Hauler duo finds NASCAR's road to marital happiness (cont'd)

The biggest benefit of the partnership is splitting the hours behind the wheel. For trips out West especially, having one drive while the other sleeps keeps everyone safe.

In the last few years, more and more NASCAR teams are hiring co-transport drivers to help with the haul in light of tighter Department of Transportation regulations restricting the length of time a driver can be behind the wheel. Authorities are constantly checking logs to ensure drivers are following the rules. Drivers can work 14-hour shifts but legally can only drive 11 hours. An eight-hour sleep shift is required as well.

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I make sure they look good when they go out the door. And I've listened to them cry, talk about tough times, stories of their kids. They trust what Bill and I have to say because we've raised four kids of our own.

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-- CINDY LEWIS

"If you get caught out of hours they will shut you down," Bill said. "Our companies can't afford DOT pressure. We just need to focus on getting the truck to the track and make sure it's nice and clean for the sponsor."

Driving the truck safely isn't the only duty Bill and Cindy share. They have become known as 'mama and papa' of the entire No. 2 Penske team.

"That's the name they've put on us," said Cindy, who plays a traditional, maternal role: Cooking meals for everyone, cleaning the inside of the transporter and ensuring the fire suits are ready to wear. "I make sure they look good when they go out the door. And I've listened to them cry, talk about tough times, stories of their kids. They trust what Bill and I have to say because we've raised four kids of our own."

While some -- for lack of a better term -- team moms are criticized for dumping canned ravioli into a Crock Pot, Cindy is peeling spuds behind the truck for homemade mashed potatoes and gravy. She has become famous for her tuna salad and makes two versions: one with onions and one without. Kurt doesn't like onions, she said. And she always keeps the hot dog machine rolling for Roger Penske.

"I spoil the guys but they are like kids to Bill and I," Cindy said. "We know their families and they know ours. We had the guys over for Easter dinner, that's how close we are.

Bill's role is more paternal: Warning the crewmen not to stay out too late or else face the music in the morning in addition to needs in the garage, car parts, fuel and sometimes spotting duties on race days.

Having a spouse who travels the NASCAR circuit 36 weekends a year is difficult, but it's actually enjoyable for the couples who can create an arrangement together as Bill and Cindy have.

But working together wasn't an arrangement they both set out to find when they married 21 years ago. The job for a co-transport driver at Penske Racing was created and Bill shuddered at the thought of sitting in a truck for consecutive days and sharing a hotel room for multiple nights with someone other than his wife.

From previous experience, Cindy knew her way around a truck -- she spoke the language, knew the lifestyle and could pull her own weight. All she needed was her CDL certification.

"Now I don't have to put up with guys listening to hard rock on the radio or getting belligerent with other drivers on the road," Bill said. "Cindy and I are on the same page. We can just kick back ..."

And who wants to room with another dude when you can bunk with your better half?

"The time we spend is pretty awesome together," Cindy said. "We get to see the world together. What more could you want?"

Both Cindy and Bill compete in NASCAR related truck driving competitions where obstacle-type courses are set up at tracks. Bill holds two championship titles (2005 and 2007) and the prize money went to buy Harley Davidson motorcycles the couple rides in their spare time.

"We get along so great and work is just like being on vacation," she said.

That was until NASCAR kept adding racing to the schedule, Cindy laughed.

"We lean on each other and just make a great team."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.