for the nascar fans...

Sunday afternoon, in Nascar's Subway 500, Rocky Ryan will be responsible for protecting a millionaire driver and a $100,000 car. If he does his job well, his team gets a chance at the race's top prize, a minimum of $139,490. If he makes a mistake, people can be seriously hurt or even killed as a result.

For his efforts, he will earn about $750.

Mr. Ryan is a spotter, Nascar's version of aerial reconnaissance. Spotters stand high above the track, watching the race and advising their drivers via radio on the positions of competitors and any potential danger. During a race a driver might hear on his radio a sequence like "Three wide, three wide, three wide, clear high!" That's his spotter telling him he's one of three cars running side by side, and that there's space to pass the car in front of him on the outside.

As Nascar tightens rules to protect drivers, their view of the race around them is increasingly obscured by safety equipment. As a result, races are getting tighter and crashes are up, according to spotters and drivers. So drivers rely more on their spotters, teammates a mile and a half away with binoculars and a walkie-talkie.

For all their work making an inherently dangerous sport safer, spotters can feel like spare parts. Top Nascar drivers earn as much as $10 million a year. Even pit-crew members earn as much as $100,000 a year. Yet a spotter charged with protecting both investments can be had for $500 to $1,000 a race.