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'Best Shots' features best NASCAR photos

By Van Cox, Special to NASCAR.COM
September 10, 2004
03:53 PM EDT (19:53 GMT)

Is there a more visually-compelling sport than motor racing? Some would argue not. That old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words is deemed obsolete week-in and week-out by the spectacle we know as NASCAR. In this game, a picture is worth a gazillion words.

The power and pageantry of the world's most popular form of motorsports is captured like never before in a masterpiece of photojournalism entitled "NASCAR Best Shots."

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Offered by DK Publishing in collaboration with Shoreline Publishing Group, NASCAR Best Shots is one of the debut publications for the recently-announced NASCAR Library Collection. A foreward by no less an authority than King Richard Petty sets the tone for one of the most collectible books ever published about NASCAR.

The tagline on the cover touts NASCAR Best Shots as "The Greatest Photography in NASCAR History," and you'd be hard pressed to get an argument to the contrary from anyone who has seen the publication. This 160-page hardbound book features over 120 photographs, many never before seen by the public. And we aren't talking snapshots here, folks. We're talking full page and two-page spreads.

"It's a book every NASCAR fan will enjoy," said DK Publishing editor Anja Schmidt. "The popularity of NASCAR is sweeping the country, and we thought this type of book would be appealing to every segment of the NASCAR fan base, as well as people who just appreciate excellent photography in general."

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NASCAR Best Shots chronicles every aspect of NASCAR racing: the cars, the drivers, the crews, the tracks, the fans, even the track and sponsor mascots. Nothing is left out. Coverage isn't limited to the past couple of years, or even the NEXTEL Cup Series for that matter. Images from each decade of the sports existence are included, as are photos from each of NASCAR's top touring divisions.

"We probably went through 3000-4000 photographs and chose the ones that best represented the rainbow of NASCAR," said Jim Buckley, President of Shoreline Publishing Group. "NASCAR Best Shots takes fans behind the scenes to places they don't get to see enough of. We worked with some of the best photographers in the business to get fans as close to the action as possible with some very candid shots."

The publishers relied on such veteran photographers as Sheryl Creekmore and George Tiedemann, to name a few, as well as agencies like Getty Images, CIA Stock Photgraphy, and Corbis. Historic photos were procured from the archives of International Speedway Corporation.

"The photographers we used know where to be at the race track," Buckley noted. "That's important in NASCAR. You can't just pick up a camera and start taking pictures. You have to know where to be to get the best shots."

It's all there. All the big names from Junior Johnson to Fireball Roberts to Cale Yarborough to Bill Elliott to Tony Stewart. NASCAR Best Shots documents the the sport from every conceivable angle.

"The book has shots from straight ahead, behind, either side, overhead, three-quarters..." Buckley elaborated. "We have some great bump-and-run shots, shots of tight drafting, rubbing sheet metal, crashes, pit stops, victory celebrations..."

Some of the more poignant images include both drivers and crewmen in silent meditation as they put on their game faces before a race. Conversely, there are shots of competitiors winding down into a state of reflection following the checkered flag. Both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat are clearly captured in the facial expressions of NASCAR's best. A few other memorable shots:

  • Matt Kenseth celebrating his 2003 NASCAR Cup Series championship

  • Goody's Dash Series star Robert Huffman getting a hug from his daughter through the window of his race car after a hard-fought win at Daytona.

  • A two-page study in comparisons. One page spotlights the total chaos on pit road as the entire field is in for service. Its counterpart depicts that same pit road seconds later as a virtual ghost town-no cars, no action. Other comparative spreads show how far the cars and tracks have come in the past 50 years.

  • Racing on the beach at Daytona in the 1950s. "It's important that fans be reminded just where the sport came from," Buckley noted.

  • The much-heralded Ricky Craven-Kurt Busch dash to the checkers at Darlington last year.

  • A vintage AP photo taken from the underneath the barren engine bay of one of the old Petty Plymouths showing Lee, Richard and Maurice Petty peering under the hood. "The photo was actually taken from the engine's point of view," said Buckley.

  • Numerous shots of fans both en masse in the grandstands and individually enjoying the action at the track.

  • Dale Earnhardt receiving "high fives" on his way to victory lane following the 1998 Daytona 500.

  • Plenty of up close pit stop action.

  • Michael Waltrip springing through the escape hatch of his car after winning last year at Talladega; and just 10 pages later, an equaling compelling shot of his agony after learning of the death of Dale Earnhardt.

  • And where else can you see a photo of a '51 Hudson Hornet-this one piloted by the legendary Marshall Teague-going wheel to wheel with a 1951 Studebaker Commander.

    • No previous publication has so evenly divided its focus among all the critical ingredients that come together to form the NASCAR experience. It's a must-have collectible in every sense of the term.

    "For the NASCAR fan, NASCAR Best Shots is like having a garage pass and a camera," Buckley succinctly noted.

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