Viewer's Guide: Charlotte

We've all watched plenty of NASCAR racing, but do we really know what it takes for these guys to entertain us every weekend?

If you don't know, you're about to find out.

	Dr. Sunjay Gupta catches up with Kasey Kahne. Credit: CNN
	Class in sessionLearn what it takes to wheel a Nextel Cup machine All about researchGupta and Gary Nelson tour NASCAR's R&D facility Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will take a hard look at the safety procedures and athleticism it takes for the sport's top stars to succeed on the track in NASCAR: Driven to Extremes at 10 p.m. ET Sunday.

"The incredible strain on the human body from the heat, g-forces and the mental focus is like nothing I've seen before," Gupta said. "We're also going to give audiences a sense of how challenging it is to protect people at high speeds.

"We'll likely debunk quite a few misperceptions about the fitness and athleticism required to be a NASCAR racer."

Among the show's features:

• Gupta follows Rusty Wallace to see how he prepares for the heat, g-forces and stress of a typical race.

• The good doctor details the training regimen of Carl Edwards to determine how physically fit a driver must be to compete. Many drivers now train extensively off the track to achieve an extra edge so they can withstand car temperatures of up to 120 degrees, better survive a crash and improve their mental and physical performance.

• Gupta follows Jerry Nadeau as he contemplates a comeback after suffering a head injury in a 2003 wreck. He also looks at safety measures NASCAR has taken to protect drivers in crashes, from "soft walls" to head and neck restraints.

• A profile of 15-year-old racing phenom Joey Logano as he examines programs designed to groom adolescent drivers into future speed kings.

• Wally Dallenbach takes Gupta for a spin around the track to show the physical demands of driving. Gupta drives solo on a NASCAR track to explain how driving at high speeds affects his vital signs.

Roger Penske, Ray Evernham and Erin Crocker are among the guests scheduled for a live edition of Trackside on 7 p.m. ET. Friday. If you're planning to be at Charlotte, the SPEED stage will be located outside the main grandstand in front of Smith Tower.

The ratings news wasn't great for the peacock network last weekend.

NBC drew a 3.6 overnight national rating and 7 share for last week's Banquet 400 from Kansas. The number is down from 4.0/8 in last year's overnight numbers.

In this week's "Ask the Producer" question, Chris Seal of Salt Lake City wonders something about in-car cameras.

Why is it that we do not put a camera in all 43 race cars? They already have a spot on the roof, why not use them?

	NBC/TNT producer Sam Flood
	EMAIL Send Mark your take for "The Rant" or your question for "Ask The Producer"

"Not every car has a camera, just the ones we have agreements with," Flood said. "What you see on the roofs are camera mounts and we put them on all of them so there is no aero-dynamic advantage for those that don't have them."

Each week, we'll choose a fan's question to ask a NASCAR on NBC/TNT producer. Send your puzzler by e-mail using the link to the right.

In this week's version of "The Rant," Mike Watson of Chicago gives us all something to think about.

Today, I watched in dismay as the telecast from Kansas showed no (unless it was during a bathroom break) support for all of the victims of the Earthquake in Asia this weekend.

If anyone failed to read the paper, more than 20,000 people may have died, which is more than the combined total of our war with Iraq, the hurricanes and 9/11. And yet no one felt the need to mention it, let alone generate support from the most loyal fans in the world to help our fellow humans.

Social responsibility needs to extend outside of our borders and embrace everyone in need, not just Americans.

Now on to this weekend's schedule.

Nextel Cup Series: UAW-GM Quality 500

Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway

• 1.5-mile oval
• 24-degree banking in turns
• 5-degree banking on straights
• Length of frontstretch: 1,952 feet
• Length of backstretch: 1,360 feet

Race length: 334 laps/500 miles

TV schedule (All times ET)

• Bud Pole Qualifying: 7 p.m. Thu., SPEED
• NASCAR Live: 2 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Final practice: 6 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Trackside: 7 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• NASCAR Live: Noon Sat., SPEED
• NASCAR This Morning: 5:30 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• Pre-race show: 7 p.m. Sat., NBC
• Race: 7:25 p.m. Sat., NBC

Sweeping upJohnson completes a season sweep at Lowe's Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

One year ago, Jimmie Johnson led teammate Jeff Gordon across the finish line for a 1-2 finish for Hendrick Motorsports -- but gained almost no ground in the Chase for the Championship.

The most recent checkered flag went to Mark Martin, who led more than half of Sunday's Banquet 400 and held off teammate Greg Biffle to get his first points-paying victory of the season.

Keep an eye on Carl Edwards. He's posted three consecutive top-10 finishes after beginning the Chase with a 19th-place result in the first Chase event at New Hampshire. Since then, Edwards has finished ninth at Dover, fifth at Talladega and third last week at Kansas behind two of his Roush Racing teammates, Martin and Greg Biffle.

Busch Series: Dollar General 300

Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway

• 1.5-mile oval
• 24-degree banking in turns
• 5-degree banking on straights
• Length of frontstretch: 1,952 feet
• Length of backstretch: 1,360 feet

Race length: 200 laps/300 miles

TV schedule (All times ET)

• Busch Pole Qualifying: 2:30 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Race: 8:00 p.m. Fri., TNT

One year ago, Mike Bliss made a daredevil, three-wide move to take the lead with 18 laps to go and made it stick, getting his first career Busch Series victory.

Historic victoryBliss celebrates his first career Busch Series victory Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

The most recent checkered flag went to Kasey Kahne, who held off the superior Ford of Greg Biffle through a thrilling final lap to win the United Way 300 at Kansas on Saturday.

Keep an eye on Ryan Newman. He is entered in Friday's race and hopes to become the first driver in the series to record the most consecutive wins in the same season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. set the mark with five consecutive wins, however those came over a period of three seasons.

Newman recently tied two-time series champion Sam Ard's record of four consecutive wins with his most recent victory at Dover. Ard set the mark in 1983 with wins at South Boston, Martinsville, Orange County and Charlotte.

Mark Spoor is a senior producer for NASCAR.COM. The Domino's Viewer's Guide appears each Thursday during race weeks.