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TRUCKS: Voda Returns To Iowa Roots, Shifts Into High Gear For Summer Stretch On SPEED
SPEED reporter Krista Voda is a versatile television personality...
Krista Voda hosts NCWTS Setup and Trackside for SPEED, in addition to pit reporting for FOX the first 12 races of the Sprint Cup Series season. (Photo: SPEED)
VODA RETURNS TO IOWA ROOTS, THROWS IT IN OVERDRIVE FOR SUMMER STRETCH ON SPEED
POPULAR PERSONALITY WEARS VARIETY OF TELEVISION HATS, INCLUDING HOST OF SATURDAY’S NCWTS SETUP FROM HOME STATE OF IOWA
One of the things unique to Krista Voda in the NASCAR garage is her vast collection of stylish hats, an appropriate obsession for the versatile television personality whose on-air duties for SPEED and FOX often leave no hat unworn.
The popular host, however, can safely pack away her wide-brimmed beach hat, a vacation necessity, because although the NASCAR on FOX portion of the 2012 season has wrapped, the Clinton, Iowa native finds herself busier than ever.
Voda, who hosts NCWTS Setup and Trackside for SPEED, in addition to pit reporting for FOX the first 12 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, pulls double-duty several weekends in the coming months. At Loudon on Friday, she hosts Trackside (5:30 p.m. ET) alongside Kyle Petty, Rutledge Wood and Marianela Pereyra, and then boards a plane to her home state to host Saturday’s NCWTS Setup, SPEED’s popular pre-race show for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (live at 8 p.m. ET; live race coverage at 8:30 p.m. ET) at Iowa Speedway, easily her favorite stop on the schedule.
This isn’t Voda’s maiden voyage in multi-tasking, though. In fact, she hopscotchs the country between her Trackside duties at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series venues and Truck Series races several times in 2012. She also spent two consecutive race weekends last month dashing between Trackside and the SPEED Studios in Charlotte, N.C., to host SPEED Center in Adam Alexander’s absence.
“The general perception is everything slows down for me when FOX goes off the air, but travel-wise, it actually picks up because I double-hop on certain weekends,” Voda explained. “That means more flights, more travel and a different workload. No show is lighter or heavier than another – they’re just different.”
One flight she doesn’t mind making is the one from Loudon to Iowa this weekend. She holds a special place in her heart for Iowa Speedway, a track she says filled a void in the state.
“Iowa sports fans are very loyal and hardcore in their support of their favorite collegiate teams,” Voda said. “But as much as they love rooting for the state’s universities, many desperately wanted professional sports in Iowa. So, when NASCAR came to town, fans came out of the woodwork to buy tickets and support the sport. The people of Iowa have spoken and they want NASCAR.”
In addition to her weekly duties, Voda also hosts SPEED coverage of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the Gatorade Duel at Daytona, the NASCAR Nationwide Series/Camping World Truck Series Award Ceremonies and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards Ceremony, among other special events. She contends no particular broadcast requires more preparation than another, although some are more taxing.
“Pit road reporting still is the most difficult for me because it’s not my comfort zone; it’s not second nature to me,” the former high school sports star said. “I didn’t grow up talking track bar adjustments. What comes natural to me is writing stories and scripts, so writing the Setup is an extension of me. Trackside is becoming like that, although it’s still finding its legs.”
Other than guest hosting SPEED Center, Voda doesn’t use a teleprompter. She simply prepares in the time allotted and then flies by the seat of her pants.
“The challenging thing about the Truck Series is I don’t use a teleprompter and we don’t get to rehearse the show,” Voda explained. “We almost always hit the air immediately after Cup qualifying or practice ends, so our producers and directors don’t even get into the production truck until that moment. Most pre-race shows have at least an hour to rehearse and preview the key video pieces, but we do everything on the fly. We take pride in that, but it’s challenging to write the show with limited access to our visual elements, hoping the words I’ve memorized stay in my head. I have no safety net, so the risk of crashing and burning is pretty high.”
Fortunately for Voda and crew, those moments of sheer embarrassment have been few and far between, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t sometimes falling apart behind the scenes. In fact, she holds up those instances as definitions of true success.
“A ‘good’ show for us just comes from a feeling,” Voda explained. “It may be those days when we overcame something. Sometimes I may not present everything in the best manner on-air, but maybe viewers didn’t see everything crashing around us. Maybe a taped feature didn’t air when I tossed to it or I didn’t have any communication with my producer and was winging it. A perfect show would be to nail everything from the writing to the delivery, storylines and video elements, but it doesn’t always happen that way. When we do our best to overcome those obstacles, I consider it a success.”
POPULAR PERSONALITY WEARS VARIETY OF TELEVISION HATS, INCLUDING HOST OF SATURDAY’S NCWTS SETUP FROM HOME STATE OF IOWA
One of the things unique to Krista Voda in the NASCAR garage is her vast collection of stylish hats, an appropriate obsession for the versatile television personality whose on-air duties for SPEED and FOX often leave no hat unworn.
The popular host, however, can safely pack away her wide-brimmed beach hat, a vacation necessity, because although the NASCAR on FOX portion of the 2012 season has wrapped, the Clinton, Iowa native finds herself busier than ever.
Voda, who hosts NCWTS Setup and Trackside for SPEED, in addition to pit reporting for FOX the first 12 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, pulls double-duty several weekends in the coming months. At Loudon on Friday, she hosts Trackside (5:30 p.m. ET) alongside Kyle Petty, Rutledge Wood and Marianela Pereyra, and then boards a plane to her home state to host Saturday’s NCWTS Setup, SPEED’s popular pre-race show for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (live at 8 p.m. ET; live race coverage at 8:30 p.m. ET) at Iowa Speedway, easily her favorite stop on the schedule.
This isn’t Voda’s maiden voyage in multi-tasking, though. In fact, she hopscotchs the country between her Trackside duties at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series venues and Truck Series races several times in 2012. She also spent two consecutive race weekends last month dashing between Trackside and the SPEED Studios in Charlotte, N.C., to host SPEED Center in Adam Alexander’s absence.
“The general perception is everything slows down for me when FOX goes off the air, but travel-wise, it actually picks up because I double-hop on certain weekends,” Voda explained. “That means more flights, more travel and a different workload. No show is lighter or heavier than another – they’re just different.”
One flight she doesn’t mind making is the one from Loudon to Iowa this weekend. She holds a special place in her heart for Iowa Speedway, a track she says filled a void in the state.
“Iowa sports fans are very loyal and hardcore in their support of their favorite collegiate teams,” Voda said. “But as much as they love rooting for the state’s universities, many desperately wanted professional sports in Iowa. So, when NASCAR came to town, fans came out of the woodwork to buy tickets and support the sport. The people of Iowa have spoken and they want NASCAR.”
In addition to her weekly duties, Voda also hosts SPEED coverage of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the Gatorade Duel at Daytona, the NASCAR Nationwide Series/Camping World Truck Series Award Ceremonies and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards Ceremony, among other special events. She contends no particular broadcast requires more preparation than another, although some are more taxing.
“Pit road reporting still is the most difficult for me because it’s not my comfort zone; it’s not second nature to me,” the former high school sports star said. “I didn’t grow up talking track bar adjustments. What comes natural to me is writing stories and scripts, so writing the Setup is an extension of me. Trackside is becoming like that, although it’s still finding its legs.”
Other than guest hosting SPEED Center, Voda doesn’t use a teleprompter. She simply prepares in the time allotted and then flies by the seat of her pants.
“The challenging thing about the Truck Series is I don’t use a teleprompter and we don’t get to rehearse the show,” Voda explained. “We almost always hit the air immediately after Cup qualifying or practice ends, so our producers and directors don’t even get into the production truck until that moment. Most pre-race shows have at least an hour to rehearse and preview the key video pieces, but we do everything on the fly. We take pride in that, but it’s challenging to write the show with limited access to our visual elements, hoping the words I’ve memorized stay in my head. I have no safety net, so the risk of crashing and burning is pretty high.”
Fortunately for Voda and crew, those moments of sheer embarrassment have been few and far between, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t sometimes falling apart behind the scenes. In fact, she holds up those instances as definitions of true success.
“A ‘good’ show for us just comes from a feeling,” Voda explained. “It may be those days when we overcame something. Sometimes I may not present everything in the best manner on-air, but maybe viewers didn’t see everything crashing around us. Maybe a taped feature didn’t air when I tossed to it or I didn’t have any communication with my producer and was winging it. A perfect show would be to nail everything from the writing to the delivery, storylines and video elements, but it doesn’t always happen that way. When we do our best to overcome those obstacles, I consider it a success.”
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