in racing since I started shooting at Indy in 1984. My last Indycar race was at Kentucky last fall, two weeks before  the fateful Las Vegas finale, and ironically that may have been the last Indycar race at Kentucky - ever. That would be a shame, but this year's schedule of 16 events should still provide the  open wheel thrills and stiff competition for which Indycar is renowned. 

Lots of people I know in Indycar will be at St. Pete next weekend, many of whom were at Las Vegas last October. Anyone involved in the series knows how hard things have been through the winter, so it will be great for  everyone to get back to racing. And new promise lies in the DW12 Dallara machine, powered now by a choice of Honda, Chevy or Lotus. Cars named in honor of Danny will be screaming through St. Pete in the acid test of the new specification next week. Indycar has new technical people involved like Beaux Barfield to support Randy Bernard's vision for the future.

Josef Newgarden joins Indycar this year after dominating Indy Lights

Teams and drivers have been shuffled too since last year, but  I'll bet the Penske and Ganassi teams are still going to  lead the way.  Two notable moves involve the Mayor of Hinchtown, James Hinchcliffe, who now has the seat at Andretti Autosport which DW had been hired to fill before Vegas.  And the most experienced driver in Formula One history, Rubens Barrichello, is coming to KV Racing as Tony Kanaan's teammate. Those two changes alone should really spice up the on track competition.  Hinch was my  2011 Rookie of the Year pick back in January before the season started and he delivered despite missing one early season race. Not this year. I think he will challenge for the season title and be the man to bring the Andretti team back to the forefront of the series. Add former Champ Car stalwart Katherine Legge, Ed Carpenter as a team owner/driver (now with a win under his belt),  Firestone Indy Lights champ Josef Newgarden and a host of others to the mix and who knows what might happen. 

Scott Dixon tabbed to win 2012 IZOD Indycar Series for Ganassi

In January last year, I wrote here that Dario would win the season title, Hinch would be the top rookie, and Ed Carpenter would win an oval race. I don't have  a crystal ball but I have fun with these predictions every year,  and enjoy revisiting them periodically to see how I did. For 2012, the new equipment formula is the true wildcard, as the team which tests and advances the most, and has engine reliability, is likely to be the series champ. This year I think that means Ganassi and Scott Dixon, on the last weekend of the year, over Hinchtown and Dario. Helio wins Indy again to join the legends at the 500 but it's his only win. Takuma Sato and Rubens Barrichello get surprise wins in 2012, but those will come late in the season once their teams come to grips with their new gear. And once Simona or Katherine win a race this year, everyone will quickly forget the young lady who jumped to racing stock cars after the IZOD Indycar Series made her a household name. Take that one to the bank. I hope to see you soon at a racetrack near you!