A breathtaking look at the world of semi-professional dirt track racing: from the downtrodden bombers and high-end stock cars to the fans, drivers and mechanics' lives on and off the track. Mendel has travelled to the Deep South, Arizona and New Mexico - hotbeds of stock car racing - to capture the raw power and gritty determination of life on the short track. This book puts readers in the passenger's seat for an up-close ride through the world of one of the most dangerous, grease-splattered, high-octane pastime.
Author Biography
Jake Mendel is a photographer living in Santa Fe. He wasborn and raised in Alabama, and he received his BS fromthe University of Alabama in 1971. Although he harboreda passion for photography, he put it aside to pursue acareer with his father's company. In 1999 he left thefamily business to return to photography full-time. Sincethen, Mendel's photographs have been included in varioussolo and group exhibitions throughout New Mexico andAlabama. Darius Himes is a founding member and Acquiring Editorof Radius Books, a non-profit, Santa Fe-based art bookpublisher created in 2007. Prior to that he was the Editorof photo-eye Booklist, a quarterly magazine devoted tophotography books. He is also a lecturer, consultant,educator, and writer, having contributed to Aperture, BlindSpot, Bookforum, BOMB, PDN, and American Photo.
