If you think NASCAR drivers are racing around the track for hours alone with their thoughts, you’re sorely mistaken.
Drivers are in constant communication with their crew chiefs, spotters and pit crews, coordinating every detail of the race – who’s coming up behind them, when a crash is about to take place, whether the car needs new tires or just fuel on a pit stop.
Of course, there’s a little trash talking too.
For a pretty penny, fans at the Daytona 500 could eavesdrop in on the radio scanners for specific cars and teams, but FOX Sports is giving fans an in-depth perspective on what exactly is said over the three-hour race and how drivers reacted during the different wrecks.
And it’s wildly entertaining – especially with eventual Daytona 500 champion Kurt Busch’s choice words for defending Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.
“What the hell is he doing? He went by me 100 mile an hour faster,” No. 14 Ford driver Clint Bowyer is heard saying at one point. “How close was that 83 [Cory LaJoie] from hitting me? I just saw basically my life flash before my eyes in the mirror.”
“Two inches?” Bowyer’s spotter Brent Griffin responds.
“God Almighty,” Bowyer says in disbelief.
“About [expletive] my pants,” Griffin says in agreement.
The audio also sheds a little light on how some cars work together to push each other to the front of the pack – or at least to a better position – and avoid crashing.
“That 24 needs to calm down. He’s hit everything but the snack bar today.”
