You obviously didn't read the story on NHRA.com.......... LoL
AR
Any sources for the Lucas Oil series TV line up? I would think Reiff would have his hands full which might open up a spot in the Lucas shows.
As a side note...
I have been invited to do color for the alky sessions on a few occasions from the tower at Pomona. I want to give my personal insight on this.
I've worked with guys like Alan Reinhart, Mike English, Nathan Hirschi and also worked with Mike Lewis when he was announcing back in the 1990's when my car was gone to Japan in 1993 and 1994 for the international races. It amazes me how these guys pull it together announcing, reading the advertisements (many times from memory), hanging in there during rain delays, watching monitors, getting instructions from the camera feed guy who is also yelling into his headset 10 inches behind you (it screwed me up once on Sunday at the finals when I was trying to spit something out) as he's setting up replays, finish line interviews and commercials...and then ultimately dealing with guys invited in to do color like me.
As a racer we lived and died listening to the announcers during our sessions from our tow vehicles or trailers waiting to see what everyone is running or if we got bumped a notch or two. But beyond that we never gave the announcer's work much thought unless we were listening on the internet.
I sat with Mike English watching him do the sportsman racers a couple times. Even though I've known Mike for over 40 years, I was amazed watching and listening to him while hundreds of cars were going down the track pair after pair as he's naming crew members, wives, stats, etc.,like he was every racer's best bud or something. Kinda like Brad Littlefield used to do in his "Bradstats" magazine when he was a kid. A walking Wikipedia. He must have a photographic memory or something. I thought the same thing about Alan Reinhart when I was hanging out in the tower several years ago at Sears Point, because it was hot outside and the air conditioning was on in the tower. Car after car, stat after stat. Announcing in an engaging manner giving you a feel for what's going on on the track including the excitement about great runs, close races and near misses and some that weren't misses.
After Pomona I watched the pro show on my DVR. After my somewhat amatuer attempt to keep up on my end of the mic I was much more interested in listening to Mike Dunn do color in a professional capacity. It is important to say that Mike has rare talent and did a tremendous job. He complimented Dave Reiff to no end without stepping all over him (like he was in competition or something) and he did it with a racer's sense of humor when appropriate to boot. I, for one, will miss him.
From the tower to the TV booth NHRA has put together a very talented group of people. As a former racer and invited guest I just wanted to spit that out. It's a whole different world up on the second floor of the tower behind the glass.
Randy
