A promo graphic of "25 years of NASCAR on Fox." A promo graphic of “25 years of NASCAR on Fox.” (NASCAR on Fox on X.)
By Andrew Bucholtz on

What gets included or not included in an anniversary video can spark a lot of comment. The latest example of that came with a “25 years of NASCAR on Fox” video Fox Sports showed on Daytona 500 pre-race coverage Sunday, also putting that on X. Many were upset that the video included some footage from Dale Earnhardt’s fatal 2001 crash:

That 2001 crash absolutely deserves discussion around Fox’s 25th NASCAR anniversary, especially considering the test it posed for their new broadcast team. And it’s not off-limits to talk about that crash: indeed, Earnhardt’s son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., delivered a thoughtful discussion this week of his father’s death and what it’s meant to his relationship with Daytona. And if this had been a video more specifically looking at that crash and its effects on the sport, the discussion here would have been at least somewhat different (although there remain differing perspectives on if specific footage like this should ever be shown). But the way Fox worked this in as a brief shot in what felt like a promotional video overall sparked a lot of criticism.

This wasn’t the only issue some found with this video. While it was stated as looking at “25 years of NASCAR on Fox,” it included two prominent clips from other networks’ coverage: NBC footage of George W. Bush at the 2004 Daytona 500 and ESPN footage of Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer in a 2012 fight in Phoenix. But while those inclusions do seem odd as well, they sparked nowhere near the backlash that including the Earnhardt crash did.

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.

View all posts by Andrew Bucholtz