His group cares for driver’s children. It counsels their families. It performs worship services before races and runs Christian ministries.

Motor Racing Outreach does all of this at a 51-foot rig that unfolds in the infield at Lowe’s Motor Speedway where drivers and their families are now living.

“Everybody knows that tragedy can strike,” said Pegram, a chaplain who lives in Winston-Salem. “And it has very recently with Adam Petty. It’s a very tight community. We all live together. We work together and play together.”

Some 6,500 people in the region earn their living from NASCAR. That’s Pegram’s congregation. In the past three weeks, he has seen two babies born and conducted three weddings and two funerals for family members of the drivers.

“These people we’re with 32-36 times a year,” Pegram said. “We provide spiritual service to all of them.”

Max Helton, pastor of a church in southern California, founded Motor Racing Outreach in 1988 when he was approached by NASCAR drivers Darrell Waltrup, Lake Speed and Buddy Holly. A year later, NASCAR asked him to start performing a service before each race on the Winston Cup circuit.

Today the Harrisburg-based organization runs on a $3.5 million annual budget generated from donations from churches and individuals and corporate sponsorships. It serves competitors racing cars, trucks, powerboats and motorcycles.

Lisa Blaney, wife of driver Dave Blaney, leaves her three children at its day care center while she talks with other drivers’ families.

“They watch them during the races,” Blaney said. “They’re usually the first people to find you when there’s an accident ... Not everybody can understand why their husbands’ jobs are a little bit different that everybody else’s.”

Jackie Pegram, Ron’s wife, describes what the travel and clamor is like for the families.

“It’s very much like camping,” she said. "It can be very tiring, and you don’t get to take very much of a shower. It’s just like a neighborhood where you go next door to borrow the sugar. We borrow toilet paper.”

“This is one of the best thing that has happened to NASCAR racing. These drivers are gone for so many weeks,” Ron Pegram said.