The fleeting Summer gives way to the coolness of Autumn, and with that the pleasantries of Fall. Pumpkin spices are all around while harvest themes fill the stores and websites. Odors of fireplaces burning pine cones and warm vegetable soups heated on the stove, replace the smells of cut grass and lemonade. A cozy blanket becomes a snuggling friend as the chilled air invades the nighttime, and forests of green become a palette of amber, gold and crimson. Seasons change. You can download the high resolution calendar here: October 2015
Joliet, IL - Sep 19, 2015: The pit crew for Chris Buescher (60) driver of the Fifth Third Bank Ford changes tire and refuels the Roush Fenway Mustang during the Furious 7 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL.
The Art of the Pit Stop
Fifteen seconds is a long time, or maybe I should say, a lot can happen in 15 seconds. A NASCAR pitstop looks chaotic and frantic on television and even when viewed from the stands it is full of energy and excitement. Up close it is like watching a masterpiece being performed. Every nuance of movement, every joule of energy, every calculation is precise and crucial to a perfect pitstop. Six people are allowed over the wall to service the racecar. That’s six people to jack up the car, change four tires, clean the front grill, dump two gas cans worth of fuel, tear off a windshield cover, make adjustments to the racecar, and fix any problems that may exist. All this would be amazing if the car just pulled up into position and the crew could get to work but think about the valuable time wasted by having to travel around the car for the jackman and tire changers. Everyone has more than one job that they are responsible for, each relying on the perfection and timing of the previous event. Confidence in your team mates is of paramount importance. How a tire is held in place, how it is returned to pit wall, how many pushes of a jack it takes to elevate the race car, how many turns of a wrench to adjust the track bar, all of these things steal precious time. To exemplify how important speed is think about this. If two racecars are competing on the track and one car is one second behind the other but is gaining 1/10 of a second every lap it should take ten laps for them to be racing side by side. What if each lap is 2.5 miles? That’s 25 miles to make up one second. And what if each lap takes 1 minute to complete. That’s 10 minutes of slowly closing the gap. So a one second advantage in pit stop length could mean 10 minutes and 25 miles on the track. A quick pitstop is a huge advantage to the team who can be the fastest, and watching a professional team at work is like listening to the notes of a melody that is an intricate part of a symphony. Photo taken by me while working with Action Sports Photography.
September 2015 Calendar
Surprisingly it's still the first of the month and your September 2015 deskop calendar is ready for pick up. Enjoy this last glimpse of Summer as the season wanes. The picture is from a trip to Ocean City Maryland a few years ago. Please share is whit whomever you wish.
High resolution download is available here: September 2015
September 2015
August 2015 Desktop Calendar
Here it is, a few days late, but I think worth the wait. The picture for this month's desktop calendar if from a recent trip to Niagara Falls. It was taken from the Canadian side on the first day that we arrived. The drama in the sky was only there for a few hours during our trip so thankfully we were in the right place at the right time. Click here to go to the high res downloadable file.
NASCAR at Indianapolis
It was the first time I saw the famed Brickyard in person and it was quite a thrill. The racing heritage that has crossed the hallowed bricks over the past one hundred and six years is astounding. Think about it this way, in 1909 (the year the track opened) Teddy Roosevelt was president and no World Wars had been fought. The first race at the track was in hot air balloons. A few months later motorcycles and then automobiles took to the track. NASCAR first visited the venue in 1994 with Jeff Gordon winning the event. Please check out some of my favorite pictures from the weekend: Indy 2015