NASCAR moms a special, different breed of parent (cont'd)

Coleman's maternal gear switched from picking out colleges to finding her then 19-year-old son an apartment close to his race shop in North Carolina.

"I have a housekeeper that goes to his house once a week," Coleman said. "She keeps an eye on things for me. He is a young man still but he's earned all the trust and respect I can give him, I'm happy he is living his dream."

Coleman said while it's not the traditional parenting roles she grew accustomed to with her older son, Brandon, she feels blessed to have the opportunity to fill the unique role as a NASCAR mom.

It's a role Diane Newman, mother of Cup driver Ryan Newman, has had years to practice. En route to Darlington, Newman shared some of her experiences of balancing motherhood between home in South Bend, Ind., and NASCAR life in North Carolina.

The journey started when her son was five years old and even before that, according to her husband, Greg Newman, who spots for his son's No. 12 Dodge on the track.

"The minute I delivered Ryan, his dad said we were going to get a quarter midget," Diane Newman said. "It was nothing about how I was doing or feeling. He just said now we were going to go racing."

And they did -- all over the country.

"I was fine as long as he didn't miss school," Newman said. "I always made sure that he was ready to go to school on Monday morning, and that all the chores were done around the house. We all pitched in and got it done many weekends out of the year."

Up until this year, Diane ran her son's fan club until the operation grew too large and needed to move to North Carolina. Now she divides her time between Ryan and his sister, a registered nurse in Indiana who has two children.

What she enjoys most, as do both Cindi Coleman and Gaye Busch, is the enormous sense of pride she has for her son and the ability to see Newman live out his dream.

"When I'm home or elsewhere, friends will introduce me as Ryan Newman's mom and I say, 'oh come on now be quiet,' but I get really excited to hear their reaction, it's such a good feeling," Newman said.

Her son is South Bend's biggest star and as well as one of NASCAR's brightest.

And as for safety, the average person might assume NASCAR moms are basket cases.

How can they watch their children crash into walls at high rates of speed? How can they bear to watch when death is a possibility?

It's simple -- they just do and they maintain their best game face week in and week out.

For Mother's Day last year, Coleman received a cross from her son and wears it every weekend. Around her neck, she rubs the metal symbol as she watches the 20-year-old round corners at speeds nearing 170 miles per hour. She knows the dangers but has confidence in her son's ability.

Newman still gets nervous watching her son, who has been dubbed the Rocket Man for his high qualifying speeds.

And Newman has flipped midget cars and slammed into walls but his most serious injury came as a kid jumping off bleachers at a track in New Carlisle, Ind. He broke his collar bone, but still has never broken a bone on the track.

The mothers know the dangers, but can't get overwhelmed with worries; they put their faith in NASCAR safety and the ability of their sons.

Busch said of her son Kyle, "He's my no fear child, he's always been that way and we don't know where it came from. He definitely has his own personality. He's a Taurus, definitely a bull."

So the greatest gift for these mothers on Sunday is merely looking at their boys and saying, yep, that's my son. I had a great part in raising that boy who millions of fans watch on TV every Sunday.

"Seeing that they are happy and great at what they are doing, to see a dream that they had as teenagers come true as young adults, to see them come this far and live this life is a great accomplishment," Gaye Busch said.

Yes, but an even greater accomplishment, one that is ongoing, is motherhood in NASCAR.