Being a Nascar spotter would be cool

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A spotter's job not that difficult at Bristol

With 43 drivers circling the relatively tight oval at Bristol at speeds well over 120 miles per hour, one would think the spotter's job is nearly impossible.

Roman Pemberton, who stands above the track and helps Joe Nemechek negotiate traffic, said it's not as bad as it might seem.

"The biggest misconception is that Bristol is the hardest place to spot," said Pemberton, who has spotted for 32 drivers in the last 15 years. "From my tandpoint, Bristol is not the most difficult to spot because everyone is running at the same speed, which makes it a lot easier to follow the problems when a car is out of control."

Pemberton said things actually seem to happen more slowly at Bristol than at other places.

"When you see a hole for your driver to get into at Bristol, you're confident there will be enough space," he said. "Gaps don't close up quickly there like they do at other tracks like Rockingham and Darlington."

April 3, 2004