Ice Bowl.... (or Mud Bowl)

I spent most of this weekend shooting the 14th Annual Talladega Short Track Ice Bowl.
Except this year, it resembled a Mud Bowl, with all of the rain that we've had in the first week of January.
I didn't want to wear my good boots out there because of the trouble cleaning them up before I go back to work would have been(OK.....I'm a little lazy when it comes to things like that).
So instead, I ruined a good pair of Asics running shoes.
And possibly a good pair of Levi's.
But I was better off than others.


Just check out the mud in the staging area.


More mud at the dirt track.


I think mud tires woulda been better in this slop.


You never know who comes along for the ride.


I would try to scrape mud off of my shoes, and this crew member was trying to scrape mud off of his drivers tires.


"Ya'll watch this mud puddle right here, now".


Mud stalagtites or dingleberries hanging from a damaged cowling on the front of this racecar.


You had to work on your racecar in these conditions, so you might as well suck it up, get muddy, and not worry about it.


OK......everythings groovy.....boogity, boogity, boogity.....let's go racin boys!





OK.....I appologize. Too much bullshit. I'll have to do better. Maybe I can make that one of my New Years Resolutions.
But I do have to admit, I love any kind of motorsports. Always have.
And I love to photograph motorsports.
And I learned to shoot pictures right here at good ol Talladega Short Track.
I've been shooting here since the mid seventies.
Back when I helped my best friend with his racecar win the track championship.
That's thirty plus years ago!!!!!
And I have to say, this is my favorite angle at this track.
And I've never seen anyone else shoot from here.


Over the years, as you can tell, no matter where I shoot a race, that 'Getty Shit' just seems to come out.
Just a trick I learned for shooting in low light.
There again, no one here does anything like that.


A local boy and past track champion and past Dale Earnhardt protoge, James Cline.


One of the photographers covering the race(there were over 400 cars from over 20 states at this event).
He just stands around while cars spin out all around him.
Is it any wonder all of his images look just alike?
Why doesn't he waste a bunch of pixels and start experimenting with shutter speeds and apertures?


I thought the rooster tail look cool.......


And the winner is???????

I don't know. I had to leave during the middle of the day for some quality family time.
I got back at the track with less that 15 laps left in the main event.
Sorry.....didn't catch the winners name, but he was in car number 53. But I did get some good stuff of him.
Maybe the next time I go dirt racin', I'll pay more attention to the winners name.
So now, I'm all fired up to shoot the big boys when their season starts.

I can't wait........