NBC’s Talladega coverage worthy of high praiseSince NBC assumed the throne as NASCAR’s top TV network in July, the inevitable comparisons poured in with a consistent theme.
Critics said NBC didn’t have Fox’s flash or flair.
Critics said NBC couldn’t keep up with the ratings bonanza Fox reaped in the season’s first half.
And critics said since NBC was one of TV’s big three networks — i.e., stodgy and old-fashioned — it might revert to just the type broadcasts NASCAR was trying to get away from in the first place.
Well, wrong.
NBC proved Sunday that its place among NASCAR’s $2.8 billion TV package is well deserved. Through WVTM-13, NBC’s Birmingham affiliate, the network gave viewers the perfect look at the EA Sports 500 and the drama that ultimately unfolded at sun-drenched Talladega Superspeedway.
Oh, there were glitches. The on-air trio of Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach had a slow start when the green flag dropped, leaving several gaps of dead air during the early laps. And the producers’ decision to lead the much-hyped pre-race show with Bestwick showing video clips of Michael Jordan’s 41-point effort in an NBA preseason game Saturday night smacked of pressure from NBC’s NBA division.
Overall, though, NBC’s effort was everything it should have been: workmanlike, solid and informative, with just enough entertainment thrown in.
One thing is true: NBC isn’t Fox. Translated, that means NBC’s NASCAR broadcasts aren’t the three-hour laugh-fests that came with Fox’s decision to put Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds in the booth with veteran play-by-play man Mike Joy. Fox’s NASCAR telecasts were fun and jovial, sometimes excessively so.
That, though, is no fault of NBC.
What NBC did give Talladega race fans Sunday was the right information at the appropriate time. NBC flooded Talladega’s pits with reporters, who offered timely coverage of the race’s green-flag stops, the controversy that surrounded the Todd Bodine-Kevin Harvick mishap and the strategy of the final laps.
By race’s end, all NBC had done was reaffirm the belief that there may not be a better way to watch a NASCAR race than in your living room. It’s not great for ticket sales, but it is great for race fans thirsting for information.
Other highlights of NBC’s telecast:
-- The pre-race show hammered home the point that many Winston Cup drivers no longer enjoy racing at Talladega due to the existing rules.
“I dread going there,” driver Rusty Wallace said. “It’s not a fun experience to be out there,” driver Tony Stewart said.
Dallenbach, a former Winston Cup driver, offered the differing viewpoint. “To me, this is one of the coolest places in the world to drive.”
-- The pre-race show also aired an informative piece on Petty Enterprises, which has suffered through a difficult 2001 season. “Our performances on the race track have been just horrible,” Kyle Petty said.
-- Perhaps NBC’s strongest point came when it covered Bodine’s backstretch wreck, which was caused when Harvick bumped into his car. Bodine didn’t mince words. “I really like Kevin Harvick, but that’s the second time that idiot did it to me. I didn’t count on him making a bonehead move,” Bodine said.
After a commercial break, NBC showed video of Bodine’s crew chief, Travis Carter, sticking his head inside Harvick’s Chevrolet for a few well-placed words during the next pit stop.
Using a video clip example, Dallenbach pointed out Harvick’s rookie mistake. “He had enough of a run on him that he should have pulled to the right and around him,” Dallenbach said.
