2023 is the ninth season of the current TV deal for NBC Sports in NASCAR. Much like previous years, NASCAR coverage on NBC’s networks aired in addition to NTT IndyCar Series and IMSA coverage.
As compared to previous years, things seemed to be a bit more nailed down for NBC in 2023. Previous years saw broadcasts fiddle around with various booth configurations. That was not so for NASCAR Cup Series races. You effectively had a four-man booth with Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte. Given the designs of the broadcast booths, they might not all be in the same room (like Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the booth is quite tight and NBC has made use of two booths side-by-side in the past prior to the COVID-19 pandemic), but they’re trying to make a four-man booth go.
The exception to this rule was actually Charlotte in October, but that was not by choice. Earnhardt got sick and had to sit out the broadcast. The result was a different feel for the race broadcast — and not necessary a positive one.
I’m still not a fan of having four in the booth since it tends to be so messy. You run the risk of the commentators talking over the top of each other. However, Earnhardt does bring a different energy to race broadcasts.
That said, when things are good, they are very good with NBC. When things need to be explained, viewers are in a good place. Christopher Bell’s brake rotor explosion at Phoenix Raceway is a good example of that.
That said, NBC tends to be a big change after four months of FOX coverage. That was no different in 2023. An NBC NASCAR broadcast will clearly show the broadcast booth having fun. At the same time, they were clearly serious in what they were doing. You’re not going to see anyone winging it on there, like what Keelan Harvick suggested on NASCAR RaceHub: Kevin Harvick Happy Hour Sunday that his father do on FOX next season.
But you’re seeing a little bit of frustration in the booth. Allen is making more mistakes these days, which is not good.
However, his colleagues are calling him on his mistakes, something that Allen likely wants out of his boothmates. In 2018, Allen told Frontstretch that he wants “an enjoyable atmosphere” in the booth. To that degree, the four boothmates and their spouses went on a retreat together to learn about each other and forge a better relationship.
Why would Allen welcome something like that? He wants his colleagues to be close…
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