Up Early at the Track

Heading out early in the predawn hours is something I’ve been accustom to for many years. Often times I am greeted with solitude, but a racetrack is buzzing with activity in the early am. I walked through the parking lot seeing other souls going about their jobs, directing cars, herding attendees, preparing food carts and heading in for early meetings about the day’s events. After making a semi circle around the track I crossed the highway and ascended one of the hills that enclose part of Bristol Motor Speedway. Shortly thereafter the Sun peaked out from the opposing hill and spread its light onto the arena.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 32mm f/16 ISO 100 1/200 sec

Bristol Motor Speedway

I haven’t been to a lot of NASCAR tracks, but I have to tell you that Bristol is a hoot! Jeff Foxworthy was one of the sponsors for the race on Saturday and they interviewed him before the race. In his jovial style of redneck jokes he said, “You can tell you’re a redneck if you son’s name is Dale Jr. but your name isn’t Dale.” NASCAR was born from good ‘ol southern boys who drove moonshine illegally across state lines, a love for cars, and goin’ fast. Jump forward a few decades and America’s favorite motorsport has mastered the art of blue collar entertainment. I’m devoting this week to the pictures from the past weekend, but don’t fret, it’s not only about cars. Before every NASCAR Sprint Cup race there is an impressive fly over. Sunday’s Food City 500 opening ceremony was no exception. My vantage point was at the uppermost part of the track looking down between turns one and two. The American flag is just behind the start/finish line, which is where our seats were for the race, about halfway up the grandstand. What a blast!

Nikon D800 Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm f/16 ISO 200 1/200 sec