At first glance, motor sports may seem like a solitary sport where drivers compete by themselves for position. However racing requires the effort of an entire team -- including the team manager, crew members and the spotter -- to get the best finish.

With today’s IndyCar Bombardier Learjet 500k at Texas Motor Speedway, one driver-spotter team with local connections is looking forward to the challenge in its No. 17 Ethanol car.

Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was born in Dallas but grew up in the greater Miami area, and spotter Lee Orebaugh, who lives in Frisco, will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing race in Milwaukee last weekend.

Working together for the first time this season, they have put together two top-seven finishes at Homestead-Miami and Japan. Hunter-Reay, driving in his first full IndyCar season, was recognized for the best rookie showing at the Indianapolis 500 with his sixth-place finish.

Hunter-Reay and Orebaugh explained how rapport between a driver and spotter takes several races to form.

“I kind of know what he’s thinking. And vice versa,” Orebaugh said. “If I’m saying a phrase here or a phrase there, he knows what I’m thinking so I don’t have to communicate as much so he can focus more on driving. It’s like a golfer with his caddy.”

“A driver-spotter relationship pretty much forms through the races,” Hunter-Reay said. “You could be best buddies with someone and not necessarily have a good spotter.”

Orebaugh described that a spotter’s duties are similar to an air traffic controller, giving instructions to the driver as he soars down the track at speeds reaching 215 mph.

The Ethanol spotter wears a headset with each side connected to a different radio. The right side of his headset is connected to a radio where he talks directly with the driver while the left side is connected to the team’s manager, Scott Roembke.

While Orebaugh is the primary source of communication between the team and driver, Roembke speaks to Hunter-Reay on straightaways and during yellows. Roembke will also relay information to Hunter-Reay via Orebaugh.

“If you get into some hairy conditions like we’re getting with Texas this weekend, Scott will yell to my left side ‘pitting in three’ while I’m talking on my right side, ‘Got two outside, two outside. We’re going to pit in three. Two outside, two outside,’” Orebaugh said.

Night racing at Texas presents unique challenges for spotters. Orebaugh wears yellow tinted glasses to adjust to the lights and glare. He also finds there is a slight dark spot in Turn 3.

“Texas is not my favorite place to spot. It’s a fast track, the cars run tight,” Orebaugh said. “It’s at night. It’s high bank. Everybody is on the edge of their seat – drivers, teams, spotters.”

Besides the technical aspect, a spotter may also give words of encouragement for the driver to stay positive and focused. Orebaugh finds driving to be 90 percent mental. If a driver is having a great day, he may keep quiet. If a driver is struggling, Orebaugh may crack a joke during a yellow to reset the driver’s mood for the restart.

“Lee says the right things, not only to keep me motivated for the length of the long race, but also give me advantages over some of the other guys,” Hunter-Reay said.

Being a one-car team for Rahal Letterman Racing, Orebaugh described how crew members’ roles take on additional importance to help the driver. When a team has a second car, it means a second driver and a second crew to ask questions and bounce ideas around.

Without those resources, it’s up to the Ethanol crew to make up the difference. Orebaugh keeps a notebook and takes photographs during a race for use during team meetings. The notebook contains information about rival driver characteristics, what lines drivers took the previous year, and how many grooves there were in the track.

“I’m going to give him some information that will help him out so he doesn’t have to figure all of it out on his own,” Orebaugh said. “Or he can try things I suggested and tell me that the suggestions don’t work.”

Having placed seventh at the Homestead-Miami race, which like Texas is a 1.5-mile track run at night, Hunter-Reay is confident that the team can find similar success today. He also believes the team can draw on previous experience. Last year, former driver Jeff Simmons placed sixth.

The Team Ethanol driver also touched on his sponsorship and how the entire Indy Racing League switched over to the alternative fuel in 2007.

“Ethanol has improved fuel mileage which has allowed us to shrink the fuel cell which makes the cars lighter. We’ve had better low-range torque (ability to accelerate),” Hunter-Reay said. “We’re supporting an American-made fuel.”

TREVOR WILLIAMS can be reached at 940-566-6874. His e-mail address is twilliams@dentonrc.com.