Johnson turns lens on race, personal life

LONG POND » Armed with her Canon 1DX Mark II camera, Liz Kreutz felt like her heart was in her throat as Jimmie Johnson inched the Chevy Suburban toward the Homestead track wall as if he was racing for the championship.

Kreutz’s nerves heightened as Johnson took the photographer for a spin with his right hand on the wheel while he gestured with the left as he explained the physics of the car and track.

Kreutz, who’s had a front row seat shooting some of the biggest stars in sports steeled herself from the back seat and snapped away to document a candid look at NASCAR’s seven-time champion.

“He’s out for a Sunday ride and I’m gripping the side,” Kreutz said of her ride on the final 2016 race weekend. “But to be there with the No. 1 driver and have him just explaining the sport to me was an incredible experience.”

Johnson has opened the doors to his personal and professional life to select photographers for an all-access look at what drives the 41-year-old married father of two on race weekends. Johnson has let renowned photographers and amateurs chronicle his run toward NASCAR history from all angles: team meetings, family time, bike rides, and of course, a championship celebration.

“As I’m getting toward the end of my career, it was just one of those things where I wanted to capture more images,” he said.