Meet the Women Behind the Men of NASCAR

N A S H V I L L E , Tenn., Nov. 10 -- With its mix of high speed, high stress and high stakes, auto racing is like no other sport.

Big winners become multimillionnaries, fans worship their favorites, but nowhere else in sports do the players cheat death every time they get in the game.

Perhaps because the risks are so great, race-car driving is more than just a sport, it's a way of life — not just for drivers, but for their families, too.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

On the upside, the rewards can be tremendous. "You have airplanes and you have big homes. And you have nice cars and the kids go to great schools," said Liz Allison, who married into the Allison racing dynasty 20 years ago.

She has lived in the kind of luxury most can only dream about. "In some cases you have nannies and chefs," Allison laughed. "You know the sky is the limit you know when you have big paychecks."

Paula Marlin is married to Sterling Marlin, a big name on the NASCAR circuit for nearly three decades. "He was already racing when we first started dating," she told Primetime Monday.

But life in the early years was tough. The couple and their two children drove hundreds of miles, 36 weeks a year, to make Sterling's races. "You live out of suitcases, number one," said Paula with a chuckle. "Never, never are they unpacked."

Sterling thrived, and now his career winnings so far total $24 million. The Marlins live on an 800-acre spread near Nashville, and though they still spend most of the year on the road, they travel in style .

"I think we've come quite a ways," Paula said. "[It's] nice to be able to get on that plane instead of driving around every place."

At the track, the Marlins become part of what might be called the wealthiest mobile community on Earth. They, along with other drivers' families, live in lavish RVs that cost $500,000 or more.