Should A TV Analyst Step Into A Conflict Between Drivers & NASCAR?

Talladega Superspeedway is traditionally one of the easier races to cover.

Most of the field stays together in a large pack, so it isn’t that tough to keep tabs on nearly everyone. Like most aspects of the NASCAR Cup Series, that has changed a bit with the Next Gen car in that the tow is not particularly all that great behind the car. As a result, it is easier to lose the draft.

The last week and change has not been all that great for NASCAR. The sanctioning body’s integrity has been called into question over the Next Gen car. It seems like they’re firing back, but with an old-school response that comes off as rather tone-deaf.

The Athletic reported last week that during a drivers’ council meeting, Jeff Burton, who heads the council, told the assembled drivers on a Zoom call to go through “the proper channels” in order to voice their opinions on the Next Gen car instead of talking to the media about it.

That went over like a fart in a crowded elevator.

Denny Hamlin was likely the most vocal about the issue in Talladega and placed blame solely on management for the problems. During his media availability Saturday (Oct. 1), Hamlin said this:

When Sunday’s broadcast started, NBC had Hamlin on Countdown to Green on pit road to discuss the issues. You ended up with a very different Hamlin that was saying things like, “We need NASCAR to save us from ourselves.”

I was in the media center at Talladega when this aired. It came off as quite strange. It was pretty obvious to me what happened.

NASCAR appears to have gotten to Hamlin and told him to change his tone (Hamlin did note during the interview that he had spoken with NASCAR representatives prior to the NBC interview). Perhaps they also hit him with a secret fine for disparaging management. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but it wouldn’t be the first time that NASCAR has done that. Regardless, it is not a good look for the sport.

Also, Burton is supposed to be an employee of NBC Sports, not NASCAR. Yes, his track record is that of “The Mayor” from when he was still racing, but “the proper channels” were way easier for him to approach.

For the first seven years of Burton’s Cup career, Bill France Jr. was still in the garage every week and actually talked to people. A cancer diagnosis took France off the road after 2000. He handed the reins to Mike Helton, who was a regular sight at the track as…