Hot Rods and Reels

Recently, I had the good fortune to be invited by the Darrell Gwynn Foundation to cover their fundraising fishing tournament, Hot Rods and Reels, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway during the NASCAR Championship weekend. Accompanying me as a Photographer was my son Eric, who is a race fan but had yet to attend a live race. We arrived at the track early Saturday morning and received our credentials and inside we went.

 

It was a beautiful Florida morning and a perfect day for fishing. At lakeside, the boats were already lined up while anglers and guides registered and began talking strategy. The event pairs NASCAR Drivers with anglers to fish for the largest total weight of largemouth and peacock bass. Soon, the drivers began arriving. Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Richard Childress, Clint Bowyer, Kenny Schrader, and Kerry Earnhardt, among others, showed up to fish.
 

Tony Stewart getting ready to fish

 

Richard Childress telling fishing stories

 

Eric and I were able to interview several of the drivers and guides before the event started, and they were all there to win as a matter of pride. We followed the boats and there were many fish caught, including a catfish caught by Kenny Schrader that Clint Bowyer jokingly insisted was an illegal fish. Everyone had a great time, but in the end there could only be one winner.

Clint Bowyer fishing with his team

 

The winners from left to right, Jason Young, Kerry Earnhardt, Terri Knight and guest

 

Kerry Earnhardt was teamed up with Terri Knight who won the fishing/race weekend trip as a promotion for Earnhardt Outdoors. She and a guest fished with Kerry and guide Jason Young. I actually fished a tournament last year with Jason at a FOWA conference (Polk County Surprise) and it was a lot of fun to catch up. Kerry explained the concept behind Earnhardt Outdoors and their new partnership with Tackle Grab. We exchanged email addresses and promised to fish together sometime soon.

 

Talking fishing with Kerry

 

All too soon, it was time to go. Eric and I stayed in Homestead and returned the next day for the race. The whole weekend was an incredible couple of days for a father and son team. For the complete story on the fishing tournament and more information on the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, check out the official Florida Sportsman article here.