10 Days in DaytonaThe NASCAR season is here and so begins my life on the road traveling. I am proud to work for a company who owns some of the top NASCAR contenders for the series championship. I am hoping for a successful season of individual race wins and a legitimate shot at taking home the big trophy. The past 10 days took me home to Florida where I enjoyed watching several races that start off a season of individual races. When possible, I try and take a moment to remember my friends and family back home by snapping a few photos of things I see along the way with my camera phone or whatever camera I happen to have with me at the moment. I feel very fortunate to not only have the opportunity to work behind the scenes of this very popular sport, but in this economy to have employment. The Big Guy upstairs is certainly looking out for me. So, on with the show. 
Most mornings start early. 4AM wakeup calls are not at all uncommon. Days at the track are long sometimes spanning up to 16 hours. On mornings like this I really cannot complain all that much. Most people head to a stuff office with a cubicle maze. The view above is just off the parking lot in the hotel we stay in. Across the street is the 7-Eleven where I would pick up my morning supplies: a muffin, cup of coffee, packet of Vitamin C powder, water, and a small orange juice. While waiting on the rest of the crew to assemble at the van, I would usually take a minute to take in the sound of the waves and calmly settle into the busy day ahead at the track.
My first order of business once I arrive at the track is to set up wireless data radios atop our race haulers for garage area network coverage. It's usually a good place to watch the hustle and bustle of garage crew unloading cars, tool carts, and other equipment out of the transporters. This is also a good time to visually check and make sure our mobile satellite tv and internet dishes have deployed and don't have any parts or pieces hanging off of them.
The first unloading of cars is always a sight to see. At the moment the garage opens crew members race to their haulers. Dozens of platforms lower while crew members secure the car from rolling off the back of the trailer. I shot this while inside of the 29 car hauler hallway. I believe this was the Bud Shootout car that was being wheeled out for inspection. Behind the wheel is one of our engineers ready to steer the car while being pushed by crew members.
By mid-day the garage area is in full swing. Cars are being pushed through inspection stations or getting tuned in the garage for an upcoming practice or qualifying session. Tire guys are busy checking air pressures, measuring the outside diameter of tires, and creating sets for the weekend. Transporter drivers are usually restocking coolers with drinks, carting car parts to the garage stalls, or meticulously keeping things organized and clean inside of the hauler work areas. Throughout the morning at various times teams will start cars, rev engines, and fine tune various suspension components.
This image is one of many practices throughout the week. The #17 car would go on to win the Daytona 500 after rain ended the race early. Ironically, he leads the pack during this practice.
Body work on a car is a common practice throughout the weekend; however, I have never seen it done to this extent. Most of the time, after a fender bender, panels are straightened and decals re-applied, but if teams are unable to go to a backup car after a collision during practice, it's serious repair time. Just like replacing a motor or swapping out transmission components, the 07 team rebuilds the rear end body of their car in record time using bondo, automotive primer, and finally a professional paint job in a makeshift paint booth an an adjacent empty garage stall. Come race day, you couldn't tell the car had ever been damaged. Amazing. If you look closely at the image on the left you can barely make out the Sharpie writing on the paper masking which reads "Special: $295 Paint Jobs. Today Only." I suppose you have to use a little humor to get by every now and again.
Crew members for the 31 Catepillar team assemble on pit road just before the start of the race. I happened to be in the pit box scrambling to fix an issue on the crew chief's tablet just before the cars started to roll onto the track. Last minute issues always make for stressful moments.
Most weekends end just like this - a blur. A long walk onto the tarmac after a weary day at the track signifies our finish line. Once on the plane there isn't a whole lot of commotion or chatter. We usually eat, pop in earbuds to listen to music, or most recline their seats and get in a nap before landing back at home. It's the start of the next race where we'll get up early and start all over again. Next weekend we travel to Fontana, CA. After that Vegas baby! Stay tuned for more images from the road.
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