NASCAR TV coverage is big business, even when a box is needed

Jeff Burton We know Jeff Burton isn't the tallest of the three men manning NBC's booth for NASCAR telecasts. It's a big job, especially when standing next Rick Allen and Steve Letarte.

Watch those standup talk sessions this weekend and realize there's a secret to making them work.

To account for their obvious height difference, Burton stands on a box when between Allen and Letarte.

Here's why. Burton, a former NASCAR driver, is 5-7. That's not an unusual size for a stock car driver, although maybe a big below average. Height isn't a requirement in the cramped quarters of a racecar.

Letarte, a former crew chief, dwarfs Burton. At 6-3, he is eight inches taller. Seeing them walking through a…