Back In The Saddle at Salem Speedway

Race day teased us with sunshine

Last weekend was one of the strangest race weekends I have had and it had nothing to do with the ARCA Menards Series itself: it was all about factors in my personal life that created some unique circumstances to deal with. While it was strange, it was also beautiful. Plus there was the issue of "moisture" on Sunday that turned out to be perfectly timed on a number of levels which was another complicating factor. Michael Self won the race for Venturini Motorsports in an event that was originally scheduled for 200 laps on the high banks of Salem but barely made it to the halfway point before more rain hit on Sunday and shortened the race to 101 laps. For his second straight short track win, Michael and his team were not complaining and from the ARCA side, we were all glad to get the race in.

Michael Self

Ever since I had my lung cancer surgery in mid-February, I had been targeting last weekend to return to the racing photography I love so much. As smaller track, I thought Salem would be an added advantage as I continue to build my strength back up just a little more than seven weeks since I went under the knife and had the upper lobe of my right lung removed. But I felt great and I couldn't have been more excited to be back at a racetrack. When I decided to change careers in 2009, I told my girlfriend (now my fiance) that I wouldn't be able to do it without her support  and this past weekend was a perfect example of how great she and her family have been in helping me pursue a dream. This is also what made the weekend so strange but beautiful at the same time.

We did get gorgeous light on Saturday but not as much on Sunday

Before I tell you what was strange, I have to tell you about my beautiful fiance and her kids. Not long after I was diagnosed with lung cancer at the beginning of this year, she found out that she had breast cancer and that her brother also had lung cancer, so since February we have all been dealing with uncertainty and the prospect of surgery or other treatments. My surgery got scheduled first but for hers, two surgeons were involved so it took awhile to coordinate their schedules. Naturally it ended up being scheduled the Thursday before the Salem weekend I had been targeting to get back to my photography. So Thursday and Friday I took off work from my teaching job and was at the hospital with her and friends and family. The whole time leading up to her surgery, she was encouraging me to stick with my plans for Salem as it appeared she would be in the hospital the whole weekend as her cancer surgeon had told us she could expect a four or five day stay. 

ARCA has raced at Salem 105 times now, 25 of which I have worked

Naturally, if you know my fiance, you know how much she cares for other people, always putting others first, which is one of the reasons I fell for her. As you can imagine, I am so grateful that she didn't waiver in her support of my ARCA work commitment. She has three grown children who have all stepped up to help their mother and even though I am not their father, I brag on them all the time as they have become such exceptional adults. My fiance is a nurse and each of her children have found their way into the medical field in one way or another and have embarked on great careers with Fortune 500 companies here in Indiana. The oldest child works for a major pharmaceutical company and is married to a rising star executive at an Indiana industrial company with two little girls and a third baby on the way. The middle child is a nurse practitioner specializing in children's care. Her youngest child is a Purdue educated biomedical engineer for another major Indiana company. Among themselves, they figured out a schedule where they could come help their mother following her discharge from the hospital which indirectly supported me as well, since I had burned up all my leave time following my surgery and wouldn't be available much. As it turned out, they were needed early too as my fiance exceeded everyone's expectations following surgery and was released from the hospital after only three days which turned out to be Sunday, my race day at Salem.

Christian Eckes was MIA with food poisoning

You can imagine the stress that we have all been under the first few months of this year so I can't begin to express how grateful I am for the support of my fiance and how proud I am of her kids in how they stepped up to support their mother (and indirectly me). The strange part of the weekend was simply all the traveling and hospital time. Thursday was my fiance's surgery day and I got her there at 6:00 in the morning and didn't see her again until 6:00 in the evening. She was not moved to a room until 8:00 that night and I then went home to the house we share with two cats and a dog who all seemed to know something weird was going on. Friday morning I was back at the hospital by 8:00 in the morning and spent the day with her. Saturday morning I was at the hospital by 7:00 and it takes about 2 hours from Indy so I left for Salem at 8:00 to shoot the 11:00  practice session. The weather was gorgeous on Saturday and I was back on the road to Indy after qualifying at about 4:30 and back at the hospital by 6:30. I made a quick trip out to Chipotle to get my fiance and I some dinner and finally made it home about 9:00 pm.

The race started as planned under mostly sunny skies

The weather forecast for Sunday in Salem was not favorable, showing rain and storms most of the morning and again at around 2:00 when the race was supposed to start. Having worked with the ARCA series for quite awhile now, I know how persistent ARCA officials are about getting a race run even when there might be some moisture around, so I was still planning on heading south no matter what my Accuweather app said! I went back to the hospital early Sunday morning and kept an eye on the weather radar to determine if (or more accurately when) I would leave Indy.

Michael Self was singing in the rain at Salem

As it turned out, my fiance was doing great and the weather system kind of split around Salem so I decided to leave Indy around 10 and as I hit the southside it was still raining. My fiance's younger daughter, the nurse practitioner, was also at the hospital and was going to make sure she got home and situated alright. I knew she was in good hands so I headed south on I-65 and got to the track at noon just as the track drying was wrapping up and learned that everything was on schedule for the live MAV-TV coverage to start as planned. And the sun was out shining brightly with some nice fluffy clouds in the sky for the most part. There were some dark clouds to the west that were worrisome but it was time to go racing and I had my rain gear, so I went about my pre-race shooting duties and prepared as though the whole 200 laps would be run. So while the recurring travel and the hospital time made for a strange combination amid a roller coaster of emotions, the beautiful light at the start of the race more than made up for all the tension and stress of my fiance's situation. After all was said and done, the rains came just past halfway, the race was called, we shot Victory Lane under the General Tire awning and I was able to get home by 6:30 that evening to take over caretaking duties. It was a whirlwind weekend and the perfect way to get back in the saddle while hitting another milestone in my own recovery. Thank God for friends and family. I love you all! Until we meet again, here's a few more photos I took at Salem.

I still think Michael Self's Sinclair sponsored car is one of the prettiest in the ARCA series - and he wins races!

In what has become one of my signature photos, Travis Braden goes through Turn 4 through an old ESPN camera hole in the wall

The weather on Saturday was perfect for practice and qualifying

Sixteen year old Carson Hocevar won his second ARCA pole position; at Berlin last season, it also rained!

Defining Normalcy Again

My brother Steve (left) and I at Daytona 11 days before my surgery

I went back to work at my teaching job three weeks and one day after my lung cancer surgery, and it feels great! The surgery itself was seven weeks and two days ago and if you read my blog regularly then you know I am a full time teacher in an adult high school called The Excel Center in Noblesville, Indiana. Now that my surgery is behind me, I have to define a new normal for myself as I have never missed so much work in all my life and I am still testing out what kind of limits I will have physically since I had the upper lobe of my right lung removed. And just so you know, I don't claim to be a cancer fighter since I haven't really done anything - the doctors did it all - but I am relieved that all the pathology shows I am cancer free. Thank God for early detection so if you've been a smoker like I was for 40 years, get yourself checked out. My journey started with a $49 heart scan last October and now five months later, I have cleared a significant hurdle in my life journey thanks to the medical professionals at IU Health.

The oddest thing in all of this is that there are times when it feels so surreal - as though it all happened to someone else. Throughout the process, I have found support in areas I would never have anticipated, especially through my social media contacts, many of whom I've never met in person but who have given me a boost nonetheless through their comments, feedback and encouragement. I have really appreciated that and during my recovery have spent a lot of time trying to thank people for their support. I apologize if I've missed anyone but please know that it has meant so much to me. This whole experience has helped me to start looking at life differently so I am extremely grateful for that. Who ever says they are grateful for having had cancer? I don't know but I am, and it feels like I have a second chance at life so I don't want to waste a minute.

My jump shot in 1976 

Growing up all I wanted to do was play pro basketball but I didn't quite make it there. I was fortunate to play high school football and basketball and then play Division III college basketball at the University of Chicago. I have been lucky to be an athlete all my life and I remain very active even now closing in on 62 years young.  I even played 30 minutes in my UC alumni basketball game in January a few weeks before my surgery so when the doctors were asking me the last few months if I could walk up two flights of stairs, I would just laugh. Now I'm not saying I'm ready to get back on the court and play ball again, but the racing season is upon us and I will be getting thousands of steps at racetracks this year starting this weekend with the ARCA Menards Series race at Salem Speedway. 

Before my diagnosis I had planned on going to Sebring last month for the combined WEC and IMSA sports car races. Instead I got to watch a lot of it on television after returning to work at my teaching job on Thursday of Sebring week. I was pretty worn out from the renewed level of increased activity so having the Sebring races on television was some consolation for not being able to attend. I knew  several photographers who were there and it was great to follow their work on social media both Friday and Saturday. My next race with the ARCA Menards Series is at Salem Speedway and while I realize that bumpy little high banked half mile in southern Indiana bears no resemblance to the flat Sebring airport road course in central Florida, it will be great to get back to my racing photo work nonetheless.

Jasper's Fairview Cemetery overlook to St. Joseph's church and beyond

In the meantime, I have my Indiana Arts Commission photo book project on older Indiana cemeteries to complete. I have a couple more road trips to complete to gather photos but I have a lot of material to use already and the concept is becoming more clear in my mind as my completion deadline approaches this June. If you have not seen my Facebook page for "Hoosier Cemeteries: A Photo Study", then please check it out and give me feedback. I also have a page on my Alleygroup website at this link with other photos from my various trips. So far I have been able to hit all corners of the state except for the southwest so that is where I need to go next to find some older cemeteries that have been overlooked or perhaps are now surrounded by newer development. It's been especially interesting visiting some "pioneer" cemeteries and a few that have genealogical significance for my own family. surname "Alley". You start to see some patterns and similarities with headstones and grave markers according to time periods across the state when you visit ones that date back to the early- to mid-1800's as I have.

Today I am sitting in a hospital waiting room as my fiance undergoes breast cancer surgery so finding a new "normal" is being thrust upon our family in ways we could not have envisioned even when we went to Nashville, Tennessee at the end of December. To top it off, her brother also has cancer so this dreaded affliction has hit us hard emotionally so if it is true that bad things come in threes, then we should be done with all of that and our luck surely must be changing soon. I sure hope so. In any case, we are going to carry on and live our lives as best we can, trust the process and do the things we are meant to do. Thanks to everyone for the love and support. See you at a racetrack somewhere soon. And if you want to know more about my Hoosier Cemetery photo project, then please drop me a line!

Vevay, Indiana cemetery along the Ohio River in southern Indiana contrast with the mills in Kentucky across the river

Alley-Jones-Gloshen pioneer cemetery near Brookville

St. Ferdinand cemetery with the Immaculate Heart nunnery in the background

See You Next Year Daytona

The ARCA Menards Series has a new logo

The last few days have just whizzed by as I've flown to Orlando on Southwest, shuttled to Daytona, spent the better part of three days at Daytona International Speedway, and then retraced my tracks to fly home Sunday night. This was not my first time at Daytona but it was my first time working the ARCA Racing Series event, so there was a newness to the experience that kept me on my toes. It was a big weekend for the series which got officially rebranded as the ARCA Menards Series during a Saturday afternoon press conference. It was a well kept secret but I was told early in the weekend that I needed to be ready to photograph a press conference at 12:15 Saturday afternoon so I had an idea that something big was brewing. It was cool to be there as ARCA President Ron Drager, the head of NASCAR Mike Helton and Menards owner John Menard talked about the deal. Once the deal was announced, we all got to put on our new shirts and hats so that was exciting to be a part of.

Natalie Decker has become a fan favorite

I am fortunate to have the chance to photograph the series and was excited Thursday to be the person primarily responsible for taking new headshot photos of all the drivers who were entered for the race. I did 33 of 35 drivers, plus had to redo one of them when the driver got a new uniform to start off the season. Those headshots will be used all season long on television when driver introductions or starting lineups are being announced, so I can't wait to see the FS1 telecast I recorded to see how they looked. I knew something was up when I was instructed on Thursday to photograph all the drivers without a hat and then also with a Menards hat, and not to use the ARCA hat we had used the last few seasons. As a photographer, I had a blast using the studio light setup to take those photos as I don't often get the chance to work with that kind of lighting.

Can you tell we're brothers?

I was working with another photographer, Rich Corbett, all weekend and my brother Steve came in Thursday night,  so we had fun exploring the speedway and hitting a couple of restaurants I knew about from previous trips to Daytona. Thursday's track activity was late in the day so Rich and I split up to get different angles of the cars in track. We have to be sure we get photos of every car entered so that's usually one of the first orders of business. The lighting and blue skies were perfect Thursday afternoon for that so Friday  we concentrated on people photos - drivers, team owners, crew chiefs, etc. Friday turned out to be another perfect  day with lots of sunshine and high temperatures near 80 which was a real pleasure to experience after dealing with 40 below wind-chill at hime in Indy the previous week. Racing is a people sport after all so we try to show the human side through our pictures. Most motorsports photographers are gearheads at heart so we naturally love the cars but sharing the excitement the drivers and teams feel at the track is what really makes it meaningful.

Pre-race ceremonies were completed under threatening skies

The weather Saturday wasn't nearly as nice as Thursday and Friday had been, as a persistent cloud cover had rolled in with much cooler temperatures and an occasional misty rain falling. Our race, the Lucas Oil 200, was delayed a little and everyone was ecstatic to see lap 41 go onto the scoring pylon since that meant the race was official. The alternatives if we had been postponed were not pretty so even when I started feeling some sprinkles with a few laps to go I was not in the least disappointed. We got the race in, the race was highly competitive among several young "kids", there were no serious incidents or injuries, so all in all it was a great day.

Christian Eckes led the field to the green flag

One of the best things about race day was getting to start the race in the flagstand. I have done that at many other racks on the ARCA circuit but it was first time doing it at Daytona and that was a real thrill. We had a guest flagger from series sponsor and tire supplier General Tire and I always enjoy seeing their reactions to the full field of race cars thundering past right under our feet. The whole flagstand shakes when the cars are fully up to speed after a lap or two and the view from up there is spectacular to say the least. This is my fifth season as the chief photographer for ARCA and there are "signature" photos I am trying to claim and those flagstand shots when the green flag flies are in that category. It doesn't get much better than that, and this time I ran into those same General Tire people in Victory Lane near the end of the race and they still had huge smiles glued to their faces, so you could tell they got a thrill out of the experience as well. It's hard to leave a racetrack without taking something besides memories with me and I often go through a bit of an emotional slump after a race weekend.

See you later Daytona!

This race I got new shirts and a new ARCA Menards Series hat, plus a few thousand photos and that's going to have to be enough for awhile as I  won't be going back to a race until April. This coming Tuesday I have a date with a thoracic surgeon who will be excising a cancerous spot from the upper lobe of my right lung, so wish me luck. I hope I don't need it and I believe I will come out of the operation with flying colors. I am certainly thankful for early detection and for the opportunities I have to photograph races, sports events, travel locations, and my beautiful fiance and grand-babies. Until next time I get a chance to write, here's a few more photos from the Lucas Oil 200 that Harrison Burton won for Venturini Motorsports. For even more photos from the race, be sure to go to the ARCA Menards Series website and check out the photo galleries. See you soon!

Venturini Motorsports put 18 year old Harrison Burton in Victory Lane at Daytona

Getting close to the action is one of the benefits of being the Chief Photographer for ARCA

John Menard (right) expanded his support of the ARCA Menards Series once again

Stock cars and Daytona are a match made in fan heaven

Fans came out in great numbers for the autograph session; that's why we are able to do what we do!

Daytona Here I Come

Is winter over yet?

I will be living on Daytona time for the next four days as I finally get to make the trek to the "World Center of Racing" for the ARCA race weekend. I say "finally" because it seems like it's been forever since my last race, which was in Kansas last October. I am "finally" getting to work the ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway since it will be my first time shooting for the series at the home of NASCAR. It is not my first race at Daytona by any means as I shot my first Daytona 500 in 2011 and followed that up in 2012 and 2014. Plus I've worked the Rolex 24 Hours three times since 2014, so I feel like I know my way around down there a little bit although I'm sure it will be different with ARCA in some ways. In any case, I am happy to get out of Indianapolis for a few days, away from our crappy February weather and get back to my happy place, which right now would be just about any racetrack. Why not Daytona? I think I could do this every year.

This is going to be a big year for myself and for ARCA. I am writing this post in the Indianapolis airport and am now just 13 days away from scheduled lung surgery to remove a spot in my right lung which the doctors say is cancerous. My fiance and her brother have each had some nasty health news in the last couple of weeks so we are all reeling from these revelations so having a break now is very timely. This weekend will be the first ARCA race under NASCAR ownership of ARCA so it's a chance to be seen and to meet more NASCAR personnel on their turf. I'd like to keep doing this job for a long time, so getting in a solid weekend of photography and networking will help me get through the surgery and recovery with something else to look forward to. I will probably miss the race in March at Pensacola but should be good to go for all the rest of the season starting with Salem Speedway in mid-April. I still don't know what I will be doing for the Indy 500 in May but I'm sure something will get worked out, even if it is just shooting on race day, which looks likely due to my ARCA commitments. That will seem strange but I have to work where the work is and right now that's in the ARCA Series and I am very grateful for the opportunity.

Boiler Up! Hammer Down!

As they say, "it's good work if you can get it" so I can't take that for granted. I have no real idea what the recovery from this surgery will be like but I think it will go well, given my overall physical condition which is excellent. Last Friday I passed the three year mark tobacco free so that's also in my favor. We never know what the future holds and I have worked very hard the last dozen years or so to get to this point with my photography so I am excited to build on that this year. Over the winter I got to photography a Purdue football bowl game and a Purdue men's home basketball game so I know the opportunities will come if I put myself out there. That's what I've been trying to do on a limited budget (I am a teacher after all) so any work that pays is good work! I gave up basketball officiating this winter to open up time for other activities which has worked out well, except for this surgery thing which I hope isn't a setback.

But if it is, then it's just a setup for a comeback and I am ready. Thanks for reading. See you at a race somewhere soon. Look me up - I'll take your picture!

The Big C and Me

Bring it on!

They say I have lung cancer.

But I'm grateful. How can that be? Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know it's mainly about my journey as a photographer who specializes in motorsports. On January 4, 2019 that journey took on a whole new meaning for me when the results of a PET scan showed I had a cancerous spot in my right lung. I have been scanned from head to toe and those tests show no other signs of cancer anywhere else in my body. I met with a  thoracic surgeon last Wednesday and surgery has been scheduled for February 19th to remove the cancer.

So how can I be grateful they found cancer? I smoked for 40 years but at the end of this month I will be smoke free for 3 years, so I was hoping for good news from the earlier tests but I wasn't surprised to hear the news from the PET scan. After all, my Mom died of complications from lung cancer in July 2015 so the family history and my personal history intersected about where I feared. The good news is that it is a small spot and my doctor says that no further treatment will be required aside from regular scans in the future to see if it recurs or shows up somewhere else in my body. So there's gratitude for early detection.

I'm also grateful because my employer, Goodwill Education Initiatives, encourages and gives incentives for employees to get annual physicals. My primary care physician had urged me to get a $49 heart scan because of my and my Mom's histories of smoking even though I have no symptoms of any kind. I got the heart scan November 2nd last year and followed that up with a CT scan December 7th. Without that series of scans which culminated with the PET scan and a brain MRI January 11th, I seriously doubt that the cancer would have been caught until it was much further along. The surgeon described the spot as the "size of a pea" and it is only in Stage 1. There's still a small chance that a biopsy of the tissue that will be taken during surgery might not actually be cancerous, so I will pray for that outcome but I am not betting on it.

Some funny things have happened along the way that I am also grateful for. During the January 4th meeting with the pulmonologist about the PET scan results, he said he was surprised that there was virtually no history in my medical records for him to review. I have been an athlete my whole life and lead a very physically active lifestyle so we got a good laugh out of his observation. I used to think my level of  physical activity would "blow out" my lungs and counteract the other aspects of my lifestyle but at 61, it appears that fallacy has all caught up with me. Another humorous moment came with the surgeon who asked me if I could walk up two flights of stairs. I laughed at her and said I routinely walk 20,000 steps a day doing my motorsports photography in 90 degree heat carrying 25 pounds of camera gear. She responded "he laughed at me!" so I am grateful for my overall health.

I am also grateful that I get the chance to write about my experiences and have a platform to share what I am going through. I've had broken bones and gotten stitches a few times throughout my life but have been fortunate that I've never had to undergo any kind of surgery until now. Considering all the things I've put my body through, that in itself is amazing! Now I know that lots of people have written about their experiences with cancer so my blog reports may not be anything earth shattering: it's just my story and maybe someone else will read something they can connect with.

A week before I had my PET scan and found out I had cancer, I had the opportunity to photograph the Music City Bowl game between Purdue and Auburn in Nashville, Tennessee. Before the game, I got to see a young man, former Purdue student Tyler Trent, who had almost single-handedly united the Boilermakers during his own very public fight against his cancer. Since my diagnosis, I have thought to myself that if that young man can keep his faith and fight to live at the age of 20 when he had barely begun to live, then I have no reason to mope around or feel sorry for myself. Less than a week after I photographed Tyler at the game, he passed away, so I consider myself lucky to have been in his presence that day which turned out to be so close to the end of his fight. Godspeed. #TylerStrong Boiler Up Hammer Down

So how do I feel about my diagnosis? Initially I felt alternately sad and angry, in nearly equal measure, but today I am grateful and happy things are working out the way they are. I have so much to do in my life and no one is issuing any proclamations about how much time I have left so I plan to carry on as if this surgery will take care of the problem once and for all. The reality of cancer is rarely so simple and none of us gets out of here alive anyway, so I am going to live my life "as if" I have another 20 or 30 years ahead of me and do all the things I've dreamt of doing. We're not even guaranteed tomorrow and I don't want to waste a minute.

Whatever you do, don't feel sorry for me. I appreciate people asking how I am doing and if there's anything they can do, but I don't want to be treated like I have the scarlet letter "C" emblazoned on my forehead. Let's just live and love with all our might and be grateful for whatever time we have together. There's no time like the present - it's a gift after all. And I still have a lot of life to live. Next up for me on this journey is shooting a Purdue men's basketball game February 3rd and then the following week I fly to Florida to shoot the ARCA race event at Daytona, so you'll be hearing from me again soon. To paraphrase the late Sid Collins, "stay tuned for the greatest spectacle in living." And thanks for reading; see you soon!

Music City Bowl Photography Experience

Alabama friend Greg McWilliams and I  worked the game at field level

If you follow my blog posts on a regular basis, then you know that most of the time I am writing about my experiences on the road as a motorsports photography. You might not know that I have been shooting all kinds of sports since the late 1980's and that I have been trying to get an opportunity to shoot a college football bowl game for at least 10 years. Well I finally got my chance to do just that last weekend for the website Indiana Sports Coverage when I got an assignment for the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee to provide photography of the Purdue Boilermakers. The game turned out to be a bust for the Boilers but I quickly remembered how much I love shooting football when I walked out on the field at Nashville's Nissan Stadium during pre-game warmups. My fiance traveled with me so we were able to take in the Nashville night life on Broadway Thursday and Friday nights plus I got to hang out with friends from Alabama who were up for the game as well. We had a blast!

Purdue All American Rondale More was very impressive

When I decided to change careers a decade ago so I would have more time to pursue my passion for photography, I envisioned photographing lots of different sporting events but in hindsight, my timing was not the best as print media outlets were shrinking and the whole media landscape was changing as internet  outlets grew. When publications like Sports Illustrated lay off their photographers, you know the opportunities to restart a photography career are going to be tough. That has definitely been my experience, but it hasn't stopped me from trying. I decided if I were going to make a change, then I had to be "all in" and I couldn't turn back no matter what so opportunities like this bowl game are investments that I feel are worth making. Back in 1987, I had the chance to shoot for the Indianapolis Star during the Pan American Games in Indianapolis and probably could have pursued a full time position with the Star back then but I didn't think I could make enough money as a photographer. That was a life lesson that took me another 30 years to learn. Now I tell my grown son to pursue his passions and not worry about the money. I wish someone had told me that back then but it's never too late for second chances and I am living proof of that.

One of my goals was to get the Gatorade bucket shot of the winning coach: nailed it!

I have been to Nashville numerous times to cover auto races for ARCA and Indycar but this trip was the first chance I had to experience more of the city. We decided to splurge and stay in the downtown media center hotel for the bowl game and we were two blocks from the hub of nightlife in the Music City on Broadway. It was simply amazing. The number of clubs with live music was astounding and some of them were multi-level bars with a different band on every floor. My fiance didn't go to the game with me but she found some nice boot shops to explore and found the downtown area quite walkable and enjoyable herself. And everyone we met was just so doggone nice! When some young ladies from the Auburn band addressed me as "sir" in the elevator, I was quickly reminded that we were in the south and were experiencing southern hospitality. I can't wait to go back again.

Auburn was just too big and fast for Purdue

Already this investment of time and money to travel to Nashville is generating dividends as the Indiana Sports Coverage website has offered me the chance to shoot some Purdue basketball and I already have a game scheduled for February 3rd in West Lafayette. I am grateful for the contacts I have made through social media networking as that is how I got the bowl game opportunity in the first place. I know these games are going to help rebuild my portfolio with current examples of what I can shoot in big time sports so these games are welcome additions to my motorsports schedule which is already looking quite packed for 2019. Back in 2006 and 2007 I shot all kinds of high school sports for the defunct website HoosierAuthority.com, including state championship level games in basketball and football. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to take these next steps with a website that specializes in covering Indiana-based schools and teams. So stay tuned and follow me on Twitter @alleygroup to see where  I go to next on this journey! Until next time, here are a few more photos from my bowl game weekend in Nashville.

2018 Motorsports: My Grateful Year in Review

Click Here To View My Best Of Racing Photo Gallery

From Daytona Beach in January to Kansas City in October, my year in racing crisscrossed the country from my home in Indianapolis, and all but the trip to Daytona was done by driving. By the time of the ARCA Racing Series annual awards banquet in Indianapolis earlier this month, I had racked up some serious miles on my Honda Civic Si coupe and catalogued more than 50,000 images in the process. Indycar, ARCA, CRA, USAC Silver Crown, IMSA WeatherTech sports cars - these were series I was lucky enough to cover this year. Next year promises to be even better with more travel and some surprises I hope to be announcing by the end January.

Danica Patrick raced into retirement this season

During the course of this racing season, as always the Good, the Bad and the Ugly sometimes reared its head. The Good was in evidence at each of the 10 ARCA races I covered as we endured 2 rainouts yet everyone came back each time ready to put on a show. The Bad was losing one of racing's seniors when ARCA team owner James Harvey Hilton lost his life in a tragic highway accident going home from the Talladega race in May. The Ugly occurred at Salem in September when two of the ARCA youngsters got caught up in some retaliation, but thankfully only race cars were torn up. Along the way, I got to see Scott Pruett race his final sports car race and Fernando Alonso get experience in the same event at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. I photographed Danica Patrick running in her last race during May at the Indianapolis 500. Will Power got the 200th win for Team Penske in Indycar at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and then followed that up with his first Indy 500 win at the end of May. So many memories and yet the time seems to have just sailed by since I boarded that Southwest Airlines flight to Daytona last January.

Indianapolis from the roof

Dirt track racing, small ovals, superspeedways, a road course and medium ovals were all on my schedule this year and I got to do and see some amazing sights that I tried to memorialize with my cameras. Shooting the start of the Indy 500 from the roof of the penthouse seats overlooking Turn 1 is always a thrill, and if I do have to fight off a little vertigo. Standing in the flagstand at places like Talladega Superspeedway and Kansas Speedway shooting the start of ARCA events is equally thrilling and offers unique perspectives that very few people ever get to experience. At the dirt tracks of Springfield and DuQuoin, there's no way to get any closer to the action than I do there while hugging the guardrail as the USAC Silver Crown or ARCA machines roar by literally inches away from me. Then there's Indianapolis, where everything takes on more epic proportions due to the history at the famed oval. I live for that rush of adrenaline standing at the drop gate in Turn 1 as Indycars exit the turn and head right for me at 225 miles per hour. There's nothing else quite like that, and the common thread of all these experiences is that racing photography is a totally visceral and all encompassing experience with sound, motion, vibration and potential mayhem unfolding in front of me on every lap.

Daytona in January is always a blast

Then there's the weather: there might be "moisture", there will definitely be heat and humidity, and there might even be snow and frigid temperatures. Regardless of the conditions, I might walk 20,000 steps during an 18 hour day at the racetrack and then get up early and drive home the next day, totally satisfied yet hungry for more. I have to pinch myself sometimes to be sure I'm not dreaming as I often can't believe my good fortune in being able to do some of the things I get the opportunity to do. I have worked hard and been blessed with some fantastic opportunities over the last decade. My life has totally changed since I decided to change careers and allow more time to pursue my passion for photography and I have a lot of people to thank for the chances I have had. I've said it before but I must give credit to people like Keith Pritchard, Larry Coles, Steve Snoddy and Dave Martin who are no longer with us but gave me great inspiration, support and taught me so much about photography. As a self taught photographer, I needed their help and I continue to try to learn from everyone I can.

Love the view from the flagstand

I also have to thank my friends at ARCA like Mark Gundrum, Tom Legeman, Doc Hunter and others for their faith in what I try to do to support the series. I can't forget my French friends Pascal Saivet and others at MPS Agency who allowed me to represent them internationally at Indianapolis last May. I am also grateful for the continuing opportunities to work for AP staffers like John Raoux at Daytona and Brynn Anderson or John Bazemore at Talladega. As this year comes to a close, I know I will have left someone off of this gratitude list and I apologize for that. I will try to make it up to you in the new year. Until I see you all again, be safe and enjoy the holidays. See you at a racetrack somewhere soon. Let's make some freaking pictures.

Turn 1 at Indy

Stock cars on dirt: a ground shaking thrill every lap when you are up against the rail

Kids like this one are the future of racing

USAC Silver Crown cars dance on dirt like skaters on ice

I chase the best light at every race and follow a "10 laps and move" strategy to cover it all

Sunrise

Sunset