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| Noah Gragson Winning the 51st Annual Snowball Derby in Pensacola, FL (PixelatedSPEED Photo) |
PENSACOLA, Florida -- Wow. What a wild ride these past few months have been. In August, I relaunched PixelatedSPEED to give myself a place to share my perspective on the motorsports world. It was only meant to be a simple blog, but already, has grown into something far beyond what I had imagined. I am so very thankful, and truly humbled to share that in the time spanning from August thru December, PixealatedSPEED has amassed over 250,000 views.
In order to get to this point, I have been very fortunate to have help from a huge network of supporters, family and friends. I have a lot of people to thank.
First and foremost I thank you, the reader and viewer. It’s your eyeballs on this content that really keep things going. It’s the interaction in the comments that keep the conversation alive, and spark ideas and thought about the sport that we all love so much.
Thank you to Tim and Pat Bryant. They have always backed my endeavors, and without them would have never been afforded any of the opportunities that has led me to today. Also, a huge shout-out to the crew at Speed51.com. It was a blast working around and among them during this year’s Snowball Derby.
While at the Derby, there were a few key people that were vital to me being able find my way among the chaos.
Thank you Eddie Richie of Turn 1 Photos. He and I worked side-by-side throughout both weeks at Five Flags Speedway. We braved the elements during the “Derby Monsoon of 2018” and captured a ton of great moments and memories. I look forward to working with Eddie more in 2019 at tracks across the Deep South.
Thank you Jacob Seelman of Speed Sport News, Bruce Nuttleman of Ultimate Lap Photo, Brad Newman of Short Track Central, and Tyler Sontag of Speedracer Photos. They all provided me with tips and hints along the way that made PixelatedSPEED’s content shine even as the rain continued to pour.
Thank you to my good friend and colleague, Matt Weaver of Short Track Scene. For years, he’s been an inspiration to me, proving that a guy from the Deep South can get it done and make it. He provided me with insights, advice, and severed as a check and balance for myself and my content. He let me tag along with him like a puppy dog as I found my footing during the week, and continues to do so today. Thank you, buddy. Without you I am sure that this project would not be as far along today.
It’s no secret that PixelatedSPEED is a social media driven platform. Once the content is created, its spread across social media through a network of administrators in order to find the viewers and readers. Without this distribution, PixelatedSPEED would be be mired in the noise of meme’s, food posts and political nonsense that has saturated the Internet. Thank you to everyone that has afforded me distribution channels.
Most Notably:
Ryan Holman, The Motorsports Aficionados
Robert Mesich, Unforgettable NASCAR
Matthew Correll, Everything Racing
Johnny Dickson, Racers of 5 Flags & Racers of Mobile International Speedway
Bobby Foster, Southeastern Racing Memories
Mike Perricone, NASCAR and Other Racing
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t thank my family. Mom, Dad, thank you for always supporting my projects and helping me in whatever ways you can.
I’m sure I’ve missed some names, but please know that I really am thankful to everyone that has helped me along the way.
2018 was a great start for PixelatedSPEED. It provided a trial run for next year, which is set to be rather epic. I intend to continue to write about the sport as I see it, with honesty and integrity. I hope to provide a balanced perspective that highlights all the things that I love about the motorsports world, and I hope that you all continue to follow along with me in this journey. Thank you again, everyone. Goodbye 2018, it’s been a great one... on to 2019!
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