My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

A little throwback video. First round eliminations from ZMax Dragway from 2013. This is still my favorite round of racing I’ve ever recorded, not because of close racing(probably the most red lights ever in a round), but because I like Wheelstands, and this round is loaded. It was hot and sticky on Friday, but we got rained out by early afternoon with heavy downpours. Saturday morning it was cool and dry, they started a little before the 8am posted start time. I barely made it to the stands to get the start of this round, so the first couple of pair are a little shaky and I kept moving down to where I wanted to be. Please enjoy as we continue getting buried with snow here in the Northeast.



http://youtu.be/

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

Good video. I was wanting to see my wheel stand of Charlotte 2 bur video is Charlotte 1

Thanks

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

May just be me but your link wouldn’t work for me, maybe this one is better?

https://youtu.be/jIFeF0cT3Gs

Great video, miss seeing Mickey Whaley standing it up but pre-wheelie bar Jason McCormack, Adam Keir, and many others definitely put on a show. Miss seeing Bryan’s beautiful Firebird since he transplanted back out west.

Al Wilson, see your car run in one of the rare appearances when Mike owned it, a neat car to be sure.

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

Thanks Jim it wasn’t just you!

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

Sorry about the link. It still works fine for me. Didn't know

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

Thanks for posting this, geez I love Stockers !

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

anytime two stockers line up,it's the best race ever.

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

U.S Nationals A/Stock class final between Jason McCormack and John Calvert. I think it was 2014.

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

That’s my favorite single run as well. Was standing on the fence for that and will never forget it. Jason would have won but you can see his car losing momentum at one point during the wheelstand.

https://youtu.be/xsis4EQeDCE

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

You guys are making my day great. Thank you.

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

It was 2010, I was there, and it is the best run that I have ever seen; and I have been a hardcore fan since 1962!

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

I wasn't there for that run, however have watched this video several times, amazing run!!

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

I can't believe it was 2010 seems like yesterday, and i was thinking it was 2014 what a run!!

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

I still watch that video at least once a month, and I still smile every time I watch it.

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

Can't watch it too many times...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj0tazghjpY

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

ar#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3602 Jason McCormack 701 John Calvert
C3 0.048 10.185 129.58 ****WINNER**** 0.055 10.146 130.94
A/S Index: 10.95 (+/-): -0.765 A/S Index: 10.95 (+/-): -0.804
Prior rounds:
Qualified: #106 10.164 130.56 #69 10.097 131.96
John Calvert takes the wheels up A/S win. MOV: 0.0324 seconds (approximately 6 feet).

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

Rob...
I am a big fan of your work, and have only known 1-2 other guys capable of doing this caliber of video work. I am really enjoying my look back into old home movies, old racing films, and exploring what is out there on youtube, over this winter.

Could you explain how you get videos over 15 minutes to upload? My transfer process from S-VHS master video tape, is done with a DVD based system. I use a Phillips DVDR-3455H DVD recorder, which is a non HDTV recorder made in 2006. They sold them at walmarts back in the day, and they have a 250 Gig hard drive on board. Pretty cool items still valued today. I import into the hard drive with video settings at 4:3 ratio LB letter box, and then have my best luck splitting the film into just under 15 minutes each. Then four 15 minute sections are burned into a 1 hour DVD-R disc, and taken to a computer and uploaded from there. If I just make a 1 hour disc with no sections, it often makes 4 sections on the disc recording process, in places I don't want.

Then when I upload from the burned dvd, youtube splits my films into near 15 minute sections, and this sometimes creates a splice where I don't want it. Sometimes the uploads are unreliable if I try to add sections in longer or shorter sections.

I am wondering if I should be using imovie on a mac or something else? It seems like your editing and title adding is professional quality. Your camera work is also pretty steady, good job! Do you have a premium youtube subscription? Are your films edited and spliced on imovie and then formed into a master upload file?

Here are a few of my tips for good racing films, for everyone.
1- my focus isn't always perfect, as I set it to manual, then fully zoom in on the scoreboards, then focus for that length, and leave it there. Autofocus will change if anything gets in the line of sight. Many new cameras don't allow manual only focus, and that sucks not to have the option. The focus also suffers because its just hard to see how correct it is in the tiny viewfinder.

2- I get laughed at for having such an old shoulder mount camcorder, but the TV news guys have big old shoulder mount cameras, so that must be best. I know this camera kicked out some great work in my day, and have ran some newer cameras that didn't make smoother films, so old reliable stays with me. I like to keep a firm grip on the camera, lower my right elbow to my chest (to steady), and use my left arm as an additional steady support, and digital still freeze effect. Even with all this, its hard to hold it perfectly still for 1 hour straight.

3- Film with the sun to your back on early and late day shots, video and digital cameras don't like rear light, or rear flood or musco lights.

4- Film from the 60foot clocks, so you can see the rear tires on both cars, and then, it helps to know which car is likely to leave first, or is a favored customer, in case you have to let one car get out of the view finder.

5- after the run is over, do a simple continuous pan and capture both ET's off the scoreboard. If the announcer is fun to listen to, I have a digital still button, which holds the last image, and continues recording the sound.

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

Sorry I didn’t see this sooner Don. Thanks for the compliment. So yes, YouTube requires a subscriber number before you can load longer than 15 minutes on the page. Also, I now am using an iMac and Final Cut Pro X. I just finished a 3 hour DVD for an event I did at New England Dragway which makes my videos on YouTube look like child’s play. But I am using multiple cameras and utilizing sound from the tower as well. Now that I work for the NHRA I don’t put out much if any new projects on YouTube anymore. Good luck and happy recording.

Re: My Favorite Round of Stock Eliminations Ever
 

Thanks Rob
Good luck with all you do for the NHRA, someone there has recognized your talent!
Could you recommend a shoulder held HDTV camcorder for the 1-2 hour format, you and I shot from the stands with? A pro-consumer type machine, not a handheld, with good auto sound regulation? My old S-vhs machine did lots of things right, but is well behind in video quality of today.