With the belief that if I don’t start writing now, I never will…..

I was contacted by Car & Driver a couple months back with, of all things, a portrait assignment.  On top of that, it was a portrait of the famous (or infamous, depending on where you are from) Paul Tracy.  A race car driver I have watched since I was in high school almost 10 years ago. Known to be fast, ruthless, and a bit on the crazy side, I knew this would be a great day or a terrible one and that the gray was non-existent with him.

When I got to his house it became apparent that the guy who was know for getting into fistfights on the track, literally, was as easy going as they come.  We kicked back and watched the last half hour of a race on TV before the camera even left the case.  Photographing went well right away, and I hesitantly presented an idea that I had tossed around on the flight over.  The concept of a racing driver that doesn’t separate his personal life from his profession, one who talks in gear ratios and grip levels and that is nearly unaware of a life that most of us accept as normalcy.

I told him why not have you sunbathing in your swim trunks and helmet?……

At this point I expected him to tell me that was the dumbest idea ever and proceed onward to a different portrait.

But that was not the case, the exact answer I got was…

“what color swim trunks?”

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