{"id":8714,"date":"2020-12-10T17:58:05","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T22:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=8714"},"modified":"2020-12-11T09:03:02","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T14:03:02","slug":"alex-andrejev-a-rookie-on-the-nascar-beat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2020\/12\/10\/alex-andrejev-a-rookie-on-the-nascar-beat\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Andrejev: A rookie on the NASCAR beat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Andrejev<\/strong> sits in the media center at Daytona International Speedway and waits for news on Ryan Newman<\/strong>\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n

An ambulance transported him to Halifax Medical Center, after his wreck on the final lap of the Daytona 500.<\/p>\n

The atmosphere in the room is tense. Veteran reporters tell her they flashbacked to Dale Earnhardt<\/strong>\u2019s fatal wreck on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere really was a very intense couple-hour period where everyone was sort of on edge and just trying to wait for an update,\u201d she said. \u201cBut also be patient, and know that something was going to come eventually, but just not really knowing what that timeline was going to be like, if we were going to have to be there all night, if it was going to be just a few short minutes, and then no one knew, really, what the diagnosis was going to be. It was scary.\u201d<\/p>\n

She and some other reporters contemplate going over to the hospital to get more information. While some do, she remains in the deadline room.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone’s just trying to get as much information as possible,\u201d she said. \u201cBut essentially, it was just like this waiting game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, NASCAR announced that Newman\u2019s condition was stable and his injuries were non-life threatening<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For Andrejev, it\u2019s one hell of a kickoff to her first year as a NASCAR beat writer.<\/p>\n

The beginning<\/h2>\n

A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Southern California, she worked six months as a sports intern for The Washington Post. As it was \u201ckind of a general assignment sports reporting internship,\u201d she covered teams such as the Nationals, the Mystics, the Spirit, etc. Moreover, she covered high school sports in the D.C. area and wrote features on the 2019 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

In December, she saw an opening at The Charlotte Observer for a NASCAR beat writer. So she asked Liz Clarke, a longtime sportswriter who previously covered NASCAR, whether or not she should apply for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was like, \u2018Oh, you should definitely apply,\u2019 and that’s sort of how I got my start,\u201d Andrejev said.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, her Esports coverage piqued the interest of Matt Stephens, senior sports editor for McClatchy Southeast and \u201cpretty big video game nerd.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter talking to her, she went into covering Esports, having really little to no video game knowledge,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then, what that showed me was she could learn something new and learn it well quickly and be able to talk like she knew what she was talking about. She was able to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASCAR put her ability to learn to the test.<\/p>\n

Welcome to NASCAR<\/h3>\n

While not a complete stranger to NASCAR, she faced a steep learning curve with learning both the basics and the inner machinations of the league, brushing up on every team in the garage, getting to Charlotte, North Carolina, to introduce herself to people on both the team side and NASCAR side of operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just to try to meet as many people as quickly as possible,\u201d she said. \u201cMake sure you’re going into the garages and introducing yourself, and talking to people at the Daytona 500, and just setting up these calls and stuff, and really trying to show your face to people and let them know that, \u2018Hey, I’m going to be around.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

And Andrejev was around, starting with Daytona 500 media day.<\/p>\n

\"\"
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – FEBRUARY 12: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Discount Tire Ford, speaks with the media during the NASCAR Cup Series 62nd Annual Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 12, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo: Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At first, she stood aside the media scrum that surrounded Roush Fenway Racing drivers Chris Buescher<\/strong> and Newman, then asked her questions. She started with Buescher, because \u201che looked a little bit less intimidating than Ryan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of was like, \u2018Oh, man,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201c\u2018I’m a little bit nervous, and I don’t really know how to talk to these guys first. I hope they don’t think my questions are dumb.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Buescher and Newman put her at ease, as they answered her questions, professionally, and were friendly to her.<\/p>\n

Learning from the pros<\/h3>\n

Moreover, members of the traveling beat reached out and showed Andrejev the ropes. Sometimes, it was writers DMing her on Twitter to answer a question she tweeted. Other times, it was showing and telling her the do\u2019s and don’ts of the trade.<\/p>\n

\u201cKelly Crandall, she was probably one of the first that walked me around (Daytona) and gave me a full tour of everything,\u201d Andrejev said, \u201cand sort of told me, \u2018OK. Do this. Don’t do this,\u2019 and, \u2018This is what some people will tell you, but here’s what you should do,\u2019 and was helping me make introductions and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

The level of help she received from fellow writers surprised her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think in a lot of beats in sports I had covered before, it feels like there’s this very intense competitive energy,\u201d she said. \u201cWhich that’s not to say that there isn’t that, necessarily, in NASCAR coverage, but I think I was surprised in how much people were willing to help out a rookie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back home<\/h3>\n

After the whirlwind of the Daytona 500, Andrejev stayed back in Charlotte to watch NASCAR\u2019s West Coast Swing. Her next race was March 15, at Atlanta Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

Or so she thought.<\/p>\n

COVID outbreak<\/h2>\n

On March 11, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, the first NBA player to contract it. Over the next few hours, the sports world ground to a halt on a level not seen since the 9\/11 attacks.<\/p>\n

NASCAR, however, planned to race on, that weekend. Just without fans in attendance.<\/p>\n

While all this went down, Andrejev drove to her sister\u2019s house in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was sort of that expectation, that was after other professional sports leagues had shut down,\u201d she said. \u201cSo there was sort of this expectation of, all right, are they actually going to run this race?\u201d<\/p>\n

She was skeptical, but drove to the track, anyway.<\/p>\n

On the way, she received the word<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

pic.twitter.com\/Zyb1WEtjk7<\/a><\/p>\n

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 13, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n