NASCAR TV coverage: The Good, Bad and Ugly

Young kids like me don’t remember “The Fight” after the 1979 Daytona 500, but 31 years after Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison and his brother Bobby Allison began to throw punches in the infield at Daytona, young kids like myself enjoy watching NASCAR and its nationwide popularity which some argue began with the fracas after the ’79 Daytona 500.

The 2007 Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick remembers the fight quite well. When asked who “won” the battle he said, “It depends on who you listen to tell the story. I don't really remember the specifics of how it all shook down other than there was a fist-fight and Bobby said Cale's face got in the way of his fist.” A classic one-liner from Bobby Allison.

“When they talk about the '79 race, they don't talk about the winner, they talk about the fight,” said Richard Petty, who actually did win the race. “That's what made that race.”

I wasn’t around back then, but from watching TV specials on “The Fight” I have learned that it was a seminal moment in making NASCAR a mainstream sport. A huge snow storm left many on the East Coast snowed in. On TV was the 1979 Daytona 500. Although many people classify NASCAR as a boring sport, “The Fight” probably piqued interest and national attention, so much so that NASCAR became more than just a “Southern sport”.

So by the time I began to watch NASCAR in the early 1990s, ESPN and CBS were broadcasting each and every race of the season. But the biggest breakthrough in the last ten or so years has been one of the biggest criticisms of the sport; the TV deals that included splitting coverage between FOX, NBC, TNT, ESPN and ABC.

In 1999 only FOX, NBC and TNT were a part of the deal, a $2.4 billion, six-year contract which included splitting the season into three parts. In general, FOX had rights to the first half of the season and NBC and TNT split the second half of the season.

In 2005 a new contract was written which included ABC and ESPN instead of NBC. FOX kept broadcasting the first part of the season, ending in early June. TNT takes over from there and does six races, branded last year as the “Summer Series,” ending with the race in mid-July at Chicago. ESPN begins their coverage with the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ESPN and parent channel ABC broadcast every “Chase” race as well.

So there’s a short history on the TV coverage of NASCAR. Keep in mind the last paragraph which describes how NASCAR will be shown across the country—and the world—this season, as I give you my thoughts (and some would call them complaints) on NASCAR’s TV coverage.

The Good: TNT
Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach lead the team that in my opinion is the best TV coverage team in NASCAR. It’s too bad they’re only on for six races in the summer. TNT’s coverage is generally flawless. Wrecks can be seen as they happen, the camera work is great and TNT even makes concessions during the Coke Zero 400 from Daytona to broadcast the race with limited commercial interruptions.

The Bad: FOX
FOX, who gets to showcase their skills right off the bat, used to be my favorite group. Even though Darrell Waltrip’s signature, “Boogity, boogity, boogity,” never gets old for me, many NASCAR fans are tired of DW’s antics. Waltrip does provide occasional good insight on the race and combined with Larry McReynolds, a former crew chief, their insights on the sport are helpful.

Mike Joy is great in the booth but occasionally he gets overshadowed by Waltrip and McReynolds. I can count numerous times last year where the three would say, “There’s a wreck,” and only after everything was settled was there a camera shot of it. And speaking of camera shots, the “Digger cam” from FOX is awesome, but the little cartoon has become a scapegoat for NASCAR fans who feel FOX has become to cheesy to cover the sport.

The Ugly: ESPN and ABC
ESPN and the ABC on ESPN brand have brought a huge influx of cash and media coverage to the sport, but their coverage is by far the worst, in my opinion. ESPN has great talent, including Alan Bestwick and one of my favorite old-timers, Dr. Jerry Punch. But for as much talent as ESPN has, they have too much. ESPN puts way too many people on their broadcasts at once.

ESPN makes good money on their coverage of the Chase races but they too often get sucked in by covering only the Chase drivers, even before the Chase starts. The only way to get on TV if you’re a driver not in Chase contention (and not named Earnhardt Jr.) is to flip your car over and catch it on fire.

As a young guy I enjoyed watching Benny Parsons, Ned Jarrett and Ken Squire call races on CBS and ESPN. Bob Jenkins, Jack Arute and Dr. Jerry Punch were also some favorites of mine. Not that today’s coverage is worse but it definitely doesn’t hold a flame to the coverage of the mid to late 1990s.

Maybe that’s just me being pessimistic but I’m hoping that each crew steps up their coverage this year and gives NASCAR fans (who are growing more vocal as the years come and go) exactly what they want. In 26 days the lights, camera and action are on FOX. Will they deliver?