NASCAR at Watkins Glen

Shooting at Watkins Glen International is always a thrill and this was the first time I have worked there this year. NASCAR is a rather special thing at the Glen. The stock cars don't use the full circuit, they omit the "boot" so each lap is a bit shorter than when SRO or IMSA races there. The stands are usually full of people when the Monster Energy series rolls into town which adds to some racing views. Campers and tents fill the backgrounds, sometimes distracting from the action but that's the reality of the event. These are my favorites from the weekend. Please note that all photos are © Gavin Baker/ NKP

SCCA F4 at VIRginia International Raceway

Beautiful days with breathtaking views and scrappy young competitors made for high-level action and drama at rounds 7-8-9 in the 2019 F4 Americas series this past weekend at VIRginia International Raceway. Amazing starts, extreme driving skills, and mega drafts meant the circuit was a rollercoaster of excitement for the young road warriors. These are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend. Press F11 on your computer for the full-screen effect. Click here to see the full gallery where you may also purchase prints and downloads.

SCCA F3 at VIRginia International Raceway

The next tripel header fro the F3 Americas series took place last weekend at the beautiful VIRginia International Raceway in Alton Virginia. With lush greenery all around and many hours of puffy clouds high above my responsibility for making great images was peaked. It's one thing when the deck is stacked against you with crappy weather and dismal surroundings but here, I had no excuses. Two strong championship contenders were missing from the fray (Jacob Able of Able Motorsports and Baltazar Leguizamon of Global Racing Group) and a returning winner from Denmark (Benjamin Pederson) turned the competition upside down. These were my favorite images from the weekend. Please enjoy them. All of them and many more are for sale here: F3 Americas at VIR 2019. If you enjoy my work and know of anyone looking for high-quality sports photography please contact me.

NASCAR at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

NHMS is a one-mile oval track that used to host the premier NASCAR series twice a year but a few years ago the powers that be decided that once was enough. Why is anyone's guess. The weather isn't any more unstable than any other location and access is just as complicated as everywhere else. This year New Hampshire brought the heat. Indexes of over 110F took place two of the three days and keeping cool became not only a priority but a necessity.

AS far as race action, in the Xfinity series Christopher Bell claimed a fifth victory over the field securing him firmly in second place in the championship, while in the Monster Energy Cup race Kevin Harvick nabbed his first win of the year holding off Denny Hamlin at the line for a spectacular 10 lap race to the finish.

All pictures in this story are ©Gavin Baker/NKP

NASCAR at Chicagoland

Well it was hot, sweltering hot. The kind of heat where if you’re standing in the shade but your shoe isn't, in about a minute, you think your foot is on fire. We, the crew for NKP, suffered through rain delays, heat indices of 114 degrees Farenheight, and what looked like a storm that could turn into a tornado at any second.

Fortunately everyone survived and I was able to get a few shots that I really enjoyed from over the long weekend. When I say long I mean a full four days. NASCAR is typically a three day weekend but since the ARCA series was joining the Trucks, Xfinity and Monster Cup series there were races Thursday through Sunday.

Chicagoland is a great racetrack. It's the poster child for mile and a half NASCAR tracks. Almost exactly like Kansas (In fact I sometimes refer to either of them as ChKansas) except there's no psychedelic colored lights in the tunnel and there is no writing on the seats in the grandstands.

As far as racing, some of the highlights were Brett Moffitt winning the Gander Outdoors Truck Series race in an unmarked truck. Drawing attention to the fact that an unsponsored truck bested the field. The other big news was that Alex Bowman, driving the team Hendrick Chevy sponsored by Axalta, finally scored his first win in the Monster Energy Cup Series. Please enjoy this brief gallery from my time there.