Talladega Amp Energy 500

Today, back at home in the gloomy, chilly autumn Chicago weather, I wish it was last Sunday and my last day shooting NASCAR in Talladega, Alabama, and what felt like summer all over again. The weather was in the lower 80's for the biggest race of the weekend, the Amp Energy 500 of the Sprint Cup Series. After arriving at the track, I threw on my sunscreen right away. Studies have shown that, in those hot and sunny conditions, the skin on us "Yankees" burns in short order.

I also made sure I had a bottle of water in one of my Think Tank belt pouches, because at Talladega, you'll need to re-hydrate frequently while walking more than a mile between some shooting positions. I've never been a fan of the big floppy hats some shooters wear in the heat to keep the sun off one's head, it's not like we're trudging though the Sahara, guys! I don't even wear hats in the winter here in Chicago, outdoors on film shoots at night for hours in temperatures hovering around 10° Fahrenheit. I guess some people are just more thick-skinned than others. At Talladega, between the water and the sunscreen, I was all set for a full day of shooting.

Lots of water? Check. Big floppy hat? No check.

After shooting some more stick camera stuff of fans out on pit road and some stuff in the garage area, I headed to the backstretch and my first shooting position up in the photo tower coming out of turn two. Despite the tower being slightly crowded with up to six other photographers, we all choreographed our stances before the race began (such as who was going to stand, who was going to sit, and where, to make sure we all had a clean view of the track). After shooting the F15 fly-by at the top of the race (featured at the top of this entry), it was all about the race action, and from here, I'll let the photos and captions tell you about the rest of the day:

(Stay tuned to the blog in the next few days for a video recap of my trip to Talladega!)

Race fans walk down pit road prior to the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Shot on the stick cam.

Employees of Goodyear Tires stand near stacks of tires prior to the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This was shot with the stick cam in passing without much thought, I just thought the graphic patterns of the tires from above looked cool along with the guys on the left hanging out. With three crashes in the race Sunday caused solely by blown Goodyear tires, this photo now has more significance in the overall take.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers move into turn two during the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Reutimann (44) goes sideways on the backstretch after blowing a tire during the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. You can see a fragment of his tire near the bottom of the frame.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mike Skinner (84) heads to the pits after crashing during the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Skinner was involved in a crash on the track from another driver blowing a tire and losing control.

So much tire carnage! Another view of the piece of tire from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mike Wallace (33) flying up over the field at the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers move into turn two during the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) crashes into the wall in turn 2 after blowing a tire during the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) is helped onto a stretcher after blowing a tire and crashing during the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This is one of the few times in the two NASCAR races I've shot so far where I've been able to incorporate some human emotion into my images during the race itself.

The pit crew of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Brian Vickers (83) works during a pit stop during the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Racepad, bro... racepad. Fans wait during a red flag during the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart (20) celebrates near pit road after winning the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.