At the Track

'Gentlemen, start your engines.' Is there a more thrilling phrase? Here at the track, dreams are both made and shattered.

Drivers & Crew

The drivers may get the glory. But the guys with the wrenches are just as important as the guy behind the steering wheel.

The Fans

NASCAR isn't just a Sunday drive. It's a way of life - and NASCAR's fans are devout followers.

Jeff Byrd, President & General Manager of Bristol Motor Speedway

"In our way of thinking at Bristol, what happens off the track is now just as important as what happens on the track. The racing's important, but they've got to have a quality experience."

• Listen to interview with Byrd (3:08 min, .mp3 file)

Kyle Petty, NASCAR driver and CEO of Petty Enterprises

"You wonder where the sport would be or how big the sport would be if not for Coca-Cola. If not for Lowes or Home Depot....I'm not sure the sport would be any different today from what it was 20 years ago if it wasn't for these companies out here. That's the change. That's why so many people know about it. Because the sport really hasn't changed."

• Listen to interview with Petty (3:23 min, .mp3 file)

H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, President & General Manager of Lowes Motor Speedway

"Early promoters were excellent marketers. They had to be. They had to be to get people to come to see something that really didn't exist before...a lot of places wouldn't even cover it. So you had to go do crazy things to get people to come."

• Listen to Part 1 of interview with Wheeler (2:01 min, .mp3 file)

"American sports fans want big things...They want to be able to easily understand what they're watching. Don't give us cricket. We can't figure that out. Give us something simple. And they want the unexpected to happen...The wreck. The crash. The movement of tenth to first."

• Listen to Part 2 of interview with Wheeler (3:02 min, .mp3 file)

All interviews were conducted by Mike Mulhern, Winston-Salem Journal's NASCAR correspondent.