NASCAR Under Heavy Scrutiny After Making Fatal Blunders With Kyle Busch & Jimmie Johnson at the Clash

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season is officially underway. Last weekend was the Clash at the Coliseum, which marked the first time the cars were on track this year. As always, Fox Sports was in charge of the broadcast, but it is safe to say that it was a disaster. From driver caricatures that were poorly received to an overall underwhelming broadcast, it left a lot to be desired. At the Coliseum, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch were guest commentators, but even their presence didn’t mitigate things.

Already, things were off to a bad start, with multiple caution periods stemming from increased aggression. Fox Sports did not help matters with an error-filled broadcast. The biggest pieces of evidence were mistimed camera shots and poor presentation. When Busch and Johnson were in the booth, their audio cues completely went over Fox broadcasters’ heads. This was not exactly a new issue in 2023, as it cropped up last year as well.

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Was Fox Sports’ NASCAR broadcast that bad?

Last year at Gateway, one of the biggest talking points was the rivalry between Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain. At one point, when things were about to get heated, fans watching at home were treated to commercials. If you had to explain this with an example, it is like reading a gripping mystery novel, only to find that someone has ripped out the last few pages of the book. Or like watching your favorite TV show, only for the series to get cancelled midway.

Coming back to the LA Coliseum broadcast, Busch was in the booth frequently to offer a race analysis. During the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), he noticed that there was a battle brewing between Ty Dillon and Todd Gilliland. The two drivers were tussling for the final transfer spot. Sadly, Fox went into a commercial break. When it returned, Gilliland had already made short work of Dillon.

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It got worse in the actual race, as Johnson noticed that his teammate Erik Jones spun. When it looked like Fox was going to show a replay, the screen froze for a while. When they got it back under control, the only thing they got to see was Jones struggling in his battered car. Later on, while showing a replay of an incident involving Aric Almirola, a different incident occurred. This crash was about Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, so the commentators changed the subject. When the cameras showed Elliott and Blaney, they only showed the aftermath.

Were you one of those unfortunate fans who were caught in this nightmare broadcast problem?