Goodguys Meguiar's 15th Del Mar Nationals 2015- The Start of a Very Long Recap

[Trackside-Brandy]

Goodguys Meguiar's 15th Del Mar Nationals
April 10-12, 2015


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There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. During this weekend’s Goodguys Del Mar show, that saying really hit home. When I started working for Pro-Touring.com with Larry Callahan in 2013 it was just he and I covering events. There would be a select few that would help here or there, but nothing like there is today. This is where I would like to begin my recap.


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As I reflect back on my beginning quote, it takes more than just Larry and I to bring everyone this coverage. It literally takes a village. At Del Mar, our village was quite large. Therefore, this recap will include several people that helped contribute photos, commentary, planning, etc. I am overly thankful for their contribution to this recap.


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With that let’s begin this massive coverage by starting off with our own Terry Lysak.


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Terry Lysak has gotten really good at capturing the emotion and personalities on track. Often a photographer can get caught up in only capturing the cars, but Lysak had a great eye for capturing expressions beyond the vehicle.


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Jake Rozell was at Del Mar, but he was not in his usual white Camaro. The recently finished C2 Corvette came out for it’s second official race and did exceptionally well. Though Rozelle says they have a lot more work to do on the car, there’s a lot to be said about JCG Restoration and the Rozelle family for building a car that can win first place in the very competitive Street Machine Class.


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Greg Blundell was another familiar face at the Goodguys Del Mar Autocross representing the Pro-Touring.com Banner


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Dennis Russell’s “mugshot” was also snapped at the perfect moment.


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Matt Alcala was out with both his first gen Camaro and his Mustang on Sunday. It is always great to see his smiling face back behind the wheel.


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Dick and Karen Eytchison were both out at Del Mar with their Chevelle. The Eytchisons are some of the nicest people you will meet.


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The Newman’s improvised the wagon with some aerodynamic additions. We had seen this new feature at Optima’s Thunder Hill event as well. We had to give Kyle Newman some recognition for his creativity and humor, plus his incredible skills behind the wheel.


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Al Unser Jr. and Robby Unser were both having a great time at Del Mar. As always it is a great honor have them participating in the Goodguys circuit and watching them improve at each event. Al Unser Jr. is getting faster and put on a great show at Del Mar.


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Jane and Greg Thurmond were also a blast to have around. It’s people like the Thurmonds that keep the rest of us coming back each year. This group has turned into a family and Goodguys Del Mar is like one big family reunion.


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Geon; I am saving his story for a separate post, but as always it was a pleasure having both him and his dad Karl out at the events.

[Trackside-Brandy]

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Lysak was quick on his feet to capture the PCHRODS C10R’s near catastrophic moment. Fortunately Rob’s quick skills saved the C10R from going into the k-rail. It is important to remember that things like this can happen. Luckily for us, this event was not our last (and yes I almost had a heart attack from the sidelines).


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Some cone carnage was also captured at Del Mar. There were actually a lot of cone killers on track.


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Lysak captured several action shots including this Ford Pick-Up Truck.


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How this giant boat fit through the autocross is beyond me, but Adam Johnson brings his Charger out to Del Mar every year and puts on a great show.


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Sunday’s are always tough because many of the cars participating in the All American Sunday are not pro-touring cars. There is one vehicle though I would like to highlight from Sunday that Lysak captured. Detroit Speed and Engineering had their Camaro out Sunday with both Kyle and Stacy behind the wheel. Kyle Tucker had no problem dominating the class, winning the All American Award. The victory lap at the end of Sunday was priceless as you can see by this photo.


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To see all of Terry Lysak’s photos from the Goodguys Del Mar Autocross check out the Photobucket link above.


There’s tons more coverage to come. Check back for out next highlighted photographer Amy Teshima.

[Trackside-Brandy]

More Photos from Terry Lysak on Photobucket at: Terry Lysak's Goodguys Del Mar Photography (http://s385.photobucket.com/user/protouringdotcom/library/Pro-Touring%20Events%202015/Goodguys%20Del%20Mar%20April%202015/Terry%20Lysak%20Photos%20Goodguys%20Del%20Mar%2020 15)

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

Great photos. I hope to be out there in a year in my 71 Firebird, I'm going to go all out this year to make sure it's out there.

[Trackside-Brandy]

Our second photographer from the Goodguys Del Mar Show did not attend the show to shoot for Pro-Touring.com. Lucky for us she sent some photos to share with everyone here.


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Having an eye for photography does not always mean you're qualified to shoot cars. This is not the case for our next photographer; Amy Teshima.


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Jake Rozelle volunteered his better half, Amy, to help shoot some photos for Pro-Touring.com Saturday and Sunday. I had never met Amy, but had seen her at several events in support of Rozelle's racing. Opportunities such as this one are awesome because

1. It introduces new people into our "Pro-Touring" Family
2. Stories such as these encourage young photographers to continue and expand their passion
3. We have the opportunity to enjoy the event from someone else's perspective


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Amy's Interpretation of the Goodguys Del Mar event was quite impressive. Here's some of the amazing photography shot from her view:


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Brian Hobaugh's Corvette was quite the conversation piece and photographed beautifully. We were excited to see some different angles of Hobaugh's car off the track.


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Some of the best shots were right before a driver headed out on track. We're fortunate enough to have drivers like Robby and Al Unser Jr at these Goodguys events. Many spectators swarmed the Speedway Motors Nova getting the opportunity to shake hands with Al Unser Jr. If you were lucky, there was room in the passenger seat to go for a ride with one of the two Unsers. A great opportunity indeed.


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A lot went on behind the scenes in the pits. The Maiers were great at putting on a show on and off track. Just watching Mike and Brianne Maier work on their Mustang was exhausting. Their commitment to tweaking the Mustang and pushing its limits won Mike Maier first place in the Pro Class and the overall win at Del Mar.


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For those who know the folks at Detroit Speed, then you know that Kyle and Stacy are awesome both on and off the track. Kyle Tucker had the DSE Equipped '70 Camaro out on Friday and Saturday, then brought out the '12 Camaro on Sunday; winning the All American Class and putting on a great show.


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Amy even caught our very own Larry Callahan out at the event.


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Amy's primary focus before volunteering to shoot for Pro-Touring.com was to capture moments like these of "the kid" also known as Jake Rozelle. Jake and Evan Smith from TCI fought for first place all weekend. Ed Capen of Goodguys finally decided a shootout was necessary to declare a winner in the Street Machine Class. Evan had maintained first place Saturday afternoon, but after hitting a cone during the shootout was awarded second place; leaving Jake Rozelle the victor in the Street Machine Class.


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The action continued in the pits as we struggled with the C10R throughout the weekend. Amy had captured everything from victory to breakage, including my truck. Luckily every time something happened (yes there were more than a couple incidents throughout the weekend) the PCHRODS crew along with the help of Kyle Tucker of Detroit Speed were able to repair the truck and get it back on track.


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David Carroll had brought out his 260Z for the Sunday All American Autocross. The car was featured in the Spectre Booth throughout the weekend, but could be found tearing up the track come Sunday. We will be seeing a lot more of David and this Z as he prepares for OUSCI this November.


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Though this Jaguar was in the Exhibition Class, it was awesome to watch on the autocross. We were informed by TCI that it even has a TCI Camaro front clip.


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When Amy asked what she should focus on, I suggested she hang out around the pits and capture the action behind the scenes. I knew that we would be lacking in this area since most of our Pro-Touring.com crew was on track capturing the autocross action. I think Amy nailed it when it came to taking photos in the pits.


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When Amy sent these photos she added a quick note that I wanted to share with everyone here:
"I put in an effort to focus on the people and not just the cars as per your request, and am very glad I did! It got me out of my comfort zone and ended up being lots of fun to photograph the social aspect that makes these events so special," Amy Teshima

In all honesty I think both Amy and us as viewers benefited from her photography at the Goodguys Del Mar Show. I loved seeing a new perspective and I hope everyone here did as well. I want to encourage Amy and others to come out to more events, get in on the action and make yourself at home. Welcome to the Pro-Touring Family Amy Teshima and thank you for sharing your amazing photography with all of us here at Pro-Touring.com

To view more of Amy's Photos from Del Mar I included her link below:
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[Trackside-Brandy]

Quick Video Larry put together from some of the runs at the Goodguys Del Mar Autocross:


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[Chad-1stGen]

Cool coverage! I agree, Amy got some great pics!!!

PS Evan's last name is Dalley (Evan from TCI that is).

[TRANSAMERICAN 79]

Looks like it was a blast! Great pictures