NASCAR.COM recently had the chance to chat with the omni-talented Ed Roland. You may know him as the lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist for Collective Soul and their single “Counting the Days,” which appears on the IMAX NASCAR 3D soundtrack. But did you know he’s also a big Dale Jr. fan? Check it out.

NASCAR.COM: Collective Soul been laying low for the past 3 years, it's good to have you back in the spotlight.

ER: It's good to be back.

NASCAR.COM: Your schedule shows you touring like mad. What's it feel like to be back in front of your friends... er, fans?

ER: We call them friends, too. And you know, it's great. It's kinda like your reward. You're in the studio and you're doing all these new songs, and you get excited about it, and when you finally get to present it to the fans and your friends and you see their excitement, it makes you feel really good about what you've done. That's our reward for doing music. It truly is.

NASCAR.COM: What kind of venues are you playing on your current tour?

ER: A lot of festivals and a lot of 2,000 seat venues. It's a good way for us to reintroduce ourselves to the public again after the three year break.

NASCAR.COM: How far is your tour going to take you? Nationwide?

ER: It's a national tour and we're tackling it region by region. It'll kickoff in the west and we'll work our way to the east.

NASCAR.COM: Your song on the IMAX NASCAR 3D Movie soundtrack, "Counting The Days," how did it all come together?

ER: It was one of the first songs we wrote for our new CD. It's a song about looking toward freedom. I'm really not sure what I wrote it about. It could be about a relationship, a business relationship, or whatever. You know something good is going to happen, but you've got to have patience -- you've got to have that in the back of your mind -- that in a couple of days, everything's gonna be cool. Your reward is coming.

NASCAR.COM: That sort of a theme is universal and fits perfectly into how it was used in the new IMAX NASCAR 3D Movie and soundtrack. Was that perfect fit one of those happy accidents?

ER: Yah, it really was. And it's great to be part of the whole NASCAR deal. The growing popularity of the sport is amazing and we really enjoy being a part of it. Last year, we were invited to be part of the show at the Chevy Rock and Roll 400. And it's one of those things that I've tried to explain to people, but I don't think you really can in words. I think you have to experience NASCAR to truly appreciate and understand what it's all about. To me, it's the ultimate rock and roll show. I thought we had the rock and roll show, but we truly don't. It's all about that race. It's one of the coolest experiences I've ever had.

NASCAR.COM: Richmond International Raceway is a great place to see a race.

ER: Man, I couldn't imagine any place that would be better. It was the last race before they determined the Chase runners. It was like a playoff game. You had to be there.

NASCAR.COM: Has your fan base always been in the same demographic as NASCAR's fan base?

ER: I think it has. And when you think about it, the demographic for NASCAR has been changing too. It's like our fan base. It's ever-changing and ever-growing.

NASCAR.COM: How did the IMAX NASCAR 3D Movie and soundtrack deal come about?

ER: Actually, our manager had been working with LeAnn Rimes, who has done some work with NASCAR. Well, we were watching the Daytona 500 and heard her sing the National Anthem -- and we didn't even have that manager then, but he had some relationships with NASCAR. And when they came to us and asked us to be a part of it, we were honored. It was a great way to springboard the band and the music.

NASCAR.COM: And did they already have the song in mind when they came to you?

ER: Yah, I think they did. By that time we already hired our new manager and it was a perfect fit, for both parties.

NASCAR.COM: So, do you consider yourself a car guy?

ER: We all consider ourselves car guys. But we don't put our cars up on jacks or anything like that. We don't have the time for that. But yah, everybody in the band, we love cars.

NASCAR.COM: What's in your garage right now?

ER: Right now I'm into BMWs. I have a 545 and a Z4. Fun little cars. But I've got my wish list. You can never have enough cars. That's a dude thing, I guess.

NASCAR.COM: Who's your NASCAR driver this season?

ER: Well, I truly enjoy watching (Dale Earnhardt) Junior. Being fairly new to the sport, he was someone who you couldn't help but admire -- with the history of his family and everything, he was fun to watch. And to overcome the legacy that his father laid down, that's gotta be tough in itself. He came in and he's become a great racer in his own right. And that's something to be admired.

NASCAR.COM: What's on the horizon for Collective Soul right now?

ER: We'll be out touring. And our new single, "Better Now" just came out. It'll be part of the new Wes Craven movie coming out in February. Then it's tour, tour, tour. We're planning to release an acoustic version of some songs coming up and we'll be in the studio soon to do that, but nothing else, really. We're still too busy enjoying the new release.

NASCAR.COM: Speaking of your new release, how is "Youth" doing?

ER: The CD is doing great. Actually, we're kinda shocking everybody in the industry with how well we're doing because we've done it on our own. We went out and started the label by ourselves. It's the first time that a band of our stature has tried to do that and it's just been absolutely wonderful.

NASCAR.COM: How does running your own label change things?

ER: You know what? We're a little more involved, but that's what we've always wanted to be. When you're part of a label in corporate America, every band wants to be a part of their music, you know? And sometimes you're limited because it is corporate America. Nothing wrong with that. That's just the way that beast is. But now that it's yours, you get in there. You get in the trenches. And it's fun, you know? As long as you treat it like fun, and like a job, the rewards way outweigh what other people might think is way too much time spent on the job.