The reality show craze that has swept America is now coming to your local NASCAR track. For FOX it’s not enough to be the people who brought you the great television that was Joe Millionaire, My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé, The Swan, that show about the midget who wanted to marry, American Idol, and a host of other shows that will make historians refer to this time as the second Golden Age of Television, but now they have to spice up their racing coverage with a reality TV edge.
NASCAR Drivers: 360 debuts Friday night following the Busch Series race at Richmond on FOX’s cable network FX. The show will feature NASCAR drivers Jeremy Mayfield, Ward Burton, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Rusty Wallace, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Scott Wimmer, Casey Mears, and Brian Vickers.
America has been enthralled with the reality TV craze for the past three or four years and it makes sense to incorporate the world’s most popular spectator sport with its most guilty pleasure.
But just how interesting are NASCAR drivers?
If you listen to them give interviews, all they do is go back and forth to a racetrack, which is work, fulfill sponsor obligations and occasionally fish or golf. Take away the sponsors and the money that the sponsors give them and that is my life — back-and-forth to work, then fish or attempt to play golf in my free time.
Hopefully, FOX and the show’s producers have come up with some interesting spins on the show. Maybe they will have one driver act real ditzy like Jessica Simpson — that tactic helped make her reality show extremely popular. Or have one of the cast act real crazy and curse a lot like on The Osbournes. Or maybe one of them really won’t really be a race car driver and the others will have to figure out who’s lying.
Or how about letting the others vote one of the drivers off the show each week, Survivor-style – or maybe America could do it, American Idol-style. Or, this would be real good, let Bill France, Jr. tell someone, “You’re fired” every week like Donald Trump did on The Apprentice.
NASCAR Drivers: 360 is not the first NASCAR show of the year. NBS 24/7 debuted earlier this year and chronicles three Busch Series teams at the track. It focuses on the track/race-related aspects of the business for Akins Motorsports, Braun Racing, and FitzBradshaw Racing. It does not follow the drivers home and get involved in their personal lives the way that the new show does.
In the first episode, the show highlights Rusty Wallace as he tries to build his Busch team and remodels his home — kind of a mix between American Chopper and Trading Spaces. I’m sure people have been clamoring for that ungodly combination. Kevin Harvick gets picked on by his nieces. I’m sure that is going to go over well in the garage with his buddies. Kenny Wallace embarrasses his daughter at school — and FOX then puts it on TV.
NASCAR has a good product.
Its stars get plenty of exposure through their sponsors, sports highlight and magazine shows and actually racing. There is no need to force these ordinary people with extraordinarily cool jobs down mainstream America’s throats anymore than NASCAR and FOX is already doing.
And besides, most race fans really don’t care what color Rusty Wallace is painting his bathroom. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to see who got voted off American Idol.
Andy Cagle can be reached at
acaglenc@earthlink.net
