Kentucky Speedway

[JSPhoto]

I have to say that Kentucky Speedway is the best facility I have ever been to. The staff was absolutely the friendliest race track staff I have ever seen, even the security personel were great, not just because I was media, but they were great to the fans as well. If someone needed a chair as one guy did they got him one. The track is well laid out and makes getting from one place to another easy. I started the race shooting from the mezanine and it took 5-7 laps to get back into the pits from up there. They have a tunnel that runs under the track and escalators. While heading from the pits to to the mezanine for the start I talked to the IRL's Brian Barnhart who agreed, this one was one nice setup. Tagging along with Brian was Al Unser Sr.
The nights racing was pretty good as well although no one could catch Kanaan after his first pit stop, the pack that followed had some great battles going on.
The Musco lighting made taking pictures a breeze and you didn't need flash. :thumbsup:

JS

[JSPhoto]

The pre race flyover

JS

[Old Timer]

Well I'm glad our Kentucky hospitality agreed with you. My first question was going to be how did you like the track, but you took the suspense right out of that in your first sentence. From every account that I have gotten they just do a terrific job up there in Northern KY. Just wish that they could get the big boys of NASCAR in there. Some very nice images here John. I love the one with the three cars running side by side. I understand the action was even pretty good after the checker on Saturday. Thanks for sharing and I hope you make it down to KY more often. Wasn't a bad trip was it?

[JSPhoto]

The trip down was a breeze, no traffic going into the track the way we went in. However the trip home was AWEFULL! nearly 3 hours to go 20 miles and then to get to 75 it took another hour. From there it was clear to 275 and then 74 was clear.
I have no clue why it took so long in that first 20 miles but there wasn't one single police officer around, no wrecks, but a lot of broken down cars.
Yeah, unfortunately I missed the post checkers crash..... I guess they will add a lap counter to Dario's car this week He is one lucky driver to walk away two weeks in a row like that. Odd too, because I had just said to another photog that Dario was going to crash and sure enough a few seconds later I hear "car airborne" and then "it's Dario again".

JS

[porterm]

most post race traffic is pretty rough,no matter what the venue.
when 70,000 people decide its time to go home,its ganna be rough for a few hours and possibly 50 miles or more. i left talladega after a monday rainover and it took 45 minutes just to leave the speedway property. i have sat and watched folks take 4 hours at bristol just to move a few car spaces. thats the price of watching the "big boys".
and i have found myself in the middle of downtown kansas city just 30 minutes after a truck race. it really depends on the draw of the event. any more than 30000 and your gonna have major traffic.
nice to hear kentucky hasnt gotten stupid and still treats people like they matter,this joke we got here in st louis has gotten thier last dollar from me!
i live here but theres no way ill support that track anymore!

[JSPhoto]

The crowd at KY was around 50000, but about half left after the IRL race. Getting out of the track was no problem, and going up 71 shouldn't have been a problem but it seemed every time someone broke down everything came to a stand still.
Maybe I am spoiled, with 400,000 at Indy I can still get home within 2 hours. The Sate Police and IMPD do a pretty good job getting people out. If I wait 2 hours after the race to leave I can be home in 45 minutes.Although the State Police and IMPD do have a little practice dealing with large crowds considering many of the 10 biggest sports events happen in or near Marion Co.
The Indy 500 draws 400,000 the Brickyard 400 200,000+ The US Nationals 100,000+ the Final 4 (when here), and the yearly events held at the IUPUI Natatorium and track draws huge crowds.

LOL, the days I try not to travel around here though is the days of the Indy (Mt Comfort) air show which is held just 4 miles from my house and it's just plain nuts as there are not many routes to get there. It probably draws 50,000+ over the three days (one is a practice day) and I70 is one lane all the way back to Indy and up Mt Comfort Rd they close it to South bound traffic to get people off I70. Then after the show it's backed up on the Westbound side. I always shoot the Warren Gridiron Classic that Saturday so it will be fun getting to those games

Nice to see you around, hadn't seen you in a while porterm.

JS

[Jimmy B]

JS gotta love MUSCO Lighting! Nice shots.
JB

[JSPhoto]

Yup Jimmy, I do like the Musco Lighting

ISO 1000 F3.2 Shutter 1/320 just playing during a caution

JS