Sand Sports Super Show · 2026
Years in
the Making
Four people. A shared passion. A car that keeps you looking.
The feature
Meet
Midnight Ace.
Seth Walther
Clint Crossley
Colton Crossley
Evan Erdelyi
What do you get when four talented individuals bring together their passion, dedication, and 20 years of experience? You get Midnight Ace—and the team of Seth Walther, Clint Crossley, Colton Crossley, and Evan Erdelyi.
At the Sand Sports Super Show, held September 18–20 at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California, I found their creation: a sand rail powered by a 430-cubic-inch engine that, to my eye, is an absolute work of art. The build began in December 2025 and was completed in May 2026.
This beautiful car brings the feel of the 2000s together with modern technology. There’s a connection between past and present here, shaped by four people bringing their knowledge and ideas to the same build.
A closer look
The details
hold you.
I’ve often heard people say that the engineers who design a machine should have to work on it, too. Well, folks, the detail and precision in this car made me think of exactly that. It’s the kind of build that invites you to slow down, look closer, and appreciate the experience behind the finished product.
From the exposed suspension to the flame-pattern stitching in the seats, there was always another detail pulling my attention. That care carried through from the outside of the car into the cockpit—and kept me looking through the lens.
“Another angle,
more light,
more time.”
As I photographed it, I kept wanting more: another angle, more light, more time. Every photograph made me want to explore another part of what this team had created. If you appreciate the artistry that goes into a build, I suspect you’ll understand that feeling when you see it for yourself.
With more cars planned for production, there’s more to look forward to from Midnight Ace.
And I, for one, want more.
Across the grounds · September 18–20, 2026
Around
the show.
Beyond the Midnight Ace feature, the show opens into a different set of pictures: bright bodywork, exposed suspension, display booths and people stopping to take a closer look. These frames follow that variety across the grounds, from a camera raised beside a vehicle to a build whose colors carry from its panels to its wheels.
Down to the details
Color. Shape.
A closer perspective.
A fluorescent pink wheel catches the sky; a bronze wheel fills the foreground beneath a canopy. Between the wider views, these details give the eye somewhere else to linger.
Color, turned up
A different
kind of glow.
Color reaches well beyond the body panels in this photograph. It traces the wheel openings, catches the suspension and returns in the wheels and lighting above the cabin. The display becomes a study in repetition: the same bright accent finding its way into one detail after another.
A walk around
One build.
Five perspectives.
A separate show-floor study follows a red off-road vehicle from its front lighting to the bodywork and components at the rear.
The moving picture · 34 seconds
Walk the frame.
A walk around a pale-green off-road vehicle, moving from its side to the exposed rear components and back toward the front.
In the arena
The moment
takes flight.
Wheels leave the ground. Smoke moves across the arena. The photographs follow the machines in motion—and the people watching every second.
Behind the wheel
The person
at the controls.
The arena photographs include a quieter view: a face inside the machine. Tubing crosses the frame, a helmet fills the shadowed opening, and the driver’s eyes remain visible behind glasses. Alongside the wider action photographs, this close view brings the person at the controls back into the story.
Smoke & spectators
The crowd becomes
part of the picture.
The smoke gives this frame its shape. It opens a bright space beside the vehicle while the people behind the fence lift phones and cameras toward the same moment. The exposed engine, turned front wheels and helmeted occupants remain visible at the edge of the cloud.
With appreciation
Special
thanks.
My thanks to the event organizers, sponsors and venue team for bringing the sand sports community together, and to the builders and visitors who made time for a conversation or a photograph. It was a privilege to document the people, craftsmanship and energy of the show.
DRT Motorsports Sand Sports Super Show powered by RPM
The closing frame
One last wash
of California gold.
The final photograph belongs to the light. Visitors move between the booths as the sun drops into the aisle, stretching their shadows toward the camera. After the close details, bold colors and arena action, this is the frame that brings the day together: people, machines and one last wash of California gold.
