Racing Under the Stars
By Susan Phillips
There’s something magical about racing at night. The atmosphere is completely different from a daytime race. This night was just about perfect. One of my main complaints about Gateway (now World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway) has always been the heat and humidity, but Saturday night was a great night for racing. There was a really good crowd and the track is very hospitable about allowing the fans on the track after the race. The entire race had an air of excitement. This race has always been well-promoted—you could tell by all the different sponsor signs scattered around the track.
Taking photos at night is always a challenge–at least for me, but I think I am getting better at it. This is the only race where we spend the race in the generous pit area. At other tracks, I always feel like I am getting in the way of the teams–and at this track, the pit area is wide and the photo angles are mainly at pit in and pit out. I was able to watch most of the race as I was scurrying from one end of the pits to the other trying to get good shots. Apparently I scurried a whole lot, as my FitBit said I went 7.5 miles that night.
As I was lapping the pits, I saw Liz Power and her mom and they instantly recognized me as the “girl with the four-leaf clover,” but maybe they will forget about it by next season, as Will hit the wall shortly after I saw them.
Victory Lane was a big production, as IndyCar brought the stage out on track for the awards ceremony. I missed Sato getting out of the car, but I managed to capture all of the activity happening on the stage. It was a great way to wrap up our racing season. I hope the photos I took give you an idea of how much fun there is to be had at this race. It’s pretty much in the middle of the country and there are lots of places to stay that are nearby. You can either go into St. Louis proper or stay in Illinois where we always stay. This is a good race to add to your calendar.
Oilpressure 
August 28, 2019 at 6:04 am
Great photos Susan! Love the champagne shots, and the eagle.
August 28, 2019 at 8:59 am
You should be Chip Ganassi’s official photographer, Susan.
Really though, lovely photos. You’ve really captured how cool most of these cars and paint scheme’s look under the lights. The blue on Rossi, Sato, and Newgarden’s cars really pops.
August 28, 2019 at 10:47 am
Wait, you really saw a bald eagle? I live in the Central Valley in California and have never seen one in my whole life.
August 28, 2019 at 3:08 pm
‘Twas the spirit of Dan Gurney, come to spectate.
August 28, 2019 at 7:18 pm
Yes, I think you are right, Billy.
August 28, 2019 at 11:50 am
Some nice eye candy in the pictures as well! 😉
August 28, 2019 at 12:14 pm
Great photos again, Susan. Loved the closeup of the eagle. Thanks for the podium shots.
August 29, 2019 at 4:11 pm
The two of you have shown us some amazing pictures in the past two weeks. Thank you for the coverage of these past two races.
September 15, 2019 at 10:51 am
Great pictures Susan! I agree, this race is promoted extremely well. I spoke to John Bommarito personally and he is committed to this race, and IndyCar in general.