Starting with Friday night’s Xfinity Series race, NBC will add a new interview element to its NASCAR broadcasts.
You know the moment when the winning driver gets out of the car at the start/finish line and grabs the checkered flag? NBC will be dispatching a camera crew and reporter onto the track to interview the driver immediately — before the winner even arrives in victory lane.
The audio of the interview will also be available on the public address systems for each track, which means the driver can essentially talk to fans during the celebration. Obviously, the network is hoping to generate some more raw emotion in the immediate moments after the win.
By the way, the driver will still go through the standard victory lane procedure once arriving there after the initial interview.
NASCAR informed teams of NBC’s idea on earlier this week and referenced the new procedure in the Xfinity Series drivers meeting on Friday, according to ESPN.com’s Bob Pockrass.
I asked NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood about this on Thursday, but he would not confirm the plan.
“I think you should stick around and find out,” he said. “We’ve got some ideas. Hold onto that thought and we’ll go from there.”