Welcome back, everyone. I’ve been on vacation and haven’t had time to watch too many NASCAR-related things nor watch the races I’ve recorded, but I did get to see one of SPEED Channel’s supporting programs.

I watched Trackside from Dover. The featured guests were Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Truex, Jr. After watching the program, I was reminded why I think Trackside is such a good program for NASCAR and how it generally showcases some of the best things the sport has to offer. Considered NASCAR’s “Friday night house party”, there is always a lot to take in when 7 pm rolls around.

First, I think the core cast has a lot to do with this. Anchoring the desk is veteran sports reporter Steve Byrnes. Initially he was more reserved than his fellow cast, but now Byrnes is just as smooth transitioning from hard reporting to throwing zingers at Jeff Hammond. Byrnes is easy to listen to and projects a friendly persona to the crowd and television audience. I can attest to this, as I met him during a rainy afternoon at the Brickyard and he chatted with me like we had known each other for a long time.

Next is the aforementioned Hammond, who is well known for being a crew chief, former jackman, tanning bed aficionado and yes, goat wrangler. In case you’re confused about the latter, that tells me you obviously don’t watch the show! Regardless of Hammond’s occasional non sequiturs, he does have quite a bit of information and drivers and crew chiefs alike trust him.  He is also known for getting himself into quite a few stunts, which certainly plays to the “new” NASCAR fans, but as an older fan myself, I still find his hijinks fun.

Hammond is followed by another veteran crew chief, Larry McReynolds. Larry Mac, as he is known, is the more serious of the two, but he does know how to get down and party with his people. I like Larry Mac’s style of breaking down very technical pieces of information into plain English the rest of the viewers can understand. He is at his best when he has a demonstration car in front of him, but even without that prop, he has great ability to paint a picture for fans. In addition to this, he is willing to ask NASCAR officials some hard questions (regarding things such as penalties, suspensions, etc.) and get straight answers. He is also able to ask more sentimental questions to Trackside guests, and do it in a way that isn’t intrusive or hokey.

The next two cast members split up the Trackside season. Darrell Waltrip handles the FOX part of the show. As a veteran driver, he has quite a lot of good insight. While I sometimes find him a little tiring, there is no denying that many drivers call or talk to Darrell for advice or just to talk. He earned even more respect after an emotional interview with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. after Earnhardt announced his departure from DEI. Waltrip showed that he was more than a talking head and the interview was a huge success. Waltrip has the ability to make strong opinions and voice them, which I admire. It seems that in this new corporate version of NASCAR the company line is spewed every five seconds, but Waltrip has been able to manage to be tactful and get his (still) influential opinions out to the public.

Finally we come to Elliott Sadler, the nine-year veteran of the NASCAR Cup series. Sadler made his debut at Daytona in early 2006 while filling in for Darrell Waltrip. His more memorable second appearance, however, was the shocking stage drive he took during the two week home stretch at Charlotte in May of 2006. Sadler then contracted to take over Waltrip’s chair beginning with the 2006 Pepsi 400 and this year came on set when FOX’s television deal ended prior to Pocono. Sadler’s television personality is slowly coming out, and network sources have said that viewers enjoy his easy-going and funny outlook. He has now evolved into the current drivers’ voice, and while he may not be winning races, he still knows what is happening in the garage and he isn’t afraid to say so. Sadler has proved to have a quick wit and enthusiastic style and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him go into television when he retires.

All five men leave their indelible stamp on Trackside, making it a winding road each and every week. That brings me to this week, when the elusive Earnhardt, Jr. made an appearance on the show. Yes, he is the sport’s most popular driver, but he is a little quiet and shy. Sadler, a longtime friend of Earnhardt’s, was able to get him to answer some fun questions that made the crowd roar with approval. The rest of the cast concentrated on harder facts and got Earnhardt to talk at length about some subjects, and he spoke more freely than he normally does when he’s behind a microphone.

This isn’t an isolated event. The Trackside group has put many a driver at ease and even invited them to take part in some wacky events. Carl Edwards helped shave his friend Tom Giacchi’s beard onstage, Reed Sorenson got a pitching lesson that ended in Sadler beaning Hammond with a baseball and Jeff Gordon was taught how to change a diaper by Waltrip. This sort of tomfoolery is very different from drivers’ normal nose-to-the-grindstone lives. I think they truly enjoy the format of the show and the chance to relax with some friends and both a live and television audience.

Trackside, along with the other NASCAR supporting shows on SPEED, seem to give us the best of the sport along with the hard questions that come along with the darker side of the sport. If you haven’t watched these shows, I urge you to do so. They are entertaining, frank, and full of vibrancy.

Until next week when I have some hard racing news, rubbin’ isn’t exactly racin’ at Kansas but I bet the boys will make a good run of it!

Feedback may be sent to samanthamaynard@sportsgrumblings.com