Behind the scenes at NASCAR Race Hub
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Kelly Crandall | June 1, 2022 3:00 PM ET
Alexander was scheduled to arrive at the studio at 3 p.m. but was early, as was McMurray. Then came Waltrip. Once wardrobe and makeup were done, there was rehearsal at 5 p.m., an hour before the live show. Here, the trio records a segment with Tyler Reddick, who won the Xfinity Series race in Texas. It is in rehearsal where producers and graphics get a feel for show timing and when and where graphics will be used. Since the backgrounds are faked, it might be fun to swap them around so the viewers
can see that our fellow broadcasters don't know what they are talking about.
It’s different for the talent. It’s loose and lighthearted. Most of what is said – either the jabs at each other or the topic – won’t be told on television. Most of what Alexander, McMurray, and Waltrip say is just a bullet point of their opinion to use on the show, or an acknowledgment of what they will contribute to the conversation and who will be prompted first from the host.
AA: Seeing the elements helps me in rehearsal because voicing a graphic, I’ve got to be honest with you, in that virtual studio that monitor system, isn’t as good. In the other studio, I felt like you could cheat; in this studio, it’s harder to cheat because everything around you is green. So I might need to remember what’s on that graphic, or when I know we’re getting into that graphic, I’m going to walk off the set to read the graphic and then hustle back out there. It's like the weather man who moves his hands over a picture that he can't see.
Other than that, we don’t do the show when we rehearse. We keep things in our pocket, and rehearsal is good because I memorize the show. It allows me to get my mind around where we’re going in the show, and then when we’re out there, I can look natural and fun. We could do it without rehearsal, and we’ve done it many times, so it’s no problem. But it’s good to get your paces, and it’s good for the control room that somebody somewhere knows whats going on and what background or picture is supposed to be up
when you are talking about it.