Spotlight: Dave Steele at the 2004 Hoosier Hundred

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Dave Steele drives through turns 3 and 4 during qualifying for the 2004 Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Steele would lead 90 of the 100 laps… unfortunately for him, it was the first 90. Dave Darland passed him with ten laps to go and went on to win, while Steele finished second and Johnny Heydenreich finished third.

The thing I remember most about this shot is how incredibly close photographers are allowed to get to the cars. It was my first time shooting at the Fairgrounds, and as much as I wanted to get some good shots, I knew darn well it wasn’t the safest thing to be doing. During the actual race it’s as if the cars have huge magnets on them that make them hug the inside guardrail. So if you want a decent shot without 50% of it being guardrail, you have to hug it too.

Photo by Paul Woods, May 28, 2004.