Hopefully this racing photo got your attention and you'll grab a refreshment, sit down and enjoy reading my post. The first part of this story is about my plans for 2015, part two is about some of my interests and the third segment is about what has been happening in the racing world so far this season.
My plans for 2015
As I begin this blog entry in early March of 2015 I'm looking ahead from a different perspective. You see, this will be the first season since 1999 that I will not be writing a column for the Midwest Racing Connection. If I can count 2013, a year that I limited my media work but still contributed, I wrote for a total of sixteen seasons. Writing is something I enjoy doing, it allows me to gather my thoughts and present them to others. It's creative therapy as opposed to an effort to make a name for myself. My personality is more about flying under the radar and having fun and I can continue to do that through this blog.
The paper went to monthly last season so I contributed to each issue but I didn't feel like I was attending enough races to keep up with the changes so I felt uncomfortable doing it. Writing about any subject requires a passion to get one's views out there and being immersed in the subject is essential as well. This was entirely my decision based on where I'm at in my life at this time and I wasn't "fired" or forced out. I will likely be contributing some photos to publications this season as I'm not going to change my routine a whole lot when I'm at the races. If family members are in attendance I may opt to watch the Features from the stands but if I'm at the track by myself I'll probably stay in the infield and keep shooting. Even when I'm in the stands I may opt to keep the camera by my side. You don't see many night shots from outside the track like the one above and I could always run down and snap a few victory lane shots.
Photography is one of my passions, I love taking photos, but as far as the racing goes it actually ended up painting me into a corner. How is that? I started out only doing writing for several years but kind of morphed into being known more as a photographer. I'll just put it out there too that I don't feel like running around and working as hard at 63 as I did at 53. Anyone close to my age will know where I'm coming from. The energy and desire to try and keep up with people half my age isn't possible to maintain at the necessary level anymore. The second thing about photography that has been working against me is the cost of replacing equipment. Dust wreaks havoc on photo equipment and camera bodies require replacement periodically. I've got three Nikon bodies, my first one is DOA, the second is on it's last legs and the third was purchased used and has developed some issues that require more post processing time. I'm at a point where I'd have to spend $5000 to get the type of photo gear I'd be happy with and I'm not in a position to do that. If money was no object I would purchase a new camera body for around $2500 and a 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens for around that same price. I have always coveted that lens because it's the one used by all the great racing photographers and would elevate my work to the next level. Racers can relate to the frustration of knowing they could do better but being limited by their budget and that is where I'm at with my photography. In spite of my wish list the reality will be paying off debt and not accumulating more. I'll never stop taking photos at the races as long as I'm physically able to do it and still have working camera equipment. It just got to the point where the cost of replacing and upgrading my gear was no longer sustainable and what I have even though it still works has some issues.
With this most recent change comes another challenge because my cost to attend races could increase substantially. I'm not arguing that I should be given media passes based on the limited amount of work I'll be doing. I made this change to my routine fully expecting that I might be paying full price at the gate. I can't expect tracks to extend hospitality solely on the basis of the gotomn.com website and I get that as it's not considered an "official" media source. It came down to a choice for me, did I still want to work that hard at the races and have a bunch of obligations and make payments on new gear to do it. The answer was no, it was a tough decision but I felt that I could no longer keep up my end of the media deal and produce the same quality of content I had in the past. I felt that it was best to resign and open up an opportunity for someone younger and more ambitious. After all those years as a racing insider it's a big change and will take some getting used to. It took a lot of family sacrifice, work and dedication for me to get to where I was and I'd be a liar if I said that this was an easy decision.
I don't have a problem with the increased expenses but some simple math underscores the reality that I won't be able to attend as many races. With the media passes it cost me about $20 per night for gas and a bite to eat so $400 for example funded 20 nights of racing. Now with the added costs each week $400 will only allow me to attend around 6-8 shows. That is what I'm planning to do but in reality I'd like to come in somewhere closer to 15 - 20. Unfortunately it's likely that the deciding factor this season comes down to the money but I'm OK with that. No complaints, this one was my decision. I have a 2015 photographers pass from one of the publications so we'll see if the tracks are willing to honor it. If I go at a pace that doesn't push these these cameras too hard then 15-20 races would be possible.
Other interests
It's not like I'll be laying on the floor curled up in the fetal position because I won't be able to go to as many races. I've got other interests and hobbies besides racing that I'll be able to do so I'll still be having fun. Playing music and going out to see bands has become a big thing for me over the past few years. My wife isn't into racing and won't attend but she will go to watch VIA and an occasional Street Rod show. The thing she doesn't like about racing is the dust, the noise and the rustic bathrooms at some of the tracks. It seems like whenever I'd convince her to come to a race it ended up being one of those nights that dragged on too late. Her last race was a Late Model show that her and a couple friends came to. I spent the night in the infield taking pics, my friend got a migraine and the show dragged on until almost 2am. When I came up from the infield I was greeted by three miserable people and got an earful about what an asshole I was for staying down there. I can't recall the exact circumstances but it seems like I had some photo requests that required me to stay down there all night.
Another thing that is changing this year is that I have been spending family resources to chase races leaving little money for travel and vacations. Anyone who has appreciated my racing media work over the years shouldn't thank me for what I did, they should thank my wife for her patience. Taking vacations will garner me a lot more points and memories than purchasing the camera gear I mentioned earlier.
Music has become a big thing and in some ways it makes more sense. For example, I have two electric guitars, a bass guitar, a keyboard and some basic recording equipment. Two of the guitars were fixer uppers that I bought for under $100 each and the third was a used one but it's a quality piece. In ballpark numbers I probably have $2000 invested in music equipment but it will last a lifetime if I take care of it. I play music year around indoors so weather is not a factor and it doesn't cost me $75 per night to drive somewhere so I can do it. With the racing I would spend the night on my feet working then rush home to make notes for my next story and send out photos to a distribution list. Most race nights I'd get home around 12:30 am and work on the computer until around 4 am. I rarely sold any photos so the only compensation for my work was the break at the back gate. If I caught some good shots and wrote a good article the benefits went to the publications in the form of interesting content and helped their cause of attracting and retaining advertisers. Meanwhile I wasn't making anything from the photos to offset the cost of the gear and was spending my weekends doing what amounted to volunteer work. Sometimes tracks/series/publications would make specific photo requests and I was obligated to fill them. I still get photo requests from last season and had one that I had to fill for a promoter this past week. If I'm taking photos on my own dime I won't be so eager to fill requests. Not that I wouldn't help anyone out if I got a good shot but I have always been of the opinion that it doesn't make sense to pay someone so that I can send the night working. To be honest I'd probably feel like I was being taken advantage of and limit my racing to a handful of my favorite shows. That's the thing I struggle with about this coming season is the thought of paying to spend the night on my feet working and having tracks and series still hitting me up for photos. I have been too involved in the sport the past 16 years to feel very excited about watching the races from the stands. Using the races as an outlet for creativity and being involved in the sport was what I enjoyed the most about it. I set a precedence in the past and people have come to expect those same things out of me every season. 2015 is a big unknown at this point so we'll just wait and see how it all shakes out.
Racing in 2015
In the past my personal changes would have probably been easier to put into effect but there are some exciting additions to the racing schedules that made cutting back a difficult decision. The NSL has come out of the gate running and looks to be just the spark that 410 Sprint Car racing needs in this area. I never doubted the resources, passion and drive of the people involved with the NSL but by the time a person gets to my age they have seen a lot of new ideas come and go. Consequently, I took a more guarded approach when this thing was announced but in retrospect I can see that the NSL is going to be a great organization. Unfortunately someone was offended by the way I expressed my initial skepticism. I can't recall the exact wording but I made reference to the people involved in some of the failed attempts of the past and someone from the NSL took it personally. That was my fault for not being careful about the way I worded the post. Quite frankly I was so upset that someone took it the wrong way that it was one of the deciding factors in stepping down from the media work. I spent years doing the writing and photography with the emphasis on Sprint Car racing out of a deep love for the sport and it was devastating to me that I had made someone involved in the sport I love angry due to a poor choice of words. I'm still beating myself up over that but what's done is done and I can't change it now. If you don't see me at my all time favorite race, the Jerry Richert Sr. Memorial, you'll know why.
The Jackson Speedway recently changed hands and that is another exciting development for racing in the upper Midwest. Jackson has always been one of my favorite tracks and will likely be a great facility when they cut it down to 3/8 and add more banking and seating. I haven't been able to get down there in five years but I wrote about and photographed their shows many times. I wish them success and hope things go well down there. I suspect that I won't be welcome there either but they always treated me well when I was representing MRC and I had many enjoyable nights there. No hard feelings towards any track or sanction and I wish them all the best. Anybody who knows me personally and has seen all the work I have put into promoting Sprint Car racing knows that I meant no harm.
The UMSS looks to be having a good season in 2015. I spent one season as their photographer and did some podcast interviews for them as well so I still feel a connection to the series. They have several shows at SCVR and CLS so there are plenty of Sprint Car races close to home this season. It sounds like their little mini series will be cool as well. They've got a date scheduled at Deer Creek and a couple other places down in that area that will be good ones. My races will be limited to SCVR and CLS again this season and it looks like that's going to be the extent of my schedule unless I win the lotto. If you're in a position to travel around you're going to have a great season and I'll be following the results for all of these shows.
The IRA is combining forces with the WoO for a two-day WoO show at CLS in July. I took Monday off for that one so I can stay up late and take my time enjoying the races that weekend. This should be a good one but Knoxville runs that Saturday night so don't expect any Knoxville drivers for night one. There is a chance that some could show up on night two but keep in mind that some of them run Husets on Sundays. Even if this show is primarily the IRA and the WoO it's going to be a great one. If I could only make it to three races all season it would be the CLS WoO in July and the Memorial race in September.
USAC is coming to CLS in August the week after the USA Nationals. Both will be great shows but are likely going to be budget casualties so they aren't on my schedule. I'll be at one or both if I can make it work but we won't know how things are going to shake out until the season kicks off. My first race isn't until the Triple on May 30 and I have to make every cent count. There is a UMSS show at CLS on May 2nd and the Tabor at SCVR later that month so races could be added if the mood hits me. Our family lake home is five minutes from SCVR and I can tell you from experience that it sucks to be sitting on the dock listening to the sound of Sprint Car engines. That's as close as it comes to torture.
I took the Friday of the Kouba Memorial off so I should be able to make it a two race weekend. That's going to be a good one as well. I'm not sure about the Open Wheel Nationals. Last year I setup the Traditional 40 bonus but that race sounds like it's going to be merged into the OWN. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that this season but I would like to coordinate the bonus again if I am able to do so. I think those guys do a great job with the Traditionals but I'm going to be watching my budget very closely so that won't leave me much wiggle room.
Vince Peterson
Vince Peterson is going through some health issues that will likely force him to start his season later this year. They're having a benefit for Vince on Saturday March 21st at 7pm at Uncle Mike's M Pour E Yum in Hudson, Wisconsin. I can't make it out there that day due to prior obligations but I urge everyone who can to attend. I met Vince at the Arlington Raceway in 1999 and have spend many hours traveling to and from races with him. We have traveled together to Eldora, Sun Prairie, Knoxville and Kansas City to name a few trips. I have gotten to know Vince's family and played music with him many times. The prognosis is good so I'm hoping for a full and speedy recovery for the Track Rat.
The End
Ironically I find that dirt track racing can be a very expensive sport to follow in spite of it's status as a niche sport. A person can watch NFL, MLB, and NHL at no additional expense as part of their cable or satellite package. Dirt racing on the other hand typically requires travel, motel expenses, or paying for PPV to watch it at home. When I had the resources and passion to chase it I did the media work to further lower the cost and that made it possible for me to get to a lot more races. My opinion is that dirt racing is a sport that one has to experience live, it can be followed on the internet but it's not the same as being there. Unfortunately if one wants to follow it weekly as a fan they have to be prepared to spend $75 to $100 per weekend. I knew that as I approached retirement and had to start paying down debt that I would eventually be priced out of being involved in the sport. My only choice is to accept the change, enjoy the races I do get to attend and find other interests to fill the void. Music, shooting Street Rod shows (many are free), the family cabin, fun vacations and hanging with the family are all on my list of things to keep my mind off not being at the races. I don't know how that's going to feel not being at the races but I'm sure that it will get easier as time goes on. Never rule out a comeback, the tide could turn in my favor again. You never know.
If you stuck with me to this point congratulations, you have a lot of patience. The purpose of this post is to update anyone who used to read my columns on what's going on and to channel my thoughts into a creative outlet. I am thankful to all of the tracks and publications that allowed me to chase my racing dreams for sixteen seasons. Hopefully some will be willing to allow me to continue at a pace better suited to the limitations of a card carrying AARP member. I can't let go entirely and could likely find myself priced out and wishing I could go more but this difficult decision had to be made. I'll be watching the stats on this post and if it looks like there is enough interest and I feel that I have something to say I'll start doing them on a regular basis. Thanks for reading and we'll see you at a few races!
