Andy Hall of ESPN picked Dad, David, and myself up in a golf cart, which did wonders for my ego at this point already, and drove us to the TV compound.
As we began the tour, I couldn’t find the words to express what was in front of me or ask any questions. I knew that it would be complex, but to see miles and miles of cables all laid out awestruck me.
It was too crowded to step into, but Andy brought us to the trailer that Tim Brewer does his segments on the cut-away car. He expressed how many people don’t believe that the studio that Brewer is in is actually a trailer that goes from race to race.
Don’t expect it to be just that simple, though. Inside that trailer are many parts and pieces that when they are packed up and moved to the next race, they must be set back up in the exact same place they were taken down from.
The reason for this is that when Brewer gets ready to explain something on the air, he may only have 15 seconds or so to get that necessary piece and get ready. He needs to know where that piece will be located.
The tour ended with a visit to the production trailer, which is filled with TV screens for every camera stationed around the track. The producer sits right in the middle of it all and has the final say of what gets put on the broadcast and what the race fans see at home.
Once again, I just starred in amazement.
Before leaving the trailer, Andy spoke of something that really peaked my interest. In a separate room, they record the radio transmissions from all 43 cars throughout the race, and so when something needs to be played or it gets to that “he said what?” moment, then everyone can go to the tale of the tape.
Unfortunately, because of the mid-day rain, it pushed the ESPN schedule back and I was unable to meet Jamie Little. She needed to stay inside the track for her pit road assignments and prepare for the race, which was just an hour and a half away.
Once the tour concluded, we all went our separate ways, and my way was to the infield and the stage for driver introductions. What I thought was a perfect viewing spot, right in the middle and front row, turned into a nightmare when photographers climbed a platform right in from of me to take pictures.
Great, the backs of people’s legs were the only thing I could see. But I wasn’t leaving until every driver had been announced and I was told to leave.
That time came after seeing Joey Logano, who is much taller in person than I imagined him to be, and hearing Busch—who looked like he didn’t want to be there to begin with—being booed by the fans. I left the track area and picked a seat four rows up from the start-finish line.
What I had come so far for, and what I had so many mishaps on the way to, was finally going green in Daytona.
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