I'll admit it. I initially didn't think seeing bikes on a racetrack at night was going to be that huge of a deal. Sure, it's the main reason why I came down here but I thought at most it would just be a novelty. Then the sun went down, the lights came on, and my jaw dropped to the ground.

Okay, getting a bit ahead of myself. Rewind: After getting far too little sleep I dragged myself out of bed at 8am (felt like 7am for me, coming from Chicago) and got to the track shortly before 9. I spent some time walking around and realized everyone I've ever talked to about Daytona was right: It's not spectator-friendly. Long story short, I spent the entire day shooting from the same spot and by my standards essentially wound up with zero usable photos. Not such a good start.

Not all was lost. I had connected with Albert Rich (http://www.adroil.com/) through Twitter who was kind enough to sneak me into the pit area and we got to stroll around the Daytona garages unchallenged. It was pretty surreal to be able to walk into team garages without anyone thinking twice about it. It also gave me a nice unobstructed view of the main grandstands:
And here's a for-fun snapshot of myself and Albert. Look mom, I have credentials!
Mat Mladin's 09 bike. Thanks to the goofy new rules, he's stuck with the #7:


That brings us back to the lights. While spectacular to watch, it made taking pictures a nightmare. I need to find another spot to shoot from...
Hopefully I can get some actual track shots tomorrow...