After watching the Daytona 500 on Fox Sunday, I can’t help but think that the boys at Fox need a bit of advice.
Not that I have anything against Darrell Waltrip, Larry Mac and co., but I don’t watch a race to see music-laden cartoons of a hapless gopher and cutaway segments for Ask.com.
If the folks at FOX want to keep this race fan happy, and keep me from switching to MRN coverage, here’s a few pieces of advice:
1. Limit your on-screen graphics. I can’t tell you how many times during the race I felt like I was looking around and even through the graphics to see what was happening on the track. I want to see the race. Not experiments in how many cool stat boxes you can fit on screen at the same time.
2. Call it like you see it. If you’ve been to a race or ever listened to coverage by MRN radio, you’ll know what I mean. Sure the guys in the Hollywood Hotel are entertaining, but they sometimes forget to call the race (especially when they’re doing a sponsored segment). And sometimes, when they do call the race, they lack the excitement that makes MRN so fantastic. Pay attention, tell me what's happening and get hyped up boys – it’s racing!
3. Radio chatter – I want more. Of course, if I’m watching Direct TV I can listen to chatter all I want. But it would behoove the folks at FOX to pay heed to this snippet of advice: don’t leave out this most interesting discourse of all. This is what fans really want to hear. Take, for instance, Junior’s threat to meet Brian Vickers in the garage after the race. Fox didn’t play it. I had to read that online. Remember, drama sells. And some of the best drama can be heard on team radios.
4. Commercials, is there no end? I know commercials pay the bills. And I’m thrilled that there are corporate sponsors who still find room in their advertising budgets for NASCAR air time. But could you please limit the number of commercial interruptions and run some ads on the bottom of the screen instead? Though this seems to contradict my first point, I stress that one commercial at a time, while the race continues above, would not bother me in the least. It would be a blessing.
Truly guys, I wish you no ill-will. You work hard, you’re funny and you clearly know what you’re talking about. Just please lessen this fan’s race-watching frustrations and consider my advice. It would make this fan, and a host of others, real happy.
Thirty minutes into the pre-race show on FOX I turned off the sound and turned up the MRN. I thought if I could get past all the "Digger" garbage and just past the Waltrip "Boogity" thing that has grown horribly old, I would un-mute the TV. I was wrong. I listened to the entire race on the radio and glanced at the TV only every once in awhile and usually it was a commercial. Thank goodness for MRN. They can really broadcast a race.
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