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With the large number of photos that Spring shoots at any one event, it became apparent to us a while back that we needed a better way to showcase those for everyone. With that in mind, we still plan to put a few up on Girls Gone Racin' but the entire gallery can be viewed at the following link:http://www.millersevents.com/?m=36081Please keep in mind that the photos will only be available for viewing for a limited time, so if you care to order any, you will need to do it soon. Also, you will need to sign in for viewing, but no information is stored for advertising/spam purposes.Thanks for looking, and we hope you enjoy them. Hopefully, the ones from Pevely will be up soon too. Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!(The following was added by Val after this original post)I put the link up on here before actually looing through the gallery because I wanted to get it up fast. Once it was done, I went back, fired up the slide show, sat back and prepared to be wowwed.And wowwed I was.Please don't think that I am doing any bragging at all by saying this, because every single photo in that gallery is Spring's, not mine. (She makes me look like the total amateur that I am, thank you very much!) I would be remiss if I didn't give her the credit she deserves.The slide show starts with a few shots in the pits, then some on track action, and moves through the course of the evening of racing, telling the story of a night at the track. There are no captions, no comments and no music, and quite honestly, none are necessary. Spring's work speaks for itself.These little snapshots of time capture the emotion that is at the heart of our great sport, creating a visual scrapbook that is like nothing I have ever seen. Yes, there are action photos, and victory lane pictures, but woven throughout those more traditional shots are pieces of artwork that showcase the fans, the crews and what goes on behind the scenes of a night in the life of a race team.I hope that you, like me, see dust in the air, feel the heat of the engines and the heartbeats of the drivers, taste the tang of spent fuel, and hear the roar of the crowd while you immerse yourself in these images. I am humbled, as always, by Spring's talent and her artistic eye that sees beyond the surface, and into the very soul of what makes auto racing the greatest sport the world has ever known.
After a lengthy and painful delay, the Girls finally got out for two great nights of racing in a row this week!On Wednesday, we headed down south for the first night of the Missouri-Illinois Challenge at I-55 Raceway, where we caught up with old friends and enjoyed the high-speed action of the Mid America Sprint Series, POWRi Midgets and Late Models. It felt great to be back at one of our local tracks and I was just happy that Spring felt up to the task.It was warm, and we had to work to stay cool, but the racing and comaradarie were worth sweating for. The racing was fast and furious and we were just happy to be out again after all of the delays we have had this season.Thursday we got a bit of a late start, then got stuck in traffic, but at long last we arrived at Tri-City Speedway for a night of World of Outlaws Sprints and POWRi Midget racing. The temperature ramped up a bit more, as did the humidity, but we sought air conditioning in the tower for a bit, then shade wherever we could find it.The newly reconfigured track was in great shape for racing, and from the way the drivers took to it, it looked as if everyone enjoyed the smaller track with its high banking. It's hard to take pictures of cars that are flying by that fast, but we did our best. I am anxious as always to see how Spring's pictures turned out. I put a few of mine up already just to whet a few appetites.We enjoyed seeing a lot of familiar faces and meeting some new folks as well. It's really nice when you all who have been to the site before come up to us at the races. We love hearing from you and hope you enjoy what we are doing.Thanks for stopping by!
After a bit of a delay, we wanted to let everyone know that the photos from Pike County Speedway have finally been posted. We will have a few on the GGR site, but there is a much more extensive gallery at this link:http://www.millersevents.com/?m=36081We invite you to check them out, and if you find something you like, ordering can be done right from the web site. The best way to look at them is in the Slide Show mode, but be forewarned, there are over 300 photos so it may take a while. Trust me though, it's worth it.Spring did a great job, and she wants everyone to know how much she appreciates their patience, and more importantly, their prayers. She is feeling better, although not yet 100%. We were actually able to go to a race last night for only the second time since our trip to Pike County.If anyone has questions, please feel free to drop us a note. We really did have a great time at PCS and hopefully we can come back one of these days. Enjoy the pictures!
COTTLEVILLE, Mo. -- If you are a Sprint Car fan in Missouri or Illinois, this is the week you have been waiting for. After winter's cold and icy blasts, and spring's rainy onslaught, racing action is about to heat up to summertime proportions.It all begins on Wednesday evening when the O'Reilly Midwest All Stars, POWRi Midgets and UMP Late Models rev up on NASCAR Night at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri for the first night of the Missouri-Illinois Challenge. On hand will be Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace who will race in the Late Model division, plus a special NASCAR guest who will join Schrader and Wallace in signing autographs that evening.Grandstand tickets for this event are $20, with kids 12 and under free, and pit passes are $30, Gates open at 4pm with the autograph session from 5-6:30pm. Hotlaps start at 6pm with racing at 7.Thursday will see the World of Outlaws Sprints tackling the 3/8 mile track at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Illinois, along with POWRi Midgets. With $10,000 up for grabs in the World of Outlaws feature, it will take skill, determination and a little luck to pull off the win on this newly-configured raceway.Before the races, ticketholders are invited to an autograph session with drivers Steve Kinser, Danny Lasoski and Donny Schatz. Fan give-aways will also highlight the evening's schedule.
Reserved seats in the top eight rows are $32, general admission is $30 and kids under 12 get a free general admission ticket when an adult general admission ticket is purchased. Pit passes are $35. General Admission gates open at 5pm with hot laps at 6:30 and qualifying at 7pm.
The Missouri-Illinois Challenge Week wraps up with the two-night 410 Summer Nationals at Saint Francois County Raceway. Friday night tickets are $10 for the grandstands with pit passes $25 and will include Sprints, Modifieds and Pure Streets.Saturday's schedule consists of Sprints, Modifieds and 600 Multis. Tickets are $15 for the grandstands and $30 for a pit pass.On both nights, gates open at 4:00 with racing underway around 7pm.More information on all four nights of events can be found on www.whowon.com and at the respective web sites of each participating track, as well as those of sanctioning bodies. Those addresses are listed below.www.i55raceway.comwww.tricityspeedway.netwww.sfcr-online.comwww.midwestallstarseries.comwww.worldofoutlaws.comwww.powri.com
There have been a host of new game shows to hit the television market in the last couple of years, and even though I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of any particular one, I do catch an episode on occasion. Through random viewing of shows like Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader and Deal or No Deal, there is one thing that they and other shows have in common, and that is what I call the "Pause for Dramatic Effect." If you have watched even one episode, you know what I am talking about. This phenomenon happens every time an answer is about to be revealed, or a shiny silver suitcase is ready to be opened. First the contestant gives their answer, or makes their choice, and then the host waits and waits to reveal the consequence of that decision. My guess is that it is supposed to make everyone giddy with anticipation, when in reality, it simply stretches out the show so they don't have to give away as much money.Here at Girls Gone Racin' it feels as if we have had or own dramatic pause which has lasted so long that whatever audience we might have reached has probably fallen asleep on us. The lapse in new material on the web site, the unavailability of photos that were taken at Pike County Speedway and the general slowdown of activity have definitely not been done for dramatic effect. Oh, how I wish that were really the case!In reality, this season has been a rather nightmarish few months for my pal Spring, and though I don't want to get into details because that's her medical business, I will tell you that I have never seen anyone go through so much pain, and just keep pushing through day after day. It all started with that near head-on collision almost a year ago, and it has culminated in a drastic lifestyle change which consists of visits to doctors, therapists and lawyers. The whole thing is crazy, and despite it all, Spring still has an amazing positive attitude that is a testament to her faith and her zest of living.Now that I've made it sound like all of these delays are totally Spring's fault, let me tell you that it's certainly not just her! My own life has been completely crazy, with a daughter graduating from high school, my son's baseball team starting up a again, and just life in general. The past month has been absolutely nuts for me, and now that my kids are both off to church camp for the week, I'm ready to release a long pent-up sigh of relief! (Of course I miss them, but every parent needs a break now and then, right?) I'm also ready to charge the batteries in my camera, put in a fresh memory card, and get out to the track to shoot some race cars!
This week we are supposed to be headed off to several nights of Winged Sprint Car racing with our hubbies and other friends and family. We kick off the week on NASCAR Night at I-55 Raceway for the All Stars Sprint Series, POWRi Midgets and Late Models. Hopefully, Spring will be able to not only survive it but to enjoy herself and take some fun pictures as well. If that works out, and she's not too exhausted, we will follow it up with a World of Outlaws make up event at Tri-City Speedway. The week is supposed to wrap up with back-to-back nights of racing at Saint Francois County Raceway, but it is all going to depend on how the first two nights play out.So, please check back to see how things go, and if you wouldn't mind, say a prayer for Spring. It's been a rough road, and it is far from over, but I know she is going to try her hardest to ignore the pain and have a good time. And if you are looking for the Pike County photos, she was working on them yesterday and will hopefully have that batch narrowed down enough to get up on her web site in a very short while.To those of you who have stuck with us this far, we thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at our local race tracks this week!
