FONTANA, Calif. -- As Hurricane Gustav bellows closer to the Gulf Coast, forcing millions from their homes, NASCAR hauler drivers are looking for higher and dryer roads to get them back to North Carolina on Monday.

National weather forecasters upgraded the hurricane watch to a warning for an area of more than 500 miles, from Louisiana near the Texas border to the Alabama-Florida state line forcing the majority of Sprint Cup team hauler drivers to change their southern route home on Route 40 and head north.

"We decided to change the route [Saturday], because of all the traffic and because of the fuel," said Dean Mozingo, hauler driver for Casey Mears. "People leaving the lower part of the United States traveling north to get away from the hurricane will be using more gas and fuel and we didn't want to get into a situation where it would be hard to find fuel."

Hurricane Gustav is forecasted as a Category 3 storm that is expected to hit the United States on Monday.

Frankie Nester, hauler driver for Jeff Burton, said he was faced with the same experience when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

"We had to go back the northern route [Interstate 20] because the hurricane had done so much damage and Hurricane Gustav is going to hit at the same time we are going through there. It's a Category 3 or 4 so it's best to go the northern route," Nester said.

Dave "Speed" Radney, hauler driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr., experienced the havoc from Hurricane Katrina, as well. He knows north is the better trek home though it is harder and uphill. It's also nearly 40 miles out of the way.

After Auto Club Speedway's race in 2005, Radney recalled driving the southern route [Interstate 10 to I-20] and made it to Mississippi when he found cars parked on the side of the expressway because they had no where to go.

And in Georgia, truck stops were limiting the amount of fuel truckers could pump, Radney added.

"We prefer the southern route because the terrain is easier on the trucks but we are going to take Route 40 in case the electric is out at the truck stops; without electricity you can't get the fuel pumps to run," he said.

Should any of the drivers run into complications, they have enough technology on board to maintain communications with emergency response teams as well as other hauler drivers.

"No worries really, I just hope my windshield wipers work on the way home," Radney quipped.

From CNN.com
• Map: Follow Hurricane Gustav's projected path