music city + race cars = a good time

So, this weekend I got to photograph another IRL race with the AJ Foyt Racing team. This one was held at the Nashville Superspeedway. I suppose I should have started out photographing a smaller race, because my first one...the Indy500, is the biggest race for the Indy cars, and I think I was a bit spoiled when it came to this Nashville race. Nonetheless, this race was stinkin fun.

It was originally supposed to be a Saturday night race. The weather was perfect leading up to race time...super hot and sunny. Then as the cars are getting lined up and drivers announced, these dark ominous clouds started rolling in and it just starts to pour down. And it just rained and rained. The few people watching from the pit crews, myself included, were completely defenseless against the rain. So we just stood there huddled to the side of Danica Patrick's tent...she actually talked to us a bit! Someone brought us a big tarp, so we just stood there with a tarp on our heads...we were SOAKED! I still thought it was so much fun... except for the down pour on all my photo equipment! (but it all survived, thankfully!

The race was rescheduled for Sunday afternoon...so all the fans left and all the cars were dried off and tucked away. The weather held out Sunday, with the exception of a handful of rain drops that caused a few 'caution' laps for the drivers. All in all, it was such a fun weekend. Can't wait to do it all over again! :o)

just after the down pour saturday night...beautiful sky!

this was such a cool moment when the car was first being pushed out to the track for the grid. there were so many people surrounding us!the pit crew is basically amazing! i was blown away at how quickly they work!

the pit stops were definitely my favorite part. they were so exciting!Darren Manning, the driver for Foyt, giving a couple interviews in the garage for ESPN during the rain delaythe legend himself, AJ Foyt (in the hat on right)Danica's pit crew was right beside ours, so I got a lot of shots of her and her team & basically was brushing shoulders with her. That girl gets soo much attention. Photogs were constantly following her! (Ashley Judd is lookin cute *of course* in the yellow dress & hat in the middle image)i was riding around the garages on the team's "pee-wee" bike, waiting for the race to start :o)

Gene Simmons, who is involved in IRL marketing, & Ashley Judd, wife of driver Dario Franchitti were hanging out at the track all weekend

i love this shot of the car getting fueled up before heading out to the trackjust me :o)