The Very Quiet 2020 Indy 500

We all know why it was quiet. No fans were allowed to attend the 104th running of the event and that made it eerily different from the only other time I have been there which was last year. I'm sure it looked great on television, but there's nothing like attending the spectacle that is the Indianapolis 500. Many of the usual escapades over the two-week event were pushed aside in the name of safety, and precautions that were handed down through various chains of command resulting in a watered-down but still world-class affair.

My photography was severely limited both in duration (one practice and the race itself) and in locations. Social distancing has resulted in cutting back media coverage to a fraction of passionate photographers that drool over the assignment.

Takuma Sato, driver of the #30 Panasonic, Rahal, Letterman, and Lanigan Racing Honda crossed the finish line ending the race under caution.

Here are a few of my favorites pictures from the weekend. (Reminder, all of these images are copyrighted and are not for sale.)

F4 takes Sebring by Storm

In the ongoing battle of the F4 America championship, things got a whole lot clearer at Sebring. Josh Car, of Kiwi Motorsports, secured his grasp on the top spot in the race to be #1 in 2019. With a dominant season, Josh was the favorite even with the final round remaining in November taking place alongside the F1 event at Circuit of the Americas in Austin TX.

One of my favorite sets of pictures came when Josh exploded out of his race-winning car and celebrated with all the energy he could muster after just winning the race.

Let's take a moment to look at Sebring for a moment. It's pretty flat so elevation changes for pictures are almost impossible, except for inside the hairpin at turn 7. There's a tower built for what I can only imagine is to get some great coverage from two stories above the race cars as they speed past the backside of the hotel. Apart from that, the racetrack is adjacent to an airport, so it's mandatory I get a few pictures with some planes in the background. Being Florida also calls for a few palm tree photos and one of the other big "must-have" pictures would include the famous Mobile 1 bridge.

There are a few hidden gems that I particularly like for photos. One is drivers right between turns 15 and 16. The curbing makes a nice "S" shape through the photo and the background isn't too distracting. The other nice part about it being in the hot and humid Floridian summer, was that cumulous clouds were abundant and kept the skies filled with some drama.

Please enjoy a few of my favorites from the weekend below. All of them (and many more from the weekend) are available for sale at F4 Sebring Photos.

SRO America at Watkins Glen

I've gotten to see a lot of beautiful things over the past 50 years and over this past weekend, my tally of awesome moments grew a bunch. The exotic cars in the SRO America racing series brought a special elegance to the New York countryside at Watkins Glen International. Seeing these ultra-expensive works of art tear around the historic turns of this timeless circuit brings out feelings of awe and wonder at every twist and turn. The roar of such rare beauties being pushed to their limits carving around the black ribbons of asphalt was like a sweet symphony of cheetas on the hunt. The competition was fierce as these unleased animals hunted victory through the wine country of the finger lakes. It was a great weekend for photos as well...

All photos © Gavin Baker / 2019

Some photos are for sale here in the 2019 SRO America Watkins Glen Gallery

Formula 4 at Mid-Ohio

I can't say enough about the Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course and how well the F4 Americas cars perform there. It's great sharing the stage with the popularity of the NASCAR scene because they draw a big crowd, which is a real treat for not only the drivers and the spectators but also, my photos! It's nice to see race cars against green countryside backdrops or pushed up into the blue of the sky, but getting the colors of the crowd is something special.

The weekend was dominated by Joshua Car from the Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport team but some shining stars appeared on the podium introducing some new blood into the points race. Kiko Porto returned to the top step after the first race and his teammate Guilherme Peixoto of DEForce Racing claimed two third-place finishes and grabbed a nice fat check for securing the Cameron Das Fast Qualifier Award. Another driver hungry for some time on the podium was Nicky Hays of DC Autosport with Cape Motorsports. His "have no fear" racing style sent shutters through the crowd as his out-breaking techniques raised the hairs on every viewer's neck. Christian Brooks also returned to the podium for the third race. After a difficult start to the weekend, the Jay Howard Driver Development driver managed to get the car sorted out and landed on the podium of the final race.

A great weekend surrounded by close racing, big crowds, and competitive friendship. It's what every series should hope to attain.

All of these (and many more) photos from the weekend are available at the F4 Mid-Ohio Photo gallery

Xfinity series takes over Mid-Ohio

I think the Xfinity racers love road courses almost as much as I do, especially Mid-Ohio. The 2.25-mile course is full of elevation changes for great photo opportunities and there are plenty of long straights for drafting and overtaking to keep things exciting. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a pass on an oval track but there's just something special about watching a technical maneuver being executed at high speeds during a knockdown drag-out fight for the lead through the twists and turns of an exciting country road course. In all honesty, wouldn't you rather take an exhilarating ride through the countryside than on a highway? Experiencing the feelings of the suspension compression at every turn, acceleration through the apex, speeding off to the next playful twist along the road to a far off destination is exhilarating and fulfilling.
Congratulations to Austin Cindric and Team Penske on their second win in the series, and coming directly after the first one this is a great accomplishment. I'm looking for him to be in a great position to win the championship. Enjoy some of my favorite pictures from the event.

All the photos are ©Gavin Baker / NKP