Bikini-clad, standing in heels with a plastered smile on your face and instructed to smooch the gritty and oh-so-sweaty cheek of the winning wheelman.

Sound like a fun job, huh?

Actually, it was a high honor in motorsports during the 1960s and '70s, because you were the first to greet the winner during his special moment and have your picture taken along side him. I get it, but today's proverbial trophy girl refuses to be anyone's eye candy in Victory Lane.

Patti and Kyle Petty are among a small group of drivers who married a Miss Winston.

The culture has changed, but one rule has remained: no dating drivers.

Today she's college educated, well versed in the ways of social media and can pitch a product better than the late Billy Mays.

She's Miss Sprint Cup -- fan ambassador, friend on the inside, fellow fan, whatever you call her. Just don't call her a "trophy girl."

"Absolutely offensive," said Monica Palumbo, a Miss Sprint Cup figure since Sprint became NASCAR's title sponsor in 2008. "We've worked really hard to change the program and change our name, change the perceptions."

The program Palumbo is referring to is a multi-layered marketing strategy Sprint has implemented to bring better access and tech-savvy experiences to the NASCAR fan via three very friendly female faces.

Tim Considine, general manager of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series sponsorship, said the Miss Sprint Cup positions have proven successful which is why the company chose to add to its lineup this season. In addition to Palumbo, Paige Duke and Amanda Wright are now Miss Sprint Cup figures as well.

"The Miss Sprint Cup program is a way to bring fans closer to the sport through our cutting edge technologies at the track whether it's the Sprint Experience mobile display or Sprint Vision on the Jumbotron," Considine said. "These three people are at epicenter of the sport, they know the crew chiefs, the drivers and are sharing their access to the sport with the fans."

Miss Sprint Cup is especially popular among the social media sites and boasts more than 71,000 fans on Facebook, 5,700 followers on Twitter, and maintains the largest membership (approx. 64,000 members) of any crew in NASCAR.COM's Community.

Her ability to tweet about what took place in Turn 2 and write about her chat with Jimmie Johnson on her Facebook page is a stark contrast to the job given her 1970s predecessor Miss Winston.

A spokesperson for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Miss Winston, remembered for the hundreds of Victory Lane kisses she delivered, held a long time post in the sport from 1971 until the company's sponsorship ended in 2003.

Her job: "Pass out cigarettes every single weekend, that was my main job," said Shannon Wiseman, Miss Winston 2002-2003. "I was to give cigarettes to everyone in the garage that smoked and I took it seriously. I made an effort to know what everyone smoked too."

Wiseman said she rarely did public interviews or appearances because of the restrictions placed on the cigarette sponsor.

"I couldn't be in a magazine or publicized like Miss Sprint Cup is today but I loved being with the fans and signing autographs," she added.

The culture has changed, that is obvious, but one rule that remained the same through the years: no-dating-the-drivers policy.

During the era of Miss Winston the rule seemingly wasn't enforced or policed at all. At least four Miss Winston figures went on to become a Mrs. NASCAR.

• Former Miss Winston Patti Petty married Kyle Petty;
• Renee White is the ex-wife of former Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope;
• Andy Petree married Patrice McBride;
• Brooke Sealey, the Miss Winston who is Jeff Gordon's ex wife.

"My agent told me, 'You know that you're not supposed to date drivers. If they ask you, lie.' I said I can't lie I'm sorry too many people saw me at the track and there are pictures circulating I can't lie," Wiseman said referring to her prior relationship with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

As a result, trophy girls acquired a reputation for romancing drivers during that time.

Miss Sprint Cup 2010, from left: Monica Palumbo, Amanda Wright and Paige Duke

The rules

While it may have been somewhat acceptable for the trophy girls to fraternize with the wheelmen back then, Sprint will not tolerate the behavior in today's corporate NASCAR.

If Miss Sprint Cup is caught canoodling with a driver she is ...

"Immediate termination, we are done. We even signed a contract," Palumbo said.

It's clear that Sprint's mission is to utilize Miss Sprint Cup as a marketing tool representing the company. Nevertheless, an attractive female is still one of the main prerequisites for the job.

"A pretty face is going to get everyone's attention, that will never change, but then beyond that it's about what you have to say," Wiseman said.

And if you're Miss Sprint Cup communication is key. Each Miss Sprint Cup, during the selection process, must pass a written and verbal portion of the interview.

"The entire selection process is built around her ability to speak, to talk to our customers, high level executives and important business at the track," said Considine.

In addition, the ladies are tested on their congeniality, ability to be photographed and power to connect with the fan base.

Who are they?

Miss Sprint Cup Paige Duke should have no problems connecting with the hardcore NASCAR fans; she is a self-described country girl. A graduate of Clemson University, Duke hunts and once appeared in a country music video. She also has two Pit Bulls so don't think about messing with her.

Miss Sprint Cup Amanda Wright seems a bit tamer; she has a pageant background, sings and has two rescue cats, Pan and Muffin.

Palumbo, the veteran Miss Sprint Cup, could be the happy medium between the two personalities. She is an actress who once appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly, likes the beach and has two Pugs, Dallas and Banks.

All three females know they are representing Sprint, the sport of NASCAR and above all themselves.

So when they're in Victory Lane, no skin, their custom-made fire suits cover nearly every inch. Hair must be pulled back in order to see the Sprint brand blazoned on their uniform. No heels, only sensible shoes, and absolutely no kissing!

Sometimes drivers -- Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin -- get excited and understandably emotional and feel the need to hug the first person they see and that is understandable.

But Tony Stewart, who stole an innocent kiss on the cheek from former Miss Sprint Cup Anne-Marie Rhodes after he won the 2007 Brickyard 400, has to keep his lips to himself from here on out.

"We know they're just excited and we laugh it off and keep doing your job, maintain a level of professionalism," Palumbo said. "But this is a dream job, we have a front-row seat to some of the sport's most memorable moments."

And the memories shared certainly makes getting showered with Gatorade, or whatever sponsor friendly beverage is being thrown around at the time, more than worth it.