Have you ever wondered who the man is with the dark, striking looks standing near Tony Stewart during most TV interviews? You know, the man poised like a bodyguard sporting the FBI agent type ear piece.

Or what about the seemingly always smiling, white-haired gentleman beside or behind Carl Edwards on pit road?

And every time you see Jeff Gordon, you see a strawberry blonde fellow dutifully ushering the driver through the garage never farther than an arm's reach of Gordon.

Who are these men and what are they doing? Are they super fans? Stalkers? Side kicks?

No, none of the above. They are gatekeepers, ring leaders or sometimes referred to as "the man (or woman) behind the man."

They are a drivers' road map in navigating NASCAR's demanding schedules and expectations, because in today's heavily marketed sport, behind every good driver needs to be an even better publicist.

They disseminate the driver's message, protect his image and see that the driver is meeting the demands of the business: appearances, interviews, commercial shoots, charitable obligations, etc.

Storylines today tend to center on driver-crew chief relationships, but I've learned the relationship between a driver and his publicist is equally as important and interesting.

Take for instance Mike Arning. The 30-something Massachusetts native has flanked Tony Stewart off the track for as long as crew chief Greg Zipadelli has steered the driver on the track. The key to their long-lasting relationship, in a business with relatively high turnover, is mutual trust.

Since November 1999, Arning, vice president of True Speed Communication, has ensured that the media, the Cup team and sponsors are getting enough Tony time. It's a delicate balance between all three, which can comprise of hundreds of request in one month alone.

"At the end of the day, Tony is a person, not a thing or an object ... I can't wear him out. I make sure nothing gets in the way of that. It's important that the people who are supporting him via sponsor dollars get the best return on their investment."

He likens the job to that of a traffic cop. And like a good enforcer, publicists need to anticipate traffic jams.

Operating in Stewart's world, Arning has to be proactive and anticipate possible situations. Stewart especially, as he is the driver most likely to disregard traffic laws -- he doesn't like to yield and most often feels he has the right of way.

After the 2007 spring race at Texas Motor Speedway, Stewart, visibly ticked off in light of a crash between him and Juan Montoya, vented his frustration in front of the cameras and at the time said, "I'm ready to retire. As soon as I get enough money saved to where I can retire, I'd be more than happy to retire."

Knowing every word and action Stewart makes in front of the media solicits a reaction, Arning, in a discreet manner tapped his driver on the shoulder during the live TV interview indicating he may want to "call it a day."

"I thought I'd try and make his life a little easier, because he would end up having to explain the interview weeks after," Arning said.

Stewart wasn't having any of it, snapped at Arning, and finished his diatribe.

Sure enough, the next week Stewart was fielding questions from the media regarding the driver's idea to step away from NASCAR.

This is one of the many layers of responsibility publicists handle, but Arning's job isn't to buff out Stewart's rough edges or attempt to install a filter between the driver brain and mouth. He knows that Stewart will be who he wants to be and has learned to appreciate that virtue during the course of their nearly decade-long relationship.

"My job is not to change Tony, but to be there as a sounding board for him," he said.

He can't change the driver but Arning has certainly learned to read him, a talent any good publicist is quick to learn. Through Stewart's mannerisms and idiosyncrasies, Arning can almost predict his next move.

"That's the toughest part ... knowing how to read is idiosyncrasies," Arning said. "One way of knowing is when he pulls into the pits after a race. How quickly or gently he places the steering wheel on the dashboard is a good indication of whether or not he's up for talking."

One driver who is always up for talking is Carl Edwards, mostly because of his gregarious personality.

The man guiding the driver is the aforementioned smiley, white-haired gentleman Randy Fuller, senior media relations manager at Roush Fenway Racing and Edwards' right-hand man.

His iconic white hair is Edwards' lighthouse so to speak.

"A couple years ago, Carl and I were going from his RV to the Cup garage and he always walks behind me so he can sign autographs. One day I wore a hat. I had sunburn on my nose or something. Well, he looked up and yelled my name, he couldn't find me, but I was standing right next to him. He told me 'don't ever wear that hat again, I couldn't find you,'" Fuller laughed.

Their relationship has spanned Edwards' four-year Cup career and a handful of people have stood in for Fuller, but only for a short time as Edwards' is particular about who handles his NASCAR life and understandably so.

Both men are military-minded; sticklers for promptness and require an abundance of information and research before any final decisions are made.

"Before Carl does an interview, he wants to know who else has been interviewed and the whole background of the article, most drivers don't care about that stuff but Carl just likes to know everything. He wants to make sure he is doing the right thing for his brand," said Fuller, who prints out a "hot list" each week of media and sponsor request Edwards' then dissects and prioritizes.

It's a system that works for the two men who see each other as much as their respective significant others. Fuller even has his own room at Edwards' home in Columbia, Mo., the same home the driver grew up in as a boy.

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