You want to be an Auto Race Track Announcer?

 

If you have interest in being an Automobile Race Track Public Address Announcer, here is some advice.  By Jason D Searcy 

#1 - Don't be annoying, Don't be the reason that people dislike a race track.  Remember the show is not about you, your job is to enhance the race fans experience, not take away from it.

#2- Preparation is the key, do your homework on the drivers and their stats before arriving at the track, then walk the pits when you get to the track, make yourself available in case a race team has something special that they want communicated to the audience.  Also make sure you know how to pronounce each drivers name properly, if you don't know, just ask them.

#3- Don't mess up the starting lineups.  Clearly state the car number, drivers name and hometown BEFORE EACH RACE.  Not every driver will be mentioned during the race call but every drivers name should be heard by the crowd before the race.  For a Mom, a fan, or a sponsor, that moment might be the only opportunity they have the entire night to cheer for their favorite driver.

#4- Do a majority of your talking when the crowd can actually hear you.  Inflection means a lot and talking when loud cars are screaming past the crowd is just pointless, timing is important, talk between the races more than during the races.  

#5 Be authentic with your enthusiasm.  Faking excitement is insulting to the audience.  Race fans don't like to be fooled or tricked and they can see through being fake.  If you say "this is the greatest thing that has ever happened in the history of Motorsports" and it is clearly not, they won't trust anything you say from that point onward.

#6 The Opening Ceremony is very important.  This is the only time the entire evening where you have everyone's attention.  This CAN BE an emotionally shared memorable experience for the crowd if it is done right.  So be concise and intentional with your wording and respectfulness of the flag and the anthem.  Encourage the audience to be proud of our nation without being heavy handed, preachy or long winded, that alone might ruin an otherwise special moment.

#7 Sometimes less words are better, if your thoughts are not organized it is less impactful to be wandering.  A dramatic pause can be just as impactful as an inflection change. 

#8 Separate your personal opinion from the decisions made by race control.  Questioning track personnel decisions looks bad for the track, so just state the facts and more forward, even if you don't personally agree with the decision.  You have enough to keep track of, don't try to also do their job.

#9 Try to help the audience anticipate upcoming drama, if you can focus the race fans attention on the building drama of a situation that they might not be aware of, then when that drama finally does happen, it becomes more of a shared experience and might become that memorable LIVE moment that we all strive for.

#10 Have Fun, enjoy the show.  There is nothing more cool than the sound of race cars at the track, so add your voice to that atmosphere with relevant information and entertainment.  Don't let your voice take away from that awesome atmosphere.

Just my 2 cents, I hope that gives you some insight into how to do the job of a Race Track Announcer.  It can be a very rewarding and fun occupation.

Jason D Searcy.  Over 30 years experience announcing at various tracks in Minnesota, the last 14 at Elko Speedway in Elko but also at I-94 Raceway Sauk Centre, I-94 Speedway Fergus Falls and Viking Speedway in Alexandria.  

NOTE- This article was shared on social media and numerous announcers commented on it and added their own interesting insight, here are a few examples

Dean Reller

Jason Searcy Great Job. A couple of other things. Sometimes you have to explain the rules. Keep it short, but explain why things are happening. Rules vary from track to track and it can be a little confusing to the casual fan. And be sure to mention car numbers not just the names during the race. Fans can quickly identify what car you are talking about especially when there is a good battle behind the leaders. And Finally, work the car color into your race call. This is helpful when there are more than 1 car with the same number in the same race.

We do this for fun, so don't forget to HAVE FUN!Eric Huenefeld

Jason Searcy as an announcer, I don’t know if I can bring anyone to the track, but I know I can drive them away.

Also…calling races is one thing. That’s what gets on YouTube and all that. But I think where announcer make their money is what they do when the yellow is out or when there’s no racing. Be good background music and be entertaining and knowledgeable. Have fun. Take a breath. You don’t need to talk ALL the time.

Chris Stepan

Preparation and pre-event homework is key. It's something a lot of announcers do not do as good of a job as they should. It's ultra important so you can be as prepared as possible. If you save it all for race-day, you will undoubtedly run out of time and not have all your bases covered.

Everyone has their own style, which is cool and is what makes everyone unique, but an announcer not being prepared is something that shouldn't be acceptable to anyone, especially the paying fans.

Mis-pronouncing drivers names, hometowns etc. is never, I repeat NEVER, acceptable. Do your homework.

Personally, I make a point to walk the pits every day and talk to racers to get updates, new storyline etc. Even during multi-day events where the drivers are probably the same as the night before, there are always new pieces of info. to gather. I made sure to walk the pits 15 straight days at Volusia last month to be sure I had all my stuff in order.

Lastly, remember that a majority of events are live streamed these days, so unlike years past when it was 'just' the people in the stands listening to announcers, these days everyone at home can hear every word an announcer says, so it's even more important to have your info correct and be prepared.

Those are my un-asked-for 2 cents.