Fantasy football? How about a Fantasy NASCAR broadcast team?

As football season gets ready to start many people’s thoughts turn to one of the great American past times: fantasy football. Having spent most of my like under the hood, behind the wheel or at a racetrack, my knowledge of football can be summed up in two words: slim and none.

Which is why I stay away from any fantasy football league. I do however know racing and this got me thinking. For several years I traveled the NASCAR circuit covering races live so I never really got to watch too much of it on television. But since I’ve been off the road I’ve watched quite a bit.

So why then can’t I put together my own fantasy NASCAR TV broadcast team? True, there’s no real competition so no way to judge a winner or loser, but if I had my chance to put together a broadcast dream team, here’s who I’d pick.

For several years NASCAR has used three separate TV partners to broadcast the races. So this week the race is on FOX…wait, no, um TNT…ah dang it’s on EPSN. Since it’s my fantasy league, the first thing I’d do is have one and only one network. And that network without a doubt would be ESPN. To me out of the networks that televise NASCAR Cup and Nationwide racing ESPN tends to have the sharpest most extensive coverage. And if they could ever convince NASCAR to let them do ‘side-by-side’ like they used to do with their IndyCar coverage, well stick a fork in me…

Of course, SPEED channel has that truck racing deal down so give them some props.

In the booth as the lead commentator I’d have none other then Alan Bestwick. That’s not to take anything away from Dr. Jerry Punch. I’ve had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Punch and his knowledge and passion for the sport is tremendous. I just find his slower delivery better suited to the place I’d put him; a swap with the spot Bestwick occupies now.

Bestwick’s sharp delivery and his skill at telling us what’s going on are in my mind unmatched.

My color commentator would be Dale Jarrett. Jarrett who has been ‘there done that’, recently enough to still have a connection to the garage and he doesn’t subscribe to being politically correct all the time.

Finally in the booth there’s no one better at adding his two cents to the mix then Wally Dallenbach.

As for the race analysis in the trackside studio, currently led at ESPN by Bestwick now, Dr. Punch would be joined by Andy Petree and Rusty Wallace. Not too big a slight against Wallace but the best thing ESPN ever did was move him from the booth, that’s ‘for sure’.  And while one has to admire brad Daugherty, having a team owner, albeit a Nationwide Series owner working a broadcast seems a little odd. Kind of like having a part owner of the Minnesota Vikings helping to call the game.

One person I’d like to see from FOX is Larry McReynolds handling ESPN’s Tech Center. McReynolds knows his stuff and how to convey it to the viewers. No offense to Tim Brewer mind you, he‘s a great guy; he just makes me get sleepy for some reason.

In the pits, give me Ralph Sheenen. He reminds me of someone you’d be buddies with, hang out shoot pool, and play poker with.

Another FOX person is Krista Voda. Not simply as a token female either. Voda is a true pro in every sense of the word. When she speaks she does so with authority and more importantly she’s universally respected by not only other members of the media, but everyone in the NASCAR garage as well. Voda knows her stuff and knows how to tell us.

Finally Mike Massaro would be the third pit reporter. He comes from the Bestwick school of broadcasting with a clear crisp delivery and an authoritative knowledge of the sport. When Massaro speaks, we listen.

Although I didn’t include any radio people, and I do enjoy turning the TV down and listen to the radio broadcast at times, I would love to put MRN Radio’s Mike Bagley doing play by play in the turns. Just listening to him call the action from his vantage points is a blast.

Of course I’d give all these guys up to hear Benny Parsons again.

When I was covering NASCAR fulltime Benny was my ‘go to’ guy. Whenever I needed information about something, or didn’t understand something, or just needed an opinion, Benny was always there. There isn’t a race that goes by I don’t wish he were still here.

So I’ll never win any fantasy leagues, but I can imagine who my perfect NASCAR broadcast crew would be and who I want to spend my Sunday afternoons with.

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