The world sees moments in images after they’re captured. What is not seen is the work, planning, and storytelling behind them.
While more than 350,000 fans fill the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis 500, a much smaller group works behind the scenes throughout the month of May to document the event in real time to tell the story.
I am one of those people and a member of the Boone County Chamber of Commerce.
Please allow me to introduce myself and share some insight into what it takes to capture content at the Indianapolis 500. I am Rick McIntyre, a professional photographer with more than 15 years of experience, owner of McIntyre Imaging, and a Chamber member since last November.
Throughout the year, you may find me working with clients at sporting events, capturing headshots, and producing commercial and digital content for websites, social media, events, and a wide range of other projects. I also have the distinct honor of serving as the photographer or BorgWarner during the Indianapolis 500 and select events throughout the year, documenting and helping market one of the world’s most iconic sporting events and organizations.
The images I capture help bring the story of the Indianapolis 500 to life across BorgWarner’s global marketing and media partner channels, with images featured this year in Forbes, NewsNation, and WTHR.
Capturing the Indianapolis 500 extends far beyond race day. It’s a month-long production requiring adaptability, consistency, and skill, taking me from high-speed on-track photography at over 220 mph to quiet behind-the-scenes moments, executive events, and everything in between to tell the broader story of the event and BorgWarner’s long-standing involvement.
My approach to the month, and every photo shoot, is to arrive with a plan that identifies the key moments to capture. In this case, there are about a dozen moments I have to get exactly right. No retakes. No second chances.
It’s not about following the plan to a tee; spontaneity, collaboration with the BorgWarner team, and my creativity play a critical role in capturing the moments, and having an efficient content delivery process allows me to quickly curate and distribute content, enabling marketing and media teams to publish stories and content near real-time when needed.
As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words” , I’ll let the images and captions tell the story of the 19 days, 2,500 unique images, and 75+ miles of walking needed to capture content of this year’s Indianapolis 500.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Every year, the past winners in the race are photographed with the BorgWarner trophy by a publication. My role this year was to capture behind-the-scenes and candids. By the way…. The nine drivers in the photo represent 14 Indianapolis 500 wins
FOX Sports Promotional Shoot – The trophy was taken to a garage with a studio setup for a FOX Sports promotional video shoot. I had no idea what we were walking into until the door opened and we rolled the trophy in. I had a Field of Dreams moment (Is this Heaven?) as I saw dramatic lighting and haze hanging in the air. I captured behind-the-scenes images for BorgWarner and the FOX team, as well as dramatic images of the trophy during their shoot.
Promotional Photos – As I am moving around, I am continually scanning for unique photo opportunities with the trophy by using different angles, backgrounds, and trophy elements to create unique images:
The New BorgWiener (not a typo) Trophy and Wreaths – This year, the new BorgWiener Trophy was introduced and presented to the winner of the Wienie 500 Wienermobile race on Carb day. The day before the official press conference, photos of both trophies were taken during a secret photoshoot and released the next day across multiple media outlets.
A Month in Motion – Practice and qualifying days involve taking images of cars on track, building a portfolio of content and images of the potential winning car and driver (in other words, basically capture a few good and unique images of every car); VIP dinners, media with the trophy as a backdrop, VIPs with the trophy, group photos, fun photos, and general content.
Race Day – Race Day starts with my arrival at the track around 4a. It’s a surreal experience to have the facility so quiet and calm, knowing that 350,000+ people will be arriving over the next few hours. Once I am set up in the media center, I like to casually walk around the facility, since it is so quiet. By 5:40a or so, I’m usually high in the stands across from the Pagoda. Personally, it’s a bit of a spiritual experience sitting in the quiet across from the Pagoda with the city in the backdrop to the right and the sun starting to rise to the left of the Pagoda. At 5:58ish, the song “Ecstasy of Gold” starts playing over the entire facility. #goosebumps When the song ends at exactly 6a, the traditional cannon blast and fireworks signal that the gates are open and it’s time for our sunrise and fireworks images. Then it’s back to the media center to download those images, grab breakfast, catch up with friends, attend the final photo meeting, and prepare for the big day.
March to the Yard of Bricks Approximately 8a, I meet the trophy inside of turn one near the television studio setup where the morning pre-race broadcasts are happening. The trophy is on the truck, ready for the March to the Yard of Bricks. The march route traverses inside the track through the crowd, passing Gasoline Alley, across Pagoda Plaza, past the Snake Pit, and out to the track surface between turns 3 and 4, where I meet the BorgWarner Executive team. We take a few photos, and they accompany the trophy the rest of the way, stopping on the yard of bricks. The trophy is offloaded (it weighs 110 lbs.) and presented to IMS and IndyCar President Doug Boles. I follow the trophy the entire march route, taking photos along the way.
Pre-Race and Race – At the yard of bricks, I capture photos of any VIPs, BorgWarner families, and groups. The trophy is then moved onto the stage for driver introductions. After driver introductions, I make my way to turn two to capture the start of the race, see my family, and try to get an image that might tell the story of the race or the winning driver. I have to be back in Victory Lane with 25 laps remaining in the race
THE Closest Finish in 110 Years – I am fortunate to be stationed on a bleacher in front of victory lane to cover the victory celebration and have a bird’s-eye view of the race while waiting .0233 of a second separated the cars at the finish line. This image is from fractions of a second before they cross the finish line, traveling more than 220mph. I left the image purposely cropped out to show the checkered flag and the crowd. I love zooming in on this photo to see the various stages of reaction in the crowd. This photo also became the lead photo for a Forbes article
Victory Lane These are a large part of the dozen or so shots I need to capture, no second chances. BorgWarner’s CEO presents the Winner’s Wreath to the winning driver with the trophy in the background. Remember the orange hat I mentioned earlier? It’s not by accident. During my first year, I wore it to a practice day, and I was asked to wear it in Victory Lane so BorgWarner’s then-CEO could quickly find me and take photos. Ever since, it’s become part of the story and tradition. It works like a charm
The Day After This was my first year taking headshots that will be used as input for sculptor William Behrens’ design of Felix Rosenqvist’s likeness on the BorgWarner Trophy. Approximately 150 photos of Felix at different angles, in three shades of natural light, were captured for Will to use in his work. All are in black and white to show contrast and how they will appear on the trophy
I hope this gives you a little more insight into what goes into making the Indianapolis 500 what it is: The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
I’m already looking forward to seeing Felix’s likeness unveiled in silver on the Borg-Warner Trophy later this year, and watching him receive his replica “Baby Borg” early next year. It’s always special to see that next chapter of the tradition.
I want to thank Sean, the Chamber of Commerce team, and BorgWarner for the opportunity to share this perspective. I truly appreciate the support and look forward to meeting and connecting with more of you at future Chamber events.
In the meantime, planning and content lists have already started for next year’s Indianapolis 500. As I go through my planning, I find myself asking the same question:
Is it May yet?