OLDER BUSCH BROTHER BEATS EVERYONE...BIG

Make no mistake about it…Atlanta Motor Speedway provided any NASCAR fan with his or her fair share of entertainment AND surprises this weekend. One of the fastest tracks in NASCAR, Atlanta Motor Speedway hasn’t lost any excitement, even with tire package which made the cars look like they were out of control every single lap. Constant replays from Fox’s coverage supplied the proof that those drivers were one slight turn of the wheel away from losing their racecars. We expected this, but definitely not to this magnitude.

Congratulations to winner Kurt Busch! He still hasn’t lost his touch behind the wheel. How quickly we forget that he won the championship in 2004! Granted back then, he drove for Jack Roush. But he was charging through the field in his Dodge Charger—how ironic— in the Kobalt Tools 500 and won convincingly, but in exciting fashion! He started 2nd, and he consistently pulled away by insurmountable margins on every long run.

So what happened to everyone else? A lot of drivers were in trouble early in the race for a reason that not even the Fox broadcasting crew could predict! A pit crew member from Marcos Ambrose’s team chased after a tire which rolled out of their pit stall early in the race. He was so close to the cars that were moving at 185 miles per hour that NASCAR had to slow the field down. Larry McReynolds, one of the color commentators for Fox clearly pointed out that “NASCAR is not going to be happy with that crew member at all.” This incident trapped almost everyone except for 6 drivers a lap down. Whenever other possible contenders were mentioned, Fox’s commentators had to trace whether or not this action by the crew member affected his race. (see the video below)



Fox’s broadcasting crew has won various Emmy awards in the past for NASCAR coverage. Atlanta’s coverage was extremely topical and interesting with a little humor between Larry Mac and DW in the booth too. I would love to be a director for a NASCAR TV broadcast because it looks like everyone has fun and works hard. Every camera shot capturing accidents, hand activity on the steering wheel, and even the crew member pleading his case after his suicidal chase after a tire were worthy of awards.

Overall, with the excellent camera shots, the interviews at the end of the race with Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards, I’d have to rate the broadcast a 9 out of 10. The announcers at the end of the race maintained an unbiased enthusiasm for all 3 contenders in the green-white-checkered scenario. Edwards had 2 tires, and Busch and Gordon each had 4, providing for excitement in the final 2 laps of the race. All on the broadcast crew should be congratulated!

Wow, what are we going to do with a week off? Guess we have to catch our breath before we head to BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY! It’s the world’s fastest half mile, and having gone there last year, it’s 500 laps of flat out beating and banging! Watch both Busch brothers—they love this race track. So does Carl Edwards…and Jeff Gordon’s trying to break his winless streak…Gordon finished 2nd at California and Atlanta! Until Thunder Valley!