Indy 500 1986: Rain, Rain & Racin' on my Birthday

The 500 has had remarkable luck through the years with weather. 2007 was wet of course, but they got the race in (or most of it). 1986 was one of the marathon years, longer even than 1973, since the race had to be postponed a week after the slated date was washed out, and the following day it rained non-stop. I didn't even go to the track the second day as I recall. This photo is from the scheduled date and gives an idea of things fans used to do in the infield to kill time. You can bet alcohol was involved. There's another pic in the attached album showing another popular infield pastime, but this is a family blog so I won't go into details here. I tell people they postponed the race to my birthday in '86 and it was nice that they threw the biggest party in the world for me at 16th & Georgetown that year.

But getting the race run was a monumental effort. Back then, USAC ran the 500 under its rules, and CART ran all the other Indy-style races. The Speedway didn't want to run the 500 on a regular work day after the Memorial Day weekend (original race day Sunday, rain date Monday Memorial Day), as I am sure they were worried about a drop off in attendance. But CART had a race scheduled at Milwaukee the next weekend, so the Speedway and CART had to work together and Milwaukee got rescheduled so the 500 could be run on Saturday May 31, plus still have Sunday June 1 for an additional rain date if needed. Given the state of open wheel racing today with the IRL and Champ Car still at odds, the kind of cooperation demonstrated in 1986 is almost unbelievable in hindsight. But the powers that be made it work somehow. If only cooler heads could prevail today and get Indy racing unified again...

The 1986 500 was my third year working as a credentialed photographer at Indy for UPI. I was in the south short chute in '84, Turn 4 in '85 and Turn 3 for 1986. Turn 3 was a long way from everything back then with only one small section of stands across the track from my shooting position. Infield parking was a free-for-all and the police presence was virtually non-existent. The attitude seemed to be as long as no one got hurt, anything was OK, and just about anything could be seen at the track then. After all, the Speedway became the second largest city in Indiana every year on race day, so anything that happens in a city could (and would often) happen on race day. It was a human zoo.

That race was remarkable not only for the week's delay, but for the way it ended. We got paid off handsomely for waiting a week as Bobby Rahal charged past Kevin Cogan on a restart with a couple laps to go to win. Rick Mears finished third in the closest 1-2-3 finish at Indy up to that time. Sneva, Mario, AJ, Unser, Rutherford and all the historic big names were still racing, and the driver mix was eclectic as usual: Guerrero, Geoff Brabham, Roberto Moreno, Ongais. One of the more poignant elements of that year was the fact that Rahal's car owner, Jim Trueman, was dying with cancer but few people knew about it. I remember walking pit lane one day during practice and seeing him with the team and I barely recognized him. He was always so fit and tan in prior years, but it was clear that he wasn't his usual self that year. Not long after the 500, he passed away, leaving a legacy at Indy and at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course which he owned. God bless people like Jim Trueman for what they do (or have done) for racing.

It's hard to believe the changes that have occurred at the 500 since then. But I guess that just means I'm "experienced". Youth challenged. An old fart. Whatever. My pictures will outlive me and I've been blessed with the opportunity to be involved.

Indy 500 1986

Indy 500 Memories - 1982

Arguably one of the greatest Indy 500's ever took place in 1982 when Rick Mears chased down Gordon Johncock over the final 11 laps, knocking a second per lap off of "Wee Gordie's" lead and challenging him in Turn 1 on the white flag lap. Gordie's chop job was classic although Mears still almost pulled it off. At the time, it was the closest finish in 500 history.


My vantage point was above Victory Lane that year with the ladies of the Indy 500 Festival, the Queen and her Court, one of whom I was fortunate to be dating. I had borrowed a camera from a friend of mine to take to the race - no motor drive, maybe a 135 mm lens, and I was just beginning to learn how to shoot. The day began with no sleep after a party at the house I was sharing lasted into the early hours of race day. My date and her Festival sponsor picked me up in the Camaro pace car around 6 a.m. and we started off with a breakfast reception at the former Indiana National Bank Tower, then followed a police escort caravan of all the Festival pace cars to the track. We were part of the pre-race ceremonies where the ladies sat on the roof of the cars on a lap around the track. I was squeezed into the tiny back seat trying to take pictures as we circled the oval. When that was over, we went to the reserved seating area above Victory Lane for the race itself.


Then the carnage began. At the start, Kevin Cogan bounced off of AJ Foyt, (that "damn Coogan" as AJ later said over the PA system) and slid to the inside wall and collected Mario who had started on the inside of Row 2 and tried to get through a gap between the spinning Cogan and the pit wall. In the back of the pack, one of the Whittington brothers, Dale, ran over Roger Mears so four cars were out before the field even got to the yard of bricks. The Whittingtons had their own story (more on them another time) but Dale had no business being in the race. During the red flag, we could see AJ hammering on his car with a rubber mallet trying to get the car out of gear. Cogan later said he thought a CV joint broke, but I will always believe that he just lit up the tires when the turbo kicked in coming down for the green flag. And Mario - well, he seemed to be cheating up from his row mates and if he hadn't jumped the start himself, he might have been able to miss Cogan.


At any rate, Cogan's career was forever damaged by this incident, and he never took his helmet off as he walked back down pit lane, out of the race before it even began. He probably thought someone would take a swing at him. Keeping his helmet on was likely a good decision. The whole mess was really terrible for Cogan, since he was seemed very talented. Photogs still talk about people running the "Cogan line" as he could run higher in the turns that about anyone I ever saw at Indy. As I recall, he lost his ride with Penske after the 82 season. In 86, was leading the race when he got snookered by Bobby Rahal on a restart with only a couple of laps to go. I still remember Sam Posey trying to talk to Cogan on the 86 ABC telecast during that last yellow, and Cogan responding, "I'm kinda busy right now"!


During that 82 race, the Festival folks took us all up in the scoring tower just past the halfway point. It was my first time being up there and the view was spectacular. I remember bumping into TV personality Joyce DeWitt who was one of the celebrities attending that year. As the race wound down, the crowd couldn't sit down as Mears chased Gordie down and everyone realized a fantastic finish was possible. It was the only time I can recall at the 500 that the crowd noise drowned out the cars and it was impossible to be heard by the people next to you. Gordie never lifted and was a popular winner, as Mears was still a relative newcomer and his day would come. The pictures I've posted today are from film and scanned from 25 year old prints, but they are representative of my early work at Indy.


Wild start. Great finish. Victory Lane seats. Awesome day from beginning to end. Is it any wonder I haven't missed a 500 since 1976?

Indy 500 1982

Photog History - One View of Indycars

After getting the "royal" treatment at the Indy 500 in 1982, I knew I had to get to more Indycar races. The urge to photograph what I was experiencing also was growing. My best friend and I went to Michigan in the fall of 1982 for the Detroit News Grand Prix where CART ran the feature race with support races for ASA stock cars and the super vee series. We almost got hit head-on on US 12 on the way up to the track the night before but we made it in my friend's van and got into the infield after midnight. One of many adventures getting to or from races as I look back now. Like the first time I went to Michigan in 1981 for the Norton 500. We had enjoyed a beautiful day in the holding area on Saturday only to have the race washed away the next day and I couldn't get back. 1982 found some of us in the Turn 4 infield across from where Hector Rebaque took out AJ Foyt. But I got in the pits that day with a borrowed camera and couldn't get enough.

In 1983, I went back to the infield at Indy with friends but I was growing tired of the madness. I bought my first real camera that year - a Canon A1 with a cheap Sigma zoom lens and thought I was ready to go shoot. Boy did I have a lot to learn. The picture with this post is from the Michigan 500 in 1983 with Rick Mears (1) racing Al Unser Sr. (7), Mario Andretti (3) and Bill Alsup. Several of us went up together and had seats in the pit terrace bleachers where this shot was taken from. About an hour before the race was to start, a tornado warning was issued for the area and they cleared everyone out of the stands. So we went back to my friend's pickup truck and waited out the ferocious thunderstorm that rolled through. As quickly as it came it was gone and the sun came out which dried the track in short order. An absolutely awesome race followed with John Paul Jr. passing Rick Mears going down the backstretch on the last lap for the win, and Mears crashing between Turns 3 and 4 trying to catch him.

500 miles at Michigan was a sight to behold. It's a shame they don't run that distance up there anymore. What's worse is they don't run there at all anymore. Back in the day, they usually had at least 28 cars and more often than not had a full 33 car field. I miss those days.

But I don't miss the craziness that sometimes accompanied those road trips. Maybe someday I'll tell y'all about it.

Jay

Hoosier-ville Tales: Hoops & Horsepower

Just a Hoosier. That's what a friend of mine in college used to say - only he would add the f-ing word before Hoosier. He was from the Bronx so that may explain it, but I've come to love that phrase. Just a Hoosier.

And what does a Hoosier do as a kid? Play basketball. Go to race tracks. If you're living in Indiana-ville in the early '60's, there wasn't much else to do. Even after moving to Indy in '68, the same could be said for this big old small town. It wasn't called Naptown for nothing.

My grandpa (and namesake) took me to the county fairgrounds racetrack in Warsaw, Indiana when I was about 4. I was hooked. Little quarter mile dirt track he helped build, according to mom. Dirt flying in my face, hanging on the fence, walking through the pits, soaking up the roar. Pretty heady stuff for a young Hoosier. My dad bought me a ring-a-bell basketball set and used to take me to the gym when he played ball when I was about the same age. Most people have probably never seen a ring-a-bell set nowadays. It had a little wire rim with a bracket for hanging it on a door and a metal tongue that would literally ring a bell when the tiny ball went through the string nets. I must have driven my folks crazy playing with that thing. That probably explains why it got nailed to a tree by the driveway after awhile.

No two things have been more constant in my life: hoops and horsepower. Since I started shooting at the Indy 500 in 1984, I've spent more than 14 months of my life at the Speedway - and I mean 14 months straight if you put all the days back to back. And I guarantee I've spent more time than that in a gym or bouncing a ball somewhere.

So I guess it's no surprise that photography started entering into it in my adult life. I went to my first 500 in 1970 and have been to every one since 1976. In 1982, I was lucky to be dating a woman who was a 500 Festival Princess and got to sit right above Victory Lane for arguably the greatest 500 ever - the Mears-Johncock duel. I stood on the photographers platform for the winner's circle shots, and the yellow shirts tried to shoo me away. I just told them I was with her and they left me alone. A gang of us used to be first in the track through Gate 9A at 25th & Georgetown to get a prime infield spot along the fence in Turn 4, but that got old as friends got married off. And the photography bug bit me about the same time. The shot with this post is of Gasoline Alley in 1981, and my last year fighting the infield crowd for space was 1983. I knew there had to be a better way. So I wrote or called people to see about credentials, and Alex Persons gave me a chance with UPI. Thank you Alex!

I have been very fortunate to see a lot of great races at the Speedway, and many historic moments, including the first NASCAR test at the Brickyard. I hope to bring back many of these moments in coming posts, and dust off some old prints to show the way things used to be. Much has changed about basketball and racing in Indiana (they ruined high school basketball with the class tournament) and the 500 and open wheel racing is still suffering from the effects of the IRL-CART split, but the love of hoops and horsepower still lives on in this Hoosier.

A bad day at the racetrack (or in the gym) is still better than a lot of good days at lots of other places. See you in the turns or on the baseline.

Hello 2008! More Tales from the 'Ville to Follow!

Now it's Antiville? Yes folks, there really is a town in Indiana with that name. And since it's been so long since I've written, I thought that might be a good start to sum up my feelings about 2007: good bye and good riddance. Sounds harsh perhaps, but it was a year filled with polar opposites for me. The best part was the racing. The worst was looking for employment and scraping up a living. But it has all worked out for the best and I am truly excited about 2008.

Maybe this year, someone will actually read this thing! I had a lot of great experiences at the racetrack last year, but the one thing that seemed to plague my track luck was rain. At Indy. Then Nashville. Then Michigan. At first I was thinking I was some kind of IRL rain hex, but then Mid Ohio and Chicagoland cancelled that all out.

Then I had to (and I do mean HAD TO) find full time work so that's why I've been away for awhile. Since my last post, Helio has won Dancing with the Stars, and all the open wheel guys seem to be jumping to NASCAR. But is it just me or do none of the newer guys seem to know how to handle a loose race car? Not any of the shoes from sprint cars or midgets, but the F1 or IRL drivers like Dario, Villeneuve and Carpentier, and even my man Hornish. Could be that the ground effects brigade has become so dependent on downforce that when the slippin' and slidin' starts, these guys don't seem to know how to handle it? Not Montoya though - he can drive anything. Maybe Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon need to take these new guys to Eldora and help them learn what that seat of the pants feel is all about.

But what the heck do I know? I'm just a hoosier photog with a passion for shiny fast cars. If you feel the same, then maybe you'll enjoy a collection of my blog pix from 2007. Just click on the Michael McDowell pic which follows and he'll take you to see the rest on my newest picasa album. BTW - congrats to Michael for making it to Sprint Cup for this year. See you at the Brickyard.

And please go subscribe to American Motor Journal and Stock Car Racing Magazine. You'll see more of my stuff there this year.

IndyJay42 Blog Pix 2007

Franchitti Takes Indy Racing League Title with Chicago Win

But for a half gallon of ethanol, my last blog prediction would have been on the money. Too bad for Dixon that he didn't get just a tad better mileage...

So Dario wins Indy and the IRL title - one in the rain and the other on fumes. I had a feeling he was going to get there at Chicagoland about halfway through the race as he went longer than everyone else between pit stops every time and he just tooled around in the draft behind the Ganassi and Penske cars biding his time. It still seems odd to me that Dario and Dixon ended up as the only cars shown on the lead lap, but when I'm shooting at a race with the earplugs in, I can't hear the PA system and have to rely on experience and the scoring tower to keep track of the top 5. Most of the time that works pretty well but when the IRL waved essentially the whole field around the pace car for the penultimate restart, it seemed strange.




But then, what a long strange trip it has been this season. I finally got to an IRL oval race that was not effected by rain. I was fortunate to shoot six IRL races this year (counting Indy) which is the most I've ever done, and I saw a lot of great side-by-side racing and craziness. Dario flying two weeks in a row. Marco upside down at Mid Ohio. Dixon dominating at Nashville. Shooting from the outside at Kentucky. It's all good.





Now this weekend I go to Salem Speedway for ARCA madness on the high banks to see if my man Michael McDowell can put another dent in the series points lead of Frank Kimmel. I'll have another post coming soon on the ARCA season so stay tuned.





Jay

Chicagoland Spin Cycle - Best Indycar Paint Scheme for 2007

Hello from the media center at Chicagoland Speedway, where the ARCA stock cars and Indy Pro Series events have been run largely under yellow so far as a result of numerous crashes. Thus the spin cycle header.

But the best paint job for the season award goes to Marty Roth's team, where he has added former World of Outlaw star PJ Chesson for this weekend. The car is sponsored by a t-shirt company and has the wildest graphics of any in years. Well done Marty!

Today the Indycar championship will be decided and I hope everyone keeps all four wheels on the asphalt. Yesterday a car in the ARCA race got some air in a three-car wreck, and this morning Wade Cunningham flipped in the Pro Series race coming into Turn 3. After Dario's recent aerobatics, that's about enough. So I'l be back later, hopefully with pix of the race winner and Indycar champ.

Scott Dixon.

Jay

More Tales from the -ville: US Nationals NHRA

Hello again folks. Been away and haven't kept up with the updates because I've had to go back to my regular life away from the race track and do all the things that normal people do on the weekends but which traveling precluded. Until this past weekend...

And a glorious weekend it was to be a race fan in Indy. The Mac Tools NHRA US Nationals were in town and after the multiple rain delays at their last race, I'm sure the sanctioning people were more than overjoyed with the conditions. Drivers probably were not though, as the sun was unrelenting and the right lane seemed to take the brunt of it Monday as car after car spun tires and smoked themselves to the sidelines. Perfect late summer weather. Blue skies Saturday through Monday - never had to change my camera settings except for the Saturday night qualifying.

I had an experience like no other in my life as a racing photographer. I got there Saturday afternoon during the first nitro qualifying session and went out by the retaining wall and I'm thinking I'm ready for this - got my earplugs and my gun muffs, and I've been up close to race cars before, so what's the big deal, right? The first top fuel pass almost blew me off my feet and my thinking immediately changed. Surely the loudest racing I've ever been involved in but what took me by surprise was the shock wave as the cars blasted off the line past me. Looking through the camera, the air seemed to liquefy from the heat and vibration as the cars passed, and my insides felt like they were being pulverized. I felt beat up Sunday morning, but I was happy with the way I adapted and was extremely pleased with the work I did for American Motor Journal. I knew several of the photographers from Indy and other races already, and the new ones I met were quick to tease me about being an NHRA "virgin". So I've been duly violated and can see how people get hooked on that form of racing.

This weekend I'm back on the road to Chicagoland and the ARCA/IRL weekend so the roundy-rounders will have my attention as rookie and rising star Michael McDowell tries to chase down Frank Kimmel for the ARCA title and Dario tries to hang on to a slim lead for the IRL title. As the IRL gang has proven the last few weeks, anything can happen. Let's keep the shiny side up this weekend, however.

See you at the track!

Jay

Kanaan Strong at Kentucky - Franchitti Flies (Again!!!)

I thought Michigan was wild and crazy but last night's Indy Racing League event at Kentucky may have topped it. Darion doesn't recognize the checkers are out and gets airborne again. Danica almost hits a safety truck after blowing a tire. Helio and Kanaan bang wheels and they both escape. My man Sam spins out and takes Wheldon with him. And AJ Foyt IV was leading the race on the last restart with 10 laps to go. I never would have believed it.

But there was Kanaan, fastest all night, overtaking Foyt relatively easily in the end, to put an exclamation point on a sweltering Kentucky evening and close in on the points leaders with just three races to go. I loved every minute of it, although it seems lately like I am at the wrong place at the wrong time when the real theatrics happen. I had just shot TK crossing the start-finish line under the checkered flags and turned to head to victory lane, when I heard the crowd gasp and that distinctive "WHUMP" sound these cars make when someone hits the wall. My first thought was "goodness - the race is over and people are still crashing" and I could then see Dario sliding along the wall in Turn 1. THEN I saw the video replay on the track's big screen and OMG! Is Dario the luckiest driver around or what? He needs to go out on a boat or something for a few days, stay off the asphalt and let someone else drive him wherever he needs to go.

These last 5 weeks have been unbelievable: Nashville IRL, Mid Ohio IRL, Brickyard 400, Michigan IRL and Kentucky. I've never had a run like this in all the years I've been doing racing photography, and despite late night drives home the last two weekends, I wouldn't trade it for just about anything.

Except maybe hitting the lotto. Then I could do this every weekend!

I'll be anxiously watching the next two IRL races (Sonoma and Belle Isle in Detroit) before I get the chance to go to Chicagoland for the finale, so let's home things calm down a bit before the real money is on the line for the season title. It looks like a three man race right now between Dario, Dixon and TK so it should make for an interesting end to a crazy IRL season.

C'ya at the track! BTW - US Nationals are next up for me, so I can't wait to see the straight-liners pound some asphalt at O'Reilly Raceway Park.

It's A Beautiful Day at Kentucky Speedway for Racing

After last weekend's rain delay at Michigan, it sure is nice to have a good day to shoot a race. Especially an IndyCar race. Rain has seemed to follow me this year: Indy, Nashville, Michigan. Today we should be good to go on time. And I'm happy to be in the Kentucky Speedway media center right now to catch a little relief from the heat outside.

The Indy Pro Series finished their pre-race warmup session a little while ago and were running faster than the pole speed. The scheduling is a bit odd, with the Pro Series race following the Indycars, but that's obviously a TV mandate, so the IRL will run through the twilight and the Pro Series under the full lights with a 9 pm start time. It should make for an interesting photo challenge, adjusting to the changing lighting conditions.

But the main event promises to be fast and furious and I have to wonder if the events of last weekend have been forgotten by everyone. Have Helio and Vitor made up? The Indianapolis Star seemed to imply that this morning but I have to wonder. And will Dario race for the win or be conservative and try to pad his points lead? A DNF now and strong finishes by Dixon and others could really spell trouble for his championship hopes.

And my man Sam Hornish Jr. really needs to go for it tonight to close the gap to the season leaders. The next two races are not his strongsuits (road/street courses) so he needs a good finish tonight and to keep the car on the track the next two races to be in contention for the Chicagoland finale.

Should be a good show tonight. Stay tuned. Strap in.

Jay

IRL Kentucky Next - Championship Battle Intensifies

I didn't think I was going to be at Kentucky Speedway this weekend, but things changed quickly once Don Hamilton of American Motor Journal called me on Tuesday. This will be my second visit to the great Bluegrass State venue this year, as I was there Memorial Day weekend for the Frank Kimmel Street Stock Enduro event on assignment for Stock Car Racing magazine. The issue with my pix and Don's story should be on the newsstands this week. Now I get to go back and see the Indycars after a wild weekend at Michigan, my first race at Kentucky since 2000 when the Indy Racing League first went there.

That was also the race where I first discovered Sam Hornish Jr, as he was racing for the tiny PDM team and had one of the fastest cars all day. He had a great wheel-to-wheel duel with Jacques Lazier for about 30 or 40 laps and I was immediately a Hornish fan. Not many guys could do what he did in that PDM ride, and he was clearly the star of the day. I shot video that day as a spectator and thoroughly enjoyed the race.

This time I get to go back with full media credentials to shoot digital 35mm for Don, hopefully from some of the photo holes on the outside wall, so that should be fun. It's a great racetrack with a very spectator- and competitor-friendly layout. Nice garage area, lots of room to work, the entire track visible from every seat, and an escalator system to the tunnel connecting the infield with the grandstands area.

Hopefully everyone will have settled down after last week's mayhem, but I kind of doubt it. Kentucky is another track where there's lots of room to race side by side, so it should be exciting. Dario needs to stay at the front to manage his points lead, and the other contenders will need to keep the wheels on their cars to keep pace for the driver's championship. I expect Helio to come out with fire in his belly after last week's contact with Vitor and the MIS frontstretch wall, so keep en eye on him. It will be the usual contenders - AGR (except for Marco), Ganassi and Penske, so shut up, go fast and turn left.

Talk soon!

Kanaan Escapes Wet & Wild Michigan with IRL Win

As someone once sang, "What a long strange trip it's been." When the team haulers were blitzing past me on I69 coming back to Indy last night, I couldn't help but think about all that has happened with open wheel racing at Michigan over the years. And just as I wrote the other day, anything can happen up there and often does. Sunday was no exception, as the scariest moment of the day involved Dario Franchitti in a blow-over style flip on the backstretch that decimated the IRL field, leaving mainly his AGR teammates to fight it out. Once Danica had to make an extra late pit stop to change her right rear tire, it was just down to TK and Marco to sort out. After hours and hours of rain and waiting, Tony was able to claim the trophy, but judging from his comments in the post-race media conference room, he was not a happy camper.

Winning at Michigan still means something, and there's a special chutzpah that IRL drivers have to have at that place. Tony made several comments after the race about lack of respect being shown for fellow drivers but from my viewpoint it was a typical Michigan day. Lots of two- and three-wide, sometimes four-wide racing. Slicing and dicing up and down the field. Too many close calls to count. Car carnage. Thank goodness the rain gods stayed away finally and that no one was hurt in Dario's mess. When he came back to the pits after the accident, he looked shaken to me, and there were hugs all around from teammates and AGR crew members.

Let's hope they come to their senses before Kentucky this weekend. I want to see a tight battle for the season championship, not cars going airborne and taking out a third of the pack in one fell swoop. They will say that it was just racing, and from my experience at Michigan, that is probably true, but yesterday was a perfect example of how open wheel, and especially Indycars, require nerve and skill unmatched by any other racing series.

But that's just my opinion, and I'm just a photographer. Blame it on too much time in the sun this summer. Michigan Indycars - we will miss ye.

Jay

Michigan IRL - Rain Delay (Again)

I left Indy before 5 this morning and started seeing ligthning in the distance as I approached Fort Wayne. All hell broke loose as I got to Fort Wayne and the skies opened up. At a McDonald's there, the manager was kind enough to log me into their wifi setup so I didn't have to pay, and I checked weather radar on Intellicast.com and decided to go cross country the rest of the way. It made the trip a little longer, but I knew we were going to be delayed today so I could take a more leisurely pace.

I got to MIS at around 10 and it rained non-stop from the time I left Fort Wayne until just before 2 p.m. here. The jet dryers are on the track, the rains have stopped and crews are warming up the engines in the garage area. Anyone who was here last year knows the IRL will do whatever they can to get this race in today, since I heard in the photo meeting this morning that they have to be in Kentucky Thursday for Saturday night's race.

More later.

Jay

Franchitti Takes Michigan IRL Pole - Hornish 2nd

Well it looks like Dario may be in the catbird seat to extend his points lead over Scott Dixon tomorrow at Michigan International. But anything can happen at MIS - and often does.

Take last year for instance, when this picture was taken from high up in the main grandstands. My son and I went up with my brother and his son as spectators and after walking through the souvenir areas and killing time race morning, as we got to the stands a huge storm blew in so the race was delayed and they ran incident free until almost dark, with Helio taking the win. My first visit to Michigan was in 1981 and they never did get the race run that weekend due to rain. In 83, we got chased out of the stands by a tornado warning and then John Paul Jr. won on the last lap after Rick Mears had a rare crash. In 85, the tires were suspect and the race got postponed a week and then Danny Ongais barrel rolled down the backstretch. In 89, Scott Pruett and Al Unser Jr. dueled wheel to wheel in a fantastic finish for one of Pruett's few Indycar wins. I've camped at the track, taken a motor home, stayed in motels, done banzai one-day runs up and back (like I will this year), and gone as a spectator and as a photographer with credentials. All of this is from memory so the details might be a tad fuzzy, but the point is I have great memories of this awesome track where you get to see the Indycars run flat out, three and four wide, with pack racing and usually high drama at the end. It was even more incredible when the large fields were there before the split and they ran 500 miles instead of 400 like they will tomorrow.

So of course I'm saddened that MIS and the IRL could not agree on a date for next season, and I hope that is only temporary. I'm looking forward to adding to the memory banks this year and hope to bring back more great pix from one of open wheel's most storied race tracks.

More soon, hopefully from the media center at the track after the race.

Brickyard 400: Stewart Kisses Bricks at Indy Again

At the end of a wild day at Indianapolis, Tony Stewart got by Kevin Harvick and took his second win in the Brickyard 400. The native Hoosier managed to avoid the carnage throughout the race, as nearly half the field tried to knock down the walls. Thank goodness for the SAFER barriers. Harvick wasn't too happy about the way Tony made the winning pass and faded to 7th after taking the lead on the last restart with about 20 laps to go. My man Tony pulled out some short track magic with less than 10 laps to go with an under-over move that started in Turn 1 which Harvick couldn't match, and was finished in Turn 3 with a dandy chop down to the white line. They went past me at the beginning of the backstretch side by side, and for a moment I thought they might crash each other out and hand Montoya the win. It seemed like they were heading for a finish like Emmo and Al Jr. in the 500 in 1989, but I knew Tony wasn't going to go down without a fight and Harvick was a sitting duck as Tony clearly had the fastest car all day long.

JPM was extremely impressive too, but that's no surprise to me. He was awesome as a 500 rookie in 2000 and Juan displayed the same smooth car control in his first stock car run at Indy as he did in an Indycar. It was fun to see the crowd react to Tony's charge at the end, and Juan seemed to have a good following as well, becoming the first driver to run Indy in all three major auto races. Montoya will win on an oval sometime this year, I'm sure of it, and Tony is set to charge for another season title, having now won two in a row after being shut out the whole season prior to the last two weekends.

While the stock car brigade packed up their mangled equipment and headed off to Pocono after Indy, I'm going to Michigan for the Indycar race this weekend in what may be the last IRL race on the fast high banks for awhile. It hardly seems possible that 1981 was my first trip to MIS, and I've seen a lot of great races up there. Hopefully this weekend will follow that pattern as well.

In the meantime, go fast and turn left. Go Tony Go!

Jay

Dixon Escapes Mid Ohio with Indy Racing League Win - Marco's World Upside Down Again

Scott Dixon managed to snag his third Indy Racing League win in a row, missing Marco Andretti's first lap tumble and prevailing with crafty pit work over Dario Franchitti. Dixon continues to chip away at Dario's season points lead and one DNF by Dario coupled with a strong run at Michigan could vault Dixon into the series lead. It was obvious to me that Dario was running conservatively, but after seeing three of his teammates almost take each other out at the start, who wouldn't?

Speaking of vaulting... Poor Marco. On his head for the second time this season, and neither time was his fault. I heard him say in the post-wreck interview that Danica had bounced Kanaan into him but my photos show TK's left front wing under Danica's right rear tire, lifting her off the ground and sending her into the grass in the esses. I stayed on Kanaan as he started to get sideways and Marco dove to Kanaan's right and got launched into a wild ride. Dixon and everyone else skated by and Tony stormed back through the field from there, passing more cars than anyone else to take 4th. Helio was fast early and took third while Danica recovered from her off for 5th. Darren Manning showed he was in his element and really benefited from the first lap mess for 6th and Ryan Hunter Reay had a really nice drive to 7th in his first race since replacing Jeff Simmons, even considering his trip through the sand trap in the morning warmup.

It was a beautiful weekend at Mid Ohio with perfect weather conditions and huge crowds both Saturday and Sunday. Corner workers were saying it was the biggest crowd Mid Ohio had seen in quite some time and it was clear that the combo of the American LeMans Series and Indycar brought the road race fans out in droves. I'm sure Honda buying 15,000 tickets for employees and their families (as the rumor at the track went) helped also. Who cares? Saturday the Acura banners were everywhere. Sunday they all said Honda. If more manufacturers supported racing like that, we'd all be the better for it. I've been going to Mid Ohio for years and the crowd reminded me of the old days before the split, as the motor homes were plentiful, the camping area by the keyhole was full, and families were on every hillside. And what a gorgeous track it is. Having gone through the Acura high performance driving school there last summer, I especially like shooting there now since I can remember the feelings I had going through the corners (albeit much slower) as I frame each shot through my Canons. I can't wait to go back.

This weekend I'm tied up at the Brickyard 400 at Indy and then go to Michigan for the Indy Racing League 400-miler next weekend. Michigan is another track I love as it shows the true form of the Indycars where two- and three-wide racing is common and the speeds are high. I'm an oval fan at heart, but from a photographer's perspective, road courses are lots of fun as the vantage points are numerous and you can really see the drivers working the steering wheel. So this season has been great for shooting a wide variety of cars, tracks and series. I'm thankful that American Motor Journal has been giving me the opportunity - you all should subscribe!

I'll be back with comments and pix from the ALMS race soon so check back. See you at the races!

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More Tales From the Ville - Simmons Out at Rahal Letterman

On the road back from Nashville last weekend, I had lots of time to think about where this whole blog thing started: towns ending in -ville in Indiana. And I was struck that Hoosiers aren't the only ones so inclined in naming their towns. Along I-65 in Kentucky of course there's Louisville, but there's also Munfordville, Bonnieville (must be a pretty place), and Shepherdsville for starters. But the most interesting town name I encountered on the trip was "Halfway", Kentucky on US 231. Halfway to where is anyone's guess but it must have meant something to someone once upon a time.

Now as I prepare to go to Mid Ohio again for this weekend's IRL road race, the silly season news is kicking off with the firing of Jeff Simmons who is to be replaced at Rahal Letterman by Ryan Hunter-Reay. Too bad for Jeff but he just wrecked too often, and could have been seriously hurt at Nashville after overshooting the warmup lane and sliding up into Kosuke. This picture of Jeff was taken prior to the race Sunday and Jeff seems to have his hands full with silly putty or something stringy as introductions were about to start. I think he already knew this was going to be his last race and he was just trying to hard for a good finish. Maybe he can latch on with another series and find his way back to Indy someday.

Hopefully I'll be able to post from the media center again this weekend, or at least from the hotel Saturday night after the American LeMans Series Race so come on back. I would have to say that Scott Dixon is the man to beat again this weekend, and I look forward to seeing the open wheelers run at Mid Ohio again for the first time under the IRL banner, and my first time since before the IRL-CART split. So it will be good to be back. See you in the esses!

Jay

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Dixon Takes Nashville by Storm

Despite a late race caution that threatened to make the final re-start interesting, Scott Dixon had the field covered today at Nashville Superspeedway. The track was hot and slick and in the post-race interview room, Dixon said the track got worse as the day went on but the team had put more downforce in the car after the rainout Saturday night. The race itself was not one of the better IRL races I have been to, but it was interesting and an adventure for me, as I had no place lined up to stay last night but found a room in nearby Lebanon, Tennessee. When I get back to Indy, look for more here and pix on my flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/indyjay42.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Jay

Nashville Indy Racing League Washout - Racing Sunday

Writing this morning from the Nashville Superspeedway media center after a very soggy Saturday evening. The IRL pre-race preliminaries were all done and the drivers were ready to climb in their cars when the heavens opened up. An hour or so later, the track was almost dry but the skies opened up for good and forced everyone to wait until today for the big show.

The Indy Pro Series race was won by rookie Robbie Pecorari after six contenders were taken out in two separate multi-car wrecks. Race leader at the time (and season points leader) Alex Lloyd ran over debris from the second accident and needed a new nose cone to repair the damage, or he would have probably won again to continue his dominance for the season.

I am disappointed not to get to shoot the Indycars under the lights this year, but it should be a good, fast race today and I am excited to be here. Of course, I am pulling for Sam Hornish again, but I think the Andretti Green guys are going to be tough to beat. Danica could come through for her first win, although she isn't starting up front. I think it will come down to Franchitti and Kanaan at the end, as this track is tough to pass on and marbles may be a factor as the backmarkers have to move up high to let the faster cars through on the preferred bottom groove. I'll be busy from start to finish so I'll be back again soon.

Jay

Formula One Says Goodbye to Indy - Indy Racing League at Nashville

Well Old Bernie has finally done it. He completed his self fulfilling prophecy by pricing the USGP out of the reach of Tony George and simultaneously slapping US F1 fans in the face. Better make your reservations for Montreal next year folks.

Better yet, come to the MotoGP race and show Mr. E that he got it all wrong. Now I don't often agree with Indianapolis Star writer Bob Kravitz, and I even wrote here awhile back that the USGP belongs at Indy more than anyplace else, but right now I find it hard to disagree with Bob's column in today's Star.

Meanwhile, I am packed and ready to roll south on I65 to Nashville for the Indy Racing League event and apparently Target Chip Ganassi is still on a roll too, since Scotty D was fastest in practice today according the the IRL website. Qualifying is this evening so that could change of course, but last year's event was highly competitive, with Dan Wheldon and Vitor Meira waging a lengthy battle after Hornish crashed out early in the race. The concrete usually seems to have a lot of grip and the stands are always packed at Nashville, so I'm anxious to see how they handle themselves tomorrow night. You can bet the TV coverage will focus on the Hornish-Kanaan dust-up at the Glen last week, but there's no room for contact on Nashville's banks. Sparks will fly with the cars on full tanks and I expect a good show before they switch back to road course gear and head to Mid Ohio next week. I'll be there too, for my second visit in the last month, but for the first time to watch open wheelers since before the IRL began. It should be a great 8 days of racing, especially since the American LeMans Series is running next Saturday on the IRL undercard.

See ya soon. Don't forget to go to www.flickr.com/photos/indyjay42 for action pix from these events.

Woo-o-o-o racin!

Jay