Will Hearne: NASCAR fan and photographer

Just minutes before the drop of the green flag in Kentucky Speedway’s inaugural Sprint Cup Series race I was milling around behind Mark Martin’s pit stall. What happened next was something I least expected, yet it was one of the cooler things about the entire weekend.

A man walked up to me and said, “Hey are you Adam?”

He caught me a little off guard. I didn’t know people knew who I was, but thanks to Twitter, I had become a mini-celebrity to some folks while I detailed every moment I could from Kentucky Speedway.

“Yeah, that’s me,” I responded.

“Hi, I’m Will. I follow you on Twitter,” he said.

I had no clue how to respond. “Well, thanks, glad to meet you,” I said, probably looking more calm than I sounded.

On Friday night at Kentucky Speedway, during the Feed the Children 300, I posted Mark Martin’s radio chatter to Twitter. I tweeted an almost instant play-by-play of everything Mark, his spotter Jeremy Brickhouse and crew chief Trent Owens discussed on the radio during the Nationwide Series race.

Mark’s Cup Series media rep, Kendra Jacobs, who wasn’t at the track, tweeted to her 6,900-plus followers that if they wanted play-by-play of Mark’s radio chatter, they should follow me. Not only were the tight knit group of Markaholics following me, but I picked up nearly 50 followers on Twitter during Friday night’s race.

One of them was Will Hearne, the man I just mentioned who met me on pit road prior to Saturday night’s Cup race. Throughout the race and after the weekend we communicated via Twitter and e-mail. Will had mentioned to me that he took a photo of FOX19 Sports Director Brian Giesenschlag and myself during the June 1st tire test that made it into the local Community Press.

FOX19 Sports Director Brian Giesenschlag works the camera while I interview some fans during the June 1st Goodyear tire test at Kentucky Speedway (Photo courtesy: Will Hearne)

Will shared his stories about his photos with me. I decided, “Hey this is great stuff, let me blog about it.”

Folks, meet Will Hearne…

Will Hearne at Bristol during a snow storm in 2006 (Photo from Will Hearne)

They saw a picture is worth a thousand words, and Will Hearne knows what that is like. In August of 2000 he was standing feet from Dale Earnhardt Sr. at Bristol during qualifying.

“I was never a big Earnhardt fan but knew plenty of people that were and that has probably been the best [photo],” Hearne said. “I had to respect him for his dedication to the sport and the fans and I believed that I caught that.”

(Photo courtesy: Will Hearne)

He started taking photos when he was a student at Owen County High School, located just over 15 miles from the racetrack in Sparta. His main love though was sports.

“I liked the action,” Hearne stated.

Hearne studied photojournalism at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., but couldn’t continue to pursue his education due to rising costs for his photographs.

“It was very expensive as a student, film, developing supplies plus tuition, etc,” he said. “The evolution of digital photography that has helped me get my foot in the door. It is easier and cheaper to get good pictures.”

When he took photographs on film cameras, Hearne noted that he had to wait and see if the photo was clean. With digital photography, he notes, you can take a picture and see it “on the spot.”

“The more pictures you take the better your chances of having a good photo as well as learning from your mistakes,” he said. “I am trying to get into it more and would love to find or have an opportunity to continue to follow this dream I have.”

This dream is a dream that any NASCAR fan has: to get paid to watch the sport.

When Will Hearne began following NASCAR, back in the mid 1980s, he began following an up and coming star from the ASA ranks named Mark Martin. He continued to follow the sport through the 1990s but didn’t get a chance to go to a race until 1998, when attended a race at Bristol in the spring.

Mark Martin waving to fans as he walks to driver introductions before the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway (Photo courtesy: Will Hearne)

“They always said if you think this is fun, go to Bristol,” Hearne said. “So off I went, and [I’ve] been hooked since then.”

Hearne got up close and personal with the drivers and the cars.

“I went down early and just started taking pictures of testing, qualifying,” he said, “trying to get as close to the action as possible. I had a lot to learn, but kept going back. Fortunately I have never had an issue with any driver. I have tried to stay out of their personal space and give them space.”

Hearne has also visited Daytona, Martinsville, Nashville, Bowling Green and now Kentucky Speedway.

“While in Bowling Green we started to go to the local track where I met Darrell and Michael Waltrip, Jeremy Mayfield and the Green brothers,” he said. All of those NASCAR stars are from Owensboro, Ky., near Bowling Green and the Kentucky Motor Speedway in Whitesville, Ky.

But no matter how hard Hearne has tried, his freelance work just hasn’t made him much money.

“I have had some success at selling to the public, a few publications and area newspapers,” he said. “It is a passion that I have carried with me since I started taking pictures—to become a photographer—but it is difficult. Sticking with it has been hard; got bills to pay and a life to live.”

Yet, no matter how hard it is to continue to pursue a dream of selling great NASCAR photographs, Hearne had an awesome opportunity to get photographs at Kentucky’s inaugural; Cup weekend.

“Never been that close,” he said of the action in Sparta. “I had been close before but I got a lot of great pictures.”

He also got to hang out in the garage area and take plenty of photographs of his favorite driver.

“[I] don’t mean this in a bad way but, he (Mark Martin) reminds me of my dad, same work ethic and perseverance. They don’t make ‘em like that anymore,” said Hearne.

He even had an opportunity to get some autographs from Mark Martin with the access he had at Kentucky.

“Mark signed everything I put in front of him for three days,” Hearne said. “[Drivers] are people too. They don’t mind you taking their picture, and it is part of their job, but [I] always keep the respect for them as well as others wanting to get a picture for themselves.”

This was Hearne's favorite photo of the weekend, a shot he got of Mark Martin walking toward the pre-race driver's meeting (Photo courtesy: Will Hearne)

It’s that reason that so many fans flock to NASCAR. Mark Martin has a lot of fans, and he made one fan’s weekend a great one at Kentucky Speedway. Those photographs that Will took will remain with him forever. They are mementos of a first-time event in the Bluegrass State.

Each snapshot means something to the person behind the lens. For Will Hearne, each photograph is another chance to chase a passion and a dream unlike any other.

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Like Will Hearne’s photography? Follow Will on Twitter (@ul1card) or contact him at whearne.pics@gmail.com for more information. And, if you ever run into me in public, feel free to come up to me and chat.

I always love meeting new people, especially NASCAR fans. I never knew a quick chat with Will on pit road at Kentucky would turn into a long blog post, but if you’ve got an awesome story, I’m willing to talk to you about it and post it here on the blog.

Have a good Monday afternoon. Stay cool, and thanks for checking in.

Big East football schedules: Week 2

(Coming soon...Fresno State photos)

The college game is known for great in-state rivalry games, and although Jake and I may never see our teams play their biggest in-state rivals (Ohio State for UC, and Penn State for Pittsburgh) on a regular basis, week two for the Big East features two in-state “rivalry” games.

Here’s the week two schedule, and all eight Big East teams are in action.

Week 2 Big East Schedule
Fri., Sept 10- West Virginia at Marshall
Sat., Sept 11-USF at Florida
Sept 11-Syracuse at Washington
Sept 11-Cincinnati vs Indiana State
Sept 11-Connecticut vs Texas Southern
Sept 11-Pittsburgh vs New Hampshire
Sept 11-Louisville vs Eastern Kentucky
Sept. 11-Rutgers at Florida International

AN: Jake, other than the two in-state games, and Syracuse’s travel to Washington, this week pretty much looks like a Big East scrimmage week. Your thoughts on Pitt’s matchup with the UNH Wildcats…

JM: Adam, you know how much I dislike playing 1-AA, I mean FCS, teams especially when that matchup happens after week one. I can deal with a week one scrimmage, as it can help ease the team back into playing competitive football but after then there is nothing to gain. The only thing this game can do is hurt Pitt. They will be expected to win, and if they don’t will be the subject of much hand-wringing and ridicule.

That being said, I see no way Pitt loses to UNH. Not only is UNH an FCS team, they aren’t even one of the best FCS teams. The real drama in this game will be seeing how many points Dion Lewis and crew can put on the board as Pitt will roll in this one. Adam, how bad of a beat-down are the Bearcats going to give the Sycamores?

AN: OK, so I hate to do this, but last year in late August Indiana State lost to Quincy 26-20. One week later Quincy got steamrolled by Southeast Missouri State 72-3. In Brian Kelly’s final home opener as Cincinnati head coach, the Bearcats took SEMO for their own 70 point excursion, defeating the Redhawks 70-3.

My point being, if UC doesn’t beat Indiana State, who only has won one game in three seasons, by at least 50 points, then something is wrong. It’ll basically be a scrimmage for the ‘Cats in Butch Jones’s first home game as head coach of the two-time defending Big East champs.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that it’s also a homecoming game of sorts for Jesse Minter, who coaches defensive backs for the Sycamores. Minter, the son of former UC head coach Rick Minter, was a graduate assistant under Brian Kelly for two years (2007 and 2008) on the defensive side of the ball. And Rick Minter will be coaching at Indiana State as well.

Jake, which game in week two strikes you as a must see?

JM: Country roads, take me home to… The West Virginia Coal Association Friends of Coal Bowl. Trailers and Shanties all throughout West Virginia will be home to folks glued to their black and white television sets and/or transistor radios to follow this recently re-ignited in-state rivalry. West Virginia has dominated the series, going 9-0 all time and should be expected to do the same this year.

The game is in Huntington, at Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium which could potentially be a problem for the Mountaineers as they leave Morgantown for the first time in 2010. New Marshall head coach Doc Holliday has extensive ties to WVU having graduated from there in 1979 and having spent more than 20 years of his career as a coach there. Maybe in the future Holliday’s squad will have a chance against the Mountaineers, but not this year. Expect WVU to win and win big. Adam, what game has piqued your interest in week two?

AN: Well, as much as I love John Denver’s “Country Roads”, the Citrus State showdown between USF and Florida will quickly test the mettle of Skip Holtz’s USF squad. Florida will have John Brantley IV at quarterback replacing the all-time great Tim Tebow.

Fun news of the day...You can now follow Tim Tebow on Twitter (or you can just stick to following me @adamniemeyer)

USF walked in to Doak Campbell Stadium last year and beat the Florida State Seminoles 17-7, which made the Bulls claim they have made it as one of the “Big 3” in Florida. If USF wants to keep claiming they’ve arrived as a big time Sunshine State program, they’ll need to beat Florida. And if they want to know how likely it is that they’ll defeat the Urban Meyer led Gator squad they should ask their Big East brethren Cincinnati.

Maybe folks remember watching the Sugar Bowl. Or maybe folks turned it off at halftime when the game was all but over with the Gators leading the Bearcats 30-3. Either way, I don’t see USF heading into the Swamp and getting the “W”, unless of course they can find a way to summon Tim Tebow to play for them.

And that’s not happening.

Week two looks to be a rather bland week with more than a few schools taking on cupcake opponents, but football is football, especially in the Big East. Join us for week three of the Big East schedule preview early next week. Thanks for reading as always.

Kentucky Speedway out of 2011 Cup mix?

Well, Twitter has been a blaze the past few hours and amongst all the NBA free agency “news” and tracking LeBron James’s every move (did he eat lunch yet today?) there was a tweet that should catch the attention of every NASCAR fan in this humble city of Cincinnati.

Last weekend the town was buzzing with news that Speedway Motorsports Inc. had requested a schedule change for 2011, most likely asking Kentucky Speedway for the coveted Sprint Cup date fans in the Cincinnati and Louisville area have been waiting a decade for.

Apparently that’s not the case.

According to Jim Utter, a NASCAR writer for the Charlotte Observer, via his Twitter account, “Hearing SMI has requested second NASCAR Cup date for Las Vegas in 2011 and it to be in the Chase.”

Now, I hate using Twitter as a “source” of information, but I’ve got to hope that this is true. Weeks ago I told my dad (and you can ask him, on my honor) that Kentucky won’t get a race before Las Vegas has two.

Bruton Smith may love the Kentucky Speedway, but his baby is the diamond in the desert, Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Chew on that for a few hours. I’m sure I’ll be back tomorrow with some more NASCAR news and notes, and maybe even some more coverage.

The Brickyard 400 countdown is on hold until next week. Until tomorrow, have a good one.

NASCAR virgins have fun stories of losing their NASCAR innocence

With the testing of the new spoiler in Charlotte this week, I feel it only necessary to take a look back at a time when the spoiler was in style—a time when the cars looked a little bit more like street cars than they do now, and a time when I was truly an innocent little NASCAR fan.

This shot, taken in 2003, shows a slightly different me standing on the track in Speedway, Indiana

A few weeks back Raygan Swan, writer for NASCAR.com, wrote an article that caught my eye. The article spoke to me. I feel as if it’s only important to (re)-share my feelings on her story idea. (For her story, follow this link: http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/opinion/03/04/splash.go.rswan.first.NASCAR.race/index.html)

Without song, who would know of such deep love, and such passion for others. Without song, what good would my next description be?

“Can’t you hear my heart beat, for the very first time,” Madonna sang in her song, “Like a Virgin”.

Likewise, Lifehouse’s hit “First Time”—which debuted in 2007—speaks of falling in love for the first time: “Looking at you, holding my breath, for once in my life, I’m scared to death, I’m taking a chance, letting you inside.”

And, after seeing the Broadway musical “Jersey Boys” a few years back, I learned the true story behind the Four Season’s monster hit “Oh What a Night”.

All of these songs speak of one almost taboo word in our society, virginity, and more specifically, losing one’s innocence. So here’s my story…my NASCAR story.

Do I remember losing my NASCAR virginity? Heck yeah, but do I remember it in the way that Raygan Swan wrote about? Not as much. NASCAR fans, she wrote, “come in different shapes and sizes, tell different stories, PG and R-rated, love the sport for different reasons, and no matter what, they never forget their first time.”

(For the 2008 story I wrote about my first time, check out this link: http://adamniemeyer.blogspot.com/2008/07/brickyard-through-my-eyes-moment-2.html)

It’s easy to remember waking up that day, and some other landmark occasions (like seeing the track for the first time), but I realized that my first time is nothing compared to the first time of NASCAR fans today.

"These are my people," Rodney Atkins sings. I couldn't agree more

With an abundance of technology and social networking sites, sharing one’s first time with the world has become instantaneous. Want updates on the race, but can’t get to a TV? Simple, follow one of a multitude of writers on Twitter. Maybe even check in with your favorite driver or crew member—many of them have started Tweeting this year as well. Last season I ventured into the Twitter universe, tweeting numerous times from my cell phone while traipsing around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

When I went to my first race in 1996, we didn’t take a camera. If we did, my dad and I would have had to take a lot of rolls of film with us, something almost no one deals with today. Last year I snapped 437 photos in three days in Speedway, Ind., an amount of pictures that would have been limited if I were still using film. Now with cameras on our phones and instant updates to Facebook via mobile devices, fans from anywhere can post a photo of their favorite driver to the web for friends and family to see.

With a film camera I only would have taken two or three shots of Mark Martin, not ten or twenty

With flip phones, Flip cams and digital cameras of all shapes and sizes, sharing one’s first time with the world has become easy. When my dad and I made the journey to Indianapolis in 1996 we had to wait until hours after the race to call my mom from a pay phone in a McDonald’s parking lot. In 2010 if you want to call home, feel free to open your cell phone and dial, just be wary that the person on the other line might not be able to hear a thing you’re saying.

While I’ll probably never forget bits and pieces of my first time at a NASCAR event, fans today have numerous ways to remember every little piece of theirs. Losing one’s NASCAR virginity is a momentous occasion, and now it’s easier to remember than it was back when I did it. (Unless of course you down a few too many adult beverages during the course of a race, then you won’t be singing “Oh What a Night,” but rather, “Oh, why did I do that?”)

Raygan Swan’s first race, oddly enough, was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a place that I, my dad and my brother all lost our NASCAR virginity. It’s a family affair. And it’s one that I invite any one to join in on. Want to lose your NASCAR virginity? Make sure you take lots of pictures, it’s a moment you’ll never forget.

Me (left), my brother (middle) and my dad (right) make a "guys outing" of the Brickyard each year

After all, you always remember your first time.