HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Jim Hunter strolled through the media center at Atlanta Motor Speedway,

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Jim Hunter strolled through the media center at Atlanta Motor Speedway, stopping at nearly every seat to greet a reporter by name.
At 63, an age when most people think about slowing down a bit, Hunter is back in a familiar role as head of NASCAR's public relations department. He wouldn't have it any other way.
"I love this," he said, nodding toward the rest of the room. "This isn't just a job to me, it's my life."
Before this season, Hunter was hired as vice president of corporate communications for NASCAR, a role that has him answering questions about everything from competition issues to driver suspensions.
The job was created especially for him after accusations that NASCAR wasn't forthcoming enough last year following the death of Dale Earnhardt in a crash in the season-opening Daytona 500. The glare of the sanctioning body's first national TV contract also brought extra scrutiny.
"We needed to communicate better," NASCAR president Mike Helton said.
It didn't take much to convince Hunter to leave his job as president of Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, which is owned by International Speedway Corp. That company is operated by the France family, which runs NASCAR.
"I lobbied for this job," he said.
Hunter has worked with the France family for more than 20 years, handling various roles. Before joining NASCAR, he worked as a sports writer for several newspapers throughout the south. In fact, Hunter was one of the first reporters to cover NASCAR, often sitting in a makeshift pressbox on the back of a flatbed truck.
When he started working for NASCAR, part of his duties involved carrying drivers to newspaper offices located near that week's race.
"We'd take drivers into the office and just beg somebody to write about us," Hunter said. "That was really tough."
Back then, only about 10 writers covered the entire season. This year, Hunter estimates NASCAR and the tracks issue credentials to about 500 reporters.
"It's hard to keep track of everybody sometimes," he admitted. "But that's part of my job. If I see somebody I don't know, I make it a point to introduce myself."
His knowledge of racing and his respect for NASCAR show in nearly every statement his makes, as does his honesty. He doesn't shy away from hard questions, either.
"The best thing is the fact that he's there, the next best thing is that you know he's there," said NBC/TNT pit reporter Bill Weber. "We have gone to Jim with important questions on Sunday morning that the fans wanted answered, and we've had the answers from him by the time we go on the air that afternoon."
Hunter doesn't handle these duties by himself. He has helped create a public relations staff of about 10 who divide up the races, and he makes it to about 20 events himself.
This season hasn't been without its problems. Points leader Tony Stewart, who finished 2001 on probation, punched a photographer following a disappointing race at Indianapolis in August.
That encounter cost him $60,000 in fines, landed him on probation again and prompted him to seek anger management counseling, all while charging to the top of the standings.
"I've had several conversations with Tony," Hunter said. "I try to tell him the media is not his enemy. Reporters are just trying to do their job.
"But by the same token, I like that he speaks his mind. I wouldn't want him to become too vanilla."