As Kodak's Manager of Motorsports Marketing, I help the company get the most out of its sponsorship of several racing properties. Through our great relationship with Roger Penske and Penske Racing, 2007 will find us at NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series races, as well as IndyCar racing. At the track, you might see me in the pits, hosting Kodak's business guests on a tour of our operations.

This year marks the return of a Kodak NASCAR entry at three major Nextel Cup races. Plans call for the No. 12 Dodge Charger from Penske Racing, driven by Ryan Newman, to sport red-and-yellow Kodak colors at Cup races in Talladega, AL.; Fontana, CA.; and Watkins Glen, N.Y., near Rochester, NY. Ryan was NASCAR's Rookie of the Year in 2002, and has 12 Cup victories.

We spent time with Ryan in January in North Carolina, getting ready for the 2007 Cup season. He's an easygoing, relaxed guy - the kind of guy you'd ask to go fishing with you. Which, in fact, he does. But Ryan's also made a commitment to saving pets in animal shelters through his Ryan Newman Foundation, which supports spay-and-neuter programs through local animal shelters.

"Krissie (Newman, Ryan's wife) and I started the foundation in January 2005," Ryan says. "We had the opportunity... and we have a pretty good group of fans to be able to help raise some awareness and help where we can. We got started when we received a letter from a lady in Martinsville (Va.), and ended up paying out of our pocket to spay and neuter 13 dogs. It opened our eyes to the people that need help to help raise awareness for controlling the animal population. And we also help in other wildlife conservation efforts."

The foundation recently pledged $400,000 to the Humane Society of Catawba County (N.C.) Capital Campaign to name the facility's regional spay/neuter clinic.

About getting ready for the season: there's a lot of tedium that fans never see. Media tours. Working with stylists. Posing for promotional photos. Ryan's a professional driver, but photo shoots and media training isn't the most thrilling part of his job. But we all pitched in, in a photo studio in Mooresville, N.C., to make things go smoothly. Ryan smiled for the camera, helped the team from Penske Racing adjust the car's angle, and even helped change the decals on the No. 12 Dodge (see photos). (That's Ryan on the right, helping Penske's Thomas Pierce adjust the rear suspension of the Kodak Dodge in the studio. Those are Pierce's legs, hanging out the car window on the left.)

We'll look forward to seeing you at all the tracks this season. In addition to the Cup races, Ryan's slated to drive a Kodak Gallery Dodge in seven NASCAR Busch Series at Bristol, TN, Fort Worth, TX, Darlington, SC, Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL, Watkins Glen, NY, Fontana and Richmond, VA.