Five things about ... the tallest man in NASCAR

One of the sport's more intriguing characters, Brad Daugherty is a head turner in the NASCAR garage.

Walking amongst the crowds, his 7-foot stature tends to dwarf the drivers that stop to talk to him; even the likes of Carl Edwards appear vertically challenged.

The former NBA star turned team owner admits he doesn't blend into the background, but racing has been second nature to him since the North Carolina native was a young boy.

1. Free throws and fenders ...

"I grew up around racing, I'm a huge race fan but then I grew into this big ol' body and had a chance to play basketball. I'm 7 feet tall. I weigh 300 pounds and have a 40-inch waste. It's a weird mix seeing me around here."

A former All-American basketball player for the University of North Carolina who went on to play in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Daugherty's hero wasn't Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson but Richard Petty. During his nine years with the Cavaliers he wore the No. 43 on his jersey, the number Petty made famous in his NASCAR career.

2. New number ...

"I run late models whenever I get a chance, it's a weekly series. I run Tri-County, Hickory, Myrtle Beach, so I race some when I get days off. It's my own funded car. I switched to No. 34 to honor Wendell Scott, some of the tracks he ran I'm running now. The King is still my hero but I thought that would be cool."

Daugherty first ran the number earlier this season during a 15-lap celebrity race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Scott ran the No. 34 as the first black driver to compete full time in NASCAR's premier series.

Before LeBron James came along, Brad Daugherty evoked the pride of another King in Cleveland.

3. New experiences ...

As a partner in JTG Daugherty Racing, Daugherty is opening his mind to new experiences. While that may not be entirely true, his driver of the No. 47 Toyota, Marcos Ambrose of Tasmania, isn't giving up anytime soon.

"He's trying to get me to eat that Vegemite, that stuff looks nasty. There's no way, looks like dried beer, I'm not eating that. I don't eat weird stuff. But I'm trying to go home with him next year if I can, he's going to show me around Australia.

4. Quality television ...

Since the closing of his NBA career, Daugherty has been a sports analyst for the NBA, college basketball and now NASCAR for ESPN. However, that doesn't mean his TV is always on sports channels.

"I love Spike TV. And I've become an Operation Repo fanatic. It just started coming on about three months ago. I love that show and I watch it every Monday night."

5. The job(s) ...

Brad Daugherty the ESPN analyst or Brad Daugherty the NASCAR team owner. Which does he prefer?

"I'm was a radio/television motion-picture major at the University of North Carolina. When I left pro basketball I did TV for the Cleveland Cavaliers and did college ball analyst work for five years for ESPN, but I grew up around racing. I always wanted to put my television stuff to work someday so I've been blessed to do basketball and now racing.

"The big thing is I'm a racer at heart, I love the experience of being at the race track every weekend and having a stake in it makes it that more important. I would be here anyway as a fan but having ownership really gives me something to focus on and compete with. It's fun."