February always means two things for me. Superbowl and Daytona. I already did the Superbowl blog so lets take a look back at an action packed trip to the World Center of Speed. The Daytona International Speedway.
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With the bulk of the motorsports I shot this year being NHRA drag racing I was unable to cover as many Off Road races and NASCAR as I usually used to do. With that in mind I combined the two motorsports into my latest installment of my “Best of 2011″ series. Strap in and hold on…
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The previous race I covered was an epic championship race for the NHRA so heading to Miami for NASCAR I was hopeful for another close championship race. Close would be understatement as heading into the race Carl Edwards led Tony Stewart by an astoundingly close three points. Time to award some hardware!
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The NASCAR Chase occurs at the same time as the NHRA Countdown to the Championship so my availability to shoot NASCAR has been much less than in years past but luckily I had an opening in my schedule to head to one of my favorite tracks, Talladega. The high banked restrictor plate track has always been called the wildcard race of the 10 race playoffs because one persons mistake can quickly become your problem. This years race would be no different.
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My last NASCAR race was back in March in Las Vegas so I had been itching for awhile to get back on the circuit to shoot some stock car action. For the fifth straight year I would be fortunate enough to cover the July Daytona race. Now most of my photographer friends despise this race due to the hot weather and high chance of rain but I honestly love this race. It always makes for great photos and this year would be no different!
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The 2011 NASCAR season is now in full swing and the question everyone is wondering is if Jimmie Johnson will win his sixth straight Sprint Cup Series championship. There is a long line of top drivers doing everything they can to prevent that from occurring. At the top of that list is Carl Edwards. On to the races!
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For the fifth straight year I found myself in Miami in late Novemember to shoot the NASCAR championship race. As with the previous four years all eyes would be on Jimmie Johnson as he was in a position to win his fifth consecutive Sprint Cup championship. This time however he would enter the final race second in the points, behind Denny Hamlin, and not far behind those two was Kevin Harvick who also had a realistic shot at hoisting the trophy.
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As most of you guys know I shoot several NASCAR races every year. 34 of the 36 races races take place on various oval tracks but two occur on road courses where the drivers have to make left and right turns. Thats where things get fun. On top of seeing top level drivers look like confused amateurs it also is great to shoot unique photos that you cant get at any other tracks.
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After a year off from shooting the two races in Dover, DE I decided to cover the spring race this year at the “Monster Mile”….by the end of the weekend I promised myself I would never cover this track again!
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Ever since the beginning of the year when NASCAR officials made the now famous quote, “Boys have at it” in regards to relaxed rules with bump drafting and drivers self policing the garage everyone has been waiting for the drivers to get on track at the biggest and baddest track on the circuit. Talladega. The racing would more than live up to the hype. Strap in tight, its gonna be a bumpy ride!
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