DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Running in a frantic 43-car pack at 200 mph at Daytona International Speedway, drivers put their lives in the hands of their spotters.

So when a driver hears an unfamiliar voice in his ear, it’s not an easy adjustment.

Jimmie Johnson will defend his Daytona 500 title and Nextel Cup series championship this year with new spotter Stevie Reeves, who joined the No. 48 team in the offseason after seven years at Dale Earnhardt Inc.

“We’re lucky to get someone that has a lot of experience spotting and also has been a driver himself,” Johnson said.

Positioned at the top of the grandstands on the outside of the track, spotters use radios to give drivers a heads-up about developing safety and strategy situations.

If an accident happens, the spotter must guide the driver to safety, telling him which way to go.

The spotter also constantly tells the driver where the other cars are so he knows if he has room to try to make a pass. Sometimes, especially at Daytona, spotters use hand signals to work out strategic alliances.

It’s the ultimate test of trust and chemistry in racing.

Two-time series champion Tony Stewart doesn’t even want to think about the prospect of breaking in a new spotter.

“That guy, you have to trust with your life,” said Stewart, who has had the same spotter since joining the Cup series in 1999.

He and spotter Mark Robertson have gotten to the point where he can click the “talk” button on his radio in a certain situation and Stewart knows what it means.

Stewart said it takes a long time for a driver to get comfortable with a spotter, partly because the stakes are so high.

Reeves got his start as a spotter when Ernie Irvan needed someone for a 1999 race, and Reeves has been doing it ever since. He helped Dale Earnhardt Jr. win the Daytona 500 in 2004 and spent last year spotting for DEI driver Paul Menard.

Now that he has moved to Hendrick Motorsports to spot for Johnson, Reeves is trying to quickly establish chemistry with his new driver.

“So far, I’ve asked him after every practice and everything, and he said, ‘No, everything’s great,”‘ Reeves said. “Hopefully, he’s comfortable with me.”

Because there’s a week’s worth of events leading up to Sunday’s race, Johnson said that has made it easier to establish a relationship.

“It’s kind of a forgiving system for bringing in something new because you’ve got so much on-track activity before the real deal,” he said.

Reeves said his racing experience – winning U.S. Auto Club midget racing championships in 1992 and ’93, plus driving in the Busch series – helps him know what a driver wants from a spotter. His defining characteristic: Staying calm.

“If something’s going on, I don’t change my voice,” Reeves said. “Because that was the one thing I hated as a driver is if somebody all of a sudden changed their voice, you thought something was happening. It startles you. Whether you know everything’s good or not, you still jump. I don’t want to put anybody else in that position.”

Reeves did admit he might get a little fired up if he were able to help guide Johnson to a repeat Brickyard 400 victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August.

“I grew up two blocks from Turn 3 at Indy,” Reeves said. “That’s kind of my place right there. I want to win Indy – you’re going to see some celebrating on my end at that place.”

AP-ES-02-17-07 1436EST