NASCAR artist Sam Bass on hot streak at Lowe's

In a sport where "streaks" garner an inordinate amount of attention, one of the most impressive records of all time doesn't belong to a driver or team. It's owned by the man who captures them on canvas.

By the time the green flag fell on May race weeks at Lowe's Motor Speedway, motorsports artist Sam had designed a whopping 52 consecutive souvenir program covers for the legendary Concord, N.C., race track.

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Bass designed his first program cover for LMS more than two decades ago. The tradition continues in 2007 as the first motorsports artist officially licensed by NASCAR -- and the Official Artist of LMS-created artwork on two distinct programs for May race weeks: one for the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge and another for the Coca-Cola 600.

A gripping illustration entitled "Where The Wild Things Are!" graced the cover of the NASCAR Nextel All Star Challenge souvenir publication, while the Coca-Cola 600 program featured a poignant artwork called "Flyover!"

Where the Wild Things Are

The very essence of Lowe's Motor Speedway-is brought to life in "Where The Wild Things Are!"

All the cars competing in the NASCAR Nextel All Star Challenge are seen blasting down the straightaway. But unbeknownst to their drivers, they are already in the clutches of The Beast. With steely eyes are piercing the night sky, The Beast is ready to pounce on any competitor at any given moment-without warning!

Flyover!

The traditional military flyover at LMS is one of the most touching moments of any Coca-Cola 600 pre-race ceremony. That was especially true this year, as NASCAR's best saluted our country's armed forces through the American Heroes Memorial Day Tribute. The 10 NASCAR stars running special paint schemes in that landmark program are showcased in "Flyover!" Streaking across the open skies, each driver is getting an overhead, pilot's-eye view of the track and his fellow competitors on the track below. A gigantic American flag serves as the perfect backdrop to this patently patriotic piece.

Both "Where The Wild Things Are!" and "Flyover!" have been released to the public as limited edition prints and fine art poster.

Two new Gordon pieces

Two of Bass' latest illustrations--"Your Personal Pit Crew 2007" and "The Heat of Battle!"-feature four-time NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

For the third consecutive year, Gordon raced a special "reverse" paint job in the NASCAR Nextel All Star Challenge that basically flip-flopped the colors of his popular fire-and-flames color scheme. Sam designed the special look to promote DuPont's Performance Alliance--a national network of DuPont's all-star automobile collision shops. As in the past, Bass commemorated the program with the latest in his "Your Personal Pit Crew" series.

Perhaps the most poignant special paint scheme of the season was the Department of Defense livery carried by Gordon's No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet in the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 as part of the American Heroes Memorial Day Tribute. The design was Bass' creation -continuing a working relationship with both Gordon and DuPont that goes all the way back to the driver's series debut in 1992. The artist has captured the electricity of this cosmetically pristine racer on canvas in a new release appropriately called, "The Heat of Battle!"

Reproductions of both have been made available to collectors. You'll find them in the NASCAR.COM Superstore.