Convo: Gary Gardner

Whenever you're at a NASCAR track and you see important people, you're likely to see Gary Gardner close behind.

Such was the case at the Pepsi 400 when presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani attended a drivers' meeting or when NASCAR chairman Brian France arrived to announce the NASCAR Cup Series' name change.

He's the director of security for NASCAR, and as if ensuring a secure environment for all 36 races wasn't enough responsibility, Gardner also oversees executive and driver protection for the sport.

An Indiana native, Gardner served 32 years as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is a decorated U.S. Army Ranger and Vietnam veteran, and a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C.

Gardner's list of credentials is why NASCAR has him protecting the sport's front lines.

In between policing perpetrators who try to defraud the NASCAR system and planning for a safe and smooth trip to the upcoming Busch Series race in Canada, Gardner paused to tell NASCAR.COM more about his role securing the country's most popular form of motorsports.

Q: You've gone from dodging bullets in the FBI's bank robbery division to doling out crisis management plans to racetracks; from police pursuits to pit road. You were in three shootouts in the FBI and carried a gun; now you carry a race radio. What a change! Are both equally as challenging?

Gardner: Nothing rattles me in this job. I've been through a whole lot worse in the FBI. This [NASCAR] is fun, but I can draw on all those years of experience and situations. It gives me credibility with the tracks and my counterparts. So it's fun but the challenge is still there, the challenge to bring all of the tracks to a high level of security and safety, to make sure we protect the brand and everyone comes out to the races safely and leaves with a great experience.

Q: When you're at the track you look important, you've got the ear piece going, the shades, the hat ... what do you do exactly?

Gardner: A lot of people see me at the track and think that's what I do. I'm just at the track, but our department is responsible for all of our facilities around the world, the multiple companies NASCAR owns, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, our aircraft hangers and boats along with executive and driver protection. The job encompasses far more than going out to the track and making sure everyone has their passes. I make sure the facilities and tracks are complying with our safety standards.

In the sanctioning agreement, we control the garage; we issue credentials, so we ensure the tracks are compliant with our standards.

Q: You take care of the NASCAR drivers as if they were your own. How do you keep the stalkeresque fans in check and deal with potential threats?

Gardner: We utilize the resources we have at the tracks and assign different people to the high-profile drivers: Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony [Stewart] ... any given week you've got ups and downs. Remember last year with Brian Vickers [wrecked Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. during at Talladega]? We had to pay close attention to him and make sure to watch for over-excitable fans. He received threatening letters so we heightened awareness and when he took his ride around the track we had an officer riding in the cab just in case, watching.

You watch over them, and sometimes that means walking with them, sometimes it means standing back and observing and watching from a distance. You have to be very aware of what is around you, other people's behavior, because you may have to react to something

You know it when you see it. You see when people are excited. The way they stare, the way they approach, the way they lay back in between a hauler somewhere. I'm looking for certain things that pique my awareness.

Guys will come up to me if they've received letters, if someone is stalking them, if they've been getting calls or if a fan mentions they are coming to the track. Something they are not sure about. (Continued)