NBC aims to help rebuild NASCAR while keeping it honest

Nate Ryan | USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS — NASCAR executives have been pointing at NBC's re-entry into Sprint Cup broadcasting with the 2015 season as a fresh sheen that could help reinvigorate the sport's popularity.

The network views its return the same way — and not just by increasing the number of eyeballs glued to TV sets.

"We have to get the core fan back, get people to the track and remind them it's the coolest place to be on earth on a Sunday," NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood told USA TODAY Sports in a Wednesday interview. "We want full seats at every race. Because if they go to a race, they'll watch it on TV."

As NASCAR prepares to fete six-time champion Jimmie Johnson at Friday's annual awards ceremony at the Wynn, NBC Sports has been the newsmaker of Champion's Week with a few lineup announcements more than 18 months ahead of starting a 10-year partnership of covering 20 annual Sprint Cup races (Fox will broadcast the first 16 races).

Veteran driver Jeff Burton is the most renowned name, becoming an NBC analyst after a final part-time season with Michael Waltrip Racing in 2014.

"Jeff's the go-to guy who will have a strong, well thought-out position on whatever's going on," Flood said. "He'll offer opinions and not play the PC game. He'll tell you what he thinks, and if it goes against one of his buddies, he knows he wears the Peacock (NBC's logo) first. His job is to the audience and not to protect friendships."

Joining Burton in the booth will be play-by-play announcer Rick Allen, who has been handling Camping World Truck Series races. A third member of the booth will be announced later.

"He can make big moments bigger," Flood said of Allen, a former decathlete who began his career as the public address announcer for University of Nebraska football games. "He's not just about racing. He's about a much broader view of the sports world, and he has pretty special pipes, too."

Jeff Behnke, an Emmy Award-winning producer at Turner Sports, will join NBC and NBC Sports Network next month as its vice president of NASCAR production in Charlotte, N.C.

Though NBC wants to help spread the gospel of stock-car racing, Flood maintains the network won't be a "house organ" for NASCAR.

"Our first job is the audience and being honest and loyal to them," Flood said. "We'll never embarrass a partner, but we'll give our opinion. Jeff can say anything he wants as long as he's willing to say it to that person's face. There's no hiding behind a microphone.

"We're not going into it to create conflict, but if there are stories to be reported on, we'll fairly tell you our opinion and make sure we get both sides of the story."

Though they've leveled off in recent seasons, Sprint Cup ratings have fallen roughly 25% since their peak shortly before NBC's exit after the 2006 season. Though NASCAR plans on making its racing more digital and technologically oriented and is considering format changes to hook a younger demographic, Flood said NBC will focus on storytelling to help rebuild the audience.

"I want to do more than just document the race," he said. "It's about telling stories. That's our first responsibility. We always say there might be a boring race, but there's never a boring telecast. There's always something on the track. We've got to find it and make people want to pay attention."

NBC Sports has seen ratings growth in two of its properties this year. Halfway through the season, English Premier League audiences have doubled to more than 13.7 million total viewers, and ratings are up 45% for NBC's NHL Rivalry Night games on Wednesdays.

"We hope to do some of that in NASCAR," Flood said. "Whether it happens or not is going to take a lot of hard work, but that's our goal."

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