NASCAR on FOX returns after a two week break with live coverage of the Sprint Cup Series race from the Bristol Motor Speedway.
Chris Myers will start the day from the Hollywood Hotel with Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond. This pre-race show has been all over the map this season. NASCAR interviews and features are mixed with comedy bits and what FOX considers entertainment.
Mike Joy will handle the call of the race with Waltrip and Larry McReynolds alongside. Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda and Dick Berggren will be the pit road reporters.
The TV challenge at Bristol revolves around two issues. The first is keeping the viewers informed of all the changes in position. One green flag pitstop will put a car a lap down at least. One jam-up behind a slow car can cause five or more lead lap positions to be shuffled.
The second issue is the TV images chosen by the director. This track is tiny. Putting a full field out under green flag conditions means cars are racing almost all the way around the track. Making a decision to only show two cars racing or using the in-car cameras live means eliminating a lot of the action.
The fundamental job of covering NASCAR live on TV is to show the folks at home what the fans in the stands are watching. By purposefully punching buttons and using equipment just because it's there, a big chunk of what happens on the track is never seen.
During the practice sessions, the FOX production team used the in-car cameras extensively. This may or may not be a hint at what is in store for today. When BMS was a single groove, it was easy for the cameras to follow the double-wide action into the corners knowing there would be trouble.
These days, BMS is a completely different animal. Two-wide racing is the norm and the TV team is searching for passing all over the track. It should be interesting to watch the way that the NASCAR on FOX team chooses to tell the stories.
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