In2001, television coverage moved toFX as part of the newNASCAR television contract, and qualifying was changed so the pit stop took place at the start of the qualifying, and the stop was a four-tire change instead of two. Also starting in 2001, crew members were introduced together with drivers during the driver introduction ceremonies, with Fox broadcastersChris Myers andJeff Hammond interviewing selected persons during the ceremony.
ABC carried the race in 1990, with the Winston Open finish, andCBS carried both the Open and The Winston in 1991. The race was moved up one day to Saturday night, and it moved to live coverage on The Nashville Network (nowParamount Network) in 1992.
The1986 event featured the Atlanta Invitational, a 100-lap race for drivers who did not meet the eligibility of The Winston. The Atlanta Invitational was held before The Winston, but due to atape delay,ESPN aired the race after The Winston.
From its first year, the unique moniker "TheWinston" was adopted by sponsorR. J. Reynolds. Rather than referring to the event as a traditional "All star" race, no generic reference was included in the title. Due to limitations ontelevision tobacco advertising, other races which involved tobacco title sponsorship utilized generic names onnetwork television. For example, onABC, theWinston 500 was called the "Talladega 500" and theMarlboro 500 was called the "Michigan 500." Without a generic alternative, television and other media were forced to acknowledgeWinston as the title sponsor, effectively skirting, and pushing the limits oftobacco advertising regulation.
Thelead announcers for the2017 race's broadcast on MRN were Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle andRusty Wallace. The network also implemented two announcers on each side of the track:Dave Moody in turns 1 and 2 and Kyle Rickey in turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelly, Kim Coon, and Steve Post were the network's pit lane reporters. The lead announcers for MRN in thefollowing year were Mike Bagley, Jeff Striegle andRusty Wallace. The network continued to implement two announcers on each side of the track: Dave Moody in turns 1 and 2 and Kyle Rickey in turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelly, Kim Coon, and Steve Post were the network's pit lane reporters. Alex Hayden became one of the lead announcers come2019.
