About Me
Hi, I’m Dylan. I am currently 28 years old and reside in Upstate New York. After being a NASCAR fan throughout my entire life, I discovered the world of dirt racing back in 2018 after attending a race at the Utica-Rome Speedway. From that point on, I was hooked.
I attended numerous races as just a fan from 2018-2021. At the time, I was finishing up my Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management at SUNY Canton so that made it somewhat difficult to get to the track. In the meantime, I watched many races through streaming services, and I ended up falling in love with Sprint Car racing in particular, as the pure speed and the uniqueness of the cars just gravitated me towards it.
I eventually graduated with my degree in the Spring of 2020, with a cumulative GPA of 3.75, as well as earning Magna Cum Laude honors.
In the fall of 2021, I attended my first ever World of Outlaws Sprint Cars event outside of New York State as I traveled to the Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA for the National Open. It was an amazing experience, and the atmosphere was ELECTRIC. There was just something mesmerizing about it, and I quickly made a habit out of traveling to Central PA from that point on.
When I returned to Williams Grove the following year in 2022, I had the idea of capturing photos of the race cars while I was down there. I had absolutely no idea of what I was doing at the time, yet I still asked one of my best friends if I could possibly borrow his camera for the trip.
I took photos during that 2022 Morgan Cup weekend for the first time, and loved doing it. I just thought it was something fun to do, and it was so cool being able to capture moments that last a lifetime. At the time, I briefly edited photos on my phone, and then made social media accounts where I posted my work.
Right off the bat, I had drivers and teams that followed my page, liked my photos and appreciated my work, and I was on cloud nine. This was SO cool, getting the opportunity to interact with all of these names I watch every week. Little did I know, this was just the beginning.
When I returned home, I went right out purchased my own camera. I then reached out to my home track of the Can-Am Speedway, and asked management if I could possibly attend races and take photos. I hoped to continue practicing my skills and further my development behind the lens. They obliged, and pretty soon I was spending every Friday evening at the facility located in La Fargeville, NY.
Eventually, I also started messaging other race tracks about doing the same thing. I wanted to start traveling around and getting to experience different racetracks, cars and facilities. Many of these facilities were accomodating, and I am eternally grateful for those who allowed me the opportunity to chase this dream.
In January 2023, I came across a post on social media that the Race Pro Weekly media outlet was looking for more photographers and staff members. I sent an email inquiring about this, and I received a response fairly quickly from their editor-in-chief Bobby Chalmers. Just like that, I was in.
Throughout the rest of 2023, I continued to hone my craft. I continued to attend weekly events at Can-Am, while also expanding my horizons. I was finally an officially credentialed media member, and started photographing events at different facilities throughout the state. I also attended numerous races for the Empire Super Sprints, providing them with photography content throughout the year. I also was able to travel to some other famous tracks by years end including Port Royal Speedway, Lincoln Speedway, BAPS Motor Speedway and the Bridgeport Speedway. I attended my first Super DIRT Week at Oswego Speedway in October, as well as my first ever World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in North Carolina to close out the year in November.
Before I knew it, it was 2024. Boy, what a year that was. To date, it was probably my favorite year of this journey so far. I had the opportunity to attend my first-ever Knoxville Nationals at the legendary Knoxville Raceway in Iowa. Getting to attend the biggest crown jewel event in all of Sprint Car racing was surreal, and the atmosphere was amazing. I made sure to take in everything and cherish every moment of that trip from start to finish. Something pretty cool about that trip that not many people know about is my journey that lead out to Iowa. I attended Williams Grove for a weekly show on Friday, then woke up the next day and made my first ever visit to the Eldora Speedway on Saturday night. On Sunday, we made the final trek to Knoxville. Getting to attend the three tracks that host all of the “crown jewel” events in Sprint Car racing on three consecutive nights was WILD, and I will never forget it.
