x
Breaking News
More () »

Gluck: NBC takes green on NASCAR coverage

 

 

 

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NBC Sports’ advertising campaign for its portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule has the tagline “We’ll take it from here.”

What’s the tone you use to read that? Is it “We’ll take it from here,” solely as a nod to the transition from Fox to NBC starting with Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 (7:45 p.m. ET, NBC) at Daytona International Speedway?

Or perhaps it’s “We’ll take it from here,” as in, “Don’t worry, NASCAR fans – your favorite network is back. The coverage you can really enjoy starts now.”

It’s likely the tagline isn’t intended with outright malice, but would it be bad if there was a wink involved?

After all, competition drives NASCAR in every way. Teams have extra incentive to go faster once someone comes along and challenges them.

The same could be said for TV networks. Both Fox and NBC broadcasters want NASCAR fans to consider them the best, the preferred network.

 

And one isn’t going to let the other get too far ahead. That rivalry creates innovation, generates coverage ideas and brings new talent into the homes of NASCAR fans.

For example: Fox had the same booth – former driver Darrell Waltrip, former crew chief Larry McReynolds and Mike Joy – since it started broadcasting races in 2001. Then NBC came along last year (replacing ESPN and TNT) and put fresh faces in its booth with former driver Jeff Burton, former crew chief Steve Letarte and Rick Allen.

This season, Fox named newly retired four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon as an analyst and moved McReynolds to a different role. Coincidence?

Either way, the move worked. Gordon was praised for raising Fox’s game – even though his style clashed with the old-school Waltrip at times – and became a valuable addition to NASCAR broadcasts in the first part of the season.

 

Now, coming off Fox’s 16 races (plus two exhibition races), NBC is tasked with both maintaining Fox’s pace and matching its own well-reviewed performance from last year.

What’s new? For one thing, NBC will use animation clips from the upcoming NASCAR Heat Evolution video game to illustrate things such as handling and airflow. And in Year No. 2, NBC can build off positive momentum instead of being in “Hi, nice to meet you” mode with fans.

There are distinct differences between the two NASCAR broadcasters. Fox’s emphasis is on fun and goofiness; it wants viewers to be entertained and laugh along with some of its talent’s antics. NBC, the network of Bob Costas and Al Michaels, has an emphasis on storytelling and carries a distinguished air.

 

Fox enjoyed a strong season thanks in part to the material with which it had to work. NASCAR’s races have been more entertaining this year compared to the last few seasons, and there have been several memorable finishes, starting with the season opening Daytona 500, which had its closest finish ever.

There’s no reason NBC can’t follow suit, but it will have some hurdles to overcome – one of those being the Olympics. NASCAR fans don’t like playing second fiddle to anything, so moves like putting the Watkins Glen International race on USA instead of NBC or NBC Sports Network might not sit well when the Summer Games roll around next month.

But if broadcasters continue to respect fans’ intelligence and let the excitement speak for itself, the action has been good enough this year to ensure NBC will remain popular in NASCAR Nation.

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck

 

Before You Leave, Check This Out