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Let’s move into fantasy land here for just a minute. If we had the ability to pick the broadcasting team for one NASCAR race during the season amongst every broadcaster currently out there, what could we do? Here, we are talking about every motorsports broadcaster currently alive and working today.
We have quite a large swath of characters to choose from for each part of the broadcast. We will select between a four-person broadcast booth, three pit reporters, and a three-person studio crew. With that in mind, who would be a part of this crew?
PxP: Mike Joy
Now, many people may be asking for Alan Bestwick in this seat, but Mike Joy is Mike Joy. He is one of the best NASCAR lap-by-lap commentators out there because he has been at it the longest, and his wealth of knowledge about the history of the sport adds so much to every broadcast he is on. He is one of the best out there today. Bestwick is great in his own right, but Joy’s knowledge puts him over the top.
Driver Analyst 1: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Mike Joy has plenty of knowledge of the sport, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. has just as much if not more, except, Earnhardt Jr. goes about sharing it in a totally different way. Whereas Joy goes about it like a great storyteller, Earnhardt Jr. sells himself based on his incredible energy. He helps make broadcasts exciting to watch and listen to, which is vital to every broadcast of NASCAR out there.
Driver Analyst 2: Jamie McMurray
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the more energetic analyst, while Jamie McMurray is the more calm of the two. Every time he was in the Fox booth this year, he was nothing short of spectacular with his great insight and knowledge of how the sport works. McMurray adds a nice foil to Earnhardt Jr. to keep both drivers balanced throughout the broadcast.
Crew Chief Analyst: Steve Letarte
Larry McReynolds could easily have been in this position too, but Steve Letarte gets the nod simply because of his knowledge of the Next-Gen cars. His Next-Gen car explanations on NBC broadcasts are second to none, and having that crew chief perspective helps create a more well-rounded broadcast. Although McReynolds is great, Letarte’s Next-Gen car insight is what makes him the choice for this team.
Pit Reporter 1: Kim Coon
Kim Coon gets the nod because of her well-rounded broadcasting experience both with MRN and NBC. However, her great interviewing skills with Kyle Larson following the Pocono race last summer show why Coon is a great reporter on pit road. She is an up-and-comer in NASCAR broadcasting, and she makes it on this team.
Pit Reporter 2: Marty Snider
Marty Snider has been reporting ever since NBC started broadcasting NASCAR all the way back in 2001. He never skips a beat on pit road every time his microphone is hot, and that makes him a great person to have on the team. Every team needs that veteran presence and Snider is that.
Pit Reporter 3: Regan Smith
Regan Smith gets the nod on this team because of the driver insight he adds. As a former driver, he can understand what crew chiefs say to him in ways that others may not even think about. Because of this, it makes Regan Smith the perfect person to be a pit reporter on this team.
Here is one thing that is going to be true when it comes to the studios for pre and post-race. Pre and post-race will all be on-site, not in an off-site studio.
Studio Host: Allen Bestwick
With Mike Joy being the lap-by-lap commentator, we cannot keep Allen Bestwick totally out of the broadcast. He has experience being a studio host with ESPN between 2007 and 2010, and that experience plus his talent will make him great at this. He also is the current PA announcer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which has a similar job description of entertaining the crowd and hyping up the race as being a studio host does.
Studio Analyst 1: Larry McReynolds
We cannot keep Larry McReynolds completely out of the picture either. “America’s Crew Chief” can take care of some pit road and crew chief analysis during pre-race and post-race, which could make for some interesting soundbites. On top of that, his working with the guy who is next on this list is sure to create some interesting soundbites.
Studio Analyst 2: Kyle Petty
Kyle Petty may be controversial at times, but he is unfiltered. That unfiltered nature makes him that much more fun to listen to, and it makes for some interesting soundbites on every show he is on. Plus, his working with Larry McReynolds should make for some entertaining post-race shows.
Could there be some other commentators that could be made on this list? There are a lot of people who could be big-time candidates for this.
