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NASCAR's Brett Bodine drives the pace car at every Sprint Cup race, but the former racer says his most important job on the racetrack is monitoring track conditions.

NASCAR gathers all drivers and crew chiefs before every race to discuss the nuances and procedures of a particular track and to get everyone on the same page on safety.

Impound races restricting car setups between the end of qualifying and the beginning of the race were introduced with hopes of improving competition

NASCAR drivers stare straight at the face of danger every race, and the ever-evolving windshield makes sure those hazards don't fly straight into their faces.

Everyone in NASCAR's Nextel Cup seems to be looking forward to the holidays, but wintertime isn't an extended vacation for many crewmembers and some drivers.

Randy LaJoie turned his desire to find a better racing seat for himself into a business that supplies an increasing number of drivers with custom-made aluminum seats.

Want to be a friend of Dale Earnhardt Jr.? You can at infieldparking.com, a social networking site for race fans that also serves similar functions for 17 other drivers.

Texas Motor Speedway personnel have been busy getting the track cleaned and ready for about 400,000 guests this weekend.

NASCAR might be all about the driving experience for a few hours of each Cup event, but the people behind the scenes go through a lot of work to avoid getting stuck in their vehicles for very long after each race.

For a look at the many people who prepare cars for each race, here are some key job titles and brief descriptions of the duties for each position.

NASCAR's alternate exit, or roof hatch, was a 21st century safety breakthrough but has gone mostly unused since it was introduced in 2003.

If working for a Nextel Cup is your dream, then a logical first step in would be relocating to the Charlotte, N.C., area and getting an into one of a number of institutions that offer educations geared toward the motorsports industry.

Richard Childress Racing, for which the term paint scheme mostly holds true except for rare body wrapping, helps explain and illustrate the process of designing and painting its race cars.

ESPN's million-dollar traveling Dish Tech Center studio "can illustrate pretty much anything that happens on the racetrack."

Steve Peterson, NASCAR's technical director, has been instrumental in the development and implementation of such safety features as the SAFER Barrier, head and neck restraints, improved seat belts, cockpit surrounds, seats and fire safety.

Walter Giles works behind the scenes for the No. 1 car, but the chief race engineer is responsible for all the communications between crew chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the team.