NASCAR Broadcast Comparison: Get On With It (1992 Atlanta vs. 2012 Homestead)

Pre-race shows are way too long.

Nowhere is this more clearly shown than in ESPN's broadcasts of these two NASCAR championship races.

On the top is the satellite feed from the 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta, widely regarded as one of the best - if not THE best - NASCAR races. Heading into the race, there were too many storylines to count. Six drivers with a mathematical shot at the championship. Richard Petty's final start. Rick Mast's first career pole in Oldsmobile's last race. And, in hindsight, the first start of then-Busch Series standout Jeff Gordon. ESPN could have spent hours covering just these stories, and yet they didn't. They managed to cover it all in just 20 minutes and 30 seconds, bringing us right to the green flag.

On the bottom is the actual broadcast from last fall's season finale, the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead. Again, the championship battle is a compelling story as, for the second-straight year, two drivers were set to race for it in the final event. Penske Racing was set to bid for an elusive first title. There was also the controversial wreck between Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer at Phoenix the week before. It also marked the final appearance of the "Gen-Five" car. Good stories, but nowhere near as plentiful as those in 1992. So, they took less time, right? Wrong. Although Kid Rock says "it all starts right now" at 1:58 in this video, the green flag is actually nearly TWO HOURS LATER.

If you believe ESPN needed all that extra time, take a close look at these first twenty minutes. Both broadcasts begin with a musical introduction saluting the championship contenders, but from there, the 2012 broadcast immediately hits the brakes. The 2012 crew remains in the booth, kicking around topics while the crowd files into the track. There's a leisurely tone to their discussion because, after all, they have plenty of time before the start. By the time the green flag drops in the 1992 broadcast, the cars are still covered-up on pit road, making way for Kid Rock's concert.

In 1992, Bob Jenkins and .38 Special launch us trackside after just a few minutes with drivers in their cars and pit reporters working the rounds. It feels more exciting to know the green flag is moments away, but the commentators aren't rushed, either. Instead, they are extremely efficient with the time they're given. They manage to interview several drivers, do a full field rundown, and check in with every reporter on pit road. It runs like clockwork, keeps the excitement levels up, and above all, doesn't waste our time.

And, in reality, today's commentators don't NEED to take more time than that. Sports fans aren't stupid, no matter what their age. Some of my most demanding and knowledgeable viewers when I made NASCAR starting grid videos were still in grade school. When statistics, qualifying results, racing news, and much more are just a few keystrokes away on the internet, all of them updated on a minute-by-minute basis, we don't need all those stories spelled out for us again on race day. Getting the commentator's opinions on what's about to happen is okay, but that doesn't need to run long either because many of them are relying on the same information as the fans. Bob, Ned, Benny, and the rest of the 1992 crew handle this perfectly - just a few brief thoughts, then on to the next thing.

It's not rocket science, people. What fans want out of a pre-race program are three things: (1) any late-breaking stories or interviews that haven't yet been reported, (2) no unnecessary gimmicks by the broadcast crew, and (3) the green flag as soon as possible. Everything else is just window dressing.

If a historic championship race that took place years before the internet and had tons of storylines can be properly introduced in 20 minutes, then that same network has no excuse at all to make us sit through hours of commentator banter, commercials, and redundant reporting. By race day, the average fan knows exactly what is at stake. Remind us briefly, and only once, then get on with it. If the networks did this, they'd cut their production budget in half. In these hard times, it stuns me that they haven't tried.

Видео NASCAR Broadcast Comparison: Get On With It (1992 Atlanta vs. 2012 Homestead) канала Brock Beard