There have been a number of instances over the years of broadcast booths losing power and sideline reporters having to fill in. The latest came in a NASCAR Regional Late Model Stock race Saturday night, the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway. That race was set to be called by Eric Brennan, Blake McCandless, and James Pike on FloRacing, but the booth lost power partway through, leading to Pike having to go it alone on the commentary side. And his work there was noticed:
Go @JamesVPike 🙌
— Blake McCandless (@MrF4Speed) November 24, 2024
A billion shoutouts to @JamesVPike.
He went from pit reporter, to suddenly being the ONLY voice of the broadcast…calling the whole damn thing from the center of the infield likely with zero monitor and technology. Unbelievably difficult
And it was… GREAT! https://t.co/SsIPOz6vD9
— Alan Cavanna (@AlanCavanna) November 24, 2024
Pike noted later that he was able to do this with the help of the Race Monitor app, and that he learned the ins and outs of that calling virtual iRacing events:
&
Also, to clarify here: it was me, my microphone, my IFB and the @RaceMonitor app – but the act of reading timing and scoring on that app I learned through all my @iRacing shows looking at the live timing window of @appgineerin’s ATVO. Credit to both programs in this case. https://t.co/7PXPlCJ5My
— James Pike (@JamesVPike) November 24, 2024
He also praised many of his colleagues, and a fellow broadcaster who was streaming from pit road:
I happened to be the person in position to perform this time around. That’s what the show asked of me. The best of us in this profession, I believe, act first and foremost of the best interest of the show. That’s what I tried to do – appreciative of the support from everyone.
— James Pike (@JamesVPike) November 24, 2024
Had we stayed down the entire time, I had a plan in place to have Travis stream for the duration of the race and then act as my wireless cam op in Victory Lane. Would have pulled him right on my shoulder to get @TreytenL’s interview. Travis also did what the situation asked for. https://t.co/D1xPCgj2LR
— James Pike (@JamesVPike) November 24, 2024
For their parts, both the NASCAR Regional team and Florence Motor Speedway owner Steve Zacharias put out statements on the broadcast issues here:
NASCAR Productions is aware of the ongoing issues related to the live stream of the South Carolina 400 and is working diligently to resolve them.
We apologize for these challenges during what we understand is a highly anticipated event.
— NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) November 24, 2024
We wanted to clarify the broadcast situation during the 400. Please know this is not just words in a post. We take this seriously, and we will improve so that our next big event can be watched and enjoyed by all who tune in. pic.twitter.com/2l3zOa46hx
— Florence Motor Speedway (@FmSpeedway2024) November 24, 2024
A broadcast situation like this is far from ideal for anyone at any time. But that’s exacerbated further during a highly-anticipated event, and the South Carolina 400 was certainly that, thanks in part to Dale Earnhardt Jr. taking part and driving a car in a No. 8 Budweiser paint scheme for the first time in 17 years. The race also has a notable tradition; while there had only been four previous races under this name at this speedway, it incorporates the history of the nearby and long-running Myrtle Beach 400. So there were plenty eager to watch this.
It looks like what happened here was more on issues with the speedway than with the broadcaster, and it’s positive to see the speedway saying they “take this seriously” in their follow-up post on this. We’ll see how they work to fix these infrastructure problems. But Pike and the FloRacing team certainly did a commendable job here under difficult circumstances. And that adds to the long history of sideline reporters stepping up when needed.
[Alan Cavanna on X]
