NASCAR Nation

I
'll never forget the first time I heard the national anthem played at a NASCAR event after 9/11. It was the first race after the tragic fall of the twin towers in New York. The audience was enormous. There was a real sense of community, a sense of togetherness unlike any race I had been to before.

What happened next is difficult to explain. There was no preparation for it. The crowd just started chanting “U.S.A.” in unison. It didn't start with a
single voice. Just as everyone stood up together, they started chanting together: “U.S.A.” They were reciting more than three letters. They were chanting for the United States of America and everything it stood for, all of its values, and they were saying it in unison. They weren't saying it in an abrasive or in-your-face kind of way. They were saying, “We are Americans, and we will stay together.”

That's NASCAR – as American as baseball and apple pie, and it embodies all of the values that make America great. It's cars and crashes, but it's also a multi-million dollar American tradition born out of a grassroots southern racing sport. NASCAR may have started small as an underdog in sports, but it has grown to international acclaim. That's the great American story – the unexpected rise to success.

NASCAR could have only started here, in a country where learning to drive is as essential as learning to walk. The automobile is inextricably a symbol of America and American industry, and it's a part of most Americans lives. We drive more and unfortunately consume more oil than most other countries. While high oil consumption isn't the goal, when we ask, “What is America?” the answer always seems to be that it is the land of opportunity. It's the open road.

NASCAR is all about the open road with no speed limit and no stop signs, with things coming at you faster than you know how to handle them. Drivers
have to expect the unexpected and possess lightning-fast reflexes. Most Americans can relate to the need for speed, the call of the open road, and the cross-country adventure. The car has been part of the American dialogue since Henry Ford.

If cars are for most Americans, then NASCAR is also for most Americans. Baseball is America's pastime and football is America's passion, but NASCAR is its roots. Fans don't have to pay thousands for seats to see a race. Families come down in campers, kids and all, for the weekend of a big race. It's family time and it's NASCAR time. That's why NASCAR has such a sizeable and loyal fan base. I am but one steadfast fan out of millions.

NASCAR is a major part of America, and now, a part of who I am. However, it wasn't always easy getting into the sport. Before I started broadcasting for NASCAR, I was a so-called stick-and-ball guy. I had no idea what that meant, but I heard it a lot during my early days. I thought I was a sportsman and broadcaster, but as I got into the world of race cars, even as a major professional sports broadcaster, I learned that NASCAR was a world in and of itself.

During my ten years at ESPN, I had covered a little bit of racing. I'd interviewed some of the legends in the sport: Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett, who won the Daytona 500 (in fact he won the race three times – 1993, 1996, and 2000 – and his father was also in
the sport). When I was with FOX and they acquired the broadcast rights to NASCAR, they were looking for a host. This is how it all began.

Now, they tried out several different people, and each and every job candidate was impressive and overwhelmingly qualified – I was definitely not a shoe-in. They knew they wanted to bring in Darrell Waltrip, the former NASCAR champion. They were looking at former NASCAR crew chief Jeff Hammond. Of course there was Larry McReynolds, the longtime NASCAR crew chief and sports analyst. These guys might have had limited broadcasting experience, but if anyone knew racing, it was them. They were NASCAR insiders. FOX tried out a lot of different people who really knew the sport. I was the underdog.

Contrary to what some people believe, NASCAR isn't a game just for the winners. With the way the dollars work out, it's thought that only four to five teams can afford to compete; that it's a game only for those who can pay to compete, shutting out the underdog. While some of this may be true, there are unexpected wins to counter that claim. Take then-rookie Brad Keselowski's steal at Talladega on April 26, 2009. There were four laps to go, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked like he might win. Tony Stewart's car didn't seem to be getting up to speed. By the last lap, it was Carl Edwards who held the race in the palm of his hand. No one thought Keselowski was
going to take it. Suddenly, Edwards's car, nosed by Keselowski's, somersaulted in the air, destroying the front end of Ryan Newman's car. Edwards exited the car and ran to the finish line on foot after all the cars had already sped across it. Keselowski was in the lead. Luck plays a big role in racing.

And as luck would have it, I ended up getting the job with FOX as an on-air host. One day I was in the building and someone said, “You're a guy who knows broadcasting. You know how to ask all the questions.” They said this knowing that I wasn't as knowledgeable about the sport as the other candidates. I told them that I could study any sport, and besides – I'd grown up around racing. So I was given an opportunity to take a job that would change my life: I became the host of the NASCAR pre-race show.

As a broadcaster, I was expected to make sure that I was both sufficiently informed and connected to the audience – and boy, do you get an audience. I took the responsibility seriously from the very beginning. NASCAR is one of the greatest sports in the United States and has one of the most dedicated fan bases. Becoming a NASCAR broadcaster was no simple task. I had the job, but I still had to figure out how to become a part of the NASCAR world. Unlike many other sports, NASCAR wasn't just about giving stats on air. I had to take a lighter approach, because people want to be entertained. They want to enjoy
themselves; it's a fun and down-to-earth sport. People watching the race aren't watching it just to hear numbers. If I wanted to do this, I had to really become a part of the NASCAR world – which is easier said than done.

“Hey, there's Chris Myers,” the late David Poole, a writer for the
Charlotte Observer
, said as he stood with a beer in hand after a race. “I thought when you came on NASCAR you would suck.” Believe it or not, Poole was trying to bring me into the tight-knit NASCAR community with his frank comment. He went on to say, “But I was wrong. You're really good.”

It turned out that Poole had his own radio show and was a NASCAR insider. As I got to know the people, he was one of those in the NASCAR circle who let me in. He and the drivers themselves were very cooperative and helpful. David always seemed to be saying, “You know we want you – you're a guy we've seen who has worked in the sports world and you're part of this.” Poole, his beer, and his welcoming demeanor were my way into a club of sorts; one that you have to respect and want to be a part of. It has core American values – sincerity and honesty – and it values people who are down-to-earth and true to themselves. When I went down to Daytona, the drivers walked me through the garage so I could see how things worked. It was their way of including me in the game.

Here's the thing about NASCAR: it's an all-American, traditional sport that stays true to its roots, while it's also modern and cutting edge. The social aspect has changed little. The old NASCAR was a southern regional sport. So for a new broadcaster, there were times I felt as if it were saying, in a southern drawl: “You're not one of us.” Still, NASCAR has developed with time, welcoming drivers from California, Las Vegas, and every nook and cranny of the U.S.A. What got me accepted in NASCAR was sincerity. As I said, this is a down-to-earth sport, and being honest is an all-American NASCAR value. I didn't try to pretend to be someone I wasn't. I didn't come on like I was Mr. NASCAR. They knew I knew TV, and they gave me a chance to succeed. NASCAR reminded me of a very simple American value: they'll respect you if you're real and sincere.

As a matter of fact, even FOX was put under scrutiny. The network was seen as crazy untraditional television, and somehow insincere. In the end, FOX was able to prove that though it was going to do things differently, the network would be doing them better. It was the first to put the ticker-style running order up on the screen for the race. That's only one example of the many technical things that our production and broadcast crews have contributed to the sport, getting fans at home closer to the races.

In truth, I'm only a small part of it all. The true honor goes to those behind the scenes who are rarely mentioned. In NASCAR, everyone matters, and every member of the crew is essential to both the races and the on-air production. It's because of each of us that our broadcasting team is the most popular among NASCAR fans and has been broadcasting for over eight years. We have a nice mix of people, and we can cover the news stories right, relate to drivers, and have fun. That's what people want to see. Not only that, but our FOX team has now been credited for making the sport more mainstream and being cutting edge on air.