Nextel Cup

[SmartWombat]

at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

[Jimmy B]

Love the first on, that special sauce keeps bad things happening to good people!

[JSPhoto]

So how was your weekend ? I hope you didn't go home broke.

JS

[SmartWombat]

If Canon had been selling the 1DmkIII instead of showing it ...
and if I'd been able to buy a Sanho Hyperdrive Space ...

We didn't gamble at all, so it was only expenses.

[swmdrayfan]

Somewhat of a break from F1, eh Paul?
Good to see you had a good time.
John

[Jimmy B]

Paul what did you think our roundy round racing on our side of the pond? I like most in the states grew up on circle track racing. I like road racing and I am lining up some vintage stuff to shoot in a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to it since the shop I work in does a bunch of machine work on a few of the cars.
Jimmy B

[ken1953]

Hi Paul, Great photos, I really hope you post a bunch more. I don't see #17 - Matt Kenseth anywhere...shame on you...hehe...He's a Wisconsin boy and I root for him all the time...I think next year, Kim and I will try to save enough money to go to one of the Texas races.
Keep up the great work. Maybe you can get over to the this side of the pond a bit more often.
Ken

[Photo-John]

Is that guy sniffing glue before the race?

[SmartWombat]

I don't see #17 - Matt Kenseth anywhere...shame on you...hehe...He's a Wisconsin boy and I root for him all the time...

Angie got his signature, and I got shot of her with him - want to see that one?

[SmartWombat]

The noise is different - that really struck me. The background almost constant drone of the V8s at full revs. Overlaid with the whap whap as the cars pass.
Normal circuit racing is very different.

What hit me (almost literally) was the wall of sound during the driver introductions.
Standing in the pits behind the stage the noise was incredible, and they don't hold back on their opinions! Easily audible boos and jeers as well as the cheering.

But rather boring to be honest.
Lots of excitement when there's a crash
Then pit lane gets hectic !

But otherwise it's a procession.
Hmmm rather like F1 in that respect

[SmartWombat]

I think the special sauce is a release compound, so the lug nuts come off cleanly at the pit stop and don't bind to the wheels.
I hoped you'd be able to see in his glasses, maybe I should dig out a 100% crop?

[ken1953]

Angie got his signature, and I got shot of her with him - want to see that one?

SW...Wow, definitely...I'd like to see it and I'd love to have permission to print a copy for my Kenseth Collection. I'm glad you both enjoyed yourself. Maybe this will prompt you to have a few more trips across the pond.
Ken

[JSPhoto]

Paul,
You think LV was noisy? Try the Indy 500 or Brickyard 400 with 400,000 + people! The photogs get there early in the morning, many roll in at 4am (myself included) and then get their spot and sleep until the pre race stuff starts. When you get there it's dead silent, but when the cannon goes off to signal time to open the gates it gets plain crazy! When the race starts though you can hear the crowd over the cars which is pretty amazing as much noise as 33 or 43 cars make.:thumbsup:
JS

[JSPhoto]

SW...Wow, definitely...I'd like to see it and I'd love to have permission to print a copy for my Kenseth Collection. I'm glad you both enjoyed yourself. Maybe this will prompt you to have a few more trips across the pond.
Ken

hmmm, I think I have a couple of Matt crashing

JS

[ken1953]

NOT FUNNY, JS!!!! hahahahaha.....however...I'd love to see lots of pics of Dale, Jr. crashing!!!! hahahaha....wifey is gonna shoot me...heheheh
Ken

[Jimmy B]

I have a few of MK @ PHX last year, if your interested? Not as good as SW and JS?
Jimmy B

[ken1953]

I'd love a copy of them Jimmy. I'll bet your's are awesome. I'd love to see you post them. Maybe we can start a Racing Forum...or at least a thread here dedicated to Racing. Just a thought. hehe
Ken

[JSPhoto]

NOT FUNNY, JS!!!! hahahahaha.....however...I'd love to see lots of pics of Dale, Jr. crashing!!!! hahahaha....wifey is gonna shoot me...heheheh
Ken

hmmmm, well no Jr wreckin but I think I got him on the way back to the pits after his crash at the Brickyard a year or two ago....not sure where it's hiding but I can probably find it......just don't give her MY address

JS

[JSPhoto]

I'd love a copy of them Jimmy. I'll bet your's are awesome. I'd love to see you post them. Maybe we can start a Racing Forum...or at least a thread here dedicated to Racing. Just a thought. hehe
Ken

I think this basically is a racing forum, it seems there is more racing than anything, and I will be doing more this season as the paper will have me all over shooting races, from 1/4 midgets to NASCAR (all three top series) and possibly NHRA Nationals at IRP as well this year. Heck, IRP may become a second home this season, especially the oval as I think there are 10 or 11 races I am covering there. Among the series I'll cover are: USAC, sprints and Silver Crown and midgets. UMRA 1/4 midgets, ARCA (paper doesn't know that yet ) , the PRA ex- Silver Crown cars, sprints on dirt and pavement, CRA stocks and who knows what else.

JS

[ken1953]

hmmmm, well no Jr wreckin but I think I got him on the way back to the pits after his crash at the Brickyard a year or two ago....not sure where it's hiding but I can probably find it......just don't give her MY address

JS

hahaha...too funny...and don't worry....I keep my sources secret...that reminds me...are we like reporters and protected against revealing our sources under the constitution??????? hmmmm...something to think about....

Ken

[ken1953]

I think this basically is a racing forum, it seems there is more racing than anything, and I will be doing more this season as the paper will have me all over shooting races, from 1/4 midgets to NASCAR (all three top series) and possibly NHRA Nationals at IRP as well this year. Heck, IRP may become a second home this season, especially the oval as I think there are 10 or 11 races I am covering there. Among the series I'll cover are: USAC, sprints and Silver Crown and midgets. UMRA 1/4 midgets, ARCA (paper doesn't know that yet ) , the PRA ex- Silver Crown cars, sprints on dirt and pavement, CRA stocks and who knows what else.

JS

Wow...you and Smart Wombat sure got lucky jobs...wanna hire me as an apprentice...hehehe...we've got a drag strip here and I'm hoping to catch some of the drags...but with my job...it's really hard to get to them...we deliver papers and sunday morning we start at about 2 a.m. and we need a little sleep before we start...heaven help us if someone gets a screwed up insert....hahaha
Anyway...JS, I knew that this was basically a racing forum for all kinds of sports...I was being kind of facetious about a seperate forum...hehe...just kind of kidding around...you know...hehe
Ken

[JSPhoto]

Hey Ken,
It may sound like lots of fun, and it is, but at the same time it's a real tough way to earn a buck. Take the Week leading up to the Indy 500. It starts with being at the Speedway at 9am every day to get whatever you can, then each night Tuesday through Saturday running off at 5pm to another track as Tuesday through Saturday there are night races to cover as well. Most run til 11 or later, then a 30-90 minute drive home, an hour or so to dump photos and look through them, another 1/2 hour to send them out and then finally get to bed for a very short nights sleep so you can be back at the track at 9am. Saturday is tougher yet as I cover the "Night Before the 500" at ORP and normally get home around 1am and have to be at IMS at 4am. Fortunately there isn't any reason to go to IMS on that Saturday, however it's inevitable the paper has me shoot high school sports that morning
By the time the big race is over I am fighting to stay awake for the 2- 2 1/2 hour drive home....sometimes I am trying to stay awake through the race too. The week of the Brickyard is just as bad but it's only from Thursday through Sunday....but just as tiring.

JS

[ken1953]

I can imagine JS, when I shot the West Texas Relays a couple of weeks ago, I got up at 2am to throw newspapers, grabbed a couple of hours nap to be at the stadium at 11am...worked until 6 then home to upload my photos and rework some, grabbed a couple of hours sleep, up at 2 to throw papers, home about 6 because we had to make a second trip to the paper to pick up Sundays inserts, home for 2 hour nap, at the stadium at 9am and worked until 6, then home to upload my photos...back up at 2 to go get "Sundays" papers, which all have to be stuffed with the previous days inserts..........I was exhausted....I think I can understand how you and SW feel after a long week of doing this...hehe I highly respect both of you (and all full time photogs) for all the hard work you put in...
Ken

[JSPhoto]

Hey Ken, I think three years of subbing and then having my own motor route delivering papers helped get me ready for what I do now.....I was always sleepwalking when delivering papers. I had my first paper route at 9 or 10 in Duluth Mn. Remember the movie "The Omen" ? The snowstaorm at the beginning of that movie was filmed in Duluth, and I was out delivering papers very near where it was filmed.....I could barely see them in the blowing snow

JS

[porterm]

you want noise? try bristol, abosolutlety the loudest place i have ever been.
i ussually have a scanner with noise canceling earmuffs but one time i left it at home.
man i thought i was going deaf!
and ken,try talladega, tickets are cheap on the allison grandstands.
probably gonna have to camp and that is another adventure there but its the same at nearly all the tracks nascar visits.
we have been camping on the infield here at gateway for the busch race a few years but the track kinda screwed us over so we are not gonna be doing that any longer ,but to the point, when the cars are running hot laps,the sound bounces off the places on the fence where there are banners and bounces out when they pass places where there are no banners. its really a weird effect!

oh yea i almost forgot.the glue is used to hold the lugnuts on to wheels so when they change them,they are already there. they just pop off the old lugnuts and let them fall. the wheel studs have about an inch extra length on them that isnt threaded. they just pop the wheels on them and fire away with the airwrench!