Saturday night at 10PM Eastern Time SPEED will offer NASCAR's Toyota All-Star Showdown live from Irwindale Speedway in California.
Mike Joy and Dr. Dick Berggren will handle the announcing duties, with Ralph Shaheen and Jim Tretow covering pit road. The telecast is scheduled for three hours.
This special NASCAR event is the conclusion of the racing season for NASCAR's regional racing series. This Grand National Division showcases young and rising stars, as well as featuring the established regional stars from around the nation.
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32 comments:
The top four qualifiers represent the future of the sport with Joey Logano having his best chance yet to show the public he is the real deal. Can the Logano hype match skills with Caisse,Duncan and Davis? Some suggest Lagano will be the next Jeff Gordon -- and some proclaim he will be the best to ever (brave statement) drive a race car. Tonight will make or break those statements. If Lagano cant win tonight does he really live up to the hype?
Joseph Foster
This may turn-out to be a wake-up call for ESPN on the eve of Martinsville. I wonder if they will reference it or show highlights on NASCAR Now or NASCAR Raceday. That will be interesting.
I doubt they will. This is one step below the truck series, and they rarely mention that.
I was finishing an email during the anthem...that is the lowest key I have ever heard it sung in and the singer struggled....
but did they lose her mic for a moment or did she have about a 10 second pause??
Hope that was just a temp sound hitch...SPEED has had some tech glitches in recent weeks and during RACE DAY, too. hmmm.
LOVE hearing GOOD GUYS CALL THE RACE!!!
:-)
good show
I hope ESPN is watching this broadcast. No gimmicks or clutter on the screen, camera angles that show the action rather than just focused on one car. Also this was the right way to do a prerace show. Just because you have 30 minutes before the race doesn't mean you have to show Aerosmith videos, hype the drama, have 9 different reporters and hosts, and insult the viewer with some of the inane questions or statements. This prerace show was simple. Driver interviews, and the commentators discussed important topics such as the prestige of the race, where the drivers come from, and how they qualified. Useful graphics can be text only and don't have to be so overproduced like many of the things that ESPN does.
I'm glad that ESPN isn't broadcasting the Daytona 500, it really scares me to think of the possibilities.
Oh and SPEED just came back from commercial BEFORE a restart!!
Man, is it nice to see some good chemistry and excitement in the booth.
Did Mike Joy say where the heck DW came from? He was not even on the talent list I got from SPEED this week. Good old DW.
oh my "GOSH", I tell you what, this is like Prelude To A Dream meets ASA!!
DW is the grand marshal of the race, so maybe they asked him to come by and stay a while? I'm sure they didn't have to ask too hard, as he's probably thrilled to be there with the gang.
I thought Mike was joking when he said that. I read on the SPEED board that DW was going to be there.
Wow...it is such a PLEASURE not to have TICKERS ALL OVER the screen.
*Oh, ESPN, DROP her ticker during the race AND the on on ABC and the SPORTS UPDATES**
Also, note how DW called the problem in the corner and then the camera went there.
WOW, I NEVER, EVER thought I would be so homesick for DW!!! he 'can' get on my nerves but after Rusty, I am going to be more forgiving in my criticism of Darrel. :-)
These guys just feel like old slippers.
COMFORTABLE.
if ONLY the ESPN guys would read THIS blog about the differences.
LESS CLUTTER on the screen means MORE to the fans and more racing on the screen!
:-)
P.S. As I preview this and read the updates, I am a slow typist, but we are all commenting on the same thing!! LOL
SAME POSITIVITY.
If that isn't a big HELLO to what fans want, I don't know what is.
Great follow up on who is behind the wall as well as interviewing the guys back there.
I am so enjoying this race. Even DW isn't bugging me like he usually does. He seems to have some good chemistry with Mike Joy and Dick Berggren.
It occurs to me that what we're going to see is three totally different approaches to commentating this weekend.
First, the SPEED Irwindale races, where Joy and Berggren are providing professional, low-key and informative commentary, combined with excitement and enthusiasm where appropriate.
Tomorrow, we get to listen to the F1 SPEED team, whose obvious joy at being able to watch their favourite series is infectious. I really don't mind their chatter, since it's always informative and trenchant. They never seem to be talking down to the viewer; instead, they're sharing their wealth of expertise with us. I love listening to them.
And finally, we'll get the ESPN crew, who for the most part are sloppy, egotistical, lackadasical, boring, condescending and gimmicky.
I love the first two, in spite of their vast differences in approach. The last appalls me.
--KB
Nice interview by Caisse - such composure for someone that young.
When you think how the F1 does the commentating from a booth in the US as opposed to being at the races, LIVE, and they are fun to listen to, it just shows how having the IN PERSON, hitech this, and latest gizmos and graphics adds NOTHING to a race.
I think those F1 guys are fun and I enjoy them on WT, too.
During this Toyota All Star race, I am enjoying the "Chemistry" in the race and the GENUINE laughter and fondness in the booth...
Yes its a small budget event, but you know? Its doesnt matter that you have 75 robot cameras, 217 employees at the race, and a state of the art booth with LED lights. ESPN could learn a thing or seven about chemistry, and how to run an event. Man it is a pleasure to hear these guys call the race. They are not fighting to see who's hair looks the best all be it Dick doesnt offer that option -- but none the less I couldnt be happier about a racing broadcast. Maybe its because I'm used to watching the stressed out, whacked out, over commercialized epox presented by ESPN.
okay, I'm humming along on a high of FABULOUS coverage, and then it hits me..... Money. Do they have the commitments that ESPN/ABC/FOX/TNT does? Is that's why its so much better? I mean, WE'RE SEEING RESTARTS!!! INTELLIGENT COMMENTARY!! BACKSTORIES!! I feel a little faint....But I digress. Is it because they can? Is it because they don't have many commercial mouths to feed? The powers that be, please say no.Otherwise there's no hope
I'm loving how these guys aren't just watching what the camera is on and are alerting people to a wreck in progress. The FOX crew was always really good at that.
Oooooooh it is so good to hear Mike Joy and DW in the booth...who cares if it is a second tier all-star race...THEY make it enjoyable to watch and listen to.
Even Dr. B sounds good in the booth.
ESPN could use DW in the booth to point out the wrecks to the camera folks.
MEOW HISS!! lol
This is a fun race.
I gained a lot of respect for Mike Joy when he started doing Barrett Jackson. Yes its a golf shirt kind of broadcast tonight without the fear of a billion dollar television package, but its good to get the pressure off. The first time I heard Mike and Darrell lay back like this was the HBO broadcast from Eldora. Laughter, banter, all the things of which chemistry is based. btw, when Lagona wins tonight you can say you were there when the kid took it national.
I think its important to note that the TV talent never looks at the monitor in this race as the primary source of race action.
Joy and Berggren are adding the specifics, and DW is adding the "racing observations."
Regardless of why DW is wearing a Toyota shirt instead of a SPEED shirt and was not mentioned in the SPEED press material on this event, he has added a good solid presence in the booth.
Notice how Mike Joy immediately set the tone, and then the entire broadcast crew responded. This is what Jerry Punch needs to learn. The play-by-play announcer is the leader, and all the others follow.
What a fun broadcast.
Just a guess about DW... He was a guest of Toyota to be the grand marshall (hence the shirt), and SPEED invited him up to the booth at the last minute? Glad he's there!
Okay, say I'm a "casual fan" and I stumble upon this race kinda like someone earlier this week described watching rugby for the first time. The commentators are being very thorough about the rules, who is racing, where they are from, who they race for, how old they are, what the problems are, rules ect. So i think to myself, I might want to watch this NASCAR thing. So I tune in on Sunday and what do I see? Not even close.
One thing to remember about the Showdown is, its a showcase of regional drivers. There is a reason why they let the drivers ramble on about who they are. There is a reason why they describe the drivers. Its all about introducing this talent to the NASCAR public. Think of it as a debutante outcoming. I dont know that Speed makes an effort at each event to use this format, and remember NASCAR sets the tone for how this event rolls.
This just in: Darrell Waltrip has been banned from Speed for asking what happened to Joe Theisman, no wait wrong sport. DW must be beating the traffic.
Well, the fact of the matter is, ESPN is known for arrogant, smug "we get ourselves, you don't" attitude. That station has more money than brains (note how they fly Suzy and Moss around the country for nuttin')
These guys tonight act like guys hanging out in your home, telling you about the race and what they see off screen, they know about it and tell us before the camera shows it to us.
ESPN does not know fun and sadly, you can't fake it. Chemistry is either there or it ain't.
And if you have one big dog trying to steal the thunder (Rusty I WANNA HEAR MY VOICE WALLACE) it's never going to happen.
And when Rusty tells everybody in the bix is giving him nothing but PRAISE and fabulous feedback, he needs to remember, we are NOT MUSHROOMS.
If the guys on Fox or SPEED messes up, somebody gives them the business and they laugh or shrug it off and go on.
Tonight is a special treat.
NOBODY takes themselves seriously nor tries to steam roll over people. in the truck series booth, Mikey may talk too much for some people but he NEVER comes off mean spirited like Rusty did. The Gordon/Jr deal last week was cringeworthy.
Who ever is enjoying tonights show?? FIND AN MRN AFFILIATE IF POSSIBLE in your area and listen to them and mute the tv.
EVEN with the time lag, they are WORTH IT.
Then turn on the tv next February for Daytona. And let's hope Fox loses their lame animation car thingie.
:-)
Hated it during green flag racing.
P.S. Do NOT confuse radio MRN with the guys on PRN.
HUGE DIFF and MRN is superior in my newbie opinion of NASCAR on radio.
All I know is, after seeing this tonight, I'm gonna start up the command center tomorrow (sirius+pitcommand+abc) and weep. Didn't need it tonight, even if it was available.
anon 1.20
Isn't it SOMETHING? After being FORCED to sit thru the muck of ESPN, we are all enjoying DW and the gang. I love hearing the stories.
This group is great on the fly!!
AND~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joey Logano wins!
AND AND AND!!! They ran over and held it for driver interviews!!! I have to add, having been on the speed forums for awhile, I understand doing Raceday tomorrow early because of Brazil. Not asking to be coddled, just a little respect, thank you. Off to bed, have to be up at 6 am to be coherent for Raceday (Las Vegas)
I once again have realized what we have been missing for the last few months...Can't wait until Daytona!
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