Twisted Chassis Photography by Matt Butcosk

09/01/2026

With John Hunter Nemechek leaving the Legacy 42, who do you think will be the replacement? Twisted Chassis Photography by Matt Butcosk

09/01/2026

LOCAL MEDIA… YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES.

Yep… I’m climbing back up on the soapbox again. 📣

I’m going to say something that has bothered me since this past weekend.

The photos accompanying this post are Ross Chastain and Josh Williams. Two guys with very strong LOCAL ties who were both competing at Daytona this weekend.

Ross Chastain is from neighboring Alva, and for those who may not know, Ross got his start racing right here in Punta Gorda.

Josh Williams? He’s from Port Charlotte.

So let me get this straight…

Friday, Ross goes out and WINS THE POLE for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.

And Josh Williams goes out and puts together a heck of a run in the Xfinity Series race, bringing it home 11th at Daytona.

Two local guys.

Two impressive accomplishments.

Two stories that I would think our local community might actually want to hear about.

Yet…

Crickets.

Nothing.

No mention on local television.

Nothing that I saw from the sports departments.

And, as far as I could find, nothing in the Charlotte Sun.

Seriously?

This is exactly the kind of thing LOCAL media should be covering.

I’m not talking about some obscure event halfway across the country involving somebody nobody around here has ever heard of.

I’m talking about two guys from our own backyard competing at one of the most famous racetracks in the world.

Ross Chastain, an Alva kid who got his racing start in Punta Gorda, goes to Daytona and puts his car on the pole.

Josh Williams, a Port Charlotte kid, goes out and finishes 11th in the Xfinity Series at Daytona.

And our local media apparently couldn't find a few minutes to tell the people who live here about it.

That honestly breaks my heart.

Because I know there are a LOT of people in Charlotte County who would want to know this. Racing is a huge part of the culture around here. We have racers, fans, families and people who have followed these guys since they were kids.

And then we wonder why newspaper readership continues to fall.

We wonder why people aren't watching local television.

We wonder why people turn to Facebook and other social media to find out what's happening in their own community.

Maybe… just maybe… LOCAL NEWS NEEDS TO COVER LOCAL NEWS.

And yes, I understand the media landscape has changed. I understand budgets are tight. I understand there are fewer reporters, fewer newspapers and fewer local television stations.

But when one local television station buys another and suddenly your choices for local TV news shrink even further, it makes the coverage you DO provide that much more important.

There are now fewer voices telling the stories of Southwest Florida.

So when something genuinely good happens involving people from our own community, TELL US ABOUT IT.

Ross and Josh deserved better.

Their families, friends and fans deserved better.

And frankly, Charlotte County deserved to celebrate it.

I'm not writing this because I want to bash the local media.

I'm writing it because I care about local media, and I care about this community.

I’ve been photographing motorsports for more years than I care to admit, and I’ve watched this industry change dramatically. I’ve also watched local racing coverage slowly disappear.

That doesn't mean we should just shrug our shoulders and say, "That's the way it is."

It shouldn't be.

Congratulations to Ross Chastain on putting it on the pole at Daytona.

Congratulations to Josh Williams on a strong 11th-place finish.

Two hometown guys. One legendary racetrack. Two stories worth telling.

Somebody should have told the people back home.

And that, folks, is my soapbox for today. 🎤

Now… I'll climb back down. Probably. 😏

Twisted Chassis Photography by Matt Butcosk

09/01/2026

Pretty cool to see this photo on the inside of this week’s Area Auto Racing News.

I really like this one. You’ve got all the confetti from the Victory Lane cannons, the checkered flag that Ryan Preece threw up in the air somehow came back down and landed right across the windshield.

Sometimes a racing photo doesn’t have to be a big wreck, a wild save or somebody celebrating with their arms in the air. Sometimes it’s just catching all those little pieces of the moment that tell the story.

I like it.

Of course, liking a photo and getting rich from taking pictures are two entirely different things.

But hey... this photo and two bucks can probably get you a cup of coffee. 😂📸🏁

Thanks again to Area Auto Racing News for running it!
Area Auto Racing News
Twisted Chassis Photography by Matt Butcosk

09/01/2026

Make sure to check out this weeks Area Auto Racing News

The front page, headlines, and all of the Feature Winners from the September 1, 2026 of Area Auto Racing News are now available online at www.aarn.com!

Want a copy of this week's front page as a keepsake? Get it now: https://areaautoracingnews.zenfolio.com/p152534205

Get the full paper tomorrow morning at 6am on our Digital Edition.

Give it a try for just $5 a month! digital.readaarn.com

09/01/2026

Former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece poured blood, sweat, tears and even his own money into making it to the sport’s top level. All of that hard work finally paid off this past Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. At a track that has taken so much from him in the wa...

08/31/2026

First saw them a few years ago opening for Alan Jackson, Locash, performed at Daytona before the 400 Saturday night Twisted Chassis Photography by Matt Butcosk

08/31/2026

📸 A LITTLE LOVE FOR THE UNSUNG HEROES

One thing I always try to do when I’m at the track is get at least a picture or two of the safety crew.

They don’t get the trophies. They don’t get the big interviews. They usually aren’t the ones everybody is talking about when the checkered flag falls. But when something goes wrong, they’re already moving before most of us even realize what happened.

While I was taking this picture, one of the crew members from one of the race teams came up and asked about it. I told him I always try to grab a shot or two of the safety teams because, quite honestly, they deserve to be recognized.

I also told him I usually post the pictures and give them a little thanks.

He said, “That’s cool.”

So here it is.

These men and women are out there while we’re sitting safely behind the fence, watching the racing, shooting pictures and complaining about the dust, heat, rain, or whatever else the track throws at us. 😆

They’re the ones who run toward the trouble when everybody else is trying to get away from it.

So from this photographer who has spent more than a few decades standing around racetracks with a camera...

THANK YOU to the safety crews. 👏

You may not always get the recognition you deserve, but the racing world simply doesn’t work without you.

Unsung heroes? Absolutely.
Important? Damn right.

📸 Twisted Chassis Photography
Twisted Chassis Photography by Matt Butcosk

08/31/2026

Sorry, not sorry long post....LOL

Apparently, I’m a dinosaur. 🦖📸

Standing here at Daytona looking at all these cameras on the wall got me thinking…

I started taking racing pictures back in the early 1980s at the local dirt tracks, especially Selinsgrove. Back then, you were a photographer. You had a camera, film, a light meter, maybe a couple lenses and a prayer that you actually got the shot.

You shot the race.

You went home.

You processed the film.

You hoped you didn't screw up.

And if you did screw up, well… there was no Photoshop, no AI, no "I'll just fix it in post."

You screwed up. 😂

Fast forward 40-some years and here I am, still doing it.

Still carrying cameras.

Still shooting races.

Still working for newspapers, magazines and websites.

Of course, newspapers and magazines are slowly disappearing because apparently people decided they don't need journalism anymore. They can just get their news from a guy standing in his garage talking into an iPhone. 🤦‍♂️

And now I look around the photo areas and realize something…

I'm becoming one of the old guys.

I'm looking around and seeing fewer and fewer of the photographers I've known for years. In their place is a whole new generation of photographers, videographers, content creators and influencers.

Influencers.

That's a word I still have trouble saying with a straight face.

Apparently you can now show up at a racetrack, point your phone at yourself, tell everyone what you had for breakfast, make a dramatic face, and you're a media outlet. 😂

And I'm standing there thinking…

"I've been doing this since before you were born."

I've watched film disappear.

I've watched Polaroids disappear.

I've watched newspapers disappear.

I've watched magazines disappear.

I've watched the internet take over.

And now I'm watching video, livestreams, TikTok, YouTube and influencers take over the racing media world.

At some point I have to wonder when somebody is going to walk up to me, tap me on the shoulder and say:

"Excuse me, sir… your press credentials are from the Reagan administration. We're going to need you to hand over the camera bag and slowly back toward the exit." 😂

Maybe that's coming.

Hell, maybe it's already here.

And looking at all these cameras setting on the wall…

the writing may literally be on the wall.

No pun intended.

But here's the funny thing…

I've been doing this for more than 40 years, and I still love it.

I still get excited when the green flag drops.

I still chase the light.

I still look for that shot that nobody else got.

And I still think a good photograph can tell a story better than 30 seconds of somebody pointing a phone at themselves.

So until someone officially declares me an obsolete piece of photographic equipment…

this dinosaur is going back to the track. 🦖📸🏁

Just don't ask me to make a TikTok.

I have limits.

😂
Twisted Chassis Photography by Matt Butcosk

08/31/2026

There is a driver in there celebrating Twisted Chassis Photography by Matt Butcosk