Paul & Mariel Swan Celebrate ‘Authentic’ Look Into NASCAR Life

Agreeing to become a central personality on a reality TV series is not a simple decision, especially when your life is full of nonstop activity. It was a no-brainer for Paul Swan and Mariel Swan, who both agreed to be a part of “Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane.”

The couple should be familiar to NASCAR fans. Swan is the tire carrier for the No. 3 team at Richard Childress Racing, and he is possibly the biggest personality on pit road. It’s a common occurrence to see him dancing before the green flag waves.

Mariel, on the other hand, was a part of CMT’s “Racing Wives,” and she played a pivotal role in many of the big moments. When presented with the opportunity to take part in another series, Mariel did not hesitate.

“I mean, we were very, very excited,” Mariel told Heavy ahead of the second episode. “And it’s also something for… Whitney [Dillon] and I feel like we were extremely just ready for this. You know what I mean? And I think what made this so different is because it was about us four.

“And it was highlighting not only our relationship and what makes us who we are but you get to see a really authentic look into who we are. Plus, we got to showcase what it was like in the sport of NASCAR. So I think that it’s a lot of the substance behind this show that was just like, ‘Oh, yeah!’ Like it was a no-brainer, right?”

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“I was juiced up for it. I loved it. I don’t know if you can tell, but I like being in front of the camera, so it was right up my alley,” Swan added. “It’s just us being us. Like, it’s us. Showing all of our personalities, we all really complete each other and play off each other. Don’t let Austin fool you. He had fun doing this. He secretly loves it.”

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Swan Particularly Embraced Putting His Job on Display

The first episode of “Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane” had fun moments at home, a family dinner, and a trip to Daytona International Speedway. It also highlighted the amount of work that Swan and all of the crew members at RCR had to put in before the season to prepare for the Next Gen car.

The pit crews have faced extra scrutiny during the 2022 season. Many teams have experienced issues with wheels falling off or slow stops leading to lost position on the track. It is easy for the fans to criticize the crew members and say that these mistakes can’t happen, but the reality series provides another look at the process to possibly change their opinions.

“It’s huge because I feel like pit crews are such an untapped deal in NASCAR,” Swan said. “Like, you see people come to the races, they come down in the pits, they leave that race, and their favorite thing was watching those pitstops, seeing the guys do the work on the cars. And you know, we’re down on the front lines. And it’s awesome. And it’s really cool that it’s going to… The show goes into the in-depth work and behind the scenes of what we do on a daily and weekly basis and at the track and all the intricacies that go into being a pit crew member because I think it’s one of the coolest jobs in the world.

“I mean, I love my job. I love it so much. I love going out there competing, being on a team, being able to help Austin pick up spots. There’s no better feeling than when we look up at that screen and it says plus-three, plus-four, plus-five. And it’s like, ‘Man, this is fun.’ And I think people are gonna get a really cool understanding and knowledge of what goes into being a pit crew member.”

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There Will Be Some Wild & Entertaining Moments

When Austin Dillon and Whitney Dillon sat down to preview the first season of their reality TV series, they teased some unique moments. The driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet mentioned some hijinks during the west coast swing of the Cup Series schedule. Whitney specifically mentioned some fun at a chocolate factory.

Swan provided a tease of his own. He didn’t go into details, but he is really excited to see the reactions to him babysitting Ace Dillon. He said that it was “probably” the scariest moment for everyone else on the show, but it was his favorite.

Mariel didn’t have one specific moment. She said that the Valentine’s Day date was a highlight, as was her water breaking. Both stood out for her along with a “special surprise” at the very end of the first season.

There are still multiple episodes remaining before the viewers witness the surprise. For now, they will just have to continue watching the series and learning more about NASCAR, as well as the friendship between the central characters.

“I think for this one — because this show has been so special — it’s near and dear to our hearts,” Mariel said. “So I felt like putting ourselves out there in such an open way — especially too because I was pregnant throughout the process — you have all these things circling in your head. And then for us to give a product of the show and have people love it, it just makes you feel good.”

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