For NASCAR fans, working with guys like Richard Petty and Tony Stewart would be a dream come true. But what if you aren't a follower of the sport -- would the effect still be the same? For Stacey Harris, the brand manager for Goody's Headache Powder, a longtime sponsor of NASCAR, the answer is a resounding yes.

"There are words that don't describe it," Harris said. "It has been a treasure and a joy to work with them."

Harris' foray into NASCAR began two years ago, when she accepted the job with Goody's. As an undergraduate from North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C., Harris admitted when she took the position, her knowledge of the sport was "minimal to non-existent," but all it took was one trip to historic Darlington Raceway for her to become a fan for life.

"All I can say is my first impression was 'wow,'" Harris said. "It was so much more than I ever expected. Some people have said to me, 'NASCAR isn't it kind of boring? The cars are just going around in circles for all these miles?' I was like, I'm gonna go and find out. And I found it to be so much more exciting.

"You're at the edge of your seat because you never know what is going to happen. [Look at] the last lap of the Daytona 500, where Tony Stewart was leading and then all of a sudden on the last lap, it changed and he ended up coming in third. That's what makes NASCAR engaging and exciting and interesting and it's so much more than cars going around in a circle. Once you've experienced it, you kind of become hooked on it."

As brand manager for Goody's, Harris is responsible for the entire management of the headache powder, which includes marketing, retail, new product development and managing the company's relationships with all of its NASCAR partners.

One of those partners is 200-race winner and Goody's spokesman for life, Petty, who Harris says is one truly amazing individual.

"Richard is the epitome of a gentleman, Southern hospitality and he's just overall a great person," Harris said. "When I joined Goody's and started working with them, they brought me in as part of the family.

"I feel very honored to be working with him and it was quite a privilege to facilitate him as our lifetime spokesperson for Goody's."

Petty, the first driver to become a life-long spokesperson for a non-automotive company when he signed an extension with Goody's in 2007 (read more), said Harris is part of the team at Petty Enterprises.

"Even though she was new to the sport, Stacey jumped into racing with both feet and immediately became part of the Petty Enterprises family," Petty said. "She has an enthusiastic personality, smart ideas and a big smile that always makes working with her enjoyable." (Continued)