Ryan Blaney’s Dog

Say Hello to Sturgill Blaney

BY JARED TURNER

Anyone who’s ever been around NASCAR Cup Series

driver Ryan Blaney knows he’s a rather easy-going, mild-mannered guy. Pretty fitting, then, that Blaney’s dog – a Shepherd/Lab mix named Sturgill – happens to have a similar disposition.

“He’s fun-loving and gets along great with any dog or person that he meets,” Blaney said. “He also has a very calm personality like his owner.”

Blaney has had a lifelong affinity for dogs. His family owned two – first a yellow Lab and then a Havanese/Shih Tzu – during his years growing up in High Point, North Carolina.

Blaney, 27, has been out on his own for a while now but just over two years ago decided it was time to adopt a dog – and that’s when he found Sturgill at Saving Grace animal shelter in North Carolina.

“He was my first dog, really,” Blaney said. “I was looking around for a bit and just saw him and knew he was just like me.”

Although Sturgill is still relatively young, he’s already changed a lot from the day Blaney picked him up.

“One of the things I most enjoy is watching him grow,” Blaney said. “I got him when he was 2 months old, and he’s gone from 10 pounds to 70 pounds. And his personality develops in time, too, so that’s fun to watch.”

NASCAR’s Influencers

HARNESSING THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA

BY JARED TURNER

Who and what is a “NASCAR influencer?” While the defi-

nition of such a person is perhaps generally understood, why not ask a person who falls in this category?

“I think it’s someone who impacts the conversation in our broader ecosystem, whether it’s a specific niche or a wider topic,” said Chris Littmann, director of social media strategy for NASCAR. “I appreciate even being considered among a group that shapes the narrative of how current and future fans think about NASCAR on social media.”

Littmann is one of 14 NASCAR influencers featured on the upcoming pages, which include – among others – drivers from all three major NASCAR series, traditional journalists, a YouTube prodigy in NASCAR Pole Position’s very own Eric Estepp and even a satirist in the form of the Twitter and NASCAR.com sensation known to the racing world as @nascarcasm.

While each one of these people have different talents and strengths, it’s their commonly held traits that make them what almost anyone would consider a “NASCAR influencer.” Those traits include a penchant for working hard, thinking outside the box and harnessing the power of social media to its maximum capabilities. In short, all these folks move the proverbial needle when it comes to attracting and keeping an audience.

Each of these 14 folks knows the sport of NASCAR inside and out (obviously, the drivers do, since it’s their livelihood) and have a story to tell that resonates with fans and other followers. How do we know this? Well, the number of followers and subscribers they have on their various social media channels backs up the claim in a big way.

While there are certainly others involved with NASCAR who command impressive followings on social media, none do a better job than these 14 people of delivering the kind of messaging that keeps audiences engaged, loyal and longing for more of the same.

Buckle your proverbial seat belt and get to know Chris Littmann, Alex Weaver, @nascarcasm, Adam Stern, Jeff Gluck, Eric Estepp and Bob Pockrass. Then, learn more about the social media musings of drivers Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Hailie Deegan and Jordan Anderson.

NASCAR, DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

Chris Littmann

As director of social media strategy for NASCAR, Chris Littmann plays a pivotal role in shaping the overall direction of NASCAR’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok accounts.

Among those five platforms, NASCAR boasts more than 11.2 million followers of its official page – although some undoubtedly follow more than one of NASCAR’s social accounts.

“Each platform has a unique personality,” said Littmann, who has been formally involved in the NASCAR Digital space for more than five years “Twitter is the pulse of the industry. Facebook is the home of our longtime fans. We reach our highest concentration of new fans on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.”

Of the people out there who could be considered NASCAR influencers, Littmann might actually be the most influential, because NASCAR’s reach on social media far, far exceeds that of any one individual content creator. While Littmann acknowledges the vastness of NASCAR’s social media landscape, he demurs at the notion that he’s personally been the engine driving the proverbial train.

“In the grand scheme of things, I think my role is actually very small,” Littmann said. “I’ve been blessed to work on some big, key initiatives with the platforms, but ultimately the team I’ve had the privilege of managing since 2016 has made a much bigger imprint on our channels in that time. I’ve been lucky enough to launch a platform – TikTok – which isn’t something that comes along every season. That was a special experience.”

Under Littmann’s guidance over the past few years, NASCAR has tried to innovate and lead the way when it comes to creating waves on social media.

“We have always been leaned in with all of the social platforms,” Littmann said. “We pride ourselves on being as nimble as possible and seizing at every opportunity for a new platform feature. We’ve taken a more progressive approach on our channels in the last 18 months, in particular with more humorous content, but even before that, I think we upped our game in terms of video and photography quality.

“NASCAR’s social accounts serve an audience with a wide range of affinity, so we have to cater to the longtime fan and the new one alike.”

Since COVID-19 came to U.S. shores more than a year ago, NASCAR’s social media teams have gone to great lengths in their efforts to keep fans excited about the sport at a time when in-person attendance at races is severely limited.

“With fewer fans at the track, social media has been critical to connecting with fans,” Littmann said. “We’re always trying to find new ways to do that as we continue to deal with the pandemic. Whether that’s increased engagement on social channels, new types of content or something else, we’re always trying to do more to fill that void.”

One of the challenges for Littmann is trying to nurture and maintain his own social media brand along with the NASCAR brand for which he is largely responsible. Littmann has more than 5,600 followers of his personal Twitter page – where he’s quite active – so he seems to have struck a good balance.

“I’d like to think I have,” he said. “I pride myself on being on top of what’s happening in social both in and outside of the NASCAR sphere. We can learn as much from looking outward as we can observing our own ecosystem.”

To this end, Littmann devotes some time to seeing what others post and share on social media.

“If it’s inside NASCAR, I pay attention to stories resonating with other content creators,” he said. “In accounts outside of NASCAR, it’s just general inspiration – what resonated that might be applicable to our audience and spark some inspiration for a way to build up a new idea?”

So, what’s been the driving factor in the sustained growth of NASCAR’s social media properties?

“I don’t think it’s any one thing,” Littmann said. “When you serve such a diverse fan base – some new, some longtime fans – it can’t be just one thing. I actually think the diversity in content we provide, be it humor or high-end video/ photography around big moments, is the key to our success.”

NASCAR.COM, HOST AND REPORTER

Alex Weaver

In her fourth season with NASCAR and her third as a host and reporter for NASCAR. com, Alex Weaver is still relatively new to the industry.

In fact, it was just five years ago that she graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Communication and Media Studies. Since then, her rise to NASCAR influencer status has been both swift and notable.

“The funny thing is, I don’t really consider myself an ‘influencer,’” she said. “I just am really passionate about telling the stories and accomplishments of the sports’ athletes. I believe our fans like hearing them and keeping up with the content posted on NASCAR’s sites and social media channels. I am just a small part of a huge team that gets to tell those stories and the storylines of the season.”

Weaver’s main job with that team is being featured in videos about topics related to the sport. Sometimes, she might be featured discussing NASCAR with a colleague; other times, she might be interviewing a driver or track president. Weaver shares most of her NASCAR.com videos on Twitter and uses Instagram to share photos from her professional experiences.

Between the two social media platforms, she has more than 30,000 followers – pretty impressive for someone who is hardly a veteran of the NASCAR media corps.

“I post more frequently on Instagram than I used to, maybe because I am just busier these days and have more to post, but usually I aim for at least once or twice a week,” she said. “I also make sure to share NASCAR related things – projects we are working on, interviews with drivers, show promotions, etc., but also things that relate to my life outside of the sport. Sorry for all of the cat content recently.”

Weaver has broadened her influence and appeal by interacting with fans on social media as much as possible.

“Answering questions and responding just come natural to me, simply because that is what I would want others to do for me if I reach out or ask a question,” she said. “I consider myself pretty outgoing, so I am always flattered and excited when someone reaches out on social media.”

Weaver is extremely at ease on camera, due in large part to her college days at Clemson where she worked as a student administrative recruiting assistant with the university’s football program.

“The longtime sports fan knew that she wanted to work in sports from that moment on,” Weaver said. “I had some terrific people/mentors at Clemson who helped pave the way and decided to put me on camera to talk football. The rest is history. Breaking into NASCAR, I don’t think there has been one moment that has put me in the position I am in – just years of hard work and studying the sport and the athletes in it.”

Successful as she’s been, Weaver doesn’t have a strategy, per se, that has led to her success.

“I think the best advice, as corny as it sounds, is to just be yourself,” she said. “I think social media is the best thing and worst thing, depending on the day. The compare game is never fun, especially when you are a creature of always wanting to be better and reach further milestones in your career, like myself. You are at the right place in your journey and to be your authentic self will get you much further and help you stand out more than trying to copy and keep up with someone else.

“Also, treat people with kindness; this needs to be taught more when it comes to social media.”

WEAVER’S FAST FACTS

1Alex Weaver has more than 23,500 followers on Instagram, where she says she “can be a little more free, creative and work with different outlets.” 2 Weaver has more than 8,300 followers on Twitter, where she rarely tweets recreational photos or personal information. “It’s usually all sports and work,” she says 3 How does Weaver compare Instagram and Twitter? “In my opinion, Twitter is news and Instagram is art,” she says. 4 Weaver’s Twitter handle is @Al_Weave. Her Instagram handle is al_weave. She’s on Facebook but doesn’t use the platform for work-related purposes.

@nascarcasm

Like satire? Maybe even a little cynicism –

in good taste? Meet @nascarcasm, an emerging social media sensation whose goal as a NASCAR humorist is quite simply to make you laugh. Or, at the very least, smile.

First, a little background on how this whole concept came to be.

“It’s actually a very … uninteresting story,” said @nascarcasm, whose real name is known only to the privileged few. “Maybe 10 years ago, my wife and I were sitting at home on a Sunday watching a Pocono race, and I’m making snide comments about this driver and that driver. I knew Twitter was becoming a thing, so I decided, ‘Why not share these insufferable comments with the world?’”

And so it began. These days, the @nascarcasm Twitter account claims more than 184,000 followers – among them NASCAR drivers, team owners, crew chiefs, media members, track owners and, of course, fans.

Not surprising for a guy who gets paid to be witty, @nascarcasm takes his notoriety in the digital space with a proverbial grain of salt. “If I had a business card, I don’t know what I’d put on it – ‘professional troll?’’’ he said. “I don’t consider myself a comedian, because stand-up comedy is an art unto itself, and comedians actually make you laugh. I’m just a guy on Twitter who puts stuff out there that people are kind enough to put up with.” Not all of @nascarcasm’s musings come in 280 characters. He’s also a freelance writer for NASCAR.com, where he contributes a weekly satirical post consisting of fake texts that he imagines being shared among drivers. The goal is never to offend but to entertain.

“There were a few quips early on that raised the ire of some folks, but I was never one of those people who took pride in that,” he said. “To me, it was a screw-up and something I didn’t want to do again. I’m a fragile little porcelain mouse.”

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, MOTORSPORTS REPORTER

Adam Stern

While many people scour Twitter looking

for the latest GIFs, emojis, videos and other ways to be entertained, Adam Stern’s role as motorsports and esports reporter for the Charlotte, North Carolina-based Sports Business Journal is a much more straightforward one by traditional journalistic standards.

His job, quite simply, is to break news and report news pertaining to the business side of NASCAR. Stern is not really interested in entertaining you but, rather, informing you – quickly and accurately. And he’s succeeded at doing just that, as evidenced at least in part by his growing Twitter following of 31,300-plus and his rise to NASCAR influencer status over his more than six years with SBJ.

“NASCAR fans are rabid consumers of sports business news, and, obviously, particularly motorsports business news,” Stern said. “NASCAR is going through a lot of change right now, which lends itself to interesting new developments and news, so a lot of this stuff writes itself.” Stern believes the biggest key to securing and expanding his social media base hasn’t been anything particularly creative or outside-the-box. “Just being active and finding unique angles and new things going on,” he said. “Sometimes it can be behind-the-scenes details about something that has already occurred or just finding out new information about private developments that haven’t become public yet and reporting those.” To any NASCAR journalists aspiring to expand their sphere of influence on social media, Stern has some advice.

“I really just try to do my job and let the chips fall where they may,” he said. “It’s a blessing and honor to work for Sports Business Journal, and that’s my primary focus. It’s important to find a little niche within the sport or some unique angles and carve those out.”

OUT OF THE GROOVE

Eric Estepp

Before the pandemic of 2020, Eric Estepp was a college student with a nine-yearold YouTube channel that was growing but remained a work-in-progress.

Today, that same channel—dubbed Out of the Groove and featuring the biggest and most controversial news stories in NASCAR—boasts more than 145,000 subscribers.

So what exactly happened that made Out of the Groove catch fire and become the No. 1 NASCAR News and Talk Show on YouTube?

“As tumultuous as 2020 was, it did present unique opportunities for content creators,” Estepp said. “I’ve always been working remote and in the virtual space, so my business was largely unchanged. Meanwhile, the rest of the world was pushed into the virtual world out of necessity. I hosted several iRacing events with dozens of real-world NASCAR stars competing in them. As Zoom took over, it became easier for me to find drivers to come on the show as guests.

“Most importantly, though, with more people at home and online in 2020, more fans took to YouTube for content. Naturally, more viewers stumbled in my direction, which helped with the dramatic growth of my channel throughout the year.”

While COVID-19’s impact on the way people communicated and carried out their daily business certainly didn’t hurt Estepp’s efforts to grow his audience, Out of the Groove had actually already taken some positive steps before the pandemic struck.

“A huge moment for the show was when I got to interview Aric Almirola at the start of the 2019 season,” Estepp said. “I was still just a college kid who filmed videos in my apartment whenever my roommates weren’t home, so getting a NASCAR Cup Series driver to talk to me gave the show a huge shot of legitimacy. I feel like that episode was key to opening up a lot of other opportunities in the following months.

“Up to that point, the first few years of Out of the Groove really felt like a grind. But after that first driver interview, the show began to establish a true identity.”

With fresh episodes now produced five times weekly, Estepp’s audience known as “the Groovy Gang” tunes in daily not only to stay up to speed with the sport but also to be a part of the spirited and fun online conversation.

“Since 2019, I’ve had many active NASCAR stars appear in videos, I’ve gotten to film videos at the track with some of them, and my subscriber count has steadily been climbing,” Estepp said. “The most difficult part of those first couple of years was establishing my legitimacy. I didn’t expect the top people in the sport to pay me any attention at first. I had no formal training, no company to vouch for me, and only modest viewership. It was a grind those first several years, but things have really taken off recently.”

Estepp has been a NASCAR fan for more than 15 years and still considers himself a fan of the sport today.

“I had very few people I could talk NASCAR with when I was growing up,” he said. “I was the first person in my family to start watching, and my dad was the only other person I knew who kept up with the sport in any way. When I moved out and started college, I no longer had anyone in my day-to-day life who knew the first thing about stock-car racing.

“That is what inspired me to start Out of the Groove. I wanted to reach other NASCAR fans and find others who were as passionate about racing as I was.”

ESTEPP’S FAST FACTS

1Beginning in 2021, Estepp teamed with A.E. Engine to scale the Out of the Groove brand into new content spaces, including podcasts and a Weekly Viewer’s Guide. 2 The Out of the Groove Weekly Viewer’s Guide is a digitallydelivered, subscription-based magazine featuring opinion and commentary from Estepp and other established NASCAR content creators. 3 Through the expanded partnership between Estepp and A.E. Engine, they’ve joined fellow YouTube creators and NASCAR historians to create the Out of the Groove Podcast Network. 4 Watch the latest episode of Out of the Groove @ericestepp on YouTube. Catch the latest episodes on the Out of the Groove Podcast Network here: https:// polepositionmag.com/out-of-thegroove-podcast-network/

THE ATHLETIC

Jeff Gluck

Recognized for having one of Sports Illus-

trated’s top 100 Twitter accounts in sports for five consecutive years, longtime NASCAR writer Jeff Gluck takes little credit for his rapid rise to NASCAR influencer status. In fact, Gluck – whose 220,000 Twitter followers lead the pack among writers who exclusively cover NASCAR – doesn’t consider himself a NASCAR influencer at all.

“I really think a lot of it was luck and timing,” said Gluck, who writes for The Athletic. “I just happened to join at the right time.”

Modest as Gluck might be, he’s hardly slept his way to the top of his respective profession – which has included stops with such notable media outlets as NASCAR Scene, SB Nation and USA Today.

Along with possessing a pure writing talent that is a rare find, Gluck is a master of producing engaging tweets. “It’s always been about conversation,” he said. “Twitter shouldn’t be a one-way medium where you’re standing atop a virtual pedestal and preaching to the masses. It needs to be something where you listen in return and let people know they’ve been heard.” Well before COVID-19 began limiting fan access, Gluck began hosting what he called “tweetups” at the track. Eventually, these gatherings came to include dozens of folks eager to talk about the sport. “On Twitter, you often see the same names pop up in the replies over and over again – or at least that’s how it was in the early days,” Gluck said. “I just thought it would be nice to say hi in person. … The first tweetup I did – Atlanta in 2009 – had three people. After that, they slowly started to grow.”

FOX SPORTS

Bob Pockrass

Widely known as one of the hardest-work-

ing people in NASCAR, Bob Pockrass has been covering the sport for more than three decades and was considered a NASCAR “influencer” long before the days of social media.

With the arrival of Twitter, Pockrass not surprisingly wasted little time embracing the medium. Since sending his first tweet in March 2009 as a writer for the onceauthoritative weekly newspaper NASCAR Scene, Pockrass has amassed a Twitter following of more than 177,800 – gaining, on average, almost 15,000 new followers each year.

“I was able to use the app to inform people quickly of what was going on in the NASCAR world, especially when it comes to weather, scheduling updates and much of the minutiae of the sport,” he said. “Being one of the first, as well as trying to respond to questions as often as possible, has helped. Having worked for major sports organizations such as ESPN and FOX Sports certainly doesn’t hurt.” Pockrass, whose official title is “FOX NASCAR insider,” never aspired to build such a robust following in the early days of social media. “There wasn’t a strategy beyond doing my job as a journalist,” said Pockrass, who also boasts more than 15,500 Instagram followers. “I enjoy trying to deliver information to people and used the app to provide either the info I thought fans would want or info that fans told me they wanted.” As digital media strategies have evolved, Pockrass has adjusted with the times.

“The big thing that has changed is increasing the amount of video I can provide, and certainly working for FOX Sports, which has NASCAR (licensing) rights, helps,” he said.

INFLUENCERS AT THE TRACK

The Top Drivers

NASCAR’s two biggest influencers on social media – hands-down – are two recently

retired drivers who happen to be former teammates. Those drivers are Jimmie Johnson (2.6 million) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2.4 million) who collectively claim an astounding 5 million followers on Twitter – the social media platform on which NASCAR drivers are generally most active. So, who are the top influencers among active drivers?

KYLE BUSCH

Arguably NASCAR’s most polarizing

driver, the two-time Cup Series champion rarely refrains from speaking his mind – and that carries over to Twitter, where his candor has helped land him a robust following of more than 920,000. Busch uses his sizeable social media pulpit to do more than rant, however, as many of his tweets focus on his philanthropic efforts and the adventures of his young son, Brexton. KEVIN HARVICK

The only active NASCAR driver topping more

than 1 million Twitter followers is Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion. Harvick was right at 983,000 followers in late May 2019, so he’s added more than 17,000 in two years – impressive considering that as a full-time Cup Series driver since 2001, he was already a pretty established figure. Winning nine races in 2020 undoubtedly didn’t hurt his sphere of influence.

THE DEFENDING CHAMP

SO WHERE DOES CHASE ELLIOTT, NASCAR’s most popular driver from the past three seasons, stack up among the sport’s most prolific influencers on social media? In short: Not too shabby.

While Elliott still lags behind Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch on Twitter, he’s eclipsed both of their followings on Instagram – despite having not been a Cup Series driver for nearly as long. Elliott’s combined Twitter and Instagram following exceeds 1.265 million – on pace with Busch and not all that far behind Harvick.

JUSTIN ALLGAIER

WITH MORE THAN 132,000

Twitter followers and 45,000 more on Instagram, Allgaier is by far the Xfinity Series’ premier influencer among active drivers. Reigning series champion Austin Cindric, by comparison, had a Twitter following of just over 20,000 as of early February. NOAH GRAGSON

WITH A COMBINED FOLLOWING

of more than 125,000 on Twitter and Instagram, Gragson has considerable influence for a guy who entered 2021 with only two wins in 69 Xfinity Series starts. Known for his outspokenness and humor, Gragson doesn’t hold back much on social media. HAILIE DEEGAN

PRETTY, BRASH AND, YES,

talented, the 19-year-old NASCAR Camping World Truck Series newcomer boasts 120,000-plus Twitter followers and well north of 935,000 Instagram followers. The latter number surpasses any active Cup Series driver and even Earnhardt Jr. – NASCAR’s retired 15-time most popular driver. JORDAN ANDERSON

TO BE AN INDEPENDENT TEAM

owner/driver, Anderson has made some impressive waves on Twitter and Instagram where his combined following was 66,000 and counting as of early February. One of the most down-to-earth NASCAR drivers you’ll ever meet, Anderson would be a boon to any sponsor.

Dale Jarrett

BY ROB TIONGSON

Dale Jarrett’s breakthrough moment occurred during the 1991 NASCAR Cup Series season when the second-generation racer was wheeling the famed No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing.

Following six seasons of struggles and setbacks, the Hickory, North Carolina, native scored an emotional maiden victory at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 18, 1991.

Moreover, Jarrett’s victory was quite special as his father, Ned Jarrett, a twotime NASCAR Cup Series champion, was in the booth calling the race for ESPN.

“So many people forget that he was calling that race,” Jarrett observed. “The thrill of doing that with my dad there, those are things that we can’t repay our parents in a lot of ways for all the stuff that they’ve done for us. But this was something that I felt like he could be proud that I had followed in his footsteps.”

On that afternoon in 1991, Jarrett and his team had an ace up their sleeve with their Ford Thunderbird. Notably, it would connect the superspeedway specialist with a future partner.

“We worked extremely hard on the cars, making them handle better, making them drive better,” Jarrett recalled. “We knew Robert Yates designed a new cylinder head for Ford, and they were using that, and we were down on horsepower quite a bit. Most of the rest of the Fords were too. There were a couple that were starting to get sets of these cylinder heads. We were a little bit down the line, even though the Wood Brothers have always been Ford Motor Co.

“But that day in Michigan in August 1991 was the first time that we had those cylinder heads. I knew it was going to allow me to compete at a higher level on a more regular basis. As things would have it, those cylinder heads designed and built by Robert Yates, I was battling his driver at the time, Davey Allison, for the win. I ran well all day, and Eddie Wood made a call on our last pit stop and said, ‘Let’s take a chance and just put gas in and leave these tires on and get track position right up front.’”

Leading the restart with 10 to go, Jarrett had his hands full with Allison’s powerful No. 28 Ford. While Allison snookered his way into the lead on the penultimate lap, Jarrett recalled his racewinning move.

“Somehow, some way, we were able to do just enough,” he said. “I think we won by like eight inches. The last two laps, Davey and I ran side by side. For it to come down to that car whose owner had built these cylinder heads, and to win against Davey, someone I grew up around the sport with and admired as a driver and a person, it couldn’t have been a more fitting ending and way to get my first win in the Cup Series.”

While Jarrett won 31 more races in his 24-year Cup Series career, he recalled his crowning achievement that took place just eight years after his Michigan victory.

“My proudest moment was winning the championship in 1999,” he stated. “I couple that with the fact that I feel like I made a difference in the sport. From a competitor’s standpoint, you want to make a difference, and I feel like I did that. There were things that I did that enhanced the popularity of the sport. It gave people Sundays and Saturday nights, gave them a reason to turn on their TV.”

• Second-generation driver Dale Jarrett won 32 races in a 24-year NASCAR career.

DALE’S FAST THOUGHTS

Dale’s Fast Thoughts

1Dale Jarrett’s hero was “at my house every single day as I grew up, and that was my dad (Ned). And that never changed.” 2 In terms of friendships, Jarrett notes two of his closest friends during his early NASCAR years were Kyle Petty and Michael Waltrip.” 3 Regarding the famed mustache, Jarrett grew it in high school and didn’t shave it off until the year 2000. 4 One of Jarrett’s favorite pieces of advice came from his father who said, “Treat others the way that you want to be treated.”

Q&A WITH CLINT BOWYER AS HE TRANSITIONS FROM DRIVING TO BROADCASTING

BY JARED TURNER

NASCAR Cup Series veteran Clint Bowyer is on a new career path, having traded his helmet and gloves for a microphone as an analyst in the broadcast booth for FOX NASCAR.

Bowyer, who is anchoring FOX’s on-air coverage of the season’s first half with veteran broadcasters Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon, sat down with NASCAR Pole Position to discuss why he’s excited about his new role, the challenges that come with it, and what he believes he can bring to the FOX NASCAR team.

WHY DID YOU FEEL IT WAS TIME FOR A CAREER CHANGE AND DO YOU FEEL AS CONFIDENT IN THAT DECISION NOW AS YOU DID WHEN YOU ANNOUNCED YOUR PLANS LAST FALL?

I don’t know. It’s a great question, and it’s actually probably the right timing now to ask the question again. Obviously, it was an easier decision then – at the end of the season, everybody’s wore out and tired and kind of ready for something new, anyway. … To be honest with you, I was busier this year than I’ve ever been in my life leading into a race season.

I hate to say this, but being a race car driver was a pretty good gig – especially with the COVID stuff last year. You would show up on Sundays and let ’er rip for a day. The broadcast side of it, let me tell you something: There’s way more planning and stuff involved. … As a competitor, you’re always looking for a challenge, and this is a steep learning curve. This isn’t something that you can take lightly and roll in and think, “Well, just because I’ve done a couple of good interviews over the years, I’m going to be good at this.”

That’s not the case. It’s going to take work and a lot of patience and trial and error, and I think we can have a lot of fun with it as well. WHAT’S BEEN THE MOST EYE-OPENING MOMENT OF YOUR NEW GIG SO FAR?

Well, when you see the preparation, the depths that an organization like FOX goes to, and the confidence that they’ve instilled in me, that’s what kind of opened my eyes. When I was watching the NFL conference championship games and looked over and there was the commercial that Jeff (Gordon) and I did together promoting the Daytona 500, that’s a big deal. That was a big presence for our sport, which I’m proud of, but also for me and my new endeavor and job. That was huge.

You’ve got to work hard at this. This doesn’t all come naturally; I can promise you that. HOW DID YOUR CAMEO APPEARANCES IN THE FOX BOOTH FOR TRUCKS AND THE XFINITY SERIES PREPARE YOU FOR THIS?

I definitely think that was all in preparation, but at the time, I didn’t know it. But that was all tryouts. I don’t think they planned it that way, and I don’t think I would have ever dreamed in a million years that that was going to be my future. I didn’t know what that next thing was going to be, but I honestly didn’t think it would be TV.

That being said, it was definitely great tryouts for me; it got my feet wet a little bit and really kind of got me comfortable. This is a different thing. It’s not for everybody. Getting in those booths and being up there, it’s lights, camera, action; you’ve got to be “on” and you’ve got to know what you’re talking about. … Fans aren’t dumb; they can sort through the B.S. quickly and put you on the spot very rapidly, and you’ve got to be able to know what you’re talking about and still have fun. That’s what I want to bring to it.” JEFF GORDON AND DARRELL WALTRIP WERE FROM DIFFERENT GENERATIONS OF DRIVERS, BUT YOU AND JEFF ARE FROM THE SAME GENERATION. HOW DOES THAT HELP THE CAMARADERIE?

Oh, no, we’re from two different generations. Don’t even start that (laughing). You can’t put him down in my generation! He was one of my heroes. If he’s a childhood hero, that’s a different generation, right? … No, Jeff and I really enjoyed one another over the years. People don’t realize that, because of our run-ins a couple of times on the race track, but off the track – at year-end points celebrations or banquets – we would always kind of find each other.

Over the years, nine times out of 10 by the end of the night, you would look over and Jeff’s the one you’re hanging with. It’s kind of funny how it all happened and now here you are looking over your shoulder in the broadcast booth and one of the guys you enjoyed the most is the guy you will be calling these races with. HOW DOES THE EDGIER AND MORE BUTTON-DOWNED STYLE OF FOX SPORTS SUIT YOUR PERSONALITY?

I think you’ve got to find that line, you know? It’s like in the old hot rod; you’re only as fast as you allow yourself to be,

• This year, Clint Bowyer made a muchanticipated move from driving a Cup Series car to manning the FOX Sports broadcast booth.

and you’ve got to find that edge and that line. To be successful in show business, you’ve got to be right on that edge. If you watch talk show guys, any place that’s successful in that line of work rides that line, and they know where it is and they don’t step over it.

It’s going to take me a little time to find that line. I don’t want to be a complete goofball, but I want this to be fun. Our sport is fun. There are a lot of fun characters within the sport, and sometimes that gets left behind. WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN BRING TO A RACE BROADCAST THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN?

It kind of goes back to that line I was talking about. … Sometimes you know the guys on the track are buddies with those guys in the broadcast booth, and the guys in the booth won’t call them out. I feel like that’s one thing that I have to do to be a good broadcaster. Hey, I’m a race car driver, I know when a guy makes a mistake and didn’t take a chance, maybe, or took too big of a chance.

I think I have a unique perspective where I can talk about some of that stuff. But I also think there’s a lot of things that go on during a race that the casual fan doesn’t know, and I don’t know why, but I’ve always been able to see things that other people sometimes don’t see. So, hopefully, I’ll be able to contribute in those ways. HOW DO THE NERVES OF GETTING BEHIND A MICROPHONE AND SPEAKING TO THOUSANDS COMPARE WITH THE NERVES OF DRIVING 200 MPH?

Way different, way different. But, you know, it is, but it isn’t. You get in that car and make a mistake, it’s your ass on the line. But make no mistake about it: You get in that booth and make a mistake, and it’s still your ass on the line. You’re going to be hearing from your boss one way or another.

I guess that’s where the similarities are, but the difference is the pressure. When you’re on the race track, you get so many opportunities to make up for a mistake. If you make a mistake on the air, people are going to remember that. That’s the thing about fans and just society anymore; people don’t forget, and they get hung up on that one mistake. So, the pressure’s definitely on. WHAT’S THE STORY YOU’RE LOOKING MOST FORWARD TO DISCUSSING IN THE BOOTH THIS YEAR?

There’s a crazy number of stories. First and foremost, something that needed to happen for the better part of my career is going to new race tracks. When this sport really took off in the ’90s, look at the new race tracks, the new eyeballs that were watching races for the first time in their area at their race track. That’s happening again – finally.

We’re going to the Bristol dirt track, which is something no one’s ever seen. We’re going to COTA; that’s something that’s huge. As we go back to Nashville, these are huge, huge, huge. Starting the season off with the Busch Clash at the Daytona road course … just the willingness of NASCAR to be able to think outside the box and go for it is something that’s pretty uncharacteristic for them, since I’ve been in the sport.

I’m looking forward to these opportunities and looking forward to calling them in the booth, for sure. WHAT’S YOUR SECRET TO KEEPING YOUR NERVES CALM BEFORE AND DURING A BROADCAST?

Man, I don’t know. I think that’s what’s good about it. I can’t stay calm; you know what I mean? If it’s an intense situation, you can bet your butt I’m going to be wound up in that booth just like I would be in that race car. I think that’s hopefully where the magic is.”