Author’s Note: As we all know, NASCAR drivers garner more attention than anyone else on their team. However, there are so many people on the teams that all play an important role in the success of the team and the sport we love. I am going to feature a variety of people who have careers in NASCAR, but aren’t normally in the spotlight.

Jim Greer is an Information Technology Video Analyst, who works for a company contracted by race teams to analyze advanced video technology used to record the drivers’ racing lines around the track and other valuable information. Greer’s work is a carefully guarded secret, thus his employer’s name will not be revealed and very few details about his job will actually be able to be disclosed. He’s almost like a ghost!

Here are some of Greer’s quick facts:

Family:  Wife (Rachel), Daughter (Olivia, 4), Future Son (Everett, on the way)

Hobbies:  Baseball, Golf, Bowling

Favorite sport to watch:  Baseball

Favorite type of music:  Rock ‘n’ Roll, Alternative

Most memorable moment of your racing career:  Victory Lane with the No. 83 at Michigan in ’09, and beating the No. 18 to make the Chase in ’09 at Richmond 

Most memorable life moment:  My wedding and the birth of my daughter

Similar to Travis Johnson, MWR’s I.T. Administrator who was previously featured in this series, Jim Greer did not plan to have a career in racing.

“I applied for an I.T. job and I found out it was for a race team when I was called in for an interview,” says Greer. “I wasn’t really a fan, but I enjoy not being stuck in a cubical for 40+ hours a week.”

Now, Greer enjoys his career in racing, which started when he was hired by Chip Ganassi Racing as an I.T. Administrator. With his current company, he travels to the races every weekend to handle I.T. setup, analyze video, and manage inventory. 

Greer points to the traveling as being both his favorite and least favorite part of his job, saying “I love to travel, but I hate being away from my family.”

However, Greer says the competition is the most challenging aspect of his job. He says the company is always trying to stay in demand by trying to constantly improve and develop new services.

“If you want to succeed, you need to be better than anyone else,” says Greer. “Don’t ever sit on your heels and coast.  The day you stop getting better is the day you get caught by your competition.”

Greer views his racing jobs as chapter in his career, but not as something that defines his career and has broader life goals for the future.

Although he adds, “Being a part of the NASCAR family has been great.”

He goes on to discuss the current state of the sport:

It’s a shame that there’s so much turnover.  It would be nice to find a different structure than what’s currently in NASCAR as far as teams being funded mostly by sponsors.  When the recession comes it shows how vulnerable the sport is.

In closing, this I.T. ghost answers a few additional questions:

TD: What makes race teams/crew chiefs/drivers easy or difficult to work with from your perspective?

JG: I think it has a lot to do with who you are.  If you’re a fan, then to a lot of the racers you are just something else in the way of them getting their job done.  If you are hired to help them get faster on the track, you are normally welcomed in, but that also comes with a lot of pressure.  If you tell the teams or crew chiefs you can do something, you better damn sure get it done.

TD: If you could change anything about NASCAR, what would it be?

JG: Probably a few less races, or maybe race more often instead of once a week.  Having a couple races during the week would shorten the season without taking any races away, which could make fans and teams happy.

TD: Do you have any funny stories from the road?

JG: Not any that wouldn’t get me or someone else fired.  :)