The solid performance turned-in by the announcing crew of the NASCAR on Fox telecast was again upset by the decisions of the Producer and Director from Fox Sports. After an incredible performance by the booth announcers, the pit road team, and even the Hollywood Hotel gang, it seems incredible that TV viewers nationwide saw only two cars cross the finish line in Texas. Let me say that again. TV viewers saw only two cars finish the race.
When this happened at Bristol, I said it was a big problem. When it happened at Martinsville, I said it was incredible. Now, at the huge Texas Motor Speedway, Fox asked viewers to watch a multi-hour race and then showed only the top two cars crossing the finish line. This is a fundamental failure that NASCAR must correct.
It is almost like Fox has adopted a policy that NASCAR fans are now so stupid they think the race is over when the winner crosses the line. How else to explain this incredibly bad decision that immediately flooded The Daly Planet inbox? Every fan understands that when the winner "wins," the rest of the field is still racing!
As if this incident was not enough, the announcers in the booth were clearly trying to call the remaining cars coming across the finish line, where drivers were battling door-to-door throughout the field to get their best finish. The Fox Sports Director even tried to cut back to Jamie McMurray, only to show two cars already finished driving away from the camera. This was just a fundamental mess on an Emmy Award winning telecast. Why?
Drivers that fans had watched for three hours deserve to be seen ending their race. Drivers that fans love, are endlessly loyal to, and proudly wear their colors deserve to be seen ending their race. Drivers whose sponsors advertise on the NASCAR on Fox telecasts and spend millions of dollars in support of their team deserve to see their car cross the finish line. Period.
What in the world has happened to the NASCAR on Fox production team? Whose bright idea is this, and how do we end it? Both ESPN2 on the Busch Series, and SPEED on the Craftsman Truck Series do not have these problems. They both celebrate the entire field finishing, and follow the other close finishes throughout the field until the race is done.
This is the third column that has been forced to skip over the wonderful aspects of a NASCAR on Fox telecast to register the shock and dismay of not only The Daly Planet, but the NASCAR fans who cannot believe they never saw their driver finish the race. As I mentioned earlier, what in the world is going on here?
8 comments:
I was more upset that we again (like ESPN2 at Mexico) had to be subjected to watching the lead battle in the corner while watching the wife of the leader. I only want to see the lead battle, not the driver's wives.
I am so fed up with the race coverage by Fox that I don't plan on watching races anymore. Many of my co-workers feel the same. The race coverage is like watching a circus! Why would I desire to see Jeff Burton's wife in the last five laps of a race. For once, there was not an accident to ruin the finish, and I am watching the cars on some little box on the right side of my big screen TV which is half the size of my screen that I would expect to see the race. The coverage has obviously been taken over by some dramatic expert that is treating the sport like a soap opera. I am just fed up with it!
I agree with the above...But what was up, in the middle of green flag racing, with the at the track commercial for Fox's new show "Speed"? I realize there is cross promoting but we are watching a race to WATCH A RACE! Wonder why ratings are going down...
There's a piece of near-ancient technology around here that does well in addressing the shortcomings of NASCARs 3+ hour promotional and advertisement programing (with racing supplements); its called a VCR. Wasting a pleasant Sunday afternoon by watching 80% crap in the hopes that there will be 20% content is quite unnecessary.
By simply rewinding the recorded tape to watch the last 10 to 20 laps, you can quickly review all you really needed to know, and if there's anything of interest that you'd really like to watch (i.e.; Stewart on the loosing end of a tussle with Montoya, or Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson wrecks), just rewind to find those brief highlights. You can watch them over and over again.
Best of all, you miss all the tiresome advertising, shameless network self-promotion, cut-away car drivel, video game-like disaster breakdowns and other mindless tedium that would otherwise waste your valuable time. An entire race review can be condensed to a half-hour to 45 minute period — at a time of your convenience.
If NASCAR and the networks really cared that much for the viewing fans, it wouldn't have come to this; but their need for greed is doing them in, and right quick too.
p.s.- As for the wife/girlfriend cam, the real drama is the track; that type of sensationalism is absolutely embarrassing.
Nascar and their telecasts are not focused on Racing, its all the other stuff...we used to tune in at 11:30 central and the race started, now we tune in at the listed time and see a load of crap....NFL games at noon and 3..Nascar should do the same..i get sick of the "Fluff" and do something else..start the races like they used to...form a pattern again!
Fox shows wives because Fox is all about DRAMA!! They know DRAMA! And so, what better drama is there than a shaking wife, waiting for her hero husband to win? Get with the program, people! Racing takes a back seat to the real drama! lol Fox is pathetic. They have never understood racing, and now it's obvious that neither does ESPN.
I feel sorry for Mike Joy, who I think is one of the better NASCAR announcers. Having to share the booth with McReynolds and Waltrip for 3-4 hours every Sunday has to be a major headache. How Fox got any Emmy's for their coverage of NASCAR is beyond me. Darrel Waltrip is a clown and always has been, just like his little brother Mikey. They know how to run their mouth and that's it. And McReynolds voice makes me want to scream! And don't get me started on the two bozos in the Hollywood Hotel. All we get is endless advertisements, tons of "fluff" and very little real information and racing action. Oh, please when does Foxes coverage of the 2007 season end? Soon, I hope.
Don't be so hard on McReynolds. I happen to like him. Back in '01 his speech pattern had a bit of an extry wince factor but I think he's really grown into a great source of info....when Fox gives him a chance. I think having the silly boogity boy next to him is no help at all though.
Mike Joy & McReynolds are good. The pit reporters are good for the most part. I'd love to see the hollyweird hotel disappear. BUT, I think they're production decisions are a MUCH bigger problem than their personalities.
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