June 16, 2007

By Jim Fitzgerald

Everybody and their mother is going to be throwing their two cents in on Dale Earnhardt, Jr and his decision to go to Hendrick Motorsports. Apparently, I’m a nobody, and I’m certainly not anyone’s mother, so this article is NOT about Junior.

If you read my tirade last week, I’ll go ahead and apologize again. It was not my intention to belittle or make fun of someone whose broadcasting style I don’t agree with. Okay, who am I kidding? That was exactly my intention. I kid because I care. Ugh…

So, this week, I’ll use turns one and two and do a complete turnaround. At Pocono, Turner Network Television (TNT) broadcast their first race of the year, and in my opinion, did an excellent job the first time out. Giving them the benefit of the doubt due to the rain delay, there was a lot of pre-race shenanigans? How much was planned, and how much was necessity due to weather will be told with time, but overall, the broadcast was enjoyable, even for a Pocono broadcast.

The shining part of the broadcast was Kyle Petty. Although I don’t really want him to hang up the helmet, when he does do it for good, I think any network broadcasting races that does not try to snap him up is a fool of a network. His insight was refreshing, pointed, and he didn’t pull any punches or hold anything back.

Regarding the Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart incident at Dover, he flat out said he disagreed with NASCAR! Not only that, he talked about his own flaws when he is driving, about how he lost control of his temper, how he wanted to react in situations…he talked about them openly, and it was refreshing.

Remember the 1993 Daytona 500, when he and Bobby Hillin, Jr. wrecked? Kyle was hot, and grabbed Hillin by the helmet and pointed at him, and now is not afraid to go back to those days and share them with those who remember, and to the new fans who weren’t around for it.

I’d have to liken Kyle broadcasting now to Ned Jarrett in the early to middle nineties, as Ned held the same viewpoints and the same candid approach. When Dale Jarrett was involved in a wreck, I believe it was Bristol in, maybe 1993, Dale climbed up the track and threw his helmet at the offending driver, which oddly enough, if I remember correctly, was Bobby Hillen, Jr.

Anyway, Ned said flat out that Dale wasn’t very smart to do that. His own son! To millions of viewers! That is what I felt Kyle brought back, and hope he will continue to bring each week to the broadcast, and I am especially looking forward to the broadcast from Infineon Raceway, when Kyle Petty will actually broadcast the race from inside his car, while he’s driving.

That is breaking the mold, something which Kyle, it seems, has never had a problem with in the past.

Until next week…