If you’ve ever spent time on social media, things can be pretty negative on there. Sometimes, that negativity is warranted. Sometimes, it goes a bit overboard.
NASCAR fans are passionate about their sport, but that passion can come at a detriment. While there are legit issues, there are positives about NASCAR, and some fans may not know when to “smell the roses” and enjoy the positives sometimes.
Denny Hamlin touched on this during the latest episode of his podcast, Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin. In talking about Fox’s NASCAR broadcasts, Hamlin revealed that while he felt some criticism is warranted, NASCAR fans in general are “critical about some really small things” and can be “really tough on Fox.” Hamlin then discussed some of the bigger issues he’s noticed on broadcasts.
“I think the fans in general and social media are really tough on Fox,” Hamlin said. “I think some of it is warranted, for sure, but I think that they’re very critical about some really small things that they could get better.
“One thing I saw at [Bristol] dirt last week, or when I watched it back, was the announcers would be talking about some side-by-side battle and the camera wasn’t on it. So you didn’t know, ‘What are they talking about? Let me see this battle.’ And then you see, I did notice too, as soon as some action would start to heat up on a side-by-side battle, they cut to 12th place and these guys are battling for, you see the second place guy working over the first place guy, right on his *** and about to make a move, and they cut to side-by-side for 12th. And it’s like, ‘Oh, well ****, let’s just let’s keep it in the battle that’s about to dictate who’s going to be leading this race. So certainly, I think from a production standpoint we could make some improvements.”
Hamlin pointed out that it’s a very difficult job to work on a production crew for a live broadcast. From personal experience, that’s very true. Hamlin was a guest analyst for some Xfinity Series races, and he has a first-hand perspective of how hard these people work and how hectic things can get. When you see the controlled chaos in the production truck and in the booth, it shows just how great these people are at their jobs.
That being said, everyone can improve. And while Hamlin praised the idea of having a different person in the booth with Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer each week, it can potentially result in a chemistry problem. Work with someone each week for five months, you can get the chemistry down and have a seamless broadcast. It’s kind of difficult to do that with a different third person with various broadcasting skills each week. Hamlin expressed hope that when Kevin Harvick joins the Fox booth in 2024, booth chemistry will improve the broadcast.
“Why is it so compelling to listen to MRN? You’re not even watching the race, but they make it seem like someone is making a massive charge and is side-by-side and driving into the, it is so exciting,” Hamlin said. “And I think some at times we get very monotone when there’s an exciting moment going on that certainly would bring a level of excitement, I think, to a casual race fan that, ‘Oh man, I need to be paying attention. This is big.’ I think that Harvick going into Fox next year certainly will, hopefully bring in some of that chemistry that those two permanent guys definitely need.”
Are there issues with Fox’s NASCAR broadcasts? Sure. Will we have issues with NBC’s broadcasts the second half of the season? Most likely. But it’s important to take a step back and make sure things aren’t worse than they actually seem. Because they’re doing a lot more right than they’re doing wrong.
[Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin]
