The 15-inch version of the Surface Laptop 3 represents the biggest change to the clamshell laptop since Microsoft launched the first Surface Laptop in 2017. And yet, it is remarkably similar to the prior models, despite the fact that it’s bigger and has a completely different processor. Viewers can switch between cameras in different cars, change audio streams and listen to radio feeds of driver and crew chatter. Cameras will capture the celebration on the field as the driver, team owner and team members all savor the victory. These pit reporters (usually around four) offer insights into what’s happening at eye level, what different pit crews are doing, and what information about mechanical developments the team members are relaying. They also interview team members and engage in back-and-forth audio conversations with the crew in the broadcast booth. Producers can also patch in radio conversations between the driver and his team, giving the audience the chance to hear strategy changes, admonishments and reassurances as they occur. Visually, producers make ample use of split screens, showing two different drivers at once, or a driver and a crew chief, or a pit reporter and the race. However, some ports may be different, and you may need an adapter in order to use them.
On-screen graphics, such as a running list of drivers in order from first to last that scrolls across the top of the screen, provide constant data on the status of the race. If a problem with a car is discovered during a pit stop, the pit reporter will be the first to give the details. The first 13 Nextel Cup Races, beginning with the Daytona 500, are carried by the FOX network. Each network has their own team of commentators, but lap-by-lap commentary has been provided by Bill Weber on TNT, Dr. Jerry Punch on ESPN and Mike Joy on FOX. If it’s an especially important race, or the end of the season, the network may have more pretaped segments ready to highlight the winner’s achievement or to take a look back on the ups-and-downs of the season. We’ll take a look at some of them on the next page.
Finally, the national anthem will be sung, viewers will be treated to a 43-engine serenade, and the race (coverage) begins on the very next page. On the upside, if fans dislike the broadcast styles of any of the networks, they can grin and bear it until another network picks up coverage mid-season. The commentators are genuinely excited about the races they’re covering, but the network executives only get excited by ratings and revenue streams. When the broadcast “cuts back” to the studio, one of the top drivers may be briefly interviewed, or commentators may talk racing with a reporter working the pit road, both being featured on a split screen. Finally, the broadcast will either continue showing visuals of the field with audio from the broadcast booth, or it may switch back to the mobile studio, where analysts will dissect the race, summarize the preceding events and chew on some final stats.
Numbers that tell a statistical story about the season overall, or that are used to compare different drivers, will be put on the screen while the analysts debate among themselves (and several million viewers at home) what the figures may mean for the race ahead. DIRECTV offers a multi-media package, and Sirius Satellite Radio paid $107 million for the five-years’ rights to provide a dedicated channel that features all NASCAR all the time, including race coverage, interviews and feature stories. Most commercials in these coveted time slots will feature NASCAR drivers and racecars adorned with the products being advertised. In addition to the lap-by-lap reporting, color analysis and scoops from the pit reporters, NASCAR broadcasts feature a slew of high-tech features that will blow your wheels off, or maybe just annoy you. The lap-by-lap commentator is joined by several analysts, also known as color analysts because they try to add flair to the proceedings.