The Highs and Lows of Bristol Race Coverage

March 22, 2008

By Brenda Benedict

The races at Bristol last weekend had its share of highs and lows.

The TV commentators kept reminding us that Bristol is a favorite of the drivers. But it was a good experience as a fan as well. I couldn’t join the 160,000 fans who watched the race in person, however there was much to offer at-home fans and keep us glued to our television sets but at the same time, there were aspects of the race coverage that made us come unglued. I personally feel the best spot to watch a race is right in my living room. That affords me a comfortable seat, no obnoxious fans nearby and the opportunity to nap whenever I feel the need.

There are down sides to this seat however, and Bristol highlighted them.

What is best about NASCAR was what was best about the Bristol race. The Sunday Cup Race was good old fashioned hard-nosed racing. Tony Stewart led the race for 267 laps but finished 14th. This was the third consecutive spring at Bristol where Tony led in laps but failed to win. Tony was taken out of third place when Kevin Harvick caused him to spin out. Jeff Burton’s win after three exciting laps was a fitting finish for a well-run race.

The fact that 42 out of 43 cars finished the race was also a highlight. It may be too early to tell if that is a result of the new car (CoT) but the announcers certainly were leaning that way.

The personalities that we saw in the race also were a highlight. Dale Jarrett’s last (points) run was as classy as his entire career has been. The green flag to begin the race was waved by Dale’s father, Ned, who himself had a great NASCAR career. Ned was a two time NASCAR champion. It was Dale’s last point race after a very successful career that has spanned three decades.

Kim Burton’s enthusiastic response to her husband, Jeff’s, win was a treat to watch for most of us. She has always been right out there with her emotions. If you enjoyed watching her Sunday, you might want to view the YouTube video of her rush to Victory Lane after Jeff won his first Busch race at Martinsville in 1990.

The biggest disappointment of the day was the coverage of Denny Hamlin’s pass of Tony Stewart in the final three laps. Fox-TV did not show Denny’s pass on camera until long after the race was over. We were never able to see what happened and how Denny passed Tony so easily. We did see the Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart wreck countless times and we could have stood to see less of that.

Darrell Waltrip’s commentary was certainly left wanting on Sunday due to trouble with his throat. Fox would have done well to replace him in the booth rather than force us to hear the raspy quality of his voice. The presentation of the racing car to Darrell that he drove to three victories at Bristol in the pre-race coverage was a highlight however. DW expresses frustration on the Fox website at his inability to do his job on Sunday because of his voice. He then tells about his response to being given the Mountain Dew Buick.

“There was just so much emotion. That car is the only one I didn't have in my collection. That car was undefeated at Bristol. I won two of my three NASCAR Championships in that car and to now, finally have that car as my own! Wow — it was just so emotional. I can't thank enough Ralph Santana, from PepsiCola North America, and all my friends at Mountain Dew and Pepsico for the care and love they have shown me and my entire family.“

Tony Stewart’s reaction to being spun out by Kevin Harvick left me cold. It was not a typical Tony response to having his car go from third place to fourteenth. Tony said that he thought he left Kevin plenty of room but “I don’t know. I was far enough ahead of him that I didn’t see where or when he hit me. I’m sure some how it was my fault. I’m just sorry I got in his way.”

That doesn’t sound like the Tony Stewart who had harsh comments after the Atlanta race. It really sounds like a little boy who has been told not to be mean to his friends even if it is their fault.

Maybe

The rain-shortened Nationwide Cup Series race was another disappointment to the fans. Weather has affected several races this year. This unavoidable situation does put a ‘damper’ on more than the race track however.

The Digger Cam, Fox’s in-track camera gives a new vantage point for fans to see the speed of the cars. But I find the use of ‘Digger’ distracting and could live without that animation in future races.

Nothing beats attendance at a race for the excitement and the feel of the speed of the cars as they pass the grandstand. But for those of us who cannot attend the race, we depend on the television networks to show us the action. We need those networks to continue to give the length of coverage to these events. They need to remember, however, to focus on the racing. That’s what it is all about.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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