In today’s NASCAR, image matters. Corporate America was quick to take advantage of Carl Edward’s smile, Tony Stewart’s long flowing locks and Kasey Kahne’s boyish good looks when selling their products. The focus on aesthetics has even extended to pit road where viewers can watch interviews conducted by attractive reporters such as ESPN’s Shannon Spake and Jamie Little and Fox’s Krista Voda. The sudden focus on beauty delighted sponsors and television networks and NASCAR’s popularity began to spread.

But not everyone is jumping on the beauty bandwagon. In fact, this trend is one that some find troubling. Long time pit road reporter Matt Yocum says its “downright dangerous” and “sends the wrong message to our kids.” Yocum, who spends an average of two hours a day in the gym and eats nothing but celery, feels that no matter what he does he will never be as pretty as the other girls. “I know I’m beautiful on the outside, but people don’t see that on television,” said Yocum as he fought back tears. “If I don’t like what I see when I look in the mirror, how can I expect anyone else to?”

Close friend Tony Stewart describes Yocum as a guy who was always quick to make a fat joke about someone else. “He was crying on the inside and didn’t really know how to deal with it,” Stewart explains. “It would make him feel better about himself if he was putting down someone else.” Stewart admits that he was often hurt by Yocum’s comments but understands that Yocum was hurting because of his unhealthy body image.

When talking to fellow male pit road reporters, Yocum realized he wasn’t the only one that didn’t feel pretty. It was then, when he realized that he wasn’t alone, that he decided to be the voice for those that didn’t fit into size 36 jeans and an extra large t shirt. “We don’t all fit into any one mold. We’re all different shapes and sizes and we are all beautiful in our own way,” Yocum said with a smile. “You don’t have to be a skinny blonde to be a good pit road reporter.”

Yocum says his crusade to help others like him has been rewarding so far. He cites his greatest success as petitioning the networks and asking that every pit road reporter be forced to wear the same thing. While the initial decision was for all pit road reporters to wear bikinis, Yocum fought successfully to require full body firesuits for everyone. “It’s slimming I think,” Yocum said as he rubbed his midsection. “I think I look beautiful. I think we all look beautiful.”