November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Well, the last race of the season came and went in Miami.  I think that everyone knew that Jimme was going to again win the Championship about 4 races ago.  To say that this Team is STRONG is an understatement.  These guys know what they are doing, and I’ll bet they may pull it off again next year.  Since everyone knew that Jimmie had it wrapped up, the whole weekend was somewhat boring, but hey, I was in Miami, so there is always fun to be had………..In the above shot that I took of Jimmie, he was posed with his 4 Championship Trophies. The reason I took this shot and like it so much, is because he is looking skyward towards the heavens as if to say “Thank-You” to his friend Ricky Hendrick.  Ricky was very instrumental in Jimmies career early on over at Hendrick Motorsports, and he was killed in a plane crash that cut his life short way too soon.  Jimmie always makes this gesture whenever he wins.  I just thought that it “spoke” more to something than just a plain Victory Lane shot.

I really wanted to catch the Burn-Out this year.  In the past, Jimmie has ALWAYS done his burn-out down by Turn 4.  The reason for this is that because the stage is brought out for the Championship, and there is really no place for him to do it. So I decided to hang loose off of the stage and shoot the burn out.  The following images is what I got.  All of these were shot with my Nikon D300.  I used a 70mm~200mm lens on the far shots, and my 17mm~35mm on the broadside shot with the flag.  The ISO was 1600, the shutter speed was 1000 and they were all shot at f2.8.  The one shot with the flag where the car is still spinning around, and the flag is not unfurled somewhat disappointed me.  I really wanted to see the flag flying in that shot.  But what can you do.  I still like the shot.  The broadside shot of him coming into Victory Lane was run on ESPN.com.  I have a screen shot of that later in the Blog posting.

November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) does a burn out after winning his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Championship during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) does a burn out after winning his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Championship during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next shot is the one that was used on ESPN.com

Nov.22, 2009. Jimmie Johnson wins his 4th Sprint Cup Title at Homestead Miami Speedway. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Victory Lane at these things really runs on a schedule………you see, it is all about TV and their interviews.  The Writers will Bitch REAL Loud if they do not get the driver soon after he gets out of the car.  So that leaves us still photographers not much time to do what we need to do.  NASCAR will do our thing real quick, then they take the driver to do all kinds of stupid stuff for the next 2 hours, then they bring him back for his single Trophy Shots.  By this time, I am plenty aggravated, so I try and get something different.  This is what I came up with.  All of these images were shot with available light.  The below shot is the Champagne Shot.  I love these when they work out.  Jimmie usually turns away from the camera on this shot, but he did good this time on this one.  The shot after this is the one of him and the trophy up on the upper stage.  Thas shot received some “air time” also.

Nov. 22, 2009. Homestead Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson celebrates as he wins his 4th consecutive Sprint Cup Title. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Nov. 22, 2009. Homestaed Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson wins his 4th Consecutive Sprint Cup Title. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

These next 2 shots are of him with the trophies.  Nothing really all that special……just trying to pull something different off.

Nov. 22, 2009. Homestaed miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson wins his 4th Consecutive Sprint Cup Title. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) wins his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Championship during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I had a chance to see the Trophy by itself.  I like to shoot trophies when I can……..I think that they can be an important part of any story when it comes to racing.  I wanted something different other than just the straight on shot of the Trophy, so I went around to the side and shot it.  The black night sky makes a very dramatic backdrop for it.  I really wish that I could have got more of the NASCAR Sign directly in front of it……but if I panned out more to get it, I also got other junk that I did not want in the shot.  So this is what I got.

November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship trophy goes to driver Jimmie Johnson (48) after winning his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Championship during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next shot was taken after all was over with.  I just thought that it was a neat shot of Jimmie in a Relaxed moment.  I really do not know who he was talking to, but he seemed very “at ease” for the first time in a while.  I thought that it worked out well with the SPRINT Logo, and the fact that he was talking on a SPRINT Phone.  I wish that I could have got more of the “S” in the pictuse, but the light was not right as I moved over.  The ISO was 400 on this, I shot it at shutter speed 100 at f2.8.  It was available light with no flash.

Nov. 22, 2009. Jimmie Johnson talks on his mobile phone after winning his 4th consecutive Sprint Cup Title. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

These next images are some portraits that I shoot over the course of the weekend.  I LOVE to shoot Portraits, but one problem that I have is capturing a really good Editorial portrait.  You see, I shot for a Trading Card Company for years, and the type of portraits that they want are different from the type of portraits that are generally used in an Editorial situation.  There are are a lot of similarities which is true ( a good portrait will always be a good portrait) but I am always trying to find that one thing that will make the portrait “tell the story.”

This is some of the images that I really liked and that stood out at me.  The first is of Mark Martin.  I really feel for him.  He has finished in second place to the Championship Winner 5 times!  That has really gotta be tough on him.  He is a hell of a driver, he just can’t seem to close the deal.  In the shot below, I could just read the disappointment in his eyes as he thought about this fact.  He just seemed to have a look on his face of “what could I have done different to put me over the top.”  This image was shot at ISO 400, shutter speed 200, and f3.5.  It was shot with available light.

November 21, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin (5) during practice for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next image of Martin had the same look to it.  The thing that I really like about this image is the reflection off of the face shield, and the fact that you can only read one eye.  This image was shot at ISO 320, shutter speed 50, at 3.2.  I used my 70mm~200mm lens.

November 20, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin (5) during practice for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next image of Gordon really grabbed at me.  Jeff looked really “pissed off” the whole weekend.  I think that he realizes that he may never win a Championship again………..and I think that it really eats at him.  This shot, to me, really somewhat sums up his mood the whole weekend.  The ISO is 320, the shutter speed is 125, and it is shot at f4.

November 21, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) during practice for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

The #26 Crown Royal Team of ROUSH Racing will be closing it’s doors for 2010.  Yes, the economy has taken its toll even in Auto Racing.  This is really no fault of the Team, the Sponsor just does not have the money to put into the program……..and as everyone knows, if you don’t have money, you can’t go racing.  The Team is a solid Team for the most part, they even won a race this year.  No one on that Team should be ashamed of anything, they are just like millions of other Americans, they have been layed off. This image of Jamie McMurray kind of says it all.  I think that the whole Taam was just ready for the season to be done so that they could move on.  I shot this during Qualifying with my 300mm lens.

Nov. 20, 2009. Homestead Miami Speedway. Jamie McMurray waits to qualify for the FORD 400. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Of course during Qualifying, Jimmie Johnson won the Pole………what can you say, the cream was rising to the top.  These next two images were of Jimmie interviewing.  I thought that they worked out well.

Nov. 20, 2009. Homestead Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson interviews after winning the Pole for the FORD 400. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 20, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) interviews during qualifying for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

These next shots are portraits that would be considered as good portraits for Trading Card usage.  There are good solid portraits, but I don’t know if they will ever be used as “openers” for any kind of article.  I liked them, so I am including them in this post.  I really like the one of Juan Pablo Montoya.  I like the fact that there is so much red in the image.  Kinda fits his personality.

Nov. 20, 2009. Homestead Miami Speedway. Jeff Gordon waits to qualify for the FORD 400. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 21, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya (42) during practice for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.theSharpeImage.com

Nov. 20, 2009. Homestead Miami Speedway. Joey Logano prepares to qualify for the FORD 400. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This shot, you either like it or hate it.  I really wanted to shoot something that described the season that Carl Edwards and the 99 Team have had.  They did so well last year, and this year they just made it into the chase.  They did not win a race this year, and everything seemed to just be “spinning” out of control.  I came up with this.  Probably will never be used, but t the time it seemed right.  I shot it at ISO 400, shutter speed at 1/6 of a second, and I spun the camera.

November 21, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards (99) during practice for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

In these next images, I was trying to capture something that gave the feel of being down in Miami and at the final race.  The Palm Tree shot was probably my best attempt at it, but I like the shot of Jimmie coming out to practice because of the sun, the “coral” colors of the speedway buildings, and just the dramatic effect that the wide angle lens gives it.  I shot this with my 10mm~17mm fisheye.

November 21, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during practice for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 21, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during practice for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Miami is a really great speedway, but for stock cars, it has always produced some really boring racing.  Let me say that I love the speedway, but I hate the racing there…….it is just terrible.  This race was no exception.  10 laps after a restart, the field is strung out, no getting around it.  In my opinion, the best shot at the whole track is the start shot.  There are some speedways that the start shots are great, and this is one of them.  This next shot is probably one of my favorite from the whole weekend.

November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) leads the field to the start during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Like I said, this speedway really does not produce “dramatic” race action.  But I did like this next shot.  I kept an eye on Kurt Busch all weekend.  He was not going to win the Championship, but he was in a very good position to advance his position in the final points standings.  I really liked this image of him working traffic and racing around his competitors.  I like to get shots like this…..they are different from the normal race action shots.

November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (2) makes his way through race traffic during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

In this next shot, my thoughts were the same with Jeff Burton and the #31 car…….get him sneaking around and heading to the front.

Editors like “dramatic” looking stuff.  With the race action being what it is at Miami, sometimes it can be tough to produce something that looks really good.  I shot these images with my 10mm~17mm fisheye lens. The reason I picked Jimme is simple…….the weekend was all about Jimmie.  I chose to shot Tony stewart because he had done so well for the year.  Lets not forget that he was in the points lead at the start of the chase, and I think that if NASCAR had not reset the points, he would have been the 2009 Championship.  But the rules are what they are.

November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart (14) during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

During the race, my coverage area is Pit Road.  Working with US Presswire to cover the event (www.uspressire.com ) we work as a team to tell the story.  As a team, we try and cover certain parts of the track.  That way we can get a complete coverage of the “story” of the race as it unfolds.  The two main players in this whole deal were Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin.  Knowing that Jimmie was going to win the Championship, I really wanted to do something different with the stop.  I shot the pit stop at a normal shutter speed to freeze the ation.  But as he got ready to pull out, I lowered the shutter speed to a 30th of a second.  I was using Shutter Priority so as to not have to mess with the camera much.  This is what I got.  Here again, you either like it or not, but I liked it.

Nov. 22, 2009. Homestead Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson and the #48 LOWES Team pit on their way to winning their 4th consecutive championship during the FORD 400. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin (5) comes in for a pit stop during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

The other big story of the weekend was Juan Pablo Montoya.  Since he is from this area, and the Miami area is a big Latin Community, naturally he is going to be in the headlines.  The only thing that I got of him from the whole weekend that was good editorial imagery was the crew working on the car after he hit the wall in practice.  I also posted a race action shot from the race.  But in sense I did not get him fighting with Tony Stewart, it really became nothing more than a pretty shot of him on track.

November 21, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya (42) hits the wall during practice for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 21, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya (42) hits the wall during practice for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.theSharpeImage.com

November 22, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya (42) during the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Funny thing about this final race, no one ever really remembers who won it.  It is only because it is so over shadowed by the Championship.  Well for the record, Denny Hamlin won it.  I could not be in both Victory Lanes at the same time, so I got the burn out that Denny did.  I think that I nailed it pretty well.  From a News point of view, you can tell where it is from, and technically it looked pretty good.  It won’t win any awards, but it got the job done.

Nov. 22, 2009. Denny Hamlin and the #11 FEDEX Toyota do a burn out after winning the FORD 400 at Homestaed Miami Speedway. Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next shot I took at the beginning of practice on Friday.  I think that it somewhat sums up how everyone on all of the Teams were feeling………….lets get it done while we still have the strength.  It is a LONG Season!

November 20, 2009; Homestead, FL, USA; The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team of driver Martin Truex Jr (1) before practice for the Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next image is a screen shot from ESPN.com.  It is my burn out shot of Jimmie coming into Victory Lane.  I want to say Thanks to my editor Jerry Lai for getting it up fast.  God knows I can be slow at posting.  At big events like this we like to bring in an “on site” editor…..and boy does it help. Thanks for the help.

ESPN.com Screen shot.

Well again, thanks for reading.  The NASCAR Season is over………..what a long season.  I really hope that you have enjoyed my pictures and postings from the season.  I am looking forward to Daytona 2010.

Now it is on to the NFL and the NBA.  It is all about Football and Basketball for a while.  Please be sure to check back.

Cheers!

Sam

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Denny Hamlin wins the TUMS Fast Relief 500!  He had to battle all day against Jimmie Johnson to do it, but he was able to pull it off at the end.  I was glad to see this.  Jimmie has won this race the past 4 times that it has been run.  I was glad to see someone else win besides Jimmie.  Martinsville has become a very difficult track to photograph in the past few years……….

There have been so many changes to the track that it has made it very difficult to really get good photography there.  It is a short track to begin with, so that means that there is not room anywhere inside it.  With the Teams bringing more and more equipment to the track every week, it really makes it hard to get around.  Here are some of the images that I was able to capture from the race.  All were shot with my Nikon D300.  Like I have said before, I love this camera.

Victory Lane at Martinsville is somewhat like pulling teeth.  They really do not have a Victory Lane at Martinsville, so they do it on the front stretch, which can make for a very crazy time. You have to run out on the track after the race is done, and crowd around the car.  It is unsafe and stupid.  Who would believe a sport of this magnitude would have something like this go one……but here it is.  The shot below was taken just as Denny got out of the car.  As you can see, I had a drop of Coke on the lens, but I still sent it anyway

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) wins the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

It is what it is.  If we had a decent Victory Lane, we would not have to deal with such issues.

The next shot is just your generic Victory Lane shot.  Nothing special, but I did like the way the colors of the background, and the clock, and the trophy all worked together.  It “fills the bill” for what the intention is.  I shot it wiht a Fill Flash and moved it right afterward.

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) wins the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

It really was a battle all day long between Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson.  The following images were what I moved to US Presswire  www.USPresswire.com to show this battle.  These Images were all shot with my 300mm 2.8 Lens.  I shot all of them from up top just walking around the grandstands.  That is about all that you can do these days.  It is a shame that we have to work this way.  This is what I got.

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Denny Hamlin (11) and Jimmie Johnson (48) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

With the above shot, I really wanted to catch the two competitors in front of the “Martinsville” sign……..I thought that it was important because it showed the venue and gave a sense of “place.”

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Denny Hamlin (11) and Jimmie Johnson (48) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next shot was on the last restart of the race.  There were less than 8 laps to go when this restart occurred.  Whoever won this race off of turn 4 after the start was for sure going to win the race.  It is so hard to pass at Martinsville with that little time left, you better be in the lead before that first restart lap is done if you want to win the race.  Denny was able to pull it off.  Here he is leading everyone off of Turn 4.  He got a great restart, and at this point, no one could do anything with him.  I thought that this was the shot that really told the story of the race.  I thought that it was a good shot from an Editorial standpoint.  I shot it with my 70mm~200mm lens.  ISO 200, shutter speed 1000, and at f4.

I just liked this next shot.  It is of the Penske Cars racing together.  David Stremme who drives the Verison Car is just rooting his way under the MOBIL 1 Car driven by Sam Hornish, Jr.  It really had no bearing on the race, I just liked it.

This next shot was one that I took to “Hedge” my bet in case Jimmie Johnson won the race.  You have to do something like this, because Jimmie is always a threat to win Martinsville.  Here again, I wanted to use the “Martinsville” painted on the wall to give a sense of place.  I shot this at a shutter speed of 60, and used my 70mm~200mm Lens.

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next Image I shot looking back up the back stretch.  This is not an easy shot.  The weather conditions really have to be right to pull it off in the Fall of the year.  It is a COMPLETELY backlit shot at this time of year.  The only way to pull it off is to shoot it when it is cloudy.  Fortunately it was cloudy at this point in the race.  Not only do the conditions have to be right, but you are shoot through a break in the fence which makes it even that more difficult.  I was really wanting to show how Mark Martin was working his way through traffic.  It was critical for him to have a good run if he had any chance to stay in the hunt for the Championship.  I thought that it got the point across.

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin (5) takes a peek for second place during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I tried to focus my efforts on Mark Martin through out the weekend.  He lost ground to Jimmie at Charlotte in the Championship Hunt, but he still had a shot at this point.  I shot his car in practice, and wanted something different other than just a plain “running car” shot.  I used a shutter speed of 30, zoomed while shooting with my 70mm~200mm lens, and this is what I got.

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin (5) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I did the same thing with the #24 Car of Jeff Gordon.  Some will like it, and some will not.  Here is the #24 Car.

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Like I said, from and Editorial point of view, it was important to keep an eye on Mark Martin.  These next Images are portraits that I shot across the course of the weekend.  These are the ones that I moved to US Presswire.  In the first shot below, I thought that the look on Mark’s face says it all.  He realizes that he has a real “dog fight” on his hand. To say his thinking about it is an understatement.

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin (5) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I really don’t think that this next shot really shows anything that is really “strong”, but I just liked it so I moved it.

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin (5) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I caught this next shot right before the race.  It is a shot of Mark Martin’s Pit Crew “Rallying” before the race.  These guys are 100% behind Mark.  I don’t think I have ever seen the 5 Team want a championship so bad.  I shot this with my 10mm~17mm Fisheye lens.  I put the camera on shutter priority at shutter speed 250, held it up, and threw a “Hail Merry.”  I think that it worked.

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team of driver Mark Martin (5) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Shooting Pit Stops at Martinsville can only be done one way………..from the outside.  This speedway used to be a joy to shoot, but in the past few years, the Series has just managed to cram so much stuff in the infield, you can’t move inside of it.  It is really just shameful the way it has turned out.  I shot the following Pit Stops from the outside.  They were both shot at an ISO of 400, and both shot at shutter speed 1000.  I used my 300mm on the #24 Car, and I shot the 5 car with the 300mm with my 1.4 converter on it.  I was in the grandstands somewhere, just trying to stay out of the way of Race Fans.

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) comes in for a pit stop during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Marfk Martin (5) comes in for a pit stop during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

One cool thing about Martinsville, you really can get some nice portraits there.  You are close to the cars at Qualifying, and the Garage is somewhat open, so the light is always nice there provided that it is not raining.  These are some of the Favorites I have from the weekend.  I LOVE Shooting Portraits.  No flash was used on any of these.

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (2) during qualifying for the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I got lucky with this next shot.  Jimmie was running past me (as he does with ALL of the MEDIA) and I jut pulled the camera from the hip and fired.  The team was working on the Motor, and that is why he is covering his ears.

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Greg Biffle (16) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I love this next shot of David Stremme………..it just kin of shows how his career has gone at Penske Racing.  He was released from the ride after this race.  I shot this with my 70mm~200mm Lens, ISO 400, shutter speed 1000 @ f4.

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Stremme (12) during qualifying for the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr (1) during qualifying for the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I really like this next shot of Dale Earnhardt Jr.  I shot this with my 17mm~35mm lens right before the race.  I really wish the sky would have had more blue in it.  I think that it would have made the whole image more dramatic.

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr (88) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I shot this next shot while on Pit Road before the race.  NASCAR had placed the Sprint Cup Trophy on a pedestal at the head of pit road.  I got down and shot up at it.  If I had not done the shot in this way, there would have been people, cars, and all kinds of “clutter” around.  I really wanted a “clean” shot of it, but there was SO much around it, it was hard to get anything.  Plus the sky really looked “ugly” in the background……just an overcast day.  I did what I could with what I had.  Just wish the sky was more “dramatic”……….but you do what you can when you can.

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Championship trophy during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

These last 2 shots were shots that I just plain found interesting when I shot them.  I shot the Haulers from the Grandstands during the race.  I just like the shot.  I have seen it done before by other people…..so I AM NOT the first to shoot this, but I do like it, so I shot it.  It was posted to US Presswire, so let’s hope that it gets some play.  The other is of Juan Pablo Montoya.  The thing that I found interesting about this image is that the ignition switch is not located in the traditional spot on the dash………….I think that this image is very good from an Editorial point of view because it shows a difference in his race car as compared to others.  Editor’s LOVE that kind of thing.

October 25, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series haulers parked in the infield during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 23, 2009; Martinsville, VA, USA; The safety glove of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya (42) during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Well that is about it from Martinsville.  Look for my next Motorsports Blog to be from the last race in Homestead/Miami.  I think Jimmie is going to seal the deal again.  That will be 4 in a row.  Like him or not, that is truly an incredible feat in Sport.  I would really like to see Mark Martin win it……but there is always next year.

Again, Thanks for reading.

Sam

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) wins the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This race was not the best race that I have ever seen at LOWES Motor Speedway, but it did have its moments.  After being dominated by Jimmie Johnson and the #48 LOWES Team, it is really hard to pick those moments out and remember them.  The above image is about as good as it gets for a celebration.  One thing is for sure about the LOWES Car winning at LOWES Motor Speedway, it is a Dream Come True for capturing an image that really makes the LOWES Corporation happy.  I know all too well about that, I shot for LOWES for years.  This image that is above always made them smile.  To bad Jimmie has forgotten how to really celebrate when he gets out of the car……………

Maybe that he has won too much, or maybe the arrogance of being a Hendrick Driver has just ate him up, but he just never seems to realyl look at the cameras anymore when he gets out of the car.  And of course, this makes for such a “Great Picture” that is usable around the world……I just can’t wait for him to win again.  The pathetic shot below was taken with my D300.  It was shot at ISO 400 at shutter speed 250, and at f3.2 with a flash. Not a great shot, but considering that I really do not control what he does, I don’t feel too bad about it.  Hey, at least we got a side view, he usually turns his ass to us.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) wins the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

To say the race was boring is an understatement.  Jimmie pretty much ran away with it.  There were some moments when someone else took the lead, but for the most part it was the Jimmie show.  Restarts were about the best for race action, and even then, the field became very strung out very quickly.  NASCAR really has to do something about the racing at LOWES.  It is such a beautiful facility, but the racing can become very strung out very fast.  I went and shot from the outside.  I have learned at LOWES Motor Speedway, the most dramatic shoots come from the outside.  There was really not much to shoot once the field became strung out, but here is some of what I came up with.  These images were shot at ISO 2500, at a shutter speed of 1000, at f2.8.  I used my 70mm~200mm lens so as ro try and catch packs of cars.  Here are some examples:

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I really like the “LOWES” on the wall behind the LOWES Car.  I am big into that type of stuff.  Branding is everything to the commercial client.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Lagano (20) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I just really liked the wat the cars “stacked up” in the above frame.

If teams are going to do a special paint scheme, they at least should at least do one that shows up at night!  These dark colored paint schemes kill me! The next shot is of the #24 car, but as you can see, it really blends in to the track.  The person who thinks these things up should really be fired and consider another line of work.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

In this next image, Juan Pablo Montoya was really fighting to get passes traffic with his damaged race car.  I just wanted to catch him (with the focus on him) fighting his way back.  It ain’t perfect, but this is what I got.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya (42) fights his way through traffic during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Since it seemed to be all about Jimmie Johnson, I figured that I better go and get a pit stop of him and the Team.  The really thing about LOWES Motor Speedway is that you can shoot a pit stop from dead nuts in front of the car.  This was really nice when the race was run during the day.  The way all of the colors of all the cars would just “stack up” behind the front car was really amazing………but this is what we have now, so this is what we work with.  I shot both of these images at ISO 2000, shutter speed 500, and f2.8.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) comes in for a pit stop during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

As long as we are on the subject of pit stops, I included these images of pit crews in action.  I love to shoot things like this, but they really do not seem to get much “air play” in the editorial world.  I don’t care, I will continue to shoot it and post it, someone will use it somewhere.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Bill Elliott (21) and hid pit crew during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pit Crew of driver Tony Stewart (14) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

There were some pretty sinificant wrecks during this race, but unfortunately I was where they were not.  I did get this image of Greg Biffle spinning.  I thought that it was good for editorial usage, but nothing that was going to win an award.  My main concern is reporting the news, so it is what it is.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Greg Biffle spins during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

In these next series of images, I was shooting cars in practice, but I was trying to paly with them.  I played with the motion blur, as well as where the cars were positioned in the frame.  I wanted to leave room for text in each shot.  I love when an Art Director has enough creativity to place text in the image.  I also wanted to play with the colors.  I wanted the colors to lend a dramatic effect to each shot.  That is why I tried to get backgrounds where there was a great mix of colors.  I also wanted to target the “LOWES” on the wall.  It is a way of letting the viewer know where the image was shot.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Bobby Labonte (96) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (29) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

These next 2 images were just stuff that I shot with the intention of shooting a nice image that may be used for stock down the road.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; The crash helmet of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Bobby Labonte (96) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Bill Elliott (21) starts his car during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

At this point in the Season and the Chase, Mark Martin was in second place only 12 points behind Jimmie Johnson.  I thought that it would be good to get as many portraits of him as possible.  I really wanted him to win the Championship this year, but I do not think that it is going to happen.  I thought that he would at least hang with Jimmie as far as the points hunt, but he seemed to fall off during the race.  Anyway, I thought that it would be very “news worthy” to get as much of him a spossible.  Here are some that I shot.  As always, these are shot with the natural light at the time.  No flash here, I just hate the flash.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin (5) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin (5) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin (5) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

In these next portraits, I just wanted to post something that was really cool.  Whether it was the light, the eyes, or what, I just liked these next images.  I really like the on of Kasey Kahne interviewing.  I really like the way his red uniform seems to grab the attention from all of the darkness around it.  I also like the shot of Bobby Labonte looking at me through the window net.  This is a real hard shot to catch………I got lucky.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Bobby labonte (96) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne (9) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next shot just seems to capture the spirit of Bobby’s career right now……….not much going on, and real boring.  God I wish he could start winning again.  He is a super nice guy, he deserves better that where he is today.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Bobby Labonte (96) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next  shot of Gordon I just liked.  Nothing really all that special about it……but I just liked it.  I shot this with my 70mm~200mm lens.  I shot it at a shutter speed of 40 at f4.  I was at ISO 800.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

In these last 2 images, I was trolling the Garage area tring to get something new other than guys just working on Race Cars.  Even though these ARE guys just working on race cars, I tried to pull off something dramatic.  In the case of the FEDEX Car, I used my Fisheye lens.  In the case of the 99 car, I tried and played with the light.  I really like the shot of the 99 car, I just thought that it really looked the way that garage area looks at night.  I think that I did OK with that one.

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota of driver Denny Hamlin (11) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

October 17, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards (99) during the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Well, that is it from Charlotte.  Look for my Blog from Martinsville to be put up soon.  After that, it is Miami, and the season will be done.

Thanks for reading!

Sam