NASA and NASCAR have enjoyed a close relationship for years. NASA has lent tremendous support to NASCAR, helping develop several technologies that have saved driver's lives and made the conditions inside a racecar a little more bearable… if that's possible.

In late 2007 NASA announced that they were launching three green flags aboard space shuttle Atlantis. During the 2008 Daytona 500 one of the flags that orbited the Earth was used to usher in the "great American race". One of the other flags will be given to the winner of the Daytona 500, Ryan Newman. The remaining flag was kept by NASA for historical purposes.

As mentioned above, NASA has engineered several technologies that our favorite drivers use every week on the race track. From the foam used on the neck brace to protect drivers during wrecks, to the suits that protect NASCAR drivers from the fiery collisions while at the same time keeping them cool during the hot summer months.

On June 17 NASA will hold a joint event with NASCAR featuring Ryan Newman and showcasing the relationship that has grown over recent years. During the event at the Kennedy Space Center Ryan Newman will get the awesome chance to drive the crawler-transporter, the huge machine that carries the space shuttle to the launch pad.

NASA and NASCAR are a perfect fit… big engines running wide open and proving what they've got to the world. The June 17^th event at Kennedy Space Center should be some good publicity for Newman who has struggled this season since he was victorious in the Daytona 500. The event will also open the space field to a whole new audience of fans that truly appreciate raw horsepower.