Daytona 500

Hey guys- Today we're covering a sport that I don't watch very much of, NASCAR. My experience with NASCAR consists of a pair of races I've attended that past few years in Loudon, NH with a bunch of buddies so I really won't be able to give you analysis that's all that insightful. That being said, when I was at Loudon, I tried to talk up some real fans to see if insightful analysis really existed in NASCAR, and the most thought-provoking response I got was "Man, Jeff Gordon's a pussy." So, consider me skeptical on whether you can really break down a race like you can with other sports. So today, I'll be judging the commentators for the Daytona 500 on how well they break down the race.

Another thing to take into consideration is that I will be watching this race from the persepctive of a casual fan. It will be interesting to see how much Fox aims their analysis towards the hardcore fan that would never miss "The Great American Race" and the casual fan, who may catch a few laps, and not much else this year. Without further ado, here's some things I like and didn't like about Fox's coverage of the Daytona 500.

Fox gives the casual fans a decent start with an "understanding the race" graphic on when the caution and green flags come out. By the way, one big issue I have with NASCAR are the caution laps, especially when races end on them. To have cars that can go 200mph with the best drivers on earth, and end the race with the drivers going half speed and staying in line is a crime.

(Due to prior committments, we'll be picking up the race with 90 laps to go.)

With 84 laps to go, Jeff Gordon goes into make a pit stop, and the announcer talk about the importance of being the 1st car a lap down because it gives him a free pass to be on the lead lap if a caution flag were to come out. The announcer doesn't finish the explanation, but I got enough to understand the rule. Also, the explanation for Dale Earnhearts 1 lap penalty for lining up on the line when going in for a pit change was very thorough. They break down Earnhearts entire pit stop nicely. Two new rules learned in 10 minutes- I like what I hear so far.

Cars going in cricles, cars going in circles, and......... WE HAVE A CRASH!!! The announcers seem to think "That's just wrong" and "uncalled for." Let's break it down. Dale Jr. tries to pass Brian Vickers, and Vickers blocks him, and then Jr. clips Vickers resulting in a 10 car pile-up. Fox does a very good job going to a series of replays to show every possible angle of this wreck, including inside many of the cars involved. Good explanation that the car underneath the yellow line needs to blend in and cannot pass as a rule, and it certainily seems that Dale Jr. is in the wrong on this one. He was underneath the line and then bumped Vickers (is there a penalty for this?). Good overall explanations by the announcers explaining who was at fault in the pile-up, it was Earnhart, but it was relatively understandable because they were both fighting for the "free pass" position if a caution were to come up. I feel like I'm learning something. Solid stuff from the announcing team of Joy, Waltripp and McReynolds.

Now, we get more analysis on the wreck with a race break from Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond, and Hammond's analysis really dissapoints. In what seems to be the most important sequence of the race, Hammond mumbles something incoherent and doesn't take a stand on who was at fault. How much is Dale Jr. in the wrong? Should he be assessed a penalty? Is it fair for drivers a lap down to even be fighting this hard right alongside the leaders? Give me something Hammonds. Hammond seems to be the one weak link on what has been a very good announcing team for Fox. I have got to admit, the announcers have been doing a very good job of analyzing the race, and the chemistry they have seems to be there. I have never heard of McReynolds, but he brings a great energy to the booth, and is on point with a lot of comments. Note again, that this is coming from a casual fan, so I'd be impressed with just about anything, but it's better than I expected.

The anticipated rains finally arrive putting Fox in a tough position with a rain delay. But Fox respond well with a series of field interviews with the racers. And in just about the least exciting, anti-climatic fashion possible, Matt Kenseth is your Daytona 500 champion! He led one lap, and wins more on mother nature than on how well he drove a racecar. In no way did he deserve this, and this is one of the reasons why I just cannot get into NASCAR. NASCAR rules aside, I thought FOX did a very good job covering the race, save for Hammond.