Travelin’ With Paul

VETERAN RACE photographer Paul Arch travels the country all year and he’s always got his eye out for something interesting and he always, always has his camera at the ready. Throughout this season, Arch visited plenty of new tracks, old favorites and found lots of little nuggets of joy to share with our readership.

JUST MONTHS after reaching the pinnacle of his profession, an induction into the Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame, veteran announcer Rick Eshelman passed away. Eshelman was a crucial voice for the sport as late model racing gained in popularity over the past several decades and has influenced forever the way we listen to the sport we love and think about the people who perform for us. Several writers and fellow announcers have penned tributes to Eshelman to express their appreciation for his guidance and his performance over the years. Rest in Peace, Rick.

KELLEY CARLTON – WRITER, PROMOTER

Words. Not everyone has them. Even those that have them often can’t get them out. I have never been very good at speaking. But I can occasionally cobble together a sentence or two on paper. My mind has been clouded for a few days and I couldn’t find my way to put anything down that did any justice to Rick. You see, Rick Eshelman not only always had the words, he could express them like no one else could.

I have been in awe of hearing and reading about the impact that Rick had on people over the years. There are countless stories of friendship and mentorship along with his strong work ethic. His ability to connect with people and make them feel like they are special. His uncanny ability to remember everyone’s name, including dogs and children. Rick was my friend; hell, Rick was everybody’s friend. And that may be the greatest testament to the man he was. He was a Hall of Fame announcer but more importantly he was a Hall of