ÿþ <html> <head> <TITLE>An Interview with Legendary NASCAR Photographer Brian Cleary - Part One</TITLE> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Pragma" CONTENT="no-cache"> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META http-EQUIV=refresh content="7200"> <META NAME="description" CONTENT="NASCAR, Tickets, 2010 Sprint Cup schedule, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano"> <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="NASCAR, Tickets, 2010 Sprint Cup schedule, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Michael Waltrip, Scanner, Auto Racing, Car, Speed, Next Race Info, Insider, Headline News, Rumors, RaceCars, Stock Car, Speedway, Raceway, Racetrack, Car of Tomorrow, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Brian France, Toyota, Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya"> <META NAME="author" CONTENT="Insider Racing News, Ron Felix"> <META NAME="copyright" content="January 2000"> <style> h1 { text-align: LEFT; font-size: 17pt; color: #FFEBCD; font-family: Times New Roman; text-decoration: font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } h2 { font-size: 14pt; color: #FFFF00; font-family: Times New Roman; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } h3 { font-size: 12pt; color: #FFEBCD; font-family: Times New Roman; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } </style> <style> .nd { text-decoration: none; } a:hover { color:#ff0000; text-decoration: underline; } </style> <!--Image Preloaded --> <script language="JavaScript">var image1 = new Image();image1.src = "/image_path/image_name.gif";var image2 = new Image();image2.src = "/image_path/image2_name.gif";</script> <!--End Image Preload --> </head> <BODY BGCOLOR="#000000" MARGINWIDTH=0 MARGINHEIGHT=0 TOPMARGIN=0 LEFTMARGIN=0 TEXT="#ffffff" LINK="cccccc" VLINK="#cccccc"> <TABLE bgColor="660000" border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 Height="3" width="98%" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD> <img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Image/Trans-Pixel.gif" width="1" height="4" border=0> <center> <img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Images/Misc/BlueBar.jpg" Width="100%" Height="3" valign="top"> </center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <TABLE bgColor="660000" border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 width="98%" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD> <center> <b><font color="ffffff">Sprint Cup Headline News, Commentary and Race Coverage</font></b> </center> <img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Images/Misc/BlueBar.jpg" Width="100%" Height="3" valign="bottom"> <TABLE background="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Images/Misc/BGBlackline.gif" border=1 bordercolor=red cellPadding=5 cellSpacing=0 width="98%" ALIGN="center"> <div> <tr> <td width="98%"> <center> <img src="http://insiderracingnews.com/Images/Misc/Ford7.jpg" width="100" height="62" Border="0"> <!-- LOGO --> <a href="http://insiderracingnews.com/" target="new"> <img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Images/Logos/2007/IRNLogo.jpg" Width="475" Height="60"></a> <!-- End LOGO ---> <img src="http://insiderracingnews.com/Images/Misc/Ford5.jpg" width="100" height="62" Border="0"> </center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <TABLE bgColor="660000" border=0 cellPadding=5 cellSpacing=0 Height="3" width="98%" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <!-- THE MAIN SIDE TABLE --> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="7" WIDTH="98%"> <!-- SIDE CELL ###################################################--> <TR> <TD WIDTH="22%" BGCOLOR="#660000" VALIGN="top"> <!-- ############ Start Time Display ######### --> <b><font color="ffffff" size="-1"> <p align="center"> <!--Place this script anywhere in a page. Date/Time Script--> <!--NOTE: You do not need to modify this script.--> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE = "JavaScript"> <!-- // Array of day names var dayNames = new Array("Sunday","Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday","Saturday"); var monthNames = new Array("January","February","March","April","May","June","July", "August","September","October","November","December"); var dt = new Date(); var y = dt.getYear(); // Y2K compliant if (y < 1000) y +=1900; document.write(dayNames[dt.getDay()] + ", " + monthNames[dt.getMonth()] + " " + dt.getDate() + ", " + y); // --> </SCRIPT> </p> </font></B> <!-- ############### End Time/Date ############# --> <P> <!-- ################ Sponsor 1 ################ --> <center> <b><font color="ffff00" size="-1">StubHub.com</font></b> <table width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=1 border=0> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CECE9C" width=1 valign=top><img src="/images/resources/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="2"></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#3F5268" HEIGHT="25"> <CENTER><A HREF="http://www.stubhub.com/nascar-tickets/"><b><font color="ffffff">NASCAR Tickets</font></B></A></CENTER> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CECE9C" width=1 valign=top><img src="/images/resources/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="2"></td> </tr> </table> </center> <BR> <!-- ################ Sponsor 2 ################ --> <center> <b><font color="ffff00" size="-1">Alex Racing Gifts</font></b> <table width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=1 border=0> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CECE9C" width=1 valign=top><img src="/images/resources/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="2"></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#3F5268" HEIGHT="25"> <CENTER><A HREF="http://www.alexracinggifts.com/"><b><font color="ffffff">Racing Gifts-Collectables</font></B></A></CENTER> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CECE9C" width=1 valign=top><img src="/images/resources/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="2"></td> </tr> </table> </center> <BR> <BR> <!-- ##################### START COAST TO COAST TICKETS AD 160 X 180 ########################## --> <!-- ##################### START COAST TO COAST TICKETS AD 160 X 180 ########################## --> <BR> <BR> <center> <style type="text/css"> .ctctad { width:160px; height:180px; background: url('http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/images/160x180_bg.gif'); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:top left; border:1px solid #1D6D27; } .ctctLogo { width:160px; height:32px; position:relative: top:0px; } .ctctLogo img{border:none;} .ctctLinksWrapper { width:160px; font-family:arial; font-size:11px; } .ctctLinksWrapper a{color:white;text-decoration:none;} .ctctLinksWrapper a:hover{text-decoration:underline;} .ctctGlyph { color:white; margin-left:3px; margin-right:2px; } .ctctLinksLeft { float:left; } .ctctLinksRight { float:right; padding-right:15px; } </style> <div class="ctctad"> <div class="ctctLogo"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com"><img src="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/images/160x180_bug.gif"></a></div> <div class="ctctLinksWrapper"> <div class="ctctLinksLeft"> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/">Tickets online</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nascar/">Nascar tix</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/racing/">Race tix</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nfl/">NFL tickets</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nba/">NBA tickets</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nhl/">NHL tickets</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/golf/">Golf tickets</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nfl/colts_tickets.shtml">Colts tickets</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nfl/patriots_tickets.shtml">Patriots tix</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nfl/bears_tickets.shtml">Bears tickets</a><br> </div> <div class="ctctLinksRight"> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nba/mavericks_tickets.shtml">Mavs tickets</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nba/heat_tickets.shtml">Heat tickets</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nba/spurs_tickets.shtml">Spurs tix</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nhl/stars_tickets.shtml">Stars tickets</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nhl/sharks_tickets.shtml">Sharks tix</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nhl/devils_tickets.shtml">Devils tix</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nhl/flyers_tickets.shtml">Flyers tix</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nhl/oilers_tickets.shtml">Oilers tickets</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/nhl/blues_tickets.shtml">Blues tickets</a><br> <span class="ctctGlyph">&bull;</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/theater/">show tickets</a><br> </div> </div> </div> </center> <!-- ##################### END COAST TO COAST TICKETS AD ########################## --> <!-- ##################### END COAST TO COAST TICKETS AD ########################## --> <P> <TABLE bgColor="660000" border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 width="200" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD> <!-- Start Google 200x200 ad --> <CENTER> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-4652236660414985"; //200x200, created 11/23/07 google_ad_slot = "1846308738"; google_ad_width = 200; google_ad_height = 200; //--></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <!-- End Ad ---> <BR> <!-- Start Google 200x200 AdSense --> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-4652236660414985"; google_ad_width = 200; google_ad_height = 200; google_ad_format = "200x200_as"; google_ad_type = "text_image"; google_ad_channel = ""; google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; google_color_bg = "660000"; google_color_link = "0066FF"; google_color_text = "FFFFFF"; google_color_url = "FFFF00"; google_ui_features = "rc:6"; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <!-- End Google AdSense --> </CENTER> <BR> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <!-- ADDFREESTATS.COM CODE V2 (Normal Page) --> <!-- CODE FOR YOUR PAGE: Index --> <!-- URL : http://insiderracingnews.com/ --> <!-- PAGE NUMBER :0 --> <center> <SCRIPT language="javascript"><!-- document.write("<a href=\"http://top.addfreestats.com/cgi-bin/main.cgi?usr=00138574P000\" target=\"_blank\">"); document.write("<img src=\"http://www1.addfreestats.com"); document.write("/cgi-bin/connect.cgi?"); document.write("usr=00138574P000"); document.write("&refer="+escape(document.referrer)+""); document.write("&tips="+Math.random()+""); document.write("\" alt=\"AddFreeStats\" border=0></A>"); //--></SCRIPT> <noscript> <a href="http://top.addfreestats.com/cgi-bin/main.cgi?usr=00138574P000" target="_blank"> <img src="http://www1.addfreestats.com/cgi-bin/connect.cgi?usr=00138574P000" border=0 alt="AddFreeStats.com Free Web Stats in real-time !"></A> </noscript> </center> <!-- http://www.addfreestats.com --> <!-- END ADDFREESTATS.COM NORMAL CODE V2 - Free Web Stats --> <Br> <CENTER><b><font color="ffff00" size="-1">Click on button to go to</font></b><br><B>Home Page</B></CENTER> <CENTER><A target=_blank href="http://Insiderracingnews.com"> <IMG src="http://InsiderRacingNews.com/Images/Logos/2007/IRbutton.jpg"></A></CENTER> <CENTER><B>Insider Racing News</B></CENTER> <BR> <BR> <!-- ################ Sponsor 3 TWO ADS ################ --> <center> <b><font color="ffff00" size="-1">SoldOutEventTickets.com</font></b> <table width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=1 border=0> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CECE9C" width=1 valign=top><img src="/images/resources/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="2"></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#3F5268" HEIGHT="25"> <CENTER><A HREF="http://www.soldouteventtickets.com/category/252/252/auto-racing"><b><font color="ffffff"><I>F1 Tickets</I></font></B></A></CENTER> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#3F5268" HEIGHT="25"> <CENTER><A HREF="http://www.soldouteventtickets.com/subcategories/252/320/motogp/0"><b><font color="ffffff"><I>MotoGP Tickets</I></font></B></A></CENTER> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CECE9C" width=1 valign=top><img src="/images/resources/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="2"></td> </tr> </table> </center> <BR> <center><hr width="200"></center> <!-- Start St. Jude Ad --> <center> <a HREF="http://www2.stjude.org/"><BR><img src="http://insiderracingnews.com/Images/Logos/2007/StJude3.gif" border="1" bordercolor=black width="200" height="200"></a><BR> <b><font face="Times New Roman" color="ffffff"><i>St. Jude Children's<BR> Research Hospital</i></font></b> </center> <!-- End Ad --> <BR> <center> <B><Font color="ffff00" size="-2">Insider Racing News<Br> Copyright © 2000-2010. All Rights Reserved.</font></B><Br> <B><Font color="ffffff" size="-2">Sprint Cup® and NASCAR® are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. This web site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR®. The official NASCAR® website is "NASCAR® Online" and is located at.. <a href="http://www.NASCAR.com/" target="new">www.NASCAR.com</a></font></B> </center> <Br> </center> </TD> </center> <!-- ############# MAIN TABLE #################### --> <!-- &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; --> <TD WIDTH="78%" ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP"> <BR> <H1><I>An Interview with Legendary NASCAR Photographer Brian Cleary - Part One</I></H1> <I>An Opinion</I> <BR> <img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Images/Writers/Staff2.gif" Width="107" Height="29" align="right"> <BR> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=100%> <tr> <td align=left width="4%"> <div align="left"><img src="http://InsiderRacingNews.com/Images/Logos/2009/MediaCorpLogo.jpg" border="0" width="200" height="56"></div> </td> <td align=left width="96%"> <HR SIZE="-2" color="ff0000"> </td> </tr> </table> <P> <TABLE bgColor="000000" border=0 cellPadding=5 cellSpacing=0 width="200" ALIGN="right"> <TR> <TD> <TABLE bgColor="000000" border=0 cellPadding=5 cellSpacing=0 width="165" ALIGN="left"> <TR> <TD> <center> <a href="http://twitter.com/nscrwriter" target="new"> <img src="http://insiderracingnews.com/Images/Logos/2009/TwitterLogo2.jpg" Width="155" Height="36" align="center"><BR> <center><img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Image/Trans-Pixel.gif" width="1" height="3" border=0></center> <TABLE bgColor="ffffff" border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 width="160" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD> <center><B><font color="000000" size="-2">Follow Rebecca On Twitter</font></B></center></a> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <br> <br> <br> <br> <CENTER> <TABLE bgColor="ffffff" border=0 cellPadding=10 cellSpacing=0 width="92%"> <TR> <TD> <Font color="000000"> <P>January 1, 2010 <P> By Rebecca Gladden <BR> <BR> <!-- &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; --> <!-- <a href="http://" target="new"><font color="ff0000"></font></a> --> <!-- ################### LEAVE THIS PHOTO IN PLACE ############### --> <TABLE bgColor="FFFFFF" border=0 cellPadding=5 cellSpacing=0 width="110" ALIGN="left"> <TR> <TD> <center> <img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Images/Writers/RGladden2.jpg" Width="65" Height="91" align="center"> <TABLE bgColor="FFFFFF" border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 width="110" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD> <center><B><font color="FF0000" size="-2">Rebecca Gladden</font></B></center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <BR> <BR> <table cellpadding="15" cellspacing="15" border="0" width="130" align="right"> <tr> <td> <center> <!-- Start 160 X 600 Verticle--> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-4652236660414985"; /* 160x600, created 4/24/08 */ google_ad_slot = "9807583107"; google_ad_width = 160; google_ad_height = 600; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <!-- End Google Ads --> </center> </td> </tr> </table> An unattributed quote about photography asserts that one doesn't take a photograph - one asks, quietly, to borrow it. <P> That description seems a perfect fit for the career of professional photographer Brian Cleary, a self-confessed 'shy' guy who happens to have a fantastic photographic eye. <P> Among other subjects, Cleary, a lifelong race fan, has been shooting NASCAR since the early 1980s and recently began archiving thousands of photos -- many of historic significance -- and sharing them on his website, blog and social networking sites (see note below). <P> The first photo I saw of Cleary's was on his blog under the heading "Story Behind the Picture" in a post entitled "The Kid in the Red Cap." The central figures in the photo are Dale and Teresa Earnhardt and daughter Taylor Nicole, who was just a toddler at the time, but there was another youngster who popped up in the Earnhardt family photo. <TABLE bgColor="FFFFFF" border=0 cellPadding=5 cellSpacing=0 width="190" ALIGN="left"> <TR> <TD> <center> <img src="http://insiderracingnews.com/Images/Temp/2010/BCleary1.jpg" Width="170" Height="138" align="center"><BR> <center><img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Image/Trans-Pixel.gif" width="1" height="3" border=0></center> <TABLE bgColor="660000" border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 width="170" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD> <center><B><font color="FFFFFF" size="-2">Photo by Brian Cleary/www.bcpix.com</font></B></center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <P> As Cleary tells it, "I framed the small group and fired away to preserve the image for posterity. The only thing that bothered me was that there was a boy in a bright red Winston Cup cap standing right in front of the Earnhardt group. He was just tall enough that the red cap stuck up and disrupted the composition of the shot." <P> That child, it turns out, was a very young Dale Earnhardt Jr. <P> A visit to Brian Cleary's website is like a walk down the halls of a NASCAR history gallery, where the walls are covered with jaw-dropping photographs and every turn reveals another amazing moment frozen in time. <P> Click on the file named "1982 Daytona July" and see a youthful, diminutive Mark Martin, with a mustache and a head full of hair, towered over by Buddy Baker as the two spoke in the garage prior to the Firecracker 400. Under the "Legends of NASCAR" heading, there's Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant, Bill Elliott, Benny Parsons, Bobby Allison -- too many to name, really -- all in clear, candid photos of the era. <P> Much of Cleary's appeal as a photographer stems from what he calls his "fly on the wall" approach, which allows him to focus on the people of the sport and capture their genuine emotions and events as they happened. But as impressive and historic as his photos are, Cleary laments that thousands more were lost to time and circumstance. <P> "One interesting thing I recall when covering the races for AP and UPI back in the 1980's is that, at the end of the event weekend, there would be a box of developed film in the corner of the room and whoever was in charge would say, 'Whoever wants to take their negatives, get them out of that box. If you don't take them, they'll be thrown away.' Being a huge race fan and also a pack rat who tends to compulsively save everything I ever shot, good or bad, I always grabbed my negatives. It always amazed me how many of the photographers did not, and all their photos went into the trash! I shudder to think of all the NASCAR history that ended up in the dumpster at Daytona Speedway." <P> The first NASCAR race Cleary attended as a child was the 1965 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. He studied photography in college after switching his major from journalism. "One of my rewards for winning a class photo contest was photo passes to the 1981 Daytona 500. I guess that was the first NASCAR event I covered, although I didn't start officially working as a wire service stringer until February of 1982." <TABLE bgColor="FFFFFF" border=0 cellPadding=5 cellSpacing=0 width="190" ALIGN="left"> <TR> <TD> <center> <img src="http://insiderracingnews.com/Images/Temp/2010/BCleary2.jpg" Width="170" Height="133" align="center"><BR> <center><img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Image/Trans-Pixel.gif" width="1" height="3" border=0></center> <TABLE bgColor="660000" border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 width="170" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD> <center><B><font color="FFFFFF" size="-2">Photo by Brian Cleary/www.bcpix.com</font></B></center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <P> Among Cleary's best subjects through the years was NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr., in part because of Dale's drama-filled association with that particular racetrack. From a photographer's point of view, Cleary recalls, "His nickname was 'The Intimidator' and I was pretty intimidated by him. It always struck me how aware he was of the photographers who were around him. He would stare you down and almost dare you to take his picture. I don't think he cared if you did or not - I just got the feeling he was checking you out to see if you were brave enough to point a camera at him and snap the shutter while he was glaring at you. If you were ready and quick, you'd get a great shot, but he wouldn't give you many second chances." <P> In spite of -- or perhaps because of -- the unique challenges of shooting Earnhardt, Cleary is particularly proud of two photos he took of the late NASCAR star. One is a 1990 picture of Earnhardt at Atlanta after he won his fourth Winston Cup Championship. "This is not your standard 'hold the trophy' shot," said Cleary. "Dale was obviously very proud of the championship and he was hugging the trophy as if to say 'you can't take this away from me.'" <TABLE bgColor="FFFFFF" border=0 cellPadding=5 cellSpacing=0 width="190" ALIGN="right"> <TR> <TD> <center> <img src="http://insiderracingnews.com/Images/Temp/2010/BCleary3.jpg" Width="170" Height="134" align="center"><BR> <center><img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Image/Trans-Pixel.gif" width="1" height="3" border=0></center> <TABLE bgColor="660000" border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 width="170" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD> <center><B><font color="FFFFFF" size="-2">Photo by Brian Cleary/www.bcpix.com</font></B></center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <P> Another special Earnhardt photo was taken at Darlington in the early 1990's. Cleary recalls, "He was sitting in the car waiting to qualify and I was kneeling on pit road focused on his face, when he made eye contact with me. He started striking all kinds of cool race driver poses, one of which shows only his eyes, surrounded by the blackness of his race car and his name on top of his helmet. He created the photo -- I just snapped the shutter. I've always liked the shot." <TABLE bgColor="FFFFFF" border=0 cellPadding=5 cellSpacing=0 width="190" ALIGN="left"> <TR> <TD> <center> <img src="http://insiderracingnews.com/Images/Temp/2010/BCleary4.jpg" Width="170" Height="121" align="center"><BR> <center><img src="http://Insiderracingnews.com/Image/Trans-Pixel.gif" width="1" height="3" border=0></center> <TABLE bgColor="660000" border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 width="170" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD> <center><B><font color="FFFFFF" size="-2">Photo by Brian Cleary/www.bcpix.com</font></B></center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <P> Although you may not recognize Brian Cleary's name, you are probably familiar with some of his most iconic photos -- like this one of Air Force One flying over Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s race car at the 2004 Daytona 500. President Bush attended the early part of the race, which was eventually won by Earnhardt Jr. "Part-way through the race, Bush was scheduled to depart on Air Force One," Cleary said. "I thought it would be a cool shot to get Air Force One rising from the airport, which is right behind the speedway, and flying over a group of Daytona 500 fans watching the race. I found a spot inside Turn 2 and waited for the plane to appear. As it rose into the air, I started firing away and didn't stop until the airplane had cleared the airport. Of all the frames I had fired off, there was only one shot that had a race car in it; in one frame, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s winning car appears in a gap between two groups of fans watching the President's plane take-off. Just the incredible odds against that happening have to make that photo unique." <P> Incredible odds? Perhaps. But it also takes remarkable talent to create such indelible images. Fortunately, Cleary has that ability and is now sharing decades' worth of his most unforgettable photos with the NASCAR nation. <P> <B>Next week in Part Two:</B> <P> <LI> Some more of Brian Cleary's favorite NASCAR photos. <LI> Who is his favorite driver today? <LI> How is digital imaging and social networking changing the world of sports photography? <LI> ...and much more. <P> Note: Brian Cleary's website is <a href="http://www.bcpix.com" target="new"><font color="ff0000">www.bcpix.com</font></a> and his blog is <a href="http://www.bcpix.com/photostories/photostories.php" target="new"><font color="ff0000">www.bcpix.com/photostories/photostories.php</font></a>. Follow him on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/bcpix" target="new"><font color="ff0000">twitter.com/bcpix</font></a> and on Facebook by searching BCPix.com. <BR> <BR> <P> Follow Rebecca on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/nscrwriter" target="new"><font color="000099">@nscrwriter</font></a> <P> <BR> <TABLE bgColor="FFFFFF" border=0 cellPadding=5 cellSpacing=0 width="57" ALIGN="left"> <TR> <TD> <center> <img src="http://insiderracingnews.com/Images/Misc/2007/AnimatedMailBox.gif" Width="47" Height="134" align="center"> </center> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <P> <BR> <BR> <B><i>You can contact Rebecca at..<a href="mailto:NscrWriter@aol.com"><font color="000099"> Insider Racing News</FONT></a></i></B> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <img src="http://insiderracingnews.com/Images/Misc/RedPointer2.gif" Width="18" Height="12"> <a class="nd" href="http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/RG/redirect.html"><b><font color="ff0000" size="+1"><I>You Can Read Other Articles By Rebecca</I></font></b></a> <BR> <BR> <p style="border:1px solid #FF0000;padding:5px;font:11px verdana;"> The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.</p> </font> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </center> <P> <!-- BEGIN INLIVE CODE -- Inlive need of AddFreestats button code! WWW.ADDFREESTATS.com--> <SCRIPT language="javascript" src="http://www1.addfreestats.com/cgi-bin/countnow.cgi?usr=00138574&type=1"> </SCRIPT> <!-- END inlive CODE --> </center> <center><a href = "#top">return to top</a></center> <!-- Start SiteSearch Google --> <div align="center"> <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom" target="google_window"> <table border="0" bgcolor="#000000"> <tr><td nowrap="nowrap" valign="top" align="left" height="32"> <a href="http://www.google.com/"> <img src="http://www.google.com/logos/Logo_25blk.gif" border="0" alt="Google" align="middle"></img></a> </td> <td nowrap="nowrap"> <input type="hidden" name="domains" value="Insiderracingnews.com"></input> <label for="sbi" style="display: none">Enter your search terms</label> <input type="text" name="q" size="31" maxlength="255" value="" id="sbi"></input> <label for="sbb" style="display: none">Submit search form</label> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" id="sbb"></input> </td></tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td nowrap="nowrap"> <table> <tr> <td> <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="" id="ss0"></input> <label for="ss0" title="Search the Web"><font size="-1" color="#ffffff">Web</font></label></td> <td> <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="Insiderracingnews.com" checked id="ss1"></input> <label for="ss1" title="Search Insiderracingnews.com"><font size="-1" color="#ffffff">Insiderracingnews.com</font></label></td> </tr> </table> <input type="hidden" name="client" value="pub-4652236660414985"></input> <input type="hidden" name="forid" value="1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="ISO-8859-1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="safe" value="active"></input> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="GALT:#008000;GL:1;DIV:#336699;VLC:663399;AH:center;BGC:FFFFFF;LBGC:336699;ALC:0000FF;LC:0000FF;T:000000;GFNT:0000FF;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:1"></input> <input type="hidden" name="hl" value="en"></input> </td></tr></table> </form></div> <!-- End SiteSearch Google --> <!-- Start iPowerWeb 728x90 $4.95 ad --> <CENTER> <a href="http://www.ipower.com/join/index.bml?AffID=567745&amp;LinkName=IPower1"><img src="http://www.ipower.com/affiliate/banners/242" style="border: 0px" alt="affiliate_link"/></a> </CENTER> <!-- End Ad ---> <!-- Start of IRN1 StatCounter Code No. 1 All other pages (originated 12-25-07) --> <script type="text/javascript"> var sc_project=3281249; var sc_invisible=0; var sc_partition=21; var sc_security="1ef9bd88"; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js"></script><noscript><div class="statcounter"><a class="statcounter" href="http://www.statcounter.com/"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c22.statcounter.com/3281249/0/1ef9bd88/0/" alt="website tracker" /></a></div></noscript> <!-- End of StatCounter Code --> <hr color="ff0000" size="-2"> <hr color="ff0000" size="-2"> <hr color="ff0000" size="-2"> <hr color="ff0000" size="-2"> </td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>