The Photo CD is basically a rendering of Steve's website featuring over 6,713 photos and video clips. The C.D. does include several video clips and photo from the biggest events in sprint car racing, but probably the most useful thing is the virtual track tours. The tours are particularly useful to race fans if you have never been to a facility to check out different vantage points, parking options, and other options that are available. I also enjoy using some of the shots from the tracks as wallpaper when I am working and feel like falling into a daydream about sitting out in the bleachers on a nice day at the racetrack.

The CD is also great for people that would enjoy checking out Steve's work, but do not have broadband Internet access. Slow modem connections can bog down some of these great photo downloads. By putting all the material on C.D. people can surf through the material with instantaneous access to video and large photos.

The only probably we could see in the CD is if you are a Netscape user, such as myself, the index pages do not load properly. However, Steve does warn of this problem on the early releases and once it is opened in Internet Explorer everything was viewable. Steve also has indicated that this problem has been fixed so either Netscape or Internet Explorer work equally as well.

This is a great first effort for Steve with this Photo C.D. and makes for one of the most unique collectables in our sport. The CD is priced at $15.00 plus $2.00 shipping and handling. $5.00 of each C.D. is also donated to the Billy Anderson Benefit Fund, so it is a very worthwhile cause.

To order the Steve Hardin photo C.D. check out Steve's website at http://www.stevehardin.com and order using the Pay Pal feature on his website.

Kevin Oldham Hosehead's.com Author of "KO's Indiana Bullring Scene"

"I just finished reviewing Steve Hardin's first edition photo CD today and let me say that I'm very impressed. The instructions located inside the CD case were self explanatory and the navigation around the CD was extremely simple. Even though I've been to a lot of the tracks toured on the CD, I loved the on-track perspectives given as they allowed me to imagine what the track looked like as if I was in the cockpit! Except for Gas City, those perspectives were something new for me, even though I've been to dozens of racetracks across the country. As for the race reviews with photos of all the participants, it jogged my memory and took me back to those places in time last year, making me feel like I was in a time warp. With the tour of Gaerte Engines, the Indianapolis 500 Hall of Fame and Museum, and the video clips offered on some of the events, I can't think of a better way to review the year of 2000 than with your photo CD. If I were to do a season long review of last year, it would take me over 300 pages to do so. Thankfully, you are somehow able to cram a whole year's worth of photos and video clips onto one CD volume. If you are a sprint, midget, and silver crown fan old or new, Steve Hardin's Photo CD has something for everyone and would make a wise investment."

Bill Wright - Bill W's Knoxville News - Race Talk

"It's amazing that Steve could fit so much on one CD! Just about anyone who raced the Midwest in an open wheel car in the year 2000 is on this CD! All the virtual tours of the tracks are detailed and many of the midwest tracks are covered! The car photos are great for creating skins for the new sprint car game, I use them all the time!"

Randy Jones - Open Wheel Photographer

"The CD you sent me was great. I have never seen so many photos in one place (outside of my negative/photo closet which has over 20 years or stuff). The video clips were pretty cool, they added that little extra to the CD that makes it excellant. The photos of the tracks and the pit tours are pretty cool, the kind of shots that I get to see while walking through the pits and such but never get a chance to shoot. You did a great job putting this one together, I'll have to send you some shots for the next one."

Steve Hardin's World Of Sprint Cars & Midgets CD - Volume 1 By Al Drake

Many of us in the target audience for this cd have been to Steve's website at one point or another. The layout for the program is the same as the web site and easy to navigate. There is nothing to install, its basically a self contained and slimmed down version of the web site that runs on any browser.

The main screen offers up links to facilities and sponsors as well as the virtual track tours and race event pictures. The cd itself is 700mega-bytes of material. One of the things you find yourself doing is continuing to click on links when you know you should be doing something else! Teams can use this to look at a track before they get there and if they're on their game, have a setup that is close right out of the box.

Track tours include mostly mid-west and eastern tracks, if you've never been to a particular track and don't like surprises, look it up in the directory page and start clicking. Where to go when you walk up, where to sit, what the track looks like from a certain angle, its all there. If you went to track on vacation and didn't get any pictures, this is a nice tool to show people where you went and what you saw. From Eagle, to Knoxville, to Indy and the museum, you wont be disappointed. The Indy Museum was of particularly of interest to me since I went to the 500 in 2000. Steve captured history and contents of the Hall and threw in the bus tour. Make no mistake, while the photos are fun to look at, if you've never been to the 500, put it on your list. It's money well spent and the memories will last a lifetime.

Also on my list of things to look at was Knoxville and the National Sprint Car Hall Of Fame. Like Indy, Steve captured the rotating stock very well. Since the 2001 Nationals is in my vacation plans this year, I wanted to scope out the facility and get a feel for the place before I went. After viewing the photos, I have a great idea of where I want to be and when I want to be there.

The driver shot portion of the disk includes more recent photos of Hardins travels. From Eldora to Bloomington, you'll find at least one shot of any driver you're looking for.

As a beta tester by day, I found myself just clicking on stuff to see if it breaks. There are very few broken links, probably files that were lost when Steve's ISP crashed. But to be honest, I didn't find it to be any sort of let down. There are so many things to check out on this product that you just stay on the gas and keep going.

All in all, would I recommend Steve Hardins Sprint Car and Midget Photo CD - Volume 1? You bet! This is a product that would make a great present for the avid short track fan and a great pre-travel tool. Get the west coast tracks on Volume 2 Steve!

Jake Baltz - Author of "Outside Turn 4" - Hoseheads.Com

Steve Hardin, best known as a photographer and the webmaster for Steve Hardin's World of Sprint Cars & Midgets (http://www.stevehardin.com), has released his first CD filled with pictures and more from his website.

I really like how this CD is setup. Do yourself a favor and read the instructions on the inside cover of the CD case. If you're like me, you'll dive into the CD without reading them. Doing this won't give you the ability to tell when and where the particular pictures were taken. The CD is set up to be viewed like a website. You don't have to be online to do this however. From the front page, you can link to the main attraction, the Photo page, where you can see photos from the entire 2000 racing season plus the 2001 Chili Bowl. Most of what Steve shoots is sprint cars, but there's some Silver Bullet and midget cars along with some lovely ladies from the Knoxville Nationals Queen Contest thrown in as well. There are also shots from other photographers as well. Steve is a midwest based photographer, and as such that's where his photos come from. But not just from a few tracks. Steve travels all over the midwest, from Ohio to Iowa. There's even some shots from Bristol by JD Kramer thrown in there as well. Unfortunately, action shots are not Steve's forte. Steve sticks mostly to still shots in the pit area. But if you're looking for action, don't fret! Steve has included lots of VIDEO shots with sound, so you can crank up the volume to give yourself a feel of being there.

A really big attraction of this CD is Steve's famous Virtual Track Tours. If you can't get somewhere that you've always wanted to go, this is the best way to see what the place looks like. There are 18 track tours on this CD, plus a tour of Gaerte Engines and also the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum. There are also pages with links to track websites, ordered by state, and a full out links page with drivers, organizations, collectibles, and other racing sites. Not to mention the page dedicated to the people that keep Steve's website up and running, the sponsors!

All in all, this CD is chocked full of picture, video, and information that will take you quite a long time to get through. You'll definitely get your money's worth on this one!

Jeff Kristensen - Raceway Video

I just bought a new a PC last week and I put in your CD to mostly just to check out my new system. Before I knew it, about 3 hours had past! The quality and ease of use is amazing! Laying it out like a web site made it easy to navigate and the diversity of the photos is amazing. I sure wish web sites were that fast! Just click and POP there it is, no loading no waiting!! Keep me posted as to when CD #2 is available. Great Job!!

Tommy Brolsma - Hoseheads.Com

Steve Hardin’s Photo CD Vol. 1 is a new concept that I haven’t heard of yet, selling a website on CD. This isn’t just any website, though, Steve has one of the largest online photo libraries in the world (including some of my work!). His Virtual Racetrack tours are famous for being thorough, as well as even having some videos now. He has pictures of cars and teams from the Midwest on there, too. With this CD, you don’t have to worry about installing it, you just open up the starting file in your web browser and it’s onto viewing lots, and lots, and lots of photos. This would be an especially handy tool for track makers for Dirt Track Racing – Sprint Cars since Steve has so many views of many speedways. Since this is a first release, there are some suggestions I made to Steve for Volume 2, but overall this is a great first effort into a totally new idea. Check it out if you get a chance!

Justin Zoch - Mid States Racing News

"I really enjoyed the CD and the virtual track tours were especially entertaining, even for the speedways that I've attended. This CD really functions as a virtual photo yearbook of the 2000 season in Sprints and Midget racing and brought back a lot of great memories. I'd recommend this product to anyone who enjoys sprint racing and wishes to relive memories and moments of the past season."

Kathy Bell, Editor - RaceTalk - Knoxville, Iowa

I thought Steve Hardin's CD was very well done. I especially enjoyed the chance to view race tracks and see how they look. I took a cyber look at a few tracks I hadn't been to and a few, like Williams Grove and Eldora, which I haven't been to in a couple of years and I felt the urge to go back to them, soon. I also enjoyed being able to view cars and drivers which helps me identify them when I'm on the road. I also like the preview of what you are about to look at. This helps you view photos more quickly. I have one warning for race fans, if you don't have sufficient time, don't sit down to view this CD. I thought I'd take about an hour and review it, four hours later I looked up and couldn't believe the time. Good job Steve!

Paul Pittman - The IRA On-Line at www.irasprints.com

Steve Hardin's Photo CD (Vol I): The only things missing are the smell of methanol in the air and dirt in your hair! Steve Hardin's collection of photos allows you to visit nearly every track and most major events from the comfort of your computer chair. Waiting for Volume II.

Ken Brown, (Western Australia) - Writer for Speedway World, Auto Action, Oval Express

Thanks Steve, I put your Photo CD Volume #1 into my computer and the next thing I knew three hours had disappeared...just like that! You state that it is "The World's Largest Online Photo Collection" and I believe you. Something like 6,713 photos - but who knows how long it would take to prove/disprove that statement. The bottom line is that you have produced a magic product that should appeal to all oval track fans. The "Virtual Racetrack Tours" are great, especially for someone from'down under' who has not been to a lot of the circuits. From Knoxville, Eldora, Terre Haute, Williams Grove, Eagle Raceway and Bloomington to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Chili Bowl - it has it all. The Museums at Knoxville and Indianapolis are well worth having a good long look at too. Then you have the "Photo Gallery" which features all of the major sprint car shows from 2000, plus silver crown and midgets as well. Naturally you are going to spend time going through the extensive Knoxville Nationals section - and it was great to see photos of all of the Aussie contestants there. If you were at any of these shows then you would enjoy reliving a lot of your memories. If not, then it is the next best thing to being there. With an extensive list of pics from the World of Outlaws, All Stars, USAC, IRA, etc, plus all of the major events - Knoxville, The King's Royal, The Historical Big One, The Hut 100, The Front Row Challenge, The Chili Bowl, etc - this CD has it all. "Steve Hardin's World of Sprint Cars and Midgets Photo CD Volume #1" has set an amazing new standard in computer technology. It really is incredible - and something that will take you hours and hours to look through fully. The instructions are easy to follow and the photos load very quickly. Well done Steve. I would recommend it to everyone!!

Ron Rodda - Racing Wheels, MARC Times

In the new technology department, photographer Steve Hardin has released a CD jammed full of track pictures, sprint car photos, and 4 to 5 second clips of video action from various tracks. It is the kind of thing that you sit down with, intending to fiddle with it for a few minutes, and before you know it, dinner is cold. I found the video clips particularly fascinating, being somewhat of a computer neophyte still, and the overall amount of material on the CD is incredible. Check www.stevehardin.com for ordering information for a user friendly CD dedicated to the wonderful world of sprint cars.

Doug Larsson, Kasey Kahne.Com/Webmaster

WOW I'm impressed Steve! You have a great product here! Once you fire it up and start looking at all the photos, you don't realize how much time you've spent looking at all of these photos. This is a hit in my book and I'm glad I have it. I use your website alot to get photo's of Kasey Kahne. The CD is nice because it's just like you were on your website and real easy to find the pictures you're looking for. Not to mention the access time, its instantly! If you have a slow dial-up modem, here's your answer. Being from the Northwest, one day it would be nice to get back to see some races at tracks like Williams Grove or Knoxville or some of other tracks that are on this CD. It's cool to be able to pull them up and see everything on the property so you don't feel so lost when you do show up. I would recomend this CD to anyone who is a diehard sprintcar fan. You can't go wrong purchasing this CD.

Scott Daloisio - Announcer - Perris Auto Speedway

Growing up as a kid in the Midwest during the 1960s and 1970s, I could not wait for the next issue of Racing Pictorial to come out or for the annual Who’s Who in Racing publication. Each was filled with photos of my favorites from the Michigan and Ohio area and also from around the nation. I would get my copies and wonder if life could be any better.

Move the clock forward some thirty years and I have found something that does indeed make life better. Steve Hardin’s Photo CD Volume 1 is a sensational CD Rom that takes advantage of the computer age. It is filled with more photos than ten years of the above-mentioned publications combined and all photos on Hardin’s CD are in color. In addition, you will also find several video clips.

Hardin’s CD has a selection of open wheel racecar photos that is second to none. It covers Non-Wing Sprint Cars, Winged Sprint Cars, Midgets and Silver Bullet racing. See the cars from such prestigious events as the Knoxville Nationals, Little 500, ASCS 360 Nationals, Chili Bowl and others. Organizations featured include World of Outlaws, USAC, IRA, All-Stars and more.

My favorite part of Hardin's CD is the Virtual Tour of racetracks. Hardin shoots every inch of 17 different tracks and the Indianapolis 500 museum. He starts at the entrance of the parking lot and shoots everything all the way through to the pit concession stands. These virtual tours leave nothing uncovered.

The CD is easy to install & navigate and it comes with instructions. Best of all, it is available for $15.00 + $2.00 shipping by contacting Hardin at: steven.hardin@sbcglobal.net .

Growing up, I spent hours flipping through the pages of Who’s Who and Racing Pictorial. With Steve Hardin’s Photo CD Volume 1, I find myself spending hours clicking on photo after photo with a mouse. Hey, times change, but the result is the same. I get great photos of all my racing heroes just like I did 30 years ago.

Chad Adams aka "The Krazy Korean" Webmaster of KK's Silly Season

"To all people that haven't gotten this amazing CD, should spend their money on this. There are so many great photos from all kinds of different tracks to speak of. When I was looking at it, it is unbelievable that someone could take this many photos and place them on a CD for a race fanatic to look at. Being a race guru, it was just days and days to look through it."

                   

Please send me your Comments & feedback

         Copyright © Everclear 1997-2001