FOX's booth stands the test of time

Just as they were 15 years before, when it all began.

“I don’t think there’s another three-man booth in network television sports that’s been together as long,” said Joy, who also anchored the first live Sprint Cup telecasts on ESPN (1981) and TNN (’91). “It’s all based on trust.

“We went in with a mutual friendship and respect for each other and for what each of us could bring to the table.”

Joy brought a wealth of experience, having worked races from pit road and the announcer’s booth for both radio and television.

Waltrip, a three-time champion as a driver in NASCAR’s premier series, brought the knowledge of what it’s like behind the wheel for a driver in just about any given situation.

And McReynolds, who won 23 times — including a pair of Daytona 500 victories with Davey Allison and Dale Earnhardt — provided the perspective of the crew chief.

“The three of us have very good chemistry,” said Waltrip, who spent Monday after the non-points Sprint Unlimited race at Daytona studying tape of the race in his motorcoach.

“We set it up from the very beginning to be (just like a team) — Mike’s the owner, Larry’s the crew chief and I’m the driver. That’s how we approached it; to this day, that’s how we looked at things. Mike … sets the stage and Larry and I react to it.”

They’ve been successful, he said, “because we’re not outsiders. We grew up in the sport.”

It’s been pointed out, McReyolds said, that “the three of us are so different that we’re alike, if that makes sense.

“An example we were given, and it’s spot-on,” he said. “I’m the guy that’s going to be in the booth an hour before (we need to be). Darrell’s going to be on time; he’s not going to be late, he’s not going to be early but he’s going to be there. And Mike’s going to come in at the last minute.

“But at the end of the day, when that light comes on and the mics are hot, there we are.”

When David Hill, former chairman and CEO of FOX Sports, began assembling his group for NASCAR on FOX after acquiring a significant portion of the television rights in ’99, he knew he wanted Waltrip in the booth. Waltrip, however, was still competing as an owner/driver in the Sprint Cup Series at the time.

“I’ve always felt that it didn’t matter how important Darrell was in the 17 car to NASCAR, he’s become far more important to them now,” Hill said, taking a break from overseeing a recent production of “American Idol” in Los Angeles.

“He’s kind of like a missionary with enthusiasm; he’s like the Billy Graham of NASCAR.”

Hill said the network wanted the makeup of the NASCAR broadcast booth to reflect the successful pairings it had enjoyed with its NFL broadcasts. Instead of typical, anchor-heavy teams with less input from the analysts, FOX wanted the analysts to be a major focus of the broadcast team.

“Working for David Hill was like working for Junior Johnson,” Waltrip said. David is the mastermind of putting panelists together, understanding how to do a sporting event. He’s unbelievable. He was really the one that drove this whole thing. Eric Shanks (FOX Sports President and COO) is the same way, a young guy that loves the sport.”

With Waltrip in the fold, Hill set about assembling the rest of the broadcast team. Joy had the experience, and Hill knew his calm delivery and knowledge of the sport would be reassuring to viewers while keeping newcomers Waltrip and McReynolds on point.

“In a sport like this with so many moving parts, I really think that between FOX’s experience at doing huge sporting events, including the Super Bowl and our collective experience, those of us that were NASCAR insiders and the people that had both broadcast and produced NACAR on TV, I think we were pretty well prepared,” Joy said of that first season. “I think we had a good idea of what to expect.

“I went in knowing that I was going to get really good opinionated analysis from Larry and Darrell, no doubts in that department.”

Like Waltrip, McReynolds was still on the “other” side of the sport when Hill approached him about becoming a part of the team. Although he had worked on pit road occasionally for non-Sprint Cup events, McReynolds thought long and hard about the opportunity to step away from the car and move in front of the camera.

“I was a little concerned that if I didn’t do it, knowing it would be a very small box of people that were going to have these roles in our sport, that I would probably always look back over my shoulder and say, ‘What if?’ ” McReynolds said.

“They were only offering me a two-year deal so I felt like if I went and did it and I didn’t enjoy it, or they didn’t enjoy me, I could go back (to being a crew chief). It was a hard decision. …

“I still miss being a crew chief, but I think working with (my son’s) racing has helped fill that void. And honestly when I go in that booth, I feel like I’m crew chief for all 43 teams; I just don’t have to take the heat for a bad call made on Sunday.”

While the trio upstairs has remained unchanged, there have been minor moves among those who roam pit road keeping tabs on the action for the network. Yocum, however, has been there from the beginning.

“We all play off each other; everyone very generous,” he said. “It’s like playing Air Force football when you were a kid. Someone’s about ready to get you and you chuck the ball to your teammate and they run and then they pitch it to someone else.

“It’s been that way really for 15 years now.”

Being out in the elements presents its challenges — race day can break cold and wet or incredibly hot, depending on the time of year and venue. But Yocum said he’s perfectly content to remain downstairs.

“I would never want to miss out on being around the folks in the garage or going over the wall,” he said. “To me that’s my culture, that’s my family. I just feel like every race weekend I’ve hit the Powerball. …

“I’m just humbled and honored to be a part of such a special group for so many years.”

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