Photo Illustration by Jason Smith/Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Cars that scraped the wall during practice are repaired in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dodge Challenger 500 on May 9, 2008 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

With a new track surface at Darlington Speedway, it looks like few are ready try and take on the “Lady in Black” this weekend. Both rookie drivers and veterans are getting their very own “Darlington Stripe” today during practice.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

TALLADEGA, AL - MAY 01: A general view of the start of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Aaron’s 499 on May 1, 2005 at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.

I was recently approached for an interview for Three Wide Life, an entertaining and informative TV show about the people who make the green flag drop week to week. The show examines life inside the garage, targeting the hard-core race fan.

The nationally syndicated series focuses on real life, behind-the-scenes racing action and is created and produced by Charlotte-based motorsports agency Leverage Sports. Three Wide Life cuts to the core of true racing fans, whether stock car, open wheel, dirt or anything in between.

To watch my interview, click here and scroll to the bottom link “Streeter Lecka - Race Photographer.”

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Sports fans in Florida are spoiled compared to most states across the country. We have three NFL football teams. Two very good NBA teams (one of which won the NBA Championship two years ago). Two NHL hockey teams, and countless other college teams that consistently challenge for titles.

But if you are a NASCAR fan, you don’t first think of Florida. You think of North Carolina, Georgia or maybe even Alabama. Fans in those states can be considered borderline rabid for the sport. Still though, Florida gets the “Super Bowl of NASCAR” with the Daytona 500 in February. Not to mention the Pepsi 400 in Daytona during the summer.

But this last weekend, fans got the opportunity to come to South Florida to crown a champion at Homestead Speedway in Homestead. I am so lucky that I get to cover two of the biggest events that NASCAR has to offer every year.

When I arrive to the track on Friday and get my assignment, I am told by my boss that I will need to do an assignment for Direct TV on Sunday during the race. Then he goes on and tells me what that assignment will be. I will be photographing the Direct TV blimp in flight from a helicopter over the track, from the beginning of the race until just after sunset. Inside I am very excited. On the outside, I try and remain calm because you never know what can happen and change the assignment completely. The more I talk with the sales team and emails start flying, I realize, this is really going to happen. I start picturing what he images will look like and what equipment I will have to bring with me.

On Saturday night on my way out of the track, I get a call from our sales staff, explaining that there have been some changes. She tells me that TSA approval for the flight has been late and my not arrive at all. So what does that mean to our shoot? Well, we can fly up until one hour before the race and beginning again one hour after the race. I am given the pilot’s phone number and we are to connect sometime the following morning to make sure we are on the same page.

In the morning, I call my pilot Juan Carlos before he leaves his home airport. He tells me that he will meet me at the Homestead General Aviation Airport at 1 pm. Anticipating the usual race traffic; I get on the road early and arrive at the airport over two hours before Juan is to pick me up. As I drive into the airport, I see the Direct TV blimp is also docking there and hasn’t left to join the pattern over the raceway. This is my chance to get as much information as I can about how their flight might impact my shoot.

I find Ian Schwilk, and engineer that flies on the blimp when it is over the event. I start asking all kinds of questions; some pertaining to my shoot and some out of plain unadulterated curiosity. Ian is very patient as he tells me what their flight pattern will consist of and how we might be able to get a decent shot of the video screen on the side of the blimp. We exchange phone numbers as he prepares along with his crew to take off and do their job. Along with that phone number, he gave the the frequency they will be using while over the stadium. Not sure if I will need it, but it doesn’t hurt to have it either.

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Juan arrives a half-hour later in a Robinson R44 helicopter. This helicopter is known as a very affordable dependable aircraft that is used in a variety of purposes including law enforcement, training and a variety of civilian applications. In the military, I flew in much bigger machines that had tubine engines and power to spare. With a mere 260 horsepower (I had cars with more horsepower) to get us up in the air and keeps us flying, I decided not to eat breakfast that morning. The less weight the better I figured.

Juan had the doors removed so I would have a better chance to make images and he was right. The air was crystal clear as we left the airport. As we climbed to our operating altitude of 2500 feet, you could see the Florida Keys stretching south and still see Miami and Fort Lauderdale to the north. Conditions were perfect for the flight and the assignment.

Doug Benc/Getty Images

The closer we get to the track, Juan has to change frequencies and keep in constant contact with the local traffic controllers. He tells me all the rules that we are going to have work around during the flight. At the same time he tells me to keep an eye out for any aircraft that may come up on his blindside, which happens to be my side of the craft.

We spend about an hour shooting and moving and trying to get as close as we can without breaking any of the flight restrictions that have been place on us. But I really can’t seem to get a good shot of the opposite side of the blimp. Then I remember that I have the frequency that the blimp is operating on. I tell Juan that I have it and can we dial it in and call them? He gets them on the radio and I tell the pilot that I could really use the opposite side of the blimp and would he be willing to turn the blimp around and goes in a clockwise pattern for me? He tells me he will check with the tower and let me know. After about 5 minutes of waiting, I look down and see the blimp making a big wide turn out over Biscayne Bay. At the time, I get a call saying they will be able to make one pass in the opposite direction.

Doug Benc/Getty Images

After getting the shot, I tell Juan we have what we need and I call the Direct TV blimp and thank the pilot for his cooperation and we begin the 20 minute flight back to the airport. I thank Juan for his effort and I jump in my car and head to the track so I can shoot the race and festivities well into the night. My only regret is we couldn’t get a shot during the race. But we will probably work that out next year somehow.

Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

The NASCAR season has finally come to an end after 10 months, 36 races, more than 180 days on the road and a ton of Marriott points.

We saw a lot of big story lines this year such as, where will Dale Earnhardt Jr. go when he leaves DEI, the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow and the passing of Bill France Jr. In the end, we return to where we started in the season, with the domination of Hendrick Motorsports.

Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon dominated the early part of the season, and by winning the last 4 out of 5 races and the championship, Jimmie had complete control of the end of the season. A lot of people have already started making predictions for who will win next season, but for the regular crew of photographers and editors that cover NASCAR for Getty Images, we only know one thing for certain. It’s only 90 days until the start of the 2008 NASCAR season.

Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images
For the final race of the season we decided to do something a little different. Rusty Jarrett, our fearless leader, got permission from NASCAR to place a remote camera on the top of the stage where the championship is celebrated. Early Sunday morning, equipped with a full bag of remote gear more suited for an NBA event and a new Nikon D3 camera, we headed off to the stage to place the remote. After about 30 minutes we had the camera secured and ready to fire. Now all we had to do was wait 12 hours to fire it, and hope that not only would the camera stay in place, as the stage it was on was attached to an 18 wheel truck that had to be driven into place, but also hope that the car, the trophy and the hundreds of people would all line up properly.

Sometimes a remote doesn’t work too well. But sometimes you get something completely unexpected. The first image of Jimmie Johnson getting out of the car, spraying Gatorade in a sea of confetti and celebration is just what we were looking for. But when Johnson held up the trophy by himself at the top of the stage, we got what we were hoping for. Something unique.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

There are a lot of lessons to be learned when we look back at the season, but one of the biggest is that it takes teamwork to put together a successful season. On the track, it may seem like there is only one driver in the car, but there are hundreds of pit crew members, crew chiefs, mechanics that all put in to make a successful team. It’s no different for photographers. To coordinate flights, hotels, meals, let alone coverage of an event that moves from week to week, state to state, even cross country is a pretty big task. After my second full season of NASCAR, I still find it pretty amazing how many people it takes to run the sport.

The season is over, and I’m glad to have worked with a group of talented photographers both staff and stringer alike, and without the editor crew, we would probably be still sitting at the track.

90 days and counting – see you in Daytona!

From left, Jason Smith, Todd Warshaw, Chris Graythen, Maxx Wolfson, Justin Heiman, Marc Serota, Jason Arnold , Rusty Jarrett, Robert Meggers, Jake Harris, John Harrelson, Robert Laberge

There I am (blue shirt) shooting the race from the flag stand. Photo by Rusty Jarrett.

Four races to go in the NASCAR Nextel Chase for the Cup, and it’s shaping up to be a Jeff Gordon/Jimmy Johnson battle which many predicted the first time we came to Martinsville earlier this year. Martinsville Speedway, located in Virginia, is celebrating its 60^th year in operation, and is one of those tracks on the NASCAR circuit that not only provides some great racing, but also has a lot of tradition to it. There have been a lot of victories, tragedies, and hot dogs here.

This weekend, I was fortunate enough to be able to shoot the start and the finish from inside the flag stand which sits just above the track. I have been lucky enough to shoot from here before, and I’ve talked before about the holes in the fence, the roof, but really there is no place like the flag stand. It’s a completely unique shot, although a little tricky to pull off properly. The stand is only about 5ftx5ft and you’ve got 2 NASCAR officials, a still photographer and a TV cameraman in there as well. The stand sits just inside the catch fence and over the track, the cars can run right under you, and each time they go by, the force of the wind is incredible. You literally sit inside the track and all the HDTV cameras in the world can’t replicate the feeling of being there.

It’s a tight squeeze, but the best place to be for capturing pictures (that’s me in the orange vest). Standing next to me is Kim Lopez, she is NASCAR’s 1st female flagstand official.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

With 9 laps to go, I headed up into the flag stand, armed with the widest lens I could get my hands on, as the flagman, Rodney Wise would be waving the checker flag less than a foot from me. For those 9 laps, it’s got to be one of the most exciting places in all of sport. The cars roar by, the stand is shaking from the force of the wind, the green, white and checker flags combine with the cars coming 200mph right at you in a blur of color and as the checkered flag flies, it’s all over. You’ve got one shot to make the picture that will illustrate the end of the race. And once the race is over, it’s one of the coolest places to see a burnout. Ten feet below, Jimmy Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet spun the car in circles giving the TV cameraman and I a birds-eye view of his win. The new ‘Mr. Martinsville’ had taken his third straight win at the track.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

As I said before, Martinsville is a track with lots of tradition, not only on the track, but also off of it as well. And the one tradition that every rookie must endure at Martinsville is the famed hotdog. The Martinsville hot dog is simple – Bun, bright red hot dog, chili, mustard and cole slaw. Wrap in wax paper, charge $2 and you’re ready. Every rookie on his or her first trip to Martinsville has to at least try the hotdog.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

This weekend we had 3 rookies on our crew, Editors Justin Heiman, Robert Meggers and photographer Todd Warshaw. On Friday, we all knew what that meant. $16 later and 8 hotdogs richer, we gathered for a group photo, (around the Tums trailer as well) and took part in Martinsville history.

From left, Chris Graythen, Robert Meggers, Jason Smith, Streeter Lecka, John Harrelson, Todd Warshaw, Rusty Jarrett and Justin Heiman at bottom.

This weekend we head off to Atlanta Motor Speedway, winding our way down towards Homestead, Miami for the final race, and the crowning of the NASCAR NEXTEL Champion. See you on the road!