Lebanon Valley Speedway 8.13.2011

I got caught up in some paid projects and never posted my dirt track shots from August. I had planned on going upstate to shoot at Lebanon Valley more often this summer, but it didn't pan out; I ended up going only once. I love shooting there, and next summer I want to go as often as possible and work on a real photo essay. The best part of going up? I realized that it's family; I went with my uncle, who has been involved with many aspects of racing there for much of his adult life, and I got to see some cousins, one of whom is a flagger. Even if I wasn't shooting, it was just great to be with people I don't see often enough.

Line-up order posted:

Lining up for a heat:

I was really concentrating on trying to get some good shots of the bog-block modifieds really kicking up the dirt. Why? BECAUSE DIRT TRACK:

Great corner drift in this shot, though ultimately he ended up spinning completely around:

Kenny Tremont, who went on to become Lebanon Valley's 2011 Modified Champion:

This car flipped over a couple of time before landing on the roof; the driver was extracted and walked away:

Lebanon Valley Speedway 7.3.2010

When I was a kid, sometimes when we visited my Mom's home town and begged a lot, we were allowed to go to the races with my uncles and cousins. My sister and I loved it, but my parents didn't - probably because of the dirt. Lebanon Valley is a dirt track north of Albany near the Berkshires. Over the holiday weekend, I went up to visit family, and everyone was going to the races. When we were sitting around Saturday afternoon, my uncle mentioned something about not being able to take one of my cousin's sons into the pit because he wasn't old enough. I asked if I could take his place; my uncle said yes, but you have to stay in the pit all night. Not a problem.

I took over 350 shots; I managed to edit them down to these 25 general shots. I have a few more that will end up in another post.

My cousin waving the checkered flag at the end of the main event:

End of the night.

More to come.