Will Lester, staff photographer for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and San Bernardino Sun of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group (LANG), earned the country’s top motorsports journalism award for photography for the fourth time on Tuesday.
Lester won the Taxslayer.com Motorsports Journalism Award in the photography category for his image of NHRA Funny Car driver Johnny Gray’s exploding Service Central Dodge Charger from the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last October. Gray was not injured in the incident.
The award entries were judged by the Indiana School of Journalism.
Some of the judges’ comments for his entry entitled “Blown Up” included: “Captures action not commonly seen in such photos…. Excellent framing creates a sense of suspense and relates a story…Photo has `stopping power' - causes a person to pause and examine the details.”
Lester, 50, attends 10 motorsports events a year, including approximately five NHRA races.
“It's going up against some of the best photographers in the world,” said Lester, who was presented the award Tuesday night in Charlotte, N.C. during a ceremony at the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour. “To get a shot I'm happy with that shows the explosiveness of the sport - both literally and figuratively - there's a lot of luck involved. You just want to make sure you have the shot in focus and all of the pertinent information in the image.”
All four of Lester’s awards were won with photos he took during NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events. His claimed his other awards in 2000, 2006 and 2008.
“On behalf of everyone at NHRA, we certainly congratulate Will for winning yet another photography award with an image he captured during an NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event,” said Jerry Archambeault, vice president of public relations and communications, NHRA. “Will has certainly been able to bring the spectacular nature of NHRA Drag Racing to life through his images published in the Daily Bulletin over the years, and the awards he has earned certainly puts a great spotlight on our sport.”
Lester’s award comes with a $1,000 scholarship, which he has given to his alma mater, Cal State Fullerton in Southern California.
“Great photos don’t just happen,” said Daily Bulletin sports editor Louis Brewster. “They are the result of anticipation and preparation. There are not many photographers who will outwork Will Lester. That’s pretty much his signature.”
