Former Olympic star ready to make mark in NASCAR (cont'd)

Among some of her career highlights were having Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens cry on camera, some "amazing" interviews with baseball's Barry Bonds, and breaking the news about Alex Rodriguez wanting to leave Seattle.

Ironically, all on the list have had their share of off-the-field issues and for Bonds and Rodriguez, both are front-and-center in the steroid controversy. Maxie witnessed first-hand in Seoul the devastation one can suffer when they try to cheat. Those were the games in which Canadian Ben Johnson set the world record in the 100-meter dash only to be disqualified for using performance-enhancing drugs.

Maxie isn't surprised some do whatever is necessary to excel.

"In some ways it's beneficial to society because it helps us push the envelope in ways that have been tremendous in a variety of areas," Maxie said. "But the nature of people also have a dark side -- that they are willing to cheat and steal from their legacy. You know when you line up against somebody who cheats ... as an athlete you know. What I can say is like my grandmother would say, 'You may get by but you can't get away.'"

Performance-enhancing drugs are relatively new to NASCAR. This season marks the first where the sport requires random drug tests. Despite the newness, Maxie said NASCAR should be commended for heading down this road.

"I'm glad NASCAR is doing something. You have to start someplace," Maxie said. "With NASCAR just starting, I think the mere fact that they took the steps to start, they need to be applauded. I think they need to be given the time to work out how they are going to gauge their athletes in a way that's meaningful because it's different for a NASCAR athlete than other athletes. Could they do more? I think any governing body can always do more. The question is balancing personal privacy and those issues with the need to keep the sanctity of the sport pure."

Another hot-button issue surrounding Maxie's new employer is diversity -- one Maxie knows all too well being a black woman in a professional environment. If first impressions really do speak volumes, then Maxie says NASCAR is heading in the right direction.

"I think the mere fact that [NASCAR chairman] Brian France says the diversity initiative is No. 1 on his chart speaks volumes because I can't think of another league president who could make that same statement without flinching," Maxie said. "What I can say is, having gone through the Charlotte office, the Daytona Beach office, the New York office, I was very pleased to see the myriad of colors and sexes -- because diversity isn't all about ethnicity, it's also about gender. There are a lot of women working for NASCAR and to their credit they have a strong diversity program that they work hard to develop and I'm not considered part of it. But it is a working reality of a day-to-day basis of what I see and they don't toot their horn about that.

"I don't think that too much attention can be paid to diversity. What I can say is my experience with NASCAR is it's a very diverse company, as diverse or more than what I've seen in my lifetime -- and I've had some pretty far-reaching experiences when it comes to corporations and specifically sports because I've always worked in sports. You can match them up against any other league and they will hold their own."

Maxie didn't grow up a race fan -- just a sports fan. And when she was introduced to racing through her television work, she was amazed at how different NASCAR was compared to other professional sport leagues.

"They really were invested in me getting the story and getting it in the can and in good order so I wasn't stressing," Maxie said. "As a reporter I thought what they did was exceptional because sometimes it's not that easy to cover professional sports. One thing that I'm very glad to find on the other end is what they intended to create really was intentional."

Before taking the job with NASCAR, Maxie thought back to interviews she conducted with Cup champions Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. It was then she realized this is where she belonged.

"I've always had a passion for sports, for athletes and what it takes to be exceptional," Maxie said. "What it takes to convert that passion into a peak performance, I think is amazing. And not just that but to be able to do it and be a stand up person at the same time.

"My son is an amazing athlete but I tell him, 'If you can swing a bat and you're a jerk, you're a jerk.' And he's not a jerk -- he's a good kid. But that's the thing, to be able to balance this amazing gift that God has given you with your place in the world. Unfortunately we don't see it as often as we should, but when we do it's something we should salute that's very attractive.

"Have I always had a passion for motorsports? Not any more than any other sport. But standing in Victory Lane with Jimmie Johnson enjoying his first victory [at Fontana], kind and engaging and then to see him [years later] and he's the same way -- that's attractive."