SO FOX DIDN'T SEEM PREPARED FOR '500' RAIN DELAY ... NO EXCUSES
Lots of Stuff … from holiday weekend … the good and the bad ...
THE BAD: Fox coverage of the Indianapolis 500 …
So, the network was handed a curve ball when the
start was delayed almost an hour by rain. So what?
It’s happened before … like 14 times. No excuses …
for DANICA PATRICK and TONY STEWART,
former drivers, saying nothing of substance during a
much-too-long time-killing segment that not even
pre-race host CHRIS MYERS, one of the few
seasoned talking heads hired by Fox to work the
109thedition of the could save … SCOTT
McLAUGHLINsuddenly lost control and wrecked
on the pace lap. When the network then showed
SCOTT DIXON, running alone, it was speculated
immediately he had tangled with McLaughlin …
although there was little to no evidence. Finally, Fox
found a replay of McLaughlin, spinning out on his
own. Wonderful … To think JAIME LITTLE, once
they bothered to turn on her microphone on, earlier
interviewed 2019 ‘500’ winner SIMON
PAGENAUD, on hand to help McLaughlin from the
pits. “Scott reached out to me to help him speed up
the process of learning the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway,” Pagenaud said. “He’s one of the best
I’ve ever seen. Give him the tools, and he’s going to
use it.” Oops!
The race started under caution … but the three-man
booth of WILL BUXTON and ex-drivers
TOWNSEND BELL and JAMES
HINCHCLIFFE was already running full speed,
motor-mouths of the worst kind … yapping non-
stop, like they were getting paid by the word … No
sooner did Bell suggest the track didn’t
look slick than McLaughlin crashed … attempting to
warm up his tires. (We almost forgot: The machines
were lined up on the front stretch, the drivers already
strapped in, when Fox suddenly realized it was
running a graphic about the ‘500’ being held
“tonight.”) … MICHAEL STRAHANdrove the
pace car. So, naturally, Fox ran a feature on the
former football player now featured on the network’s
NFL studio show as well as ABC’s Good Morning
America” entitled “WHAT IF MICHAEL
STRAHAN WAS AN INDY CAR DRIVER? “I
could have been a race car driver, but I grew out of
it,” he said. “Too big.” … Then there was TOM
BRADY, whose debut as NFL analyst on Fox was
seriously panned by critics. Poor guy. Can’t get a
break. There he was, being driven around the 2 1/2-
mile track by JIMMIE JOHNSON … and Bell
thanked Brady for “throwing a football around
backstage.” To which QB G.O.A.T, replied, “Hey,
you’ve got better hands than I thought. I could have
replaced you with Edelman.” … No, Tom, other way
around … replace former Patriots’ receiver JULIAN
EDELMANwith …. oh, never mind. You’re still
making $37.5 million a year with Fox.
THE GOOD: Talk about an about-face. The firm of
Buxton, Bell and Hinchcliffe settled down and did a
first-rate call … at least as best I could tell, not being
as familiar with the Indy Car circuit as I was way,
WAY back in the day … Buxton, who joined Fox
after being a voice of Formula 1, was very good …
He was spot on with immediate analysis of what led
to KYLE LARSON’s premature end on lap 92 (of
200). “He just lost it … That was a down shift he did
not need,” Buxton said … Spinning out of control,
Larson was clipped by [name of the year, any year]
STING RAY ROBB, leading to a multi-car
accident. Running 18th, the NASCAR regular was
bidding to join Stewart as the only drivers to
complete 500 miles at Indianapolis then 600 more at
Charlotte Motor Speedway that night … Larson
finished 27th (later bumped up to 24th when three
drivers failed post-race inspection)then flew to North
Carolina in time for Sunday’s 6 p.m., start of the race
formerly known as World 600 … in which he came
in 37th.
THE GOOD: KEN WILLIS, co-host of Daytona
Motor Mouths podcast. I know, I know … I never
heard of him either … but there he was, cool, calm
and actually saying stuff, without fear (apparently) of
retaliation from NASCAR … when he said: “There
haven’t been many good short-track races,” and, no,
he didn’t think North Wilkesboro should be added to
the points race just because they had a classic,
Classic event there this year … There is no guarantee
of more of the same in 2026, Willis suggested. Why?
For one thing, aging tracks continue to age. For
another, Goodyear, which supplies tires, keeps
changing compounds of rubber. Just because it hit
the mark this time, chances were just as good it
wouldn’t next time.
THE BAD: … news, that is, for the WNBA.
CAITLIN CLARK suffered a left quadriceps
injury that will sideline her for at least six games …
and should have reminded everyone how much she
has meant to interest in the women’s game … like a
lot … For example, tickets for the Indiana-at-
Chicago game June 7 already have tumbled 71
percent, from $86 to $25 … TV ratings will fall, too.
Clark and the Fever vs. Chicago in the season-opener
was the most-watched WNBA game all-time …
averaging 2.7 million viewers on all of ESPN’s
platforms.
THE GOOD: The cast of TNT/ESPN NHL studio
playoff crew. It’s not so much what they say … as
how much fun they seem to be having … Former
tough guy PAUL BISSONNETTE, in particular, is a
gem … taking shots at anything and everything as
well as himself … His love of the Toronto Maple
Leafs has been well-documented … so his cheering
for them unabashedly made for different coverage
that was well-taken, believe it or not.
Until next time …
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