Event Coverage Speed Week 2018 - My Photo Impressions

I finally got to go to Speed Week, which was a big bucket list item for me. It was definitely a lot of fun and the results, photo wise, were mixed. I did not do very well capturing cars making their speed runs. I did get quite a few of cars on the salt, in the pits, a few at the hotel car show at the Nugget in Wendover and so forth. The skies got progressively smokier each day I was there. Speed Week goes until Thursday, but I could only stay for the weekend. I signed up late, so was staying near the airport in SLC so there was a lot of driving back and forth each day - approximately 110 miles each way. So anyway, here are the photos for better or worse. I probably won't have much in the way of captions on this. Give it a couple days to really start gaining traction while I try to get my other active thread for the Lucky 7 Poker Run caught up (https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...un-2018-photos-from-an-amazing-event.1117124/) . As always - thanks for stopping by. Please feel free to add info on the cars, people, etc. if you know it.
This car has a Ford 460 enlarged to 496 CI. Driven by Patrick Brown and owned by
Cole Cutter, it broke the old record for cars with an FRMR body and A engine of 216.522 handily with a speed on the long course of 225.823. I sat next to Patrick at lunch the day before and it did its initial run at 224.203.

 

Dan, good to see a familiar face with a camera growing out of it.... looking forward to your perspective

Sent from my XT1254 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Thanks Larry (@winduptoy). Glad you were able to make it and that we got to hang out a bit. It was great meeting Neil too.

A freshly built '33 built by the Outlaw Speed Shop caught romping around on the salt.

 

^^^^^What a great picture

 

Great shots Dan! I'm sure you captured photos of the Maryland boys Jim Ireland (Irishjr) and Andy Volpini (OL 55)?

 

Thanks - look forward to more

 

As always looking forward to seeing your photos. Thanks Dan. Snowman

 

You have to have a seriously long lens and a steady hand to capture the cars while they are running down the course. Now, lets see those photos you took.

 

Thanks @Bandit Billy - I have more of that '33 coming. Thanks a lot Scott (@Scooterville). I did indeed get a number of pictures of Andy and Jason, as well as, Jim and his friend Jim. You're welcome and thanks Snowman (@jim snow) - you will be happy to know that I came through it intact - no sunburn and my eyes, though a bit salt blind at times, came through it too. @Mr48chev - I actually did have the super long lens and even a tripod to steady it. The problem was knowing when and where they were coming from and then getting a bead on them. I actually say them coming through looking like a wavy mirage. So, I basically didn't waste too much time on it and went around the rest of the place getting the cars I could capture well.
Scott - here is the first of Andy and Jason as they arrived at the Hop Up party on Sunday evening.

 

All kinds of cars show up even if they are not racing. So is the case of this gorgeous '49 Ford.

 

Glad to hear you survived the hot dog avalanche lol. Been looking forward to your photos, I’m sure the environment has got a wicked learning curve

 

It has its challenges, but there are certain things that are easier too. Thanks @Tim

 

Thank you Dan. Always look forward in seeing you fantastic photos.

 

Can't wait for more, thanks Dan.....

 

Thank you,as always great photos.

 

Dan. The picture of the 33 three window on the salt is unreal. What a great picture! Bet your trip was fantastic. You leave us wanting more. Thanks. Bud

 

Dan I don't know if they use the CB in the tower any more but last time I was there I had the CB turned on to the channel they were on and the FM radio tuned into Landspeed.com 's frequency Sitting out at the two mile or three mile that gave us a better chance of knowing who was running and when.

 

Looking forward to more.

 

You're welcome @Ranchero59, @Nobey, and @Texas Webb - thanks! Thanks Bud (@littlebluecoupe) . There are more of that car and more of that kind of picture coming. Thanks @Mr48chev. Someone told me about it and I was trying to use it but it wasn't coming in that well. I am not sure how far down the track I was. I kept turning away because cool things always seemed to be going by behind me. It wasn't just not knowing exactly when, but also trying to focus through the heat waves which made things look like a mirage and hard to get sharp. It is all stuff I will have to practice more on. Thanks @T&A Flathead

 

Dan, Thank you for the great pics. Speed week is another bucket list item for me, & your pics make it more of a priority!

 

So Dan, tell me, did you set any land speed records coming from your hotel and/or returning to it? That was a big chunk of time out of your day, but you were there, man. You were there! And, we appreciate it greatly. Fantastic pix in a unique environment.

 

You're welcome @akoutlaw - I hope you get to go. I finally did after trying for a few years. Thanks for stopping by.
Well Wayne (@Bowtie Coupe) I resisted that urge to go super fast on the 110 mile stretch of I-80 between my hotel and the flats but it was sure tempting - that road is smooth and flat and the traffic was pretty light especially at night when I headed back to the hotel. I am sure I would have got more pictures if I were closer, but those are the breaks. Next year, around early March, I will get a hotel room in Wendover like everyone else - hopefully. It was fun blasting around the salt in my car - it seemed that a lot of time I drove from photo op to photo op - the place is huge! It was certainly a very unique environment - a lot of these will look like they were taken in Antarctica or something. A big contributing factor was all the fires in California that made the skies hazier and whiter day by day. Although the backgrounds might not be as colorful as they would be without the smoke, the haze actually made photographing the cars a bit easier.
Thank you Wayne - I appreciate you taking the time to look at my threads.

Here is a source of info on all the cars and their speeds - look them up by number: http://www.scta-bni.org/sw-race-results.html

The Kiwi Coupe - I believe it was running in the 120mph range

 

So glad to hear that your travels back and forth were uneventful. Sometimes it's such a pain trying to figure out what's a good lead time to obtain a hotel room and then remember to look for one in that timeframe. It certainly sounds as if you had some fun in addition to snapping some fabulous shots. What an incredible natural wonder in addition to all the fantastic cars. Dan, I'd be following your threads even if they were nothing but pix of Tonka Toys in the backyard. I can't express well enough just how much I appreciate, and I'm sure many others wud agree with me, the fact that you travel to these wonderful events of your own volition taking outstanding pix for all of us to enjoy all while at your time and expense. Not to mention the additional time you spend editing and posting those incredible pix. Saying thank you just doesn't seem enough.

 

What he said. Snowman

 

Well thanks again Wayne and Snowman. I definitely appreciate it.

A newly finished, almost stock '34 roadster brought by the Elmer gang that I was fortunate to get them to pose for me late in the day on Sunday. The skies would normally be bright blue but due to all the smoke from fires in California, it looked pretty bleak and surreal like this getting progressively worse the days I was there. I think it made for some interesting and different photos though. I kind of like how it looks like it could be Antarctica or something.

 

Five M Racing - XO/PRO - at least 107 mph

 

to know how racers in pics have done: www.scta-bni.org/sw-race-results.html

 

Great pics Dan.