John Roberts co-hosts Tradin' Paint on SPEED. (Image: SPEED)

Phil Parsons has interest in a race team, yet he continues to be one of the best in the entire sportscasting field at explaining to fans what a competitor is feeling in the race car. And I’d be willing to bet that without looking it up on the internet, many fans couldn’t tell you much about Parsons’ team because his race analysis and commentary are so impartial that you’d never know the difference.

Ray Evernham has a small interest in a race team, yet you can’t assign a value to his knowledge and experience. He revolutionized the crew chief position, won three championships and brought an entire manufacturer back into the sport, yet people say he’s biased or owes us some information he’s purportedly withholding. Come on, you’re not watching the same race we are.

Yes, some purists may dream of a day when all analysts have no interest in the sport they’re covering and therefore, no perceived subjectivity, but don’t hold your breath. That utopia doesn’t exist anywhere and never will in motorsports. Imagine for a moment the backlash if one of the networks were to can all their on-air NASCAR talent in 2009 and bring in a fresh group of outsiders who know no one in the garage and certainly have never worked for or owned one of the teams. Anyone else ready to turn off the television with me? The most-qualified people currently hit the airwaves each week to cover races, providing insight you can’t get just anywhere.

Some of the drivers who commentate each weekend are still very skilled behind the wheel and what better perspective than that of the guy who just turned the wheel.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

John Roberts is the host of NASCAR RaceDay, NASCAR Victory Lane and Tradin’ Paint on SPEED. He also hosts and reports from the garage on NASCAR Live and Go or Go Home and has been part of the FOX family since 2001. Roberts graduated from James Madison University and jokingly still considers himself a prospect for a top-rated college basketball team, namely the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

NASCAR 39/10: Reviewing the 60th Season A unique and comprehensive look at a historic season in the annals of stock car racing. For the first time ever, NASCAR fans will be able to relive the entire 2008 Sprint Cup Season, over the course of a 30-hour anthology. From Preseason Testing in Daytona, to the Postseason Banquet in New York, viewers will relive NASCAR’s 60th season, and one of the most important years in the sport’s history.