What an honor this past weekend was down in Talladega, shooting for the
@jesse_gerhard_memorial .
Leading up to this race, just a few weeks out,
@casey917 called me and asked if I was around to possibly shoot it. He told me they had a whole car for the foundation and were going to be racing in the Saturday race in Talladega.
I met Casey, Jesse’s brother, via
@ihaveshittodo — they were both great friends and FFs in the
@thebighouse_farrock on L-134.
Unfortunately, Jesse tragically passed in February 2022 after battling a 2nd Alarm fire in Queens. At the time, I was talking with Etan and just started learning more about the fire service. It was a dark time, but I will say I’ve never seen a group of individuals come together like they did for him.
Shortly after, Casey started the
@jesse_gerhard_memorial , where he raises money in Jesse’s name to help fallen members’ families in times of need. They have done so much to give back over the years — I can’t even list it all here.
There’s also a golf outing I’ve been shooting for the foundation the last few years, and I’m truly honored to be a part of something way bigger than me. The men of the Big House have been nothing short of family over the years.
This was definitely something I didn’t see coming — to have his name and the names of fallen firefighters on the car — but it’s exactly what had to happen.
@harrisonburton12 drove car 24 for
@samhuntracing and did a beautiful job, even holding the number one position for a time. Eventually, on the last lap while going for a move, he crashed out.
But the day was something I’ll never forget. Unreal, to say the least.
Here’s part one of the photos.