R.I.P. Ken Coles

Over the weekend I learned of the passing of one of the greatest race photographers of all time, Ken Coles. Most of you probably have never heard of him but from the fifties all the way into the eighties, Coles was one of the sport’s best. His images of sprint cars, midgets, and champ cars during the fifties and sixties consistently brought the viewer right into the action. Looking at a Ken Coles photo you could clearly see the determination of the drivers as they wrestled for control of the bucking and lurching race car. You could sense the danger, almost hear the engine, and feel the heat of competition.

As a race photographer myself, I could only look up to Coles’ work as an almost unattainable goal but one toward which I continue to strive. I was never fortunate enough to meet Ken Coles in person but I have in my possession several prints of his photos. I have reproduced one of my favorites here as just a small way to honor one of the men who inspired me to be a race photographer in the first place.

Flyin’ High at Sears Point!

Turn six at Infineon Raceway (Formerly Sears Point Raceway) in Northern California has always been an exciting place to photograph. The apex of the hard right turn is at the top of a steep hill and with the weight of the car already shifted to the left, if the driver hit the curb it would throw the right side of the car high in the air. This, of course, is not the fastest way through the corner and the less proficient the driver was in road racing, the better the “action” for photographers.

Harry Gant was, without argument, one of the best racers in NASCAR history, but he would be the first to tell you he was no road racer. In the 1991 season, Gant won five times and earned 15 top five finishes. He won the spring race at Talladega, and in the fall he reeled off four wins in a row; Darlington, Richmond, Dover, and Martinsville, earning himself the nickname, “Mr. September”.

But on the road course at Sears Point in June the best he could do was a twenty seventh place finish, four laps behind the leaders. So while he may not have been fast at least he did it with style!

The “Madhouse” is one of NASCAR’s Oldest Tracks

The popularity of the History Channel’s hit series “Madhouse” has brought historic Bowman-Gray Stadium to the forefront and introduced short track racing to many people who have never seen it before. And Bowman-Gray is the epitome of what a short track is.
Only ¼ mile around, the track is tight and flat but the featured NASCAR modifieds are fast and provide plenty of excitement. The fans are very close to the action. They can feel the heat, see the drivers inside the cars, and they get caught up in the intensity.
But this is nothing new for Bowman-Gray. NASCAR’s very first weekly track, it has been in continuous operation since 1949.

Racing at Bowman-Gray Stadium was started by Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins, two men who were founding fathers of NASCAR itself. It’s the track where Richard Petty won his 100th race. It’s the track where a young Richard Childress fell in love with racing, hawking peanuts in the stands and then later taking the wheel himself.

Some of the drivers racing at Bowman-Gray today have fathers and grandfathers who used to race at Bowman Gray, and fans who come to see the racing action just like their parents and grandparents did so long ago.

Banning Drag City

Back in 2001 a group of investors and race promoters were heavily involved in planning a new drag strip in Banning, California. The location was good as Banning is situated right on Interstate 10 about half way between San Bernadino and Palm Springs.

The city fathers were behind the project 100% thinking that a drag strip, and the racers and fans that came with it, would provide an economic benefit to the town.
To generate some excitement for the project, they held a two-day event using a temporary drag strip set up on the runway of the town’s airport.

A lot of racers showed up. The mayor of Banning was there. The racing was good and everybody had a good time.
But, as so often happens to even the best plans for race tracks in Southern California, the drag strip was never built and “Banning Drag City” remains to this day just a sleepy little town on the way to somewhere else.

Benny Parsons, Road Racer?

In 1984, Neil Bonnett was driving a Junior Johnson owned Chevrolet in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series . When the circuit arrived at the road course in Riverside, California in June of that year, he faced a problem. He had dislocated the thumb on his right hand in a crash during a previous race and the huge cast he now had on that hand made shifting gears very difficult and painful. There was no way he could drive the entire race.

Enter Benny Parsons. The team asked Parsons if he could drive in relief of Bonnett. The plan was for Bonnett to dash into the pits as the field came down for the green flag. Then Parsons would get in the car and run the race. By NASCAR rules, this would give Bonnett whatever points that Benny Parson could earn.

In this week’s photo you can see Bonnett getting out of the car with the cast on his hand and Parsons ready to climb in. When he rejoined the action, Parsons was not only in last place, but nearly a half lap behind the field.

Most people didn’t think of Benny Parsons as being much of a road racer, but by the end of the 95 lap contest Benny Parsons had brought the car home in second place! Unfortunately, because Bonnett was the official driver of record, the history books show him as finishing second not Benny Parsons.

By the way, the race winner that day was Terry Labonte who would go on that year to win his first of two NASCAR Championships. But the best performance of the race was, without a doubt, Parsons’ charge from last to second.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

No story this week, just a Christmas wish for you and your family in the form of a hot rodder’s wreath!

427 Cobras in Action

Vintage racing has exploded in popularity over the last two decades. It tends to be mostly a playground for the financially well healed however. Take this week’s photo for example. I shot it in October of 2005 at the annual Chrysler Classic Speed Festival in Coronado, California.

An original 427 Cobra with a documented racing history can easily be worth over one million dollars. And yet, here we have three of them being placed at risk on the race track. And if you think the owners   are just puttering around out there in expensive toys, take a look at the attitude of each car. They are all leaning hard into the corner. Note especially that there is daylight under the right front tire of the lead car.

In spite of the potential for damaging a valuable piece of racing history, these guys are driving their cars to the very limit, just as they should.

Modifieds at Bristol Motor Speedway

The 2009 season saw the return of the NASCAR Whelen Modifieds to the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway. Everybody was excited to see these high powered, fast cars on the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” and they sure didn’t disappoint!

I was unable to secure a photo credential for this race however, there are a few places inside Bristol where, if you have enough lens, you can get acceptable shots. So I got there early enough to ensure that I could get some photos without too many folks in the way.

Once practice began and I started shooting, I noticed that there were no security people around keeping fans back from the fences. Bristol has several places around the track where there are openings in the catch fence for photographers to shoot through.  These are strictly for credentialed photographers and off-limits for the average fan, but since nobody was looking, I made my way down there and got set for some action.

I managed to get off about 50 or 60 shots before I noticed a security guy on his golf cart heading my way. I was way back up in the seats before he got too close and he just turned around and went back to whatever he was doing before.

This week’s Photo of the Week is one of those shots.

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