Tom Hessert Snags Second Salem Speedway ARCA Win

Tom Hessert Takes 2nd Straight  ARCA Checkered Flag at Salem Speedway

What began as a day that looked like it would be a total washout, ended with the victorious Tom Hessert being booed in Victory Lane at Salem Speedway after late race skirmishes took leader and local favorite Frank Kimmel out of the lead. Hessert made a last lap pass of Spencer Gallagher to win his second straight ARCA race at Salem. His win was not well received by the Salem faithful however, who though Hessert had roughed up Kimmel in Turn 1 with less than 10 laps to go. A green-white checker finish wrapped up a day of racing that went surprisingly according to the advance schedule despite threatening skies all day over the Salem high banks. Frank Kimmel's son will took third ahead of 15 year old phenom Kyle Weatherman and Travis Swaim.

We left Indy this morning about 9 and drove through solid rain showers until we got south of Columbus. The closer we got to Salem the drier I-65 became so we were optimistic the 200 lap race would be run. We have had numerous days like this at Salem's spring ARCA race, and today brought another sizable crowd out even in the iffy conditions. But as a couple of locals told me during a late race red flag, one of whom said he had been coming to Salem since 1976, "This place is a jewel to us. We come out here to camp out for two days and escape." So this must have been a perfect weekend for those fans as the race itself included the usual assortment of bruised and battered equipment, short tempers in the pits during the race and again afterwards on the front stretch between crew members, and at least one team owner hot under the collar for a driver who continued to race on a flat tire and wouldn't park the car when told to in the final laps.

Frank Kimmel pitted from the lead at Salem; he wound up sixth

Meanwhile we walked the whole track, working our way from Turn 1 at the start following the race down the backstretch and through the bumpy Turns 3 & 4 approaching Lap 100. It was obvious the recent pavement patches had done nothing to take away Salem's "character" so I was glad to see that the bumps still came into play. By lap 125 I was headed to the pits as I knew the leaders were still due to make one more stop, and with only 10 total tires available for the race, most teams would just add fuel and bolt on their final two Hoosiers and run to the end. That's what Kimmel did and it sure looked like he had the race in the bag until his late run in with Hessert knocked him down the order. One of the things I love the most about Salem is the feeling of being shoe-horned into the pit area with everyone else. You hear things and total strangers spill their guts, or crewman's shouts to one another cut through the din of race engine noise to leave an impression of hearing privileged communications. This is feeling on the inside of something exciting and when you think about what the people in this series are trying to do  - many of them dreaming about getting into the top ranks of stock car racing - it's a privilege to have the chance to be there in their midst with a camera.

You can go to http://www.arcaracing.com/news.php?contentid=15268 for more details on the race itslef, but I'm just here to give my two cents on the experience and share some photos with you. Here's a few in a quick album to enjoy. Next I am off to Talladega Friday to shoot the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint CUp races for AP. I wish I could get there Friday to include the ARCA race in the weekend, but there's not way I can get away any sooner. Another racing road trip done; another one on the horizon. Then it's back to Indianapolis for the opening of Indy 500 practice the following week when I will be shooting and blogging for motorsport.com on a regular basis from the greatest racetrack in the world. As the late Sid Collins used to say, "Stay tuned race fans for the greatest spectacle in racing!"

Racing Roots & Road Trippin'

When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was play basketball. Eventually I began to take  a wider view of the world and decided I wanted to be a writer. So what did I do when my hoop dreams didn't pan out? I started writing, and one of the results was this blog when, as an adult, I was thoroughly consumed by the racing bug. I always tell people I came by my interest in racing naturally, and particularly Indycar racing, as I was born the day after Sam Hanks won the Indy 500 and retired in Indy's Victory Lane. Fast forward a few years and I got my first chance to shoot at Indy in 1984 after the infield crowd I had hung with started to dwindle in numbers. I knew I had to find a better way to be involved in racing after I had gone through the royal treatment in 1982 in the company of an Indy 500 princess at a race which had arguably the best finish ever at Indy when Gordon Johncock held off Rick Mears in a late race duel that remains the stuff of legends. The little camera I borrowed that year was woefully inadequate so then I had another itch to scratch - racing photography.

My roots in racing run deep as my grandfather and namesake helped build a dirt oval at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds in my mom's hometown of Warsaw, Indiana. He would take me in the pit area outside the fence by Turns 3 & 4 where I could get up close to the cars and drivers. I'd hang on the board fence, still not of school age, and get pelted with dirt from the sprint cars and local stockers which ran every night during the County Fair every summer. If we weren't at the track, we could hear the races and watch through binoculars from the backyard of Grandpa's house across the canal from the fairgrounds, eating watermelon and Penguin Point fried chicken as the night darkened. I found out later that Grandpa also had flown planes and barnstormed with Eddie Rickenbacker in the roaring 20's, and that he used to come to Indianapolis in the 30's when Rickenbacker owned Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Grandpa always seemed to know everyone so I was never too surprised to hear these kinds of stories. Mom even has stories about coming to the 500 as a kid in a converted school bus with Grandpa, watching the men help themselves to the contents of large metal wash basins full of iced down beer. Even at 78, Mom still comes to Indy for the 500. Not bad for a little gray haired "old lady".

So now we're coming to the time of year where my racing obsession really starts to take hold. I've shot one race already, at Barber Motorsports Park, and the next two months are going to be hectic. This weekend, we go to Salem Speedway in southern Indiana for the ARCA series race at a track I have come to love. Covering ARCA at Salem consistently since the Fall 2006 race, this will be my 14th straight ARCA event at this rough and rugged high banked half mile. Some track grinding and repaving has been done to smooth out some of the bumps, so I expect the track to be faster than ever. The Hoosier Lottery has come on board in the last two weeks as a naming rights sponsor so the track will be known as "The Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery". ARCA has run more races at Salem than almost anywhere else and 200 laps always brings out their best, both the young guns like defending series champ Chris Buescher, and wily veterans like 9-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel. A fan at the track once told me "I growed up out here" and I could relate, since I feel the same way about Indy, having attended my first 500 in 1970 and  then every single 500 since 1976. Salem has become a second home track for me, and the ARCA series has some of the best young stock car racers anywhere. One of the great things about Salem & ARCA is you get to meet and know these guys before they hit the big time, and they are happy to pause for a photo and they already know to look straight into my lens for the eye contact shot. Check back here next weekend for updates.

The following weekend, I am headed back to Alabama to shoot NASCAR at Talladega. This will be my third spring race in a row at "Dega" and it is an awesome facility. Indy seems big but Talladega is mammoth as the high banks create the sort of high speed stock car racing I enjoy the most. You can have your paper clip tracks but give me a good high bank show any day. I should get there in time for Saturday and Sunday action and will be posting from the road and the track once I have met my photo obligations with AP. The folks down there have been great to work with and have given me some wonderful shooting spots the last couple of years so I am looking forward to "making some pictures" for the wire as they say.

Then the next weekend, practice starts for the Indianapolis 500 here in my hometown. The Month of May isn't what it once was at Indy but it's still the biggest race in the world and the one every open wheel driver wants to win. Steeped in tradition, the billiard table smooth racetrack invites risk taking at every corner of the rounded rectangle and there's nothing like the sounds and smells associated with Indycars at 230 mph flashing down the front straight. I have digital audio recordings from a handheld recorder in my iTunes so it's always refreshing when a snippet of Indycar sound comes up during shuffle play when I might be at the gym or riding my bicycle. As my lady friend likes to say, the "Month of Jay" is almost upon us and that means three straight weekends and numerous weekdays spent honing in on the speed stories from the Brickyard. More photos, more blog posts, and more stories for the memory banks when friends & family come around every year to see who will be the next one to get their image emblazoned on Indy's Borg Warner trophy. 

Funny thing is, there once was an Alley who raced at Indy - Tom Alley - but there has never been anyone with the surname "Smith" in the 500. And when people ask me how I spell my name, I tell them it's like Gasoline Alley. If you've been to Indianapolis you know where that is. I will see you there very soon and the cries of "Is it May yet?" are just about to be answered.

Hunter-Reay Wins Barber Indycar Battle; Angelleli & Taylor Take Grand Am

Ready to go to work at Barber!

My first race for motorsport.com was thoroughly enjoyable and I was crazy busy from the moment I stepped on the grounds at Barber Motorsport Park Friday afternoon. And the racing was good too! Four races over Saturday and Sunday, plus practice and qualifying in the IZOD Indycar Series and Firestone Indy Lights series meant there was little time to rest and hundreds of photos to edit and upload. But I live for that and if you think you want to be a racing photographer, this post will give you an idea of what to expect. But first the racing.

Defending IZOD Indycar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay put Chevrolet on the pole and then took his first win since winning the season title in 2012. RHR led 53 laps and held off Scott Dixon who pushed him hard over the last third of the race. Dixon's runner-up finish was his fourth straight at Barber but he was unable to lead a lap despite his strong pace. St. Petersburg winner James Hinchcliffe was the first driver out of the race and Dario Franchitti left Barber last in the points standings, adding a mechanical failure at Barber to his crash at St. Pete. The star of the weekend however was rookie Tristan Vautier who got into the Fast Six in qualifying after Takuma Sato's times were disallowed for a blocking violation and then raced in the top five most of the day before settling for 10th. Helio Castroneves had a strong race and led 25 laps before finishing third ahead of Charlie Kimball who enjoyed a highly competitive weekend. Will Power finished fifth and was the only other driver to lead any laps with nine (9) total on the point. Helio left Barber with the championship points lead and may finally be in position to claim his first Indycar championship if the first two races of 2013 are any indication of things to come over the remaining 17 races. Simon Pagenaud, Marco Andretti, Justin Wilson and Josef Newgarden took sixth through ninth places.


To view some of my IZOD Indycar series photos from Barber, go to the following link at motorsport.com:

http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/photo/main-gallery/victory-circle-race-winner-ryan-hunter-reay-andretti-autosport-chevrolet-3/?sz=2&s=2&id=1537665&i=58


Sunday's Indycar race wrapped up a hectic weekend schedule and followed the Firestone Indy Lights race which was won easily by Carlos Munoz from the pole heading up a disappointing nine car field. So now these series move on from the Alabama roller coaster natural terrain paradise at Barber Motorsports Park to the seaside streets of Long Beach, California - the site of one of Hunter-Reay's greatest Indycar wins, following not long after his mother died from cancer. Another Andretti Autosport win will surely set them up as favorites for the Indianapolis 500, practice for which opens in a little more than four weeks from now.

To view my Firestone Indy Lights Series photos from Barber, go to the following link at motorsport.com:

http://www.motorsport.com/indylights/photo/main-gallery/carlos-munoz-andretti-autosport-34/?sz=2&s=2&id=1538031&i=1

While Sunday at Barber was dedicated to open wheel racers, Saturday was a mixed bag with practice and qualifying in the morning for Indycar & Indy Lights, and the afternoon filled with sports car racing. The Rolex Grand Am Series race ran for two hours and was followed by a longer race for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge which took the racing action almost up to dusk. Both races were highly entertaining as Wayne Taylor's Corvette team took the protoype and overall win with Max Angelleli and Jordan Taylor at the wheel. The Continental Tire series had a huge field of cars and one of my favorite paint schemed cars, sponsored by Rum Bum and driven by Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi, took the GS win. I love these series and am so glad that the Grand Am and American LeMans Series will merge in 2014 under the banner of "United Sportscar Racing", a move I along with many other American fans of sports car and endurance racing have long awaited. I know the 2014 Daytona 24 Hours will be a sight to behold and I hope to be there shooting.

To view some of my Grand Am photos from Barber, go to the following link at motorsport.com:

http://www.motorsport.com/grandam/photo/main-gallery/gs-winners-13-rum-bum-racing-matt-plumb-nick-longhi-8/?sz=2&s=2&id=1538021&i=53

Even though this was my first race weekend to shoot in 2013, it still felt like old home week down in Alabama. And saying I was "busy" doesn't do the time spent justice, as Saturday was a very long day with continuous shooting or editing photos from the time I arrived at the track for the 7:15 a.m. photo meeting to when I finally shut down my editing for the night at the hotel after 11:00 p.m. local time. Sunday was similar and even though the photo meeting was later than on Saturday, I still was at the track shortly after 7:00 a.m. to edit photos and update my blog, and had another 11:00 p.m. curtain call that night after still more editing.

So you think you want to be a motorsports photographer? You better be ready for anything, and come prepared to become immersed in the different world which exists at the tracks. When I am at a race, I feel both safe and confident. People will ask me if I worry about the danger, and I tell them no because I know what I am doing. I do not discount the risks involved by any means, but I've been doing this since 1984 and I know certain things in my bones: don't turn your back on the cars; don't walk in front of a crash track; communicate with corner workers; keep your eyes and ears open; and above all, know where to dive if a car heads in your direction. The challenges at each track are different - access, finding your way around, technical problems with camera gear, the internet or your computer, shooting locations, lighting, etc., - but sometimes the greatest challenge involves just getting to the track, as I discovered earlier this year with my planned Daytona 500 trip. For this trip I changed time zones twice and drove over 1100 miles round trip to make it happen. So if you can manage all that and still come away with some good pictures that help tell the story of a race event, then as tired as you may be afterwards, you will sleep soundly knowing that you gave it your all. And the sounds of race cars will continue to hum in your head for days to come. Until the next race.

I will see you then!

Indycar & Grand Am Racing at Barber Motorsports ParkHelio

Helio through the trees

I made it to Barber this year, so my ill fated Daytona trip is almost forgotten. Once I heard the sounds of Indycars on track Friday and smelled the ethanol exhaust, I felt like I was at home again. It's always an adventure going to a racetrack for the first time and Friday was no exception. When I got here mid afternoon Friday, an Indycar practice session was just starting and I inadvertently took a tram ride all the way around the track when in reality I had parked just a few hundred yards from the paddock area entrance. Then I went to the race control tower when I should have been in the media tent! But I got it all sorted out by the end of that first short day so I was really getting excited about working Saturday when a full slate of racing would be on tap from dawn to dusk.

Barber hill climb!

Saturday was one of the longest days I have ever had at a racetrack with virtually non-stop action on the track and photos to edit and upload to www.motorsport.com with very little time between track activity sessions. And then there was the walking. Mercy! This track is set amidst a pine forest of rolling hills and while the track layout is very condensed, it is tough sledding getting from one place to another. On top of that, there were heavy rains Thursday night and Friday morning which made some areas along the track guardrail slick as snot. There was more than one time when I almost went down just from the slippery conditions. Then in shooting positions, the hills came into play frequently offering great vantage points and some really unique angles. Chasing light was never a problem Saturday as it was bright and sunny; Sunday for the Indy Lights and Indycar races promises more of the same.

Ferris wheel in fan zone

Saturday morning was open wheel time while Saturday afternoon the ferris wheel, but the best way to get there is by tram and there's been no opportunity for me to get there so far. Rolex Grand Am and Continental Tire series races were run. Both were quite entertaining as usual but it was hard to keep tabs on who was doing what, especially in the Continental race as the public address system at the track was inaudible from most of the shooting locations I found. Barber does a great job with video screens placed around the circuit at various locations to improve visibility for the fans and the main scoring pylon in the center of the circuit is visible from almost everywhere. The hospitality areas here look fantastic with a Paddock Club right behind the pits which includes a Victory Lane overlook, and paddock passes are a very popular item. While I have not had time to get there, there's a huge fan zone near the Barber Vintage Museum with a ferris wheel and all kinds of displays for fans to enjoy along with the museum.

The Museum overlooks Turns 1-4

This track is notorious for being to difficult to pass on for Indycars, as it was originally built with motorcycles in mind. Drivers in the sports car races Saturday had no such difficulty as the multiple class format allows enough of a speed differential for drivers to be patient and pass on one of the central straightaways in the middle of the track. Diving into the bowls where many of the turns are located must be quite exhilarating as a driver and I would be curious to know what kind of g-force loading the drivers must be facing. Today is race day for the Firestone Indy Lights and the IZOD Indycar Series, with both series having morning warmups to get ready. The paddock area has been cleared by the sports car teams so the main even is just a few hours away. After driving 514 miles to get here on Friday, I have felt like a kid in a candy store all weekend and today should be the best yet. Until I get the chance to write again, here's a few pix from my weekend so far. I hope to see you at a racetrack soon, and I am really enjoying my first opportunity to shoot for motorsport.com and I hope that this is just the beginning!

Hinchtown Takes Indycar Win at St. Pete

James Hinchcliffe got his first Indycar win at St. Petersburg

Although it has been about a month since my ill-fated trip to the Daytona 500 was derailed by winter weather, I got just the salve I needed to soothe my soul this weekend, even though I couldn't get to St. Petersburg. Canadian James Hinchcliffe won his first Indycar race in the adopted hometown of Dan Wheldon Sunday and did so with class and style. Hinch was chosen in 2011 by Michael Andretti to take over the GoDaddy ride following Danica's defection to NASCAR and Danny's untimely death. Now barely a year and a half later, Hinchtown ruled the streets of St. Petersburg to win an Indycar race (and the first for GoDaddy in Indycar) where Dan Wheldon Way is part of the circuit. Andretti Autosport has historically done well at St. Pete and Hinch was spot on for the last third of the race. He held off last year's winner Helio Castroneves for the last 26 laps after Helio outbraked himself on a late restart going into Turn 1 and Hinch swept past him to take a lead he would not surrender despite constant pressure from Indycar's resident spiderman.

When the checkered flags finally waved, everyone at the front was pretty much out of tires, and Simona DiSilvestro was the unfortunate victim of several late passes as a result, dropping her from a solid third place finish to sixth at the end. The Swiss Miss was the real star of the race from what I could see on the NBC Sports Network broadcast as Simona started third and drove the wheels off of her KV Racing machine, seemingly destined to post her best ever Indycar finish. Marco Andretti made a late charge to steal third from Simona, then she also got swamped by Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon at the finish line.

It was a thoroughly entertaining race to watch as the normal frontrunners seemed to begin the season with bad luck or encountered a calamity of one sort or another. Will Power started on pole (again) but ended up as an inadvertent launch pad for JR Hildebrand during a caution period. Anyone with a Honda engine seemed to be slow, and Target Ganassi teammates Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon were well off the pace Friday and Saturday, forcing them both to start deep in the field. Dario tried to make up for it during the race Sunday on cold tires and crashed out of the race following a pit stop. Graham Rahal got involved in contact in his first race for his father Bobby's team, and Sebastian Saavedra had a strong run going for Dragon Racing (Team Sebastian) until contact took him out.

Bright spots for the weekend included rookie Tristan Vautier's strong qualifying and race performance. He was quite impressive all weekend but was bitten by a mechanical bug that knocked him out of a sure top-six finish. Scott Dixon's run from 20th to 5th was impressive as was EJ Viso charging from 22nd to 7th in his first race for Andretti Autosport. More impressive was Viso's apparent maturity in keep his car off the wall and away from other competitors as he moved up in the field. I don't think he would have been able to do that prior to this season, so perhaps the Andretti backing will be the steadying influence he needs. Takuma Sato took 8th in his first race for AJ Foyt Racing, ahead of Justin Wilson and Alex Tagliani.

I had lots of friends at St. Pete but unfortunately I could not make the trip this year. I am still hopeful of shooting the Indycar/GrandAm event at Barber Motorsports Park in less than two weeks but I still do not have credential confirmation as yet. Not going to Daytona for AP was a huge disappointment for me but if things work out for Barber, that will all be forgotten. There is some uncertainty around my racing photography this season since the publication I have been shooting for since 2006 is gone following demise of American Motor Journal after the unexpected passing of AMJ's editor  Don Hamilton last fall. I do have a few irons in the fire for ARCA and NASCAR but Indycar is my first love, and I know I do good work when I am at the tracks. With a little more than two months left to teach this school year, summer will be here soon and I know I will be shooting races somewhere. I hope to see you at the track along the way, and if you hear about anyone needing a motorsports photographer, then please send them my way! Let's race.

Daytona 500 Preview - Road Trippin'

My third annual road trip to the Daytona 500 is just nine days away now, and I've come to my senses for handling the travel this year: I'll fly instead of driving solo!. There's 30 hours of my life I can do something else with! And my brother is meeting me down there for part of the weekend so it should be fun. Last year was a mess with the one and only postponement (ever) of the 500 due to rain so I missed the Sprint Cup race and all that driving seemed to be for naught. Flying down this time via Airtran will seem like I've gone to heaven in comparison to the last two years.

Sprint Cup practice at Daytona in 2012

I will be shooting for Associated Press again this year and will arrive in time to work the Camping World Truck Series race next Friday night and stay through Monday so I can shoot the Nationwide race Saturday and the Spring Cup 500 on Sunday. I toyed with the idea of going down sooner to shoot the qualifying races, but the logistics would have meant missing too much work, which would not have been good. I will still get a healthy shot of racing fuel exhaust to get my racing season started. My first 500 saw Trevor Bayne come from nowhere to win so it will be exciting to see what this year's race will bring, especially with the new generation body styles that everyone is calling the "Gen 6" cars. Bump drafting may be a thing of the past (finally) but from the testing that occurred in January, it looks like pack racing will still be the order of the day.

Brad Keselowski salutes the fans

Everyone will be chasing 2012 Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski as the new season gets underway down by the beach. All the teams get a new lease on life and initial practice this weekend will tell a lot about who has outright speed but not necessarily who has race speed. That will come in Saturday night's shootout and then in the duels next Thursday when the starting field is set. Another season like 2012 will be hard to match for Keselwoski but there is no questioning his desire or ability to repeat as champion this year. He will have a host of challengers, not the least of which will be bridesmaid Carl Edwards. The season will not be without its share of controversy as drama inside and outside the race cars will most certainly unfold.

Juan Pablo Montoya

And it's already happening, as Juan Pablo Montoya comes back to track where he recently won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, and where he crashed into a jet dryer in a bizarre accident at last year's rain delayed 500. He should be full of confidence and if sheer car control is a deciding factor, he can't be overlooked. Of course I am a Tony Stewart fan so I'd like to see him get a 500 pelt for his career to be nicely rounded out; then maybe he can take Roger Penske up on his offer and come back home to win the Indianapolis 500 to cap it off.

Danica Patrick

Further down pit lane, a new kind of Danica-mania has already begun as she's filed for divorce and supposedly hooked up with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Despite the fact that her NASCAR race results don't merit the hype she always gets, you can bet there will be plenty of discussion about her love life over the next few weeks. What's next? A reality show? Really? Let's race and let the standings speak for themselves. In any event, I will get pictures as that's what I am supposed to do, but I sure hope the story is told with race action and not soap opera chatter.

So until they hit the track this weekend, not much more needs to be said as I have had to wait for the season to get underway from Indy and wait out the winter like everyone else. Once the race action starts heating up, watch for more here and there, and follow me on Twitter @alleygroup. See you at the track.

Brad Keselowski leads Carl Edwards at Indy in 2012.

Camping World Truck Series action under the Daytona lights is always spectacular

Nationwide Series action from Daytona was fierce in 2012 as Danica piloted the #7 Go Daddy machine

Dusk at Daytona

Racing in the Rear View Mirror

At Daytona - February 2012

What a year this has been, both personally and professionally. So many good things have happened and opportunities have presented themselves to do what I love:  go racing, pursue photography, officiate youth sports and teach math to young people. Sadly, as I look back on 2012, I also feel the loss of two good friends in racing this year:  Keith Pritchard and Don Hamilton. As I have written here before, Godspeed my friends, and blessings to all who knew you for the coming year.

Since the world didn't end on December 21st according to the misunderstood Mayan legend, we are still here and there is much to write about, so I will take a moment to look back and then look ahead. This year has been incredibly hectic with teaching and the successful completion of my Marian University course requirements to obtain my Indiana teaching license which was issued in May. My racing season started off again this year at Daytona for the 500 weekend, although rainy weather forced me to come back to Indy before I could shoot the Sprint Cup race in order to meet my teaching obligations. I still regard the 2200 mile round trip as worthwhile since I got the chance to shoot the Camping World truck and Nationwide series races for Associated Press (AP) and build on that media relationship.

I also stayed physically active, and even though my left knee sometimes hurt like crazy, I still managed to officiate 80 basketball games and 91 soccer matches this past year. I have to thank my schedulers and the leagues for those opportunities for their confidence in me and giving me the chance to stay involved in two sports I love. I would love to have the chance to coach either sport again and I'm sure it will happen when the time is right. 

In between Daytona and now, there were numerous other racing road trips, and I was able to expand my relationship with ARCA this year to work directly for them at several races. As I have since 2006, a lot of my racing photography and writing was contributed to American Motor Journal's (AMJ) website, although I do not know what will happen with that in 2013 since the publisher, Don Hamilton, passed away recently. A quick rundown of my racing season following Daytona included:  Salem Speedway ARCA at the end of April for AMJ, then Talladega NASCAR the next weekend for AP; then the next three weekends were consumed by Indycar for  practice, qualifying and the Indy 500, plus the Freedom 100 Indy Lights race, for AMJ. In June, it was off to Mid Ohio Sports Car Course for the Rolex Series weekend two weeks after the 500 for AMJ, then my first race shooting for ARCA at Winchester Speedway two weeks after Mid Ohio. July was relatively quiet with a week's vacation at a beach house on Lake Michigan but that all changed the last weekend of the month, when I shot the Rolex Series at Indy during the morning for AMJ and then went to Lucas Oil Raceway to shoot for ARCA the rest of the day. The next two days I was back at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) for AMJ shooting the inaugural Nationwide Series race at IMS and then the Brickyard 400. The next weekend I was back on the road to Mid Ohio for AMJ to shoot the American LeMans and Indycar events. The day after that, I started my new full time teaching job which consumed me until mid-September when I went back to Salem to shoot for ARCA again. Due to my teaching obligations, I had to take a pass on the fall Talladega weekend this year but I still managed to log nearly 5500 miles behind the wheel of my 1999 Integra to chase race cars during 2012.

As I do every season, I've compiled a "Best of Racing" photo slideshow of my personal favorites this year; this year's slideshow follows this post and includes Indycar, NASCAR, ARCA, Rolex Series and American LeMans competition. I regret not getting to shoot any dirt track races this season but I hope to make up for that in 2013. I will be going back to Daytona for AP in February but the rest of my 2013 plans are up in the air with the future of AMJ being uncertain. I am looking at doing more for both AP and ARCA, plus exploring other opportunities in motorsports media to stay involved with shooting my beloved Indycar series. I also have big plans for my website (www.alleygroup.net) which I have renewed for another three years, and I'm sure I'll be blogging more in 2013 as I get a handle on balancing my teaching responsibilities with my outside pursuits.

As I prepare to sign off on this, my last blog post of 2012, it would not be complete without acknowledging people who have been influential through my 2012 journey, both at the racetracks and in my day to day work. To these people I owe a debt of gratitude which I can only hope to repay someday by paying it forward to others:  Mike Levitt at LAT Photographic; Doc Hunter at ARCA; Mike Stewart and Dave Martin with AP; Jesse Ghiorzi, @followmidohio; Richard W. Smith; brother Steve @salley42; GB Abbott at Salem Speedway; Julie G; Dr. Bevis at Marian University; and of course the late Don Hamilton. I am sure I have left someone out and for that I apologize.

I especially thank you, wherever you are, for reading! Spread the word and find me on Twitter @alleygroup. I look forward to seeing you at a racetrack, soccer field or gymnasium somewhere along the way. Happy New Year everyone, and keep shooting!

Don Hamilton - Another Racing Friend Gone Too Soon

My Friend Don Hamilton - American Motor Journal Publisher

I've lost another friend this week - Don Hamilton passed away unexpectedly November 19th. And the racing world has lost a friend as well. Godspeed Don. Say hello to DW and so many others who've left this world and the racing scene far too soon. 

I don't even know when I first met Don, but I know it was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the month of May years ago. I would run into him there or at a car dealership at 96th & Keystone where he used to work when I'd take my car in for service. We would always talk racing and he was one of those guys you felt you had known for a very long time even after a few words of greeting. And I owe Don a tremendous debt as he enabled me to get back into motorsports photography with his publication American Motor Journal (AMJ). Whether it was the bi-weekly print version or the website, Don gave me a chance to really pursue my passion as a racing photographer by contributing photos from races I would cover for him in the Midwest. And I shot a ton of racing for AMJ since the summer of 2006, proud to help support his passion of being a motorsports journalist.

My heart aches for his wife Lisa, who I never really got to know, as they lived in North Carolina and had not been married very long. Their future together has tragically been cut short and it's a damn shame that they will not be able to spend their golden years together and travel as I know they loved to do. I feel badly for Don's brother Larry too, who I had just seen this past September when I was at Salem Speedway shooting the ARCA race. Outside of Indianapolis, Salem was a sort of "home track" for Don and I know he loved that place. He had numerous good friends there, particularly Dee & GB Abbott and their boys. I will think of Don every time I go to Salem now. The photos with this post are almost all from Salem when he was working with GB on the safety crew for a story he wrote for Stock Car Racing (SCR) magazine on which we collaborated.

Don at Kentucky

Don & I also collaborated on other racing pieces where he would pen the words and I would provide the photos. One of those collaborations was at Kentucky Speedway when the Frank Kimmel Street Stock Series took to the big track and I got to shoot the start riding shotgun in the Mustang pace car looking back on the field coming to take the green flag. That collaboration also led to my first national publication cover shot in SCR  magazine. Don & GB were there working as part of the tech inspection crew for the race and Don wrote about his experiences for SCR. That race was the night before the Indy 500 and I got home at 2:00 a.m. to grab a couple of hours sleep before heading to IMS. But that's what we did and we loved it.

I have no idea how many people Don knew in racing but it was a bunch, and I am sure the news of his passing will be taken hard by all his friends - both inside and outside of motorsports. I find it hard to write this kind of homage to someone I worked closely with these last few years, and will be eternally grateful for the opportunities afforded me in racing through my relationship with Don. I'll have more to say at another time, and more photos to add, but for now, I am so sad to see you go my friend. I trust we will meet again.

Dearly Beloved #Indycar - So Long @RBIndycar

Ousted Indycar CEO Randy Bernard Deserved Better

We are gathered here today as witness to one of the most fearsome crashes in motorsports history. And I'm not talking about the "Big One" at Talladega or someone getting air in a sprint car. I'm talking about the IZOD Indycar Series as it appears to crash & burn right before our eyes.

It hurts to watch the Series management crawl from the mangled and smoking wreckage of Indycar. Its nonsensical decision making and the unsavory handling of the dismissal of Chief Executive Officer Randy Bernard are just the latest in a litany of dumbfounding actions wrought by a Board of Directors which appears to be out of touch with reality. One can only hope that someone will bring sanity to the series at the top. And it needs to happen soon. But who in their right mind would want to take this job? I hope Randy got a nice parachute as you know he is still owed money with a five year contract only 60% completed.

I have had little time to write since shooting the Mid Ohio Indycar weekend due to my teaching and soccer officiating schedules, but this dreadful episode in Indycar history merits all the vitriol fans and media members like myself can spew. I have been an Indycar and motorsports photographer since 1984, although I have been loathe to use this blog forum to criticize the series, even when others were lambasting Tony George. Today I am so mad at what's happening with my beloved Indycar series that I could just scream. But I don't know where to direct that anger except at the Board of the Hulman entities which controls the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indycar Series.

Tony George

So the series is not for sale, according to Hulman & Company CEO Jeff Belskus. Who would want to buy it right now? Even Roger Penske said that Bernard's firing was "very disappointing". Robin Miller said on SPEED's Wind Tunnel "the sharks got him" and then wrote  on SPEED's website that there was "no cure for stupidity". Others I know have said "they were burning down their own house" and they "machine gunned themselves in the foot". I said it was a circus without a ringmaster and lord knows that Tony George's expressed interest in buying the series is not likely the answer.

Will the unceremonious and embarrassing firing of Randy Bernard be the last straw? What in the world will it take for the series to get its act together? Something is terribly wrong. But can anyone really say they didn't see this coming? Not if you're invested in Indycar as I am. If I know anything about the series, it's that when everyone is denying the truth of rumors, you just know whatever it is must be absolutely true. No amount of spin doctoring by the Hulman George family or the management of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can rectify the damage this latest action has created. And for casual race fans who only know Indycar racing from the television broadcasts, they are probably just going to tune out. Ratings would seem to indicate that they already are.

Did Bernard always do the right thing? Of course not. The man who many derided as the "bull rider dude" was an outsider with no racing background so he had a monumental learning curve and was bound to make mistakes. In three short years he did a lot that was right, and I was a huge skeptic at first, but I give him kudos for his high energy level, as he made a great connection with fans, he showed a willingness to learn, he brought new ideas up for discussion and shepherded the new car/engine formula to fruition. I would have laid any odds against almost anyone doing all that, let alone someone with Bernard's background. Then to find in the 11th hour that he had just one supporter on the Hulman Board must have been a crushing blow to him after all he had accomplished. And you can bet that Bernard's settlement agreement muzzles him from making any kind of derogatory comments or the lawyers will come after him. Warts and all, Indycar is still the greatest and most competitive racing on the planet but this showing of public silliness and ineptitude on a critical personnel decision belies the capabilities of an organization with the financial wherewithal and history possessed by the Hulman clan.

If you believe that any publicity for the Series is good publicity, then put away the nitrous as you've been taking the gas for too long. Some say that controversy is good for media attention and I would agree if we are talking about competition controversy, but not controversy which smacks of a complete lack of vision by the people running the show. Most businesses try to add value and public airing of dirty laundry in an unflattering manner can only diminish a product's value. This could mean that the Series is truly not for sale as the bean counters would be trying to cut expenses and inflate the value before selling to get every dime they could. That's would businesses do these days in the current environment of mergers, takeovers and stock bonanza initial public offerings. Unless you're having a fire sale.

Perhaps no one outside of Indianapolis gives a damn, and that's a scary proposition. I was in Akron this past weekend, and not a word was written in local papers or spoken on Cleveland television about Bernard's firing. All the news I got about it came from Twitter and thank God for that. I still find it hard to swallow that Indycar may be descending (has descended?) into irrelevancy when one of the best Indy 500's ever occurred this past May, a deserving and charsimatic American driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, was crowned  as the season champion just last month, and the "split" of open wheel racing recedes more into the distant past each year since the 2008 merger with Champ Car. I guarantee you that Firestone cares. The people that run the Long Beach Grand Prix surely care. I can also guarantee you that Roger Penske, Chip Ganassi, Michael Andretti and the other team owners care, as they have been asked to support a series whose costs have not  been reduced as promised, but whose crown jewel of the Indianapolis 500 is still the biggest prize in motorsports. I sure as hell care.

But as the saying goes, if you don't remember the past, then you are doomed to repeat it. So I hope the people running the Hulman family empire remember. Surely they must know that it is essential for them to control both the Indy 500 and the Indycar Series. Otherwise, the original split in 1979 between USAC and CART could happen all over again, and then what kind of value will the family properties have? Another saying I like is "old age and treachery will win out over youth and exuberance" but I dearly hope that is not the case in the Indycar Series. We need all hands on deck and visionary leadership that can clearly enunciate the future of this great sport. We also are going to need time to heal these new wounds so that someone can  direct open wheel racing's top American series into a position of integrity and renewed strength before it's too late. After all, the 100th running of the Indy 500 will be here before you know it, so let's do something about this mess which would make Carl Fisher, the other founding fathers, and the savior of the Speedway, Anton "Tony" Hulman, proud.

I'm not just praying for "Tony Hulman Weather" anymore:  I'm praying for Indycar.

Indycar Title Now Two Man Battle

Season points leader Will Power

It's hard for me to believe that it's already been four weeks since shooting the Indycar race at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, and the season is now down to just one race with two drivers left standing toe to toe for the season championship:  Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay. The last four weeks have been a whirlwind for me as my new teaching job has turned out to be every bit the challenge I thought it would be - that  job started two days after we got back from Mid Ohio. As a result, I have had to satisfy my need for speed with the television and internet coverage of the two most recent Indycar races. Power's teammate at Penske, Ryan Brisoce, was gifted a win at Sonoma when Power got stuck in traffic during a late race yellow and gave up the lead in a race where it looked like he was going to run away and hide from the competition. Then Baltimore's unforgiving street circuit saw Hunter-Reay snooker Briscoe on a late restart to win and cut Power's points lead to just 17 with only the 500 miler at Fontana California's Auto Club Speedway left on the schedule.

Ryan Hunter-Reay wants the title

It now all comes down to September 15th on a 2-mile oval track, one on which Power has never raced. Not only has RHR won the last two Indycar oval races this year (Milwaukee and Iowa), he's got the hot hand right now heading to the finale. Before the season started, I had picked Scott Dixon to win the 2012 championship and a late season charge got him in contention but he's racing for second now. I also speculated that the team which came to grips the quickest with the new Dallara DW12 chassis would have the best chance for the season title. Power has been untouchable on road courses with multiple (and apparently easy) pole positions, so Penske knows how to get the job done. Hunter-Reay's Andretti Autosport team has also done a nice job when it counted, and owner Michael Andretti excitedly said "we're going to win this thing" after RHR's Baltimore victory, so they are brimming with confidence. Helio Castroneves is third in points currently but cannot win the title after a season of inconsistent results, but you can bet he will be doing all he can to help Power at Fontana.

Will Power has excelled on Indycar road courses

The track at Fontana is the site of the all time fastest Indycar race in history so it will be interesting to see if the new turbo powered cars can set a new standard. They will need to run caution free to do it. Fontana was originally built and owned by Roger Penske and is modeled after Michigan International Speedway, although the banking is not quite as high at Fontana. Will the Captain have a few tricks up his sleeve to vault Power to his first Indycar championship after two heartbreaking near-misses? 

Ryan Hunter-Reay has been Indycar's king of ovals in 2012

Or will the Andretti onslaught continue and crown a new oval-meister for the 2012 season with Hunter-Reay? Who knows? But this is what makes the racing in the IZOD Indycar Series so exciting. Although I have not been able to shoot as many Indycar races this year as I would have liked, my heart is with them and all my friends at the racetracks whenever they race. The night of the Indycar finale, I will be shooting for ARCA at Salem Speedway, so I will have to rely on the dvr to capture the excitement for me to watch when I get home. It will be hear before you know, and it won't be long before my friends start hearing this from me:  "Is it May yet?" Stay tuned.

RHR greets fans at Mid Ohio

Will Power was all business at Mid Ohio

Dixon Rules Mid Ohio in IZOD Indycar

Mid Ohio winner Scott Dixon negotiates the esses

All hail the king of Mid Ohio: Scott Dixon. For the calculating New Zealander, Mid Ohio Sports Car Course must be starting to feel like his home track as he racked up yet another win on the twisting tarmac in central Ohio. Will Power led from the pole and controlled the first two-thirds of the race but a balky second pit stop and a clean entry/exit for Dixon forced him to give up the lead and he could never challenge Scottie D the rest of the way. Simon Pagenaud put on an impressive performance to take third place on the podium for the little team that could - Sam Schmidt Motorsports - which got the biggest cheer of all the top three finishers in Victory Lane. Not only did the Ganassi domination of Mid Ohio continue, but Honda was able to claim the top three steps on the podium in the Honda 200, so I'm sure all the folks at the race from Marysville were quite happy today.

Despite a second place finish, Will Power took over the season points lead as previous leader Ryan Hunter-Reay had a miserable day and was scored six laps behind Dixon, with an off-song engine from early in the race costing him any hope of a decent finish. RHR finished a dismal 24th (out of 25 cars) as there was only one other retirement from the race so he didn't get any help to improve his position. For the second straight road course race, Indycar put on a clean and green show from start to finish, which in itself is remarkable alone, but especially today when the weather seemed so foreboding from early morning storms. But everyone started the race on slicks and the rains stayed away all race long so the drivers could fight it out among themselves to their hearts' content. Sebastian Bourdais has a strong run for another small team into fourth ahead of James Hinchcliffe. Tony Kanaan, Ryan Briscoe, Marco Andretti, J. R. Hildebrand and Alex Tagliani rounded out the top ten in a race which was ultimately decided on fuel strategy.

I could tell walking to the keyhole after the second set of pit stops that the leaders were all saving fuel, as they were all backing off well before the third braking cones. I don't imagine it was a very exciting race for the fans who braved the threatening weather to attend today, since there were zero on track passes for the lead. But for anyone who follows racing, and especially open wheel racing, often it is the pit work which spells the difference and that was the real story today. While teammate Dario Franchitti is well down the championship standings, it looks like Scott Dixon is poised to make a late season charge. Will Power better watch out. Don't forget: I picked Dixon to win it all in my pre-season blog so it will be fun to see how things unfold these last three races. It will all get decided on an oval at Fontana and I wish I could be there. Until next time, enjoy the races and the following slideshow.

Wet Warmup for Mid Ohio Indycar

Will Power leads teammate Ryan Briscoe through Carousel turn in Sunday warmup

Sunday morning at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course started with a deluge which postponed the final Indycar warmup from its original 8:05 a.m. time slot to 9:45 and the teams got precious few laps in on the wet track. No one was concerned about lap times this morning, but staying on the track was a serious issue as the drivers battled massive plumes of spray and had to stay off the normal racing line to be able to navigate the circuit. Ed Carpenter was the first to go off track and I would expect there to be more of the same if the forecast for rain throughout the day is accurate. Many times at Mid Ohio, the Indycar race has been wet-dry-wet-dry-wet so perhaps today will be one of those days. Keeping electronics dry will be a paramount issue for everyone out here today.

Will Power on Mid Ohio Indycar Pole; Muscle Milk Dominates American LeMans

Will Power blitzes the Mid Ohio track record to win the pole

Road course maestro Will Power set a new track record in qualifying at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course to take pole position for tomorrow's IZOD Indycar Series race. In the process, he let his competition know that he is a serious contender for the season title with just four races to go including this weekend. Power oudueled nemesis Dario Franchitti and Simon Pagenaud, who continued his strong showings this season by snagging third ahead of Alex Tagliani. Scott Dixon was not happy to wind up fifth ahead of Ryan Briscoe and Sebastian Bourdais. Perhaps the most unhappy however was the Andretti Autosport team which was shut out of the Fast Six and had to settle for 8th with Ryan Hunter-Reay and 9th with Marco Andretti. Rookie Josef Newgarden rounded out the top ten with another strong showing.

The morning started off well for Justin Wilson as he was fastest in the morning practice session but he could only muster 12th when a misfire cost him top end speed during qualifying. The same cannot be said for Helio Castroneves as he had a run-in with Mike Conway heading into the Keyhole and injured his left wrist. He did not have it bandaged during qualifying but he could do no better than 13th on the clock. It will be interesting to see how sore he is tomorrow and whether it will effect his ability to race on Mid Ohio's notoriously difficult and physical road course. I would suggest that this is Will Power's race to lose however, so someone else will have to do something dramatic to take the win away from him.

In the American LeMans Series race, the Muscle Milk team of Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr motored away from the field in the slim P1 class ahead of the 16 Dyson car. A stout field of 32 high tech sports cars has a relatively clean day at the racetrack with lots of close racing but few incidents of any significance. The class pole winning P2 car driven Martin Plowman finished second in class in the race to the 55 piloted by Christoph Bouchut. One of the highlights of the day was the celebration of the 100th ALMS race of veteran Sasha Massen, who has won 30 times with 3 championships during that time. He was not rewarded on track today however as he finished 8th in GT. Oliver Gavin gave Corvette another GT win over the Flying Lizards Porsche of Jorg Bergmeister.

It was a sweltering day at Mid Ohio today and the ALMS competition was as hot as the weather.  as this racetrack always delivers for the sports car crowd who come out in droves to see the most varied equipment formula of any major racing series. Tomorrow promises even more of the same, with the threat of rain added in, for the Indycar race and I'll be covering the whole track again tomorrow again, so stay tuned for more, and please enjoy the slideshows.

Justin Wilson Tops Indycar Practice Speeds at Mid Ohio

In a potential preview of today's pole qualifying session, Justin Wilson set quick time in the final practice session Saturday morning before qualifying later today. He broke his back in a Turn 1 off track excursion last year at this race, so you know car owner Dale Coyne would love to see this weekend as Wilson's triumphant return. More as it unfolds today with Indycar qualifying set to unfold at 11:00 a.m local time - about 30 minutes from now.

Justin Wilson enters the esses in morning practice at Mid Ohio