Austin Dillon & Paul Swan Give Us A Behind-The-Scenes Pit Row and NASCAR Hauler Tour

“Austin Dillon's Life In The Fast Lane” offers viewers a look inside the lives of professional NASCAR driver Austin Dillon and tire carrier Paul Swan. Now, the duo is letting cameras get a look at the equipment they use every time they’re competing on the track.

In a new behind-the-scenes video, Austin kicks things off by showing what it looks like inside the Richard Childress Racing team’s hauler. For those unfamiliar, a hauler is a giant truck teams use to get their racecars to the track where they’re going to compete — sadly, it’s not a great idea to simply drive the cars there on the highway. 

When it comes to Dillon’s No. 3 car, it rides in the top compartment of a massive truck bed that can not only hold the car but acts as a high-tech hub for everything his team may need on the track. 

In the video, Austin takes the viewer on a tour of the hauler, starting with the team members’ individual locker spaces for their personal items. From there, he shows the miniature kitchen, complete with a sink and refrigerator. 

“We also have food, the guys have got to stop to get a little bit of food from time to time,” he says. “We never know what’s going to be in here but we try to eat healthy.” 

Then, Austin points to a bevy of cabinets that line the walls of the hauler. Inside, he explains, is everything they need to essentially build a car. 

“All these cabinets are full of spare parts and different ways that we can repair the car,” he says. “Even an extra engine.” 

He then brings the viewer into the brain of the hauler, where he says the “smart people live,” including the team's engineers, IT specialists, chief crew, and more. Surrounded by monitors and computers, the small space is where the team watches races and plans out strategies that will help them outside the hauler on the track wherever they may be. 

However, the high-tech hauler isn’t the only important hub for Dillon’s team when they’re at a race. 

Next, Swan takes the viewer on a tour of his area on Pit Row. 

“This is kind of where we congregate,” he explains. “Where we hang out during the race.” 

Paul notes that Pit Row is a fun place to be because it provides a great vantage point for not only the race but what other teams are up to. However, the downtime only lasts so long before they have to spring into action where mere seconds matter. 

“We like to be right here where we can see everything, we know what’s going on,” he says. “But when the caution flag drops — BOOM — that’s our time to shine and we have a lot of fun doing that.” 

He also points out a little-known piece of equipment on Pit Row, the overhead camera. Everything they do from the moment the nose of Austin’s car hits the line is recorded and fed directly to a monitor near the track. This allows them to analyze everything they do and identify areas of improvement for future pit stops. 

Above all, though, Paul and the rest of the crew have one key job. 

“We’re trying not to get hit and we’re really good at doing that,” he jokes.

“Austin Dillon’s Life In The Fast Lane” airs Thursdays at 9:30/8:30c on USA Network.