For 17 years, he was on the other side as a crew chief for some of the biggest names in NASCAR, including Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Kyle Petty.

But since 2004, Robin Pemberton has served as vice president of competition for the governing body. He talked with NASCAR.COM at Phoenix International Raceway last weekend about many of the issues confronting the sport as the 2009 season prepares to draw to a close with Ford Championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

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When we get to the Daytona 500 next February, people will not care what I did in December. They will wonder why I did not work harder.

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ROBIN PEMBERTON

Question: There are many opinions flying around right now about the state of NASCAR. What is your general opinion on the state of the sport?

Pemberton: I think things are in pretty good shape. I think we've had great competition this year. We have some rivalries that have developed throughout the year -- and for the most part, I think we've had some of the best competition I can remember in my years in the sport.

Q: Yet most estimates put attendance as being off by about 15 percent. What do you attribute that to?

Pemberton: I think it's a well-known fact that the economy has not helped things. When people have their disposable incomes reduced, they have to make choices. Our fans can't come to the amount of races that they've come to in the past. When they're able to come again, we'll be here for them to put on a good show.

Q: This sport is different from others in that so much relies on corporate sponsorship dollars. Some say next year might be worse than this year for NASCAR in that regard. Your thoughts?

Pemberton: You know, you can speculate all you want. Next year, what we do is we plan for the worst. Everybody watches their budgets and runs their business. All these teams out here, they're running their businesses the way they see fit.

But I can't comment or speculate on what may or may not be out there. We've worked with the teams and talked to them, and we know where they all lay in terms of having to make business sense out of all this. There is not the free flow of money that there once was -- but that's what America is about. It comes and it goes, and it goes in cycles.

Q: Are you concerned that there will be more start-and-park efforts to fill fields next season?

Pemberton: We have always seen, throughout the years, a number of people who don't intend to run all the laps of a race. Or if they don't run all the laps of a race, it's OK with them. It isn't something that just came up. I saw it in the 1980s; I saw it in the '70s. And I've heard about it in other times.

There are people who like to compete at a higher level. And there are some of the teams who do what they do; they put more effort toward some races than others, in terms of trying to compete. Once again, it's about their balance sheets and what they have to do.

Q: At Phoenix last weekend, owner Kevin Buckler of TRG Motorsports admitted that he runs the full races when he can and other times this season has had to start and park for financial reasons. Is that the kind of operation you're talking about?

Pemberton: There are days when he has to race, and days when he can't. But it's nice to know that the purse structure is enough that guys can take advantage of that -- and that there are days when they can run as hard as they can and compete for the highest finish they can get.

Budding rivalry

It's not just Brian France. Everyone wants a word with Brad Keselowski these days. Robin Pemberton had some interesting words of his own.

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Q: Another hot issue this season was Talladega -- again. What can be done to keep the cars on the ground there?

Pemberton: We're working on that. Like anything, many of our rules and regulations come out of a reaction. Carl [Edwards'] wreck [in the spring race, where he nearly went into the grandstands] was what it was. We made a change there [in terms of minor modifications to the car]. The race track has done a job with their catch fences and stuff to further protect the race fans, and we're working right now on some things that hopefully we can put out there that will help all of that.

Q: It looks like you're going to end the year with two four-time champions -- not only Jimmie Johnson, who is poised to capture his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title, but also in Ron Hornaday, who often is overlooked but already has clinched his fourth Camping World Truck Series title. As a guy who clearly respects the history of this sport as much as anybody, can you put those accomplishments in perspective?

Pemberton: Absolutely. You look at those accomplishments, and you look at the high regard in which people hold the accomplishments of Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, and all those types of guys ... when you look at that, everybody looks at how Cale won three [Cup titles] in a row. He was a hard racer, a great competitor. And here Jimmie not only has tied him, but has the opportunity to pass him and set a record.

I tell you, I appreciate what it takes to make that happen. And I think everybody in this garage area appreciates what it takes to make that happen. It's a great feat. To do four in a row is incredible. To do four of anything .. there are many people who go through a career and don't get one of anything.

Q: And Hornaday?

Pemberton: Hornaday is a great racer. He's been around a little bit and has been on all different levels throughout NASCAR. ... To still be able to compete at his high level in one of our three national series, everyone should really appreciate what he's done for the sport and what he has accomplished.

Q: What are you going to do in the off-season to relax?

Pemberton: Work on next year. Work on stuff at the wind tunnel. Work with our guys on Daytona and Talladega.

Q: Come on, aren't you going to at least take a couple days off to go fishing or golfing or something like that?

Pemberton: I'll get a couple days off, but it'll be shorter than it's ever been probably. When we get to the Daytona 500 next February, people will not care what I did in December. They will wonder why I did not work harder. The fans won't care and the teams won't care. They'll only care if we did something to help the Daytona 500, so hopefully we'll get some of that stuff put to rest in the next three or four weeks and get to work.