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April 27, 2018

FOX drivers-only Talladega broadcast set to offer unpredictable entertainment


TALLADEGA, Ala. — Often times at Talladega Superspeedway, drivers from competing teams need to work together to navigate the high banks of the 2.66-mile track, pushing and giving in the unpredictable draft.

Saturday’s Xfinity Series Sparks Energy 300 (3 p.m. ET, FOX) will see plenty of that — both on the track … and in the broadcast booth, on pit road and in FOX’s Hollywood Hotel.

MORE: FOX announces drivers-only broadcast lineup

The network announced in February that its popular “Drivers Only Broadcast,” featuring Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers getting behind the microphone, would make its return this season, ramping up its roster of talent to match its new location at the Alabama track known for frenzy, chaos and, above all else: entertainment.

“Yeah, I think for me I am looking forward to it; we had a lot of fun at Pocono last year,” Roush Fenway Racing driver and drivers-only returner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said Friday at Talladega. “Doing the pit reporting was fun, but I’m looking forward to getting in the Hollywood Hotel and giving Larry Mac (Larry McReynolds) a hard time from second-guessing (No. 17 crew chief) Brian Pattie’s pit call last week. That will be fun. Him and (Jeff) Gordon were bashing him until it worked out. I will have some fun with that.”

RELATED: Full schedule for Talladega

Stenhouse, who will move from pit road to the Hollywood Hotel, will be joined there by Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski, with the returning booth team of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer and Penske’s Joey Logano tackling the race analysis and Penske’s Ryan Blaney, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones and newcomer Richard Petty Motorsports’ Darrell Wallace Jr. covering the race from pit road.

Wallace Jr. — always game to put his industry-leading authentic personality on display — is thrilled for the opportunity, though he may need to hit up the Monster Energy cooler on the way over to the production meeting. It is Talladega, after all.

“Oh yeah, we will be well-prepped up after the ‘Big One’ tonight on The Boulevard. We will be well prepped, looking forward to that,” Wallace joked. “No, I’m excited. A huge shout-out to those guys for allowing me to be a part of it. … I’m going to mess up so bad, probably call the wrong driver, the wrong car number, might even cuss or two. I don’t know, hell, damn … (laughs) … I don’t know.”

FOX did say in its initial announcement that drivers will have free rein, “as long as no one sets fire to the FOX Sports booth or pulls the plug that knocks us off the air.”

So, if the worst thing that happens is a sternly-worded letter from the FCC for profanities, consider the broadcast a success.

And for Wallace, 22nd in points and a dark-horse contender to be among those competing for the win in Sunday’s GEICO 500 (2 p.m. ET, FOX), at the very least it allows him to have a backup career in his pocket.

“Yeah, it lets me know if this racing thing doesn’t work out, I might have a shot at TV,” he said. “So, this is my debut, this is my tryout session to keep it back in the memory bank to see if I actually can do it. But it’s going to be a good time regardless, (with) myself, Blaney and Erik on pit road. That is going to be fun, but (I’m) definitely going to watch some broadcasts tonight and see what I can pick up on because I think what we are covering like eight to 12 cars or something. Geez, that is going to be kind of tough — but it’s going to be a challenge, it’s going to be fun.

“It will be interesting to see. Definitely listen to my part because some mess-ups are going to happen.”

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