Voda, Jarrett and Petty bring mix of integrity, ease, experience and opinion
Their chemistry is immediately evident.
Fifteen seconds into an interview with the NBC Sports’ NASCAR pre-race broadcast dream team of veteran broadcaster Krista Voda, former NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett and former NASCAR racer turned high opinion analyst Kyle Petty, the trio were finishing each other’s sentences and launching one another into laughter.
“I think what’s great about our combination is that in this job you don’t necessarily have to like the people you work with but you do have to respect them, and we’re very lucky because I think there is both,” Voda said. “We genuinely like each other in addition to respecting the work we do.”
“But,” Jarrett deadpanned, “We’ve just got to get Kyle to come out of his shell and then everything will be good.”
The overriding theme of this group is unmistakable.
Not only do they respect one another, but they are all well-respected in the NASCAR garage area. Each brings a level of experience and knowledge that creates authenticity for the network in its NASCAR return. The result should be a compelling, enjoyable, informational start to the season’s final 20 Sprint Cup races and 19 XFINITY Series events, which the network (using both NBC and NBCSN) will air for the next decade.
NBC Sports takes over coverage of the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series beginning with the July 4-5 race weekend at the iconic Daytona International Speedway. Voda, Jarrett and Petty will handle the pre-race duties – a responsibility each takes to heart.
“Working with Krista, I know she is such a professional, so well-prepared,” the mercurial Petty said. “She studies, she takes notes, talks to people, and she has a funny sense of humor and throws things out that make you feel at ease.
“Working with Dale on ‘NASCAR AMERICA’ (NBC Sports Network studio show), I realize if I was as smart as Dale, I would have won more races because I’m learning stuff now from him I wish I knew when I was driving a race car. You’re talking about a guy who’s won a championship (1999), won the Daytona 500 and is so articulate.
“It’s such a mix of Krista’s professionalism, the deep history knowledge that Dale brings and if you’re going to have those two bookends then you need to tie it in the middle and that’s where I come in.”
After not broadcasting a NASCAR race since 2006, the network comes in with a bit of blank slate, but one that will fill up quickly with the duties and privileges of covering both the Sprint Cup Series’ exciting Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup 10-race playoff as well as the XFINITY Series championship run. It’s the first time the season finale will be on network television since 2009.
“I was glad to be a part of last year’s [Chase broadcast],” Jarrett said. “That was so exciting. There was great anticipation as an analyst of what was going to happen every week. The things that took place off track, to see the raw emotion and passion of drivers and teams knowing that each lap meant so much to them.
“Now they know a little more what to expect, I expect it to ramp up.
Petty agreed. Developing must-see storylines won’t be a problem.
“You hang on every lap, every thing that’s said, then you watch the drivers and what they do and how it goes,” Petty said. “I think if we use last year and how that Chase went, it will be different this year. It’ll be a little bit different from the standpoint now they have a year under their belt and understand how to race the Chase, what they need to do get through the first three races, then run the next three races.
“You see teams do things … and as an analyst think, ‘why would they do something like that?’ And then they win the race.
“The game has changed because of the Chase. I think that the crew chiefs being willing to gamble and the drivers willing to gamble, makes it exciting because it’s never, ever, over until that checkered flag.”
It’s a good bet that Voda, Jarrett and Petty will send fans off to the green flag feeling more knowledgeable and eager. These three personalities bring a primetime mix of integrity, ease, experience and high opinion. Add in the network’s history of good storytelling and it appears NBC won’t just be picking up where it left off, but launching its new NASCAR era forward at full speed.
“Doing the pre-race show is a huge responsibility and I mean that in a good way,” Voda said. “We’re telling the fans what we expect them to see and why you should be glued to the seat. Our job is to bring the passion of the sport to our fans’ living rooms so they can’t imagine getting up and turning the channel.
“Fans are going to want to be a part of what we have. Wow, Kyle and Dale are having so much fun. If we can bring that passion we have the sport home to people then we have done our job.”