1. Streaming Isn’t Doing Dirt Fans Dirty
I will openly admit that I was one of the chorus of voices that were critical of MAVTV’s lackluster coverage of the Chili Bowl Nationals finals last month, lamenting questionable camera filters, an overwhelmed website that saw the network for the second year running offer free access to all viewers despite many of us paying subscription fees for MAVTV Plus, and commentators that were cold off the bench after five days of Flo Racing coverage.
After watching the Truck Series race and Daytona 500 this weekend, the first NASCAR races I’ve watched live in more than a year, all I can say is give MAVTV a freaking Emmy.
“NASCAR on FOX” is an insult to live TV, race fans and basic competence in anything. The commentators made more mistakes than ARCA drivers in the draft. A last-lap pass in Thursday’s Duel races that cost JJ Yeley (more on him later) a spot in the Daytona 500 went unnoticed by the FOX booth until after it happened. Clint Bowyer seems to be trying to out-clown Darrell Waltrip and Terry Bradshaw at once and saying nothing relevant to racing doing it. And God knows how much money FOX spent on asinine content such as Michael Waltrip going hat shopping with the competitors he’s paid to cover.
I'm getting the sense from the broadcast booth that they're less interested in this race because it isn't a crashfest. It's forcing them to actually follow storylines of different drivers in the field, which they're not used to doing.
— Brock Beard (@LASTCARonBROCK) February 19, 2022
The proliferation of streaming services covering dirt racing has not come without issues. MAVTV Plus has proven to be a lacking technical platform with little customer service. The Cushion remains stuck in the 1980s from a technical perspective. In cases such as IMCA TV’s offerings or 411 Motor Speedway’s new live service, a pay-per-view ticket costs more than an actual ticket to the race (yes, that’s probably by design,…