After his DQ at Rockingham, Chandler Smith needed a boost. At Bristol, Smith almost got exactly what he needed: a win. But then he came up short, and then it got worse. It wasn’t a DQ this time, but it was definitely an expensive blow, all because of the broadcaster’s mess-up.
Chandler Smith was prepared for things to go south before they really did
“Ended up P2, was absolutely jacked to find out we won the 50k… just to get told AFTER the interview we didn’t win it. Oh well don’t rob me now,” Smith’s post on X read after the race.
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At Bristol, Chandler Smith finished behind Christopher Bell, who won the race. A second-place finish wasn’t anything to rue, especially when he was told he had won a $50,000 bonus by FOX Sports.
The bonus in the subject was to be handed to the winner of the NASCAR Triple Truck Challenge event, of which Bristol was one of the tracks. Now, it was Bell who won the race, but Smith was the highest finisher of the NASCAR Truck Series drivers. But despite that, he didn’t get the bonus, and it all turned out to be a mistake from FOX’s end.
It’s worth mentioning that while Smith was disappointed after he learned he didn’t get the bonus, he wasn’t exactly unprepared. During a post-race interview, he was asked whether winning the bonus took out the sting of the Rockingham disqualification.
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He claimed it did, but he wanted to be patient to go through tech.
“I’m not gonna get too excited. Last week, I was happy and had a blue-collar day. Fourth place finish … went out and had a good hot dog with my buddies and all that, and my family and friends out in the campground. And then my crew chief calls me two hours later after I left, by the way, he’s like, ‘Hey, we got DQ’d.’ And I thought he was joking,” Smith described.
Now, Chandler Smith didn’t express any disappointment with FOX or NASCAR for the misunderstanding of him getting the bonus, but fans didn’t feel that way.
NASCAR fans not happy with FOX for the Bristol Bonus Blunder
Following the bonus blunder against Chandler Smith, NASCAR fans picked their culprit, and it was FOX Sports. After all, a FOX reporter told Smith after the race, “I think your boss will be pretty proud because you get the $50K bonus.”
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Moreover, there was an on-screen graphic during his post-race interview that read, “Finished 2nd. Wins $50K Triple Truck Bonus.”
Because of this, fans were left with a sour taste against the broadcaster.
One fan wrote, “I think @NASCARONFOX should have to give him $50k for their mistake. What a joke they are. Don’t even know the damn rules. Terrible,” while another wondered, “It would be funny if u sue fox for causing emotional damage.”
A fan believed the Bristol bonus drama is reflective of a bigger issue in the sport. “This is why fans are so down on NASCAR. If a Cup racer wins, all points and awards should go to the first regular across the line. Frustrating,” the fan wrote.
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One fan sarcastically looped in a famous NASCAR podcast run by a star driver in their reaction as they wrote, “I’m sorry, at what point do we start fining Fox Sports for actions detrimental?”
Another fan questioned the broadcaster’s preparation for races as they wrote, “Does FOX not talk to NASCAR or do some basic studying before broadcasting the race? Seems like Bob Pockrass is the only guy who works his heart out there.” Interestingly, FOX has been associated with NASCAR for 25 years now.
With that said, it’ll be interesting to see how FOX reacts to this blunder from their end.
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