Author’s Note: As we all know, NASCAR drivers garner more attention than anyone else on their team. However, there are so many people on the teams that all play an important role in the success of the team and the sport we love. I am going to feature a variety of people who have careers in NASCAR, but aren’t normally in the spotlight.
Alan Dietz is a Producer for NASCAR Media Group. He is also the announcer for the PASS South Super Late Model Series, calling the races with his deep-voiced Southern drawl.
Here are some of Dietz’ quick facts:
Family: Wife (Tami), Son (Clinton, 15 months)
Hobbies: Hunting, Fishing, Watching any kind of racing, Watching football
Favorite sport to watch: NASCAR
Favorite type of music: R&B, Soul, Alternative, Classic Country
Most memorable moment of his racing career: Announcing PASS South’s “The RACE” at North Wilkesboro Speedway in April, and announcing the first UARA race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2004. I also will never 
forget the first time I went to Daytona and Indianapolis. Both tracks have so much history and are the pinnacle for anyone involved in racing. No matter how many times you go to Daytona or Indy, it's magical.
Most memorable life moment: Without a doubt, my son Clinton being born on August 12, 2010. I never knew I could love someone as much as I love him.
Dietz’ answers to my interview questions were so interesting that I’m going to leave the rest of this story in interview form.
TD: How did you get involved in racing?
AD: By just going and watching racing for as long as I can remember. I was going to Lake View Speedway in South Carolina near where I grew up when I was in high school. I remember reading the press releases in the newspaper and thinking to myself, “I could do a better, more detailed job than this.” I was 14 years old and my mom and I asked the track owner David Taylor if I could write the press releases and he said I could, but he couldn’t pay me, he could only let me into the races for free. That was good enough for me! From there, I started track announcing at Myrtle Beach Speedway in 1997 and I was on my way.
TD: What are your job responsibilities at NASCAR Media Group? As the announcer for the PASS South Series?
AD: I’ve been fortunate at NASCAR Media Group to work on some really neat projects over the years. I started out as a Production Assistant on Totally NASCAR. Then, I became a Segment Producer on a series of countdown shows we did for CMT. I’m currently a Producer for NASCAR Raceday on SPEED. I put together features about the drivers or newsworthy issues that are going on in the sport during that particular week.
As the announcer for the PASS South, I go to each of the races with the series. I try to keep good notes and keep the fans as informed about what’s going on as possible. Since PASS is a touring series, I know some of the fans aren’t as familiar with the PASS drivers as they are the local stars they see every week. It’s my job to get those fans interested in the PASS drivers and I think by the way things are going with the series, we’ve done a really good job of getting a following for the series itself.
TD: What are your favorite and least favorite parts of your job(s)?
AD: Whether it’s NASCAR, PASS, or a local short track, my favorite part of the job is the product on the track. A good side-by-side race, with a little beatin’ and bangin’ thrown in, gets my heart rate up and the hair standing on my arms just as much today as it did 20 years ago. The people you meet in racing period are not like any group of sports fans you’ll find anywhere and I really enjoy that too.
Without a doubt, the least favorite part of my job is the travel. I hate being away from my family, especially since Clinton was born. But, it’s a double-edged sword because there are a ton of places that I have been that I would have never gotten the chance to visit if it wasn’t for racing.
TD: What are your biggest career challenges?
AD: I would say time. In this sport everybody is so crushed for time. In the media, we have deadlines we’ve got to deal with. At the same time, drivers are practicing or at an appearance or racing or, imagine this, trying to take time for themselves and their families. So time is definitely the constant challenge that you’ve got to deal with in racing.
TD: What is the coolest project that you have ever worked on?
AD: Just being such a fan of racing, everything I’ve been able to do has been cool. But the coolest things I have been able to do are when I get to have some real one-on-one time with the pioneers of the sport. I’ve been fortunate to interview just about anybody you can name in stock car racing, but to spend a day or two with guys like Raymond Parks, Junior Johnson, and Cale Yarborough is just unbelievable! These guys are heroes. I’ve looked through scrap books with Raymond Parks and at trophies from Daytona Beach that pre-dated NASCAR. I’ve eaten breakfast with Junior Johnson and rode around with him in an old Ford Coupe on the dirt roads of Wilkes County. I’ve seen where Cale Yarborough was born and raised and rode around Darlington with him. That’s amazing! If you would have ever told me that I would get to do things like that when I was 15 years old I would have said, “Great! How?” Ha! I’ve just been very fortunate.
TD: What are your future goals in racing?
AD: Jeez, that’s a hard question. I’d love to be able to call races on MRN or PRN, while still working at NASCAR Media Group. That’s probably my ultimate goal. I’ve worked for NASCAR Media Group for ten years now. I really enjoy being there. That’s my home. I would like to continue climbing up the ladder there, produce more features, and maybe do some longer form features in the future. And, I just really love announcing races. I’m so proud of where the PASS South series is now and I hope to continue announcing races for them for years to come.
TD: Do you seeyourself being involved in NASCAR until you retire?
AD: Absolutely! It’s what I know, it’s what I’m good at, it’s what I love. I wouldn’t want to do anything else.
TD: What advice would you give to someone looking to find a job like yours in racing?
AD: Well, I got awfully fortunate. For David Taylor to let that 14-year-old kid write press releases at Lake View or the late Roy Gore letting an 18-year-old announce at Myrtle Beach shows some faith on those guy’s part. Between my Junior and Senior year at Francis Marion University in 1999, I got an internship with Patti Wheeler at World Sports Enterprises. The next year, the TV contracts changed, I graduated from college, Fox got into the sport and started Totally NASCAR. The timing was right. It was the same with announcing for UARA and PASS, I was in the right place at the right time and the opportunity presented itself. I think you’ve got to put yourself out there, do everything you can to get where you want to be, and when that opportunity comes, you’re gonna be where you need to be to get that chance.
TD: What makes drivers easy or difficult to work with from a media perspective? What traits do you wish every driver would possess?
AD: Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are two of the most successful race car drivers in the world. They are also two of the most polite and professional men I have ever met. Just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you have to be condescending or arrogant. Those guys get it. They know people like me are here to make them look good. I’ve met guys racing short tracks that are harder to interview than guys that have been racing Cup for 20 years. And, that’s why a lot of those guys are still racing at short tracks. Not in every instance, but a lot of drivers are their own worst enemies. I would just tell drivers to be amiable and compliant with the media. We’re just trying to do our job just like they are and if we are respectful to them; they should be respectful to us.
TD: If you could change anything about NASCAR, what would it be?
AD: I think NASCAR has really made some great adjustments over the last five years or so. When you look at the racing today, it’s really good. I’ve heard people suggest making the races shorter, but I’m not sure if that would be possible, and I would certainly keep the “majors” where they are (Daytona 500, Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400).
TD: Do you have any funny stories from the road?
AD: Gosh, my entire career in racing has been pretty funny if you ask me, Ha, Ha! I’ve burned my leg doing post race interviews on hot exhausts, been places I probably shouldn’t have been. I can tell you they are too many to tell right now for sure.
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