Publicists: Cogs that make drivers well-oiled machines (cont'd)

Fuller's job doesn't stop after the race weekend at the track; the two crisscross the country together for sponsor appearances, interviews and photo shoots and sometimes Fuller will bunk at Edwards' house in order for the driver to get some time at home.

"If someone is going to handle your life, you need good chemistry and a relationship built on trust," Fuller said. "We have to be brutally honest with one another sometimes, the good, bad and ugly."

Edwards doesn't need much polishing, the image he conveys has been consistently optimistic in his four-year career but sometimes even he has slips Fuller must clean up along the way.

Fuller recalled a time where his driver was dutifully thanking his laundry list of sponsors in a TV interview and called his Sharp sponsor Sony.

"After that I wrote in marker "Sharp" on the back of my clipboard and flashed it to him during his next interviews," Fuller said.

And certainly bigger ones have occurred where Fuller must tell his driver the situation should've been handled differently; confrontations with teammates, etc.

On the whole, the two share a unique, personal relationship.

"I have kids Carl's age and I think he sees me as a mentor to some extent," Fuller said. "We talk about personal stuff and he looks to me for advice sometimes."

Jeff Gordon on the other hand; his publicist says the driver requires little to no work at all.

By the time he reached Gordon in 2000, the driver was well versed in working the media and maintaining his respectable image. He was already a three-time Cup champion and graced the cover of TV Guide and Fortune magazine.

Jon Edwards, like Arning, has one of the longest-standing publicist-driver relationships in the garage. He's the strawberry blonde fellow never an arm's length away from Gordon and his driver understands the value of the media.

"I don't coach Jeff, what I will do is see potential pitfalls, a certain line of questions that are prevalent that week. I'll say 'hey this is what the media seems to be asking this week' and I'll make him aware of it and we'll discuss different issues that are occurring," Edwards' said. "He'll state his side and I'll do the same, but ultimately what he says is his decision."

Edwards, who works for Performance PR Plus contracted through Gordon's sponsor DuPont, arms his driver with enough information so that he can deliver educated answers on a variety of topics.

And the topics are widespread as Gordon is one of the most requested interviews in NASCAR across mainstream media outlets; including late night and daytime talk shows, national fashion and lifestyle magazines and network programming.

Gordon was the first and only driver to appear in Men's Vogue, but watch out, next month Stewart will be featured in Rolling Stone magazine.

Big mainstream media grabs where their drivers are featured outside the traditional NASCAR media outlets are big for publicists, but Edwards knows catering to the sponsor's ideal grabs are equally important.

"From my standpoint our client is DuPont [a chemical and health care company], so Oprah would be good for Jeff but it would be great for him to get exposure in Science Magazine. That would be more beneficial for the sponsor."

And while each publicist share basically the same challenges, navigating their drivers through the business and competitive side of the sport, Edwards still has a unique challenge.

"I try to respect the time he has with his family," Edwards said.

In the midst of trying to accommodate 50 to 75 requests for Gordon's time each week, Edwards always has Gordon's daughter Ella, who recently turned one, in the back of his mind.

"I have to make sure he finds time for his family," he added.

But when you're a publicist, your own family can be sidelined at times. The job of a publicist, Arning said, is "like the Internet, going 24 hours a day."

Being at the drivers' side has it perks: notoriety, traveling the world, experiencing the joys of Victory Lane, but it's a grueling schedule not fit for the weak.

"A lot of my friends do think my job is cool, then again my friends don't see me until December," Edwards said. "It's difficult but that's the trade off."

These men understand the importance of their roles and understand they are the device in a highly sophisticated marketing machine. And the machine doesn't operate smoothly if their drivers aren't prepared.

Edwards, along with Fuller and Arning, look to be with their respective drivers until their careers end and will outlast any crew chief to cross their path.

Jokingly, Edwards tells Gordon, "You'd be lost without me."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer