The Adventures of Digger and Friends

In 2009, Fox Sports announced that "Digger", who had already been a mascot for the corner camera in NASCAR, would be the subject of a series of vignettes that would air during NASCAR on Fox pre-races. Keith Urban composed a new single for the show, called "Lil' Digger". In an interview, Urban was noticeably happy with creating the song, saying "How could you turn the critter down? I immediately went to my drum machine, then to my guitar, back to my drum machine and on to my banjo and it wasn't long before I had the song. I just hope that Digger likes it." Romanian animation studio Mirari Films animated the series. The character of Digger also made a brief cameo in the 2009 film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel; the character is briefly seen when a lead character's car zooms past him on a busy street, prompting him to joke, "Feels like I'm back at the racetrack!" == Characters ==

• Digger (Eric Bauza): A gopher obsessed with NASCAR racing. Frequently causes mischief at the racetrack, causing Lumpy to chase him. • Annie (Haley Mancini): Digger's girlfriend. • Marbles: Digger's friend. • Gramps: Digger's grandpa and a fan of NASCAR since the beginnings of the sport. • Lumpy Wheels: A security guard who constantly chases Digger for causing mischief at the track. == Premise ==

The series follows Digger's life, and adventures in a racetrack with his friend, Marbles, his girlfriend, Annie, his grandpa, Gramps, and a police officer that chases Digger's mischievous acts, Lumpy Wheels, who was named after former Fox Sports president David Hill and former Charlotte Motor Speedway general manager Humpy Wheeler. == Criticism ==

After a NASCAR town hall-style meeting at the end of May 2009, Fox Sports chair David Hill reported receiving an email from a high-ranking NASCAR official whose identity he chose to conceal, stating that Digger could have been the cause of ratings declines for Fox's NASCAR coverage. (Even though this occurred a few years into a lengthy period of NASCAR television ratings decline that is still ongoing.) Hill said "It was because of Digger that people were turning off in droves because they couldn't stand it, I said, I'm so sorry. If I'd known, I never would have created him. I didn't realize how insidious he was. It's the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard." The criticism led to Fox Sports slowly phasing out the character in 2010; it was completely removed from their broadcasts by the time the 2012 Subway Fresh Fit 500 aired which was the second race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. == Episodes ==