This is a photo essay, which will be long on photos and short on text.

The season began for me at the California Speedway NAPA 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race. I typically attend events at CA Speedway as a fan but take a camera along and get a few shots from a fan's perspective. Jeremy Mayfield ran strong all day to take the race win.

Next up for me were the Sears Point Wine Country Classic Vintage Races. This event is a fun low-key affair but many interesting historic racing cars were present. There was also a tribute to the American racing legend Dan Gurney who won his last Champ Car race at Sears Point.

Back to Sears Point for the NASCAR Winston Cup race. This is the largest single day sporting event in Northern California, so crowded is an understatement! All eyes were on Kyle Petty who was returning to driving after the tragic loss of his son Adam in qualifying when Kyle set a blistering time around the famous road circuit landing him on the outside front row spot. Raceday belonged to Jeff Gordon, the master of road racing in NASCAR. Six straight road course wins, three at Sears Point, was the accomplishment Jeff achieved that sunny summer day.

Sears Point again for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) race weekend. Being an Audi fan and a sports car racing fan this was a wonderful weekend made even better by getting to witness Allan McNish's magical drive. He was so on this weekend that after setting a new all-time track record in qualifying, Allan proceeded to lap the entire field including his teammate in another Audi R8. The other highlight of the weekend for me was getting to interview the motorsports legend and World Challenge GT Championship Audi S4 driver Derek Bell. Overall a very enjoyable weekend!