The Atmosphere of Trans Am at Lime Rock
Thursday, May 22nd, 2026, started at 4:00 AM. The alarm went off long before sunrise as I loaded up my camera gear and started the drive to Lime Rock Park for the mandatory media meeting at 8:00 AM. As exhausting as those early mornings can be, something is exciting about heading to a race track before the rest of the world is awake.
Walking into the media center and seeing familiar faces immediately brought back memories from years of covering events there. Greg was there as well, although somehow he forgot his famous phrase, “Don’t be the story,” meaning don’t become a problem for the flag workers or put yourself in a bad position around a hot track. It ended up being one of those days where the moments surrounding the racing stood out just as much as the cars themselves.
One of the first things I noticed was how much the track has changed. Many of the spots I used to shoot from are now blocked off by large fences, most likely installed because of NASCAR events. The uphill section has changed dramatically. Some of the angles photographers once had access to are now completely blocked off. It made me think about one of my favorite images I’ve ever taken of Steve Katz launching his car with all four wheels off the ground. Looking at the current fencing setup, the only way a photo like that could happen again is if those barriers are temporary during certain events. I did manage to put my lens up to the fence, but had to shoot at a high shutter speed to capture the car, so the wheels aren’t spinning.
The day also confirmed that I seriously need a pit bike or foldable electric scooter. I kept taking my car in and out of the facility throughout the day, which meant losing my media parking spot repeatedly and waiting longer to get back inside the park. Carrying heavy gear across Lime Rock all day becomes a workout pretty quickly.
I wasn’t there trying to photograph every single car or build galleries, hoping drivers would purchase images afterward. I came to Lime Rock to tell a story.
While wandering through the paddock, I came across my longtime friend Baer Connard from Ace Performance and Ginetta USA, who had brought a large group of clients running multiple Ginetta G55 race cars. Baer and I have known each other for years, and over that time, he’s given me some incredible opportunities, including photographing the new Ariel Atom 4 for its press release as well as covering the Ginetta G55 race cars.
Their paddock operation was nonstop movement all day long. Crew members moved from car to car while drivers came in and out between sessions. You could hear tools smacking against the pavement while mechanics lay underneath cars, making adjustments right there in the paddock. That atmosphere is one of my favorite parts of racing. There’s an honesty to it. No polished showroom floors. No staged environments. Just hardworking people focused on keeping cars on track.
Nearby, Steve Katz from On-Track Insurance was absolutely launching his 2005 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup Car over the uphill section every lap like it was no big deal. Some of the Trans Am cars would crest the hill sideways before grabbing traction again and firing themselves toward the next corner at full speed. Watching drivers throw expensive machinery around with complete commitment never gets old.
Anyone can stand trackside and fire off thousands of frames of cars going by. But when there’s human interaction involved, the image becomes attached to a memory. It stamps the exact feeling of that day permanently into place. Another generic photo of a car going around a track can eventually blend together with thousands of others over time. But genuine moments between people remain timeless.
One of my favorite moments from the entire day happened while standing on the hillside with spectators as the first race cars began taking their opening laps. A father and son walked directly in front of me and stopped together to watch the cars come through the corner. The light, the atmosphere, and the anticipation all lined up perfectly for just a brief second.
I immediately walked over afterward, introduced myself, and showed them the photograph on the back of my camera. The father smiled instantly. Nobody else there was focused on that moment because most photographers were aiming at the race cars themselves. But for that family, that image instantly became something much more meaningful than another motorsports photo.
Later, while walking through the pits, I suddenly heard someone yell, “Josh!”
I turned around to realize it was one of my 3rd-grade friends racing his Porsche Cayman at the event, with his coach, Travis, by his side. Moments like that make the automotive world feel incredibly small in the best possible way. It’s always special reconnecting with people years later through a shared passion.
Toward the end of the day, Dane Medici stopped by wearing a vintage mechanic suit with “Papi D” stitched across the chest. As we talked, he mentioned that his friend Mia Leroux had been out on track driving the #50 black Miata with the orange roof and asked if I had happened to get any photos of her. Since it was late in the day, I had already switched over to my 24-70mm and 50mm setup for evening pit atmosphere shots. After her final session, Dane introduced me to Mia and her father in the paddock.
Thankfully, the Nikon Z9 sensor gives me enough room to crop heavily afterward without sacrificing much image quality, and modern editing software makes it possible to recover moments that would have been unusable years ago.
One thing I genuinely love about these events is sharing the experience throughout the day on my Instagram and Facebook stories. I know many of the people following along are stuck at work, sitting at home, or simply unable to attend these races themselves. I always hope that by posting behind-the-scenes moments, interactions in the paddock, views from restricted areas, and little details most spectators never get to see, it helps bring people into the experience with me.
Don’t get me wrong. Attending as a spectator is still magical. Sitting on the hillside, hearing engines echo through the circuit, smelling race fuel in the air, and watching drivers push themselves lap after lap is something every automotive enthusiast should experience at least once. But being able to move through the pits, stand trackside in areas inaccessible to the public, and witness all the small moments behind the scenes creates an entirely different perspective.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have built a career around something I truly enjoy. At the same time, I never want sharing these experiences to come across as showing off or bragging about access. If anything, I want people to feel like they’re coming along for the ride with me. Even if they’re sitting at work or at home during the day, I want them to feel included in the experience, almost like they spent the day wandering through the paddock right beside me.
By the end of the day, I realized I had needed this more than I thought.
The past few weeks have been nonstop deadlines, editing sessions, travel, and pressure. Spending a day back at Lime Rock Park reminded me why I fell in love with automotive photography in the first place.
Not because of the sharpest pan shot.
Not because of social media numbers.
Not even because of the cars themselves.
It’s the people, the atmosphere, the friendships, and the moments in between that keep pulling me back to places like Lime Rock year after year.