Gotta remember, the "target audience" of this show is NOT "car guys". It has to appeal to the normal person. While the sound effects irritate us, the average person knows no better or could care less. The target is also the reason you see Azn and Farmtruck clowning in an antique store and all the other stupid crap they do. We don't care for it, lots of others do. The "drama" is what appeals to the casual fan and sells the show. If it was JUST the cars going down the street, you may as well be televising rounds of bracket racing. Personally, I think they keep it just serious enough to draw real car people AND entertaining enough for the mainstream audience. Drawing 2 million a show.....doing SOMETHING right
