Wiseman: New site links NASCAR fans to past driversRelated ContentSteve WisemanStaff Writerswiseman@thestate.com(803) 771-8472JEFF GILDER IS using new media to help some old-time racers.A former NASCAR Late Model Stock driver, the 53-year-old Gilder stayed close over the years with Paul Lewis, another former driver who helped Gilder get his team going.Lewis was Gilders link to the drivers who got NASCAR started, the guys who Gilder said are forgotten these days with tracks all over the country and high television ratings.Ever since we raced, I wanted to do something to help, Gilder said, to bring recognition to the guys who started the sport. If it werent for these guys, there wouldnt be a sport.Gilder is doing his part with a Web site at racersreunion.com, where anyone can sign up to view old photos and videos of retired drivers, and interact with them through comment logs. Gilder said his site has around 300 old racing videos and 1,400 photos of retired drivers such as David Pearson, Bobby Allison and Ned Jarrett.Pauls passion has been to keep up with older drivers, Gilder said. They are the roots of racing. We want to keep that celebrity alive.This site is about more than drawing attention to retired drivers. Gilder and Lewis want to help them financially, since NASCAR drivers have no pension plan.A lot of the guys who started the sport were old and retired by the time the big bucks came on the scene, Gilder said. These guys raced for the sheer love of the sport and a lot of these guys dont have living expenses.Gilder, a Tennessee native who moved to Myrtle Beach seven years ago, attended a Legends Helping Legends banquet in Mooresville, N.C., with Lewis last January. Jarrett and Pearson were among 70 retired drivers at the event, which raised money to help Sam Ard, the former Busch Series champion from Lake City who is stricken with Alzheimers Disease.That got Gilder thinking of a way to honor the sports past stars. He took his video camera to a banquet at Daytona, Fla., a month later around the time of the Daytona 500 and started interviewing former drivers in attendance.Soon they were up on the Web at racersreunion.com. The site drew around 1,000 visits in its first month. And then ...The doggone thing just took off, Gilder said.The next month it attracted 50,000 page views. The number grew to 70,000 page views last month.Gilder is setting up a non-profit organization so he can collect donations to help former drivers in retirement. Bottom line in the whole thing is to help these guys, Gilder said.In the meantime, the site adds features regularly with more planned for the next few weeks.Columbias Jim Seay has conducted audio interviews with drivers in a feature called Racers Reunion Radio. Chats with Junior Johnson, Dave Marcus and Ned Jarrett will be posted soon.Gilder is also working to add Racers Reunion TV to the site. The thing he really enjoys with the site is the back-and-forth between fans and drivers in the comment forums.This puts old drivers in touch with the fans in an informal way, Gilder said. The fans post comments and the drivers comment back.Soon, maybe those older drivers will have a little more money in their pockets as well.