Over the Christmas break I got to spend a lot of time searching around the racing community and there was an interesting post from FloRacing that really caught my eye. The post was an interview with Kyle Larson discussing the previous years Chili Bowl event but what really caught my attention was Kyle admitted that had it not been for the big screen video board at the venue he would've lost. Rewind to a couple weeks prior to Dirt in the Dome and there was a brief excerpt from eventual late model winner Tyler Carpenter, where he stated that he was using the big screen to watch where second place was trying to run. With that knowledge he would block the competition from passing him. Within a month span there were two great examples of the influence that a video screen had in these major events. So, are big screen tv boards a good thing for racing or a bad thing? Let's break it down and then you be the judge.
Pros:
Looking at it as purely a strategic tool. It has to be one of the most powerful tools that a driver can use. Simply put a driver literally can make on track adjustments to their driving strategy. Both Larson and Carpenter had mentioned on how they took time to look at the screen to see where their opponents were and from there both drivers used this to their advantage. Now, to be fair you have to be incredibly talented to take advantage of this and these guys are. Another pro that the jumbotron brings is that it allows the drivers to see replays of what has taken place during the race during the cautions. It also allows the drivers a chance to see who is moving their way up in the field, again making it an incredibly useful tool for them to use. For the fans, it does add to the experience as it allows for replays to be shown and can be used as a score/leaderboard of sorts. It also allows them to experience a feel of the next level as it gives the venue/event a feeling of a big time atmosphere.
Cons:
To be blunt it takes away something from the racing. While this may seem odd, it truly hinders just about everyone in the field as it exposes their line to the leader. This also takes away from the racing experience that the fan sees as it essentially takes away battles on the track and turns the race into a massive blocking marathon. These issues steal the purity of racing away from the event and it cheapens the value of what the fans and drivers are experiencing. This could lead to bigger issues that events and tracks that have jumbotrons could experience.
We've laid out some of the pros and cons for you to consider and yes there are more for both categories. Whichever side you may fall on you have a valid argument in your favor, you also have a valid counter argument to discuss with your racing friends or family. Could there be a happy medium where you can have the best of both worlds? Or is it a extreme you should either have it or should it be completely be banned from racing? Let us know what you think.
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