Saturday, February 9, 2008

"NASCAR On Fox" Off To A Good Start


That big sigh of relief you heard on Saturday night was the entire NASCAR Nation exhaling as the NASCAR on Fox guys took to the airwaves for the Bud Shootout.

After a tough summer, a rugged "Chase" and a very long winter the new NASCAR TV season had dawned just the way network executives like it. There was plenty of controversy, good storylines, and the one thing that everyone really needed. Good TV coverage had returned to the sport, just in the nick of time.

As the returning veterans of the NASCAR TV package, Mike Joy lead a crew of announcers who have established their own individual identities with the American public. There are no question marks, no one to get angry at, and no facts are in doubt.

The conversations from the Infield Studio are done by men who actively participated in the sport, and give good-natured grief to the one host who has not. The relationsips between the entire on-air crew are displayed for all to see. There might be some kidding, but this group has checked their egos at the door. The resulting level of communication is outstanding.

Fox makes good HD pictures, brings a good graphics package, and seems to have put their 3-D animation feature on-the-shelf. This on-air package, without a lower third "ticker" on the screen, worked cleanly and without a problem.

This time at Daytona, the Fox Producer and Director chose to show all cars equally, although Dale Junior will always be the story when he is at the front. It still is a little tough with all the cameras not to turn-up a replay or two, but that issue should be put to bed by the Daytona 500 weekend.

Mike Joy was in fine spirits, and led a group that enjoys the pace and enthusiasm that Joy can seemingly maintain for the length of any race. There just cannot be enough said about the importance of the play-by-play announcer setting the tone for the entire broadcast. This was a cast of characters that enjoys racing, and it showed.

With laps winding down, the Fox Director borrowed from the "old school" approach and kept the cameras wide so the size of the lead pack and the speed of all the cars could be seen clearly by the viewer. Allowing Kevin Harvick to directly comment on the action was a good compliment to the regular Fox voices.

While the graphics for the in-car cameras were large, the sound from the same location was outstanding. The audio mix was a key part of this program, and never did anything but push the announcers to talk over the actual natural sound of the event.

Timely replays are tough to insert in live action, but Fox kept them to a minimum and never interrupted with any in-action promos or celebrity interviews. The focus on racing was a welcome change from the disjointed TV effort during The Chase of 2007.

The final three laps after a restart were a nice way to finish the broadcast. Darrell Waltrip was outspoken and clear in his analysis. His points about the rear spoiler of the COT keeping the cars from crashing was just fundamentally interesting. Old DW was on top of his game, and the fact that Junior won was just icing on the cake.

Fox returns with pole qualifying on Sunday at 1PM Eastern Time, and then the countdown clock to the 50th running of the Daytona 500 gets down into single numbers. With the Bud Shootout as a warm-up, NASCAR fans can breath a little easier. The "pros" are back in town, and we even saw the entire field finish the race.

On a Saturday night in February, it was just nice to be able to watch good NASCAR TV again. Maybe, this year could be the shot-in-the-arm that NASCAR really needs.

The Daly Planet welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the easy instructions. Thanks again for stopping by.

62 comments:

Sophia said...

Great column JD and I agree!

I felt like I was listening to FRIENDS have fun and laugh..and not "feel" hostility thru my tv. What a difference.

my only quibble is what you mentioned..the in car graphics are too big imo (frankly, I think the in car cam is used TOO much)

but THANK GOD no animated JUNK like the draft tracker or fox's junk from last year (animated car thingie)

Also HALLELUJAH to seeing NASCAR with no EXTRA CLUTTER like that ubiquitous PSPN ticker (sigh)

It was just FUN and I was thrilled to see Jr win with the new team.

Thanks for the comment boards tonight.

Anonymous said...

Did they show all cars cross the finish line?

Daly Planet Editor said...

They did on my TV. Do you have another opinion? You are welcome to express it.

JD

4ever3 said...

Hey John,

Nice place here, how about a link?

"NASCAR Ranting and Raving Blog" Chosen #7 NASCAR Blog by Sports Media Challenge

Does Jr's win send a statement to DEI or what? Granted they were less 20 cars and 130 laps, but I still think some serious head shaking was going on at DEI over Jr's win tonight.

Take Care.

stricklinfan82 said...

I liked the coverage. It was definitely nice to have Fox bring back solid TV coverage. The only issues I would still like to see addressed:

- no drivers that fell out of the race were interviewed

- I would like to see replays split-screened with live racing action under green. We missed the next-to-last lead change with under 10 to go while Fox was showing a full-screen replay of Reed Sorenson's minor wall bump.

- I HATE the infield cable cam that was used to show the finish of the race. PLEASE use the rooftop camera so we can see ALL the cars cross the finish line. They've used that same camera to show the finishes of all the Fox Daytona races recently and I wish they would go back to the normal cameras for the finishes of these races.

While I'm here I have but one request for Daytona 500 qualifying tomorrow if the Fox crew is reading it... if you're not using the TiVo style format (which I doubt since the Pro Bowl is right after qualifying) can you please front-load the commercials so when the go-or-go-homers qualify at the end of the session we can watch that part of qualifying uninterrupted?

elena said...

JD, I agree. This was a really great race to watch on tv. I also thought Kevin was good. Not all drivers are, but his comments made sense and he did not feel like he had to talk and talk.

I could tell by the time that the race was not going to finish on time. Not a problem. Our news started 20 minutes late so we could see Jr enjoy his win. Boy, it sure made my heart feel good to watch him in victory lane. I guess I am now a Jr fan. I even think that Tony was happy for Jr.

Newracefan said...

Very much enjoyed the race even though work called with 3 laps to go, boy talk about multi-tasking. I usually don't like Harvick but he was very good and had some excellent explanations and insight. I always enjoy DW and Larry Mac and I think I smiled throughout the entire race. I was annoyed initially with the commercials but they obviously front loaded them. Got a decent post race show even though the race ran long. I too like the wider shot to I get a better feel of where the cars are in realtion to each other. This was fun, I only looked at Racetrax and this blog during commercials which is as it ought to be.

Anonymous said...

The FUN was sure back in racing tonight John. The Fox crew made it a very enjoyable evening for a cold winter night with a foot of snow on the ground here in Iowa.

Karen said...

We could see Jr enjoy his win. Boy, it sure made my heart feel good to watch him in victory lane. I guess I am now a Jr fan. I even think that Tony was happy for Jr.

I think all Jr.'s teammates were happy for him. Thought the coverage was excellent. Larry Mac is still my fave.

Sophia said...

strickfan

good point about split screens for replays.

I am surprised I forgot about that..but between hollering to my house mate in the next room over Jr's win and instanting emailing my brother, I can't REMEMBER if other cars were shown across the line until I read JD's article.

I was frozen in place, hoping Jr could pull off this win. :)

Anonymous said...

stricklinfan82 said...
- I would like to see replays split-screened with live racing action under green. We missed the next-to-last lead change with under 10 to go while Fox was showing a full-screen replay of Reed Sorenson's minor wall bump.

- I HATE the infield cable cam that was used to show the finish of the race. PLEASE use the rooftop camera so we can see ALL the cars cross the finish line. They've used that same camera to show the finishes of all the Fox Daytona races recently and I wish they would go back to the normal cameras for the finishes of these races.

February 9, 2008 10:43 PM

I disagree with these 2 points.

The cable cam is one of my favorite cameras. I don't see any problem with it and on my standard TV I saw all the cars cross the line. Maybe they went by so fast you thought you missed some cars.

Now I saw the finish on a regular TV, but on the HDTV in the other room, the split screen can look really bad. You have to fit booth screens into an area the regular TV viewer AND HDTV viewers can see. As many of you know, an HDTV has the ability to show extra parts on the picture on the left and right of the screen. this is also called wide-screen TV. Regular TVs do not have that ability. So, when split-screen is used, they need to put both of those screens in an area both viewers can see. this leaves HDTV viewers with 2 tiny boxes in the center of the screen with the left and right extra space not being used. I would prefer one full screen image than 2 tiny boxes on my HDTV.

GS

Anonymous said...

I should add...if they could use a different type of split screen that utilized the entire screen even on HD wide-screen TVs, I would be happy with that.

GS

Sophia said...

They did a split screen of interviews on SPEED..and there is lots of space on my 4.3 tv as opposed to the old way of PIP for interviews during races (a better solution though I am no techie)

And if they can put a man on the moon, they can figure out a way not to show passes over green flag when they SHOULD have caught them the first time...

well, when they are for the lead. This has happened before on many networks...so somebody better be watching the track closer or STOP showing a replay WHEN a lead is occurring?

Is that so odd?

I have to agree, I just caught the end of the race again on the news and I prefer the cars coming AT ME for the finish ala the way the CLASSIC ESPN races were filmed.

That cam in the field just shows the cars going by but almost off the edge of the screen...but I would say that's better than NO cars as in the ARCA race.

Erik said...

JD,
I missed the part in your review of the race over Fox's camera work catching Bill Elliot's wreck. You would have taken another network to task for something like that.

Also the followup interviews of the drivers leaving the race were much to be desired as well. Was it just me, or were they just not done?

Also, with the finish, the camera pretty much followed Jr's car. The rest of the pack was well to the side (or probably off the screen if you were watching in SD). The finish line itself wasn't in the shot.

Haus14 said...

A big welcome back to FOX!!! It is good to have the All-Star team back in the booth.

I DVR'd the race b/c I wasn't home, but I forgot to add extra time so I didn't see the final 5 laps of the race. Fortunately, I was able to see them on NASCAR.com.

Sophiaz was right it was just like listening to a race with friends.

I was pleasanty surprised with Harvick. I think he did quite well. I was also happy about the lack of commercials. I may be off a little, but I think that there was only one commercial during first 20 laps and only a couple during green flag racing in the last 50. Nothing compared to the trash of the 2nd half of last year.

I do agree that the sponsor graphics on the in-car cams were a little large, but if that helps to lower the number of commercials I am all for it.

I would have liked to see some kind of identifier for the bumper cams...you never knew whose car was providing the picture.

As far as not interviewing drivers who fell out of the race, I will give fox the benefit of doubt since it was a shorter race and their pit reporters were focusing on the drivers in contention.

Also, it is good to see some of the fellow bloggers back on the site; even my buddy Erik.

Kathy said...

I'm just a fan and unfamiliar with camera angles and other technical specifics. I just know that watching races with the Fox team is enjoyable, and I come away feeling I have seen a good race, been informed by knowledgeable announcers who I actually like and enjoy spending time with, and look forward to the next event. When I saw the team in the booth again, I let out a big sigh of relief!

And let me add this...even though my guy didn't win...I think most NASCAR fans were very happy to see Junior cross that line last night! Congratulations to him!

Anonymous said...

I think that 33% of broadcast time to commercials is really on the high side:
Minutes of race broadcast: 80
Minutes of commercials: 27

Anonymous said...

Daly Planet Editor said...
They did on my TV. Do you have another opinion? You are welcome to express it.

JD

February 9, 2008 10:38 PM

With the shot they showed no way to tell if my driver was 7th or 10th. announcers did not say anyone past the 88 and no on-screen as the cars and their transponders crossed the line. Did you forget to take off your FOX/SPEEDTV blinders?

Unknown said...

Everyone can breath a sigh of relief, Fox is back for the next 5 months! And it appears that Fox has been reading these blogs and watched ESPN's coverage last year and learned something.

They learned:

1. Keep the leader focused in the center of the screen as much as possible
2. You can increase the size of the ticker on the top of the screen
3. You can take up 1/4 of the screen with the sponsers and and car number when showing an in car camera
4. Shots of the track surface or the white wall from the in car camera are stirring
5. If a driver wrecks, thats one less driver to worry about
6. Commercials are good, the more the merrier
7. Follow up your commercials with 2 minutes of graphic recap of what comercials you just saw
8. Showing favoritism in the booth towards spefic drivers is always a good thing
9. Take scanner comments out of context and report them a 1/2 hour later to increase drama
10. When a driver gets a lap back and is now in contention, make sure it is as suprising to the announcers as it is to everyone at home


I could go on and on, like the Craftsman 180 commercial (1st time, "Cool!". 2nd time, "How did they do that?", 3rd time, "Ok enough already", 4th time, " I aint ever buying a Crafstman tool again!").

BillWebz

Bobby said...

Thoughts about Elliott's crash.

Somehow the cameras didn't catch it, and this is one place where last year's Fox 3D would have nailed the crash. That system would have been the thing that could have simulated how that crash took place because of its work with the GPS. If the truck had the equipment they would have spotted the crash and attempted to see how it happened from a simulation after they heard the tire pop.

The SAFER situation was also explained because of something the announcers knew on Elliott. They explained a 1989 crash with Elliott that injured his shoulder when a tire also blew and sent him into the wall during the introduction of radial tires, and how much safety has improved since that incident in car and barrier.

The Fox crew must have this "close finish goes to the cable camera" rule that says the camera closest to the finish line gets the shot because they want the camera with the best angle of the race for the win, as to assist in photofinishes.

Many of the usual Fox truck crew have watched the old film, and some of them even worked the classic races such as Elliott's domination, DW's win, and DJ's first 500. They left CBS after the 1993-94 NFL season.

Artie Kempner (who I don't know was at the race or not this week) worked alongside Bob Fishman from Elliott's first 500 win until Jarrett's first 500 win and probably has seen some of the classic work of his mentor and also the other CBS crew who worked the 500, especially when the popular CBS director was ill with cancer (1991).

Daly Planet Editor said...

Erik,

Read it again, it's in there.

JD

Anonymous said...

Last night's broadcast was like coming home to family and friends you've been missing.

I think that they could have given Blaney more air time for his excellent performance throughout the race.

I think that they could have done a better job tracking the issues certain drivers were having with set-up and tires (If you hadn't been listening to Biffle's radio you didn't know his wreck was a mercy killing), and interviewing drivers who'd fallen out.

But the interaction between the announcers was excellent and the real-time analysis from the genuine experts that the COT's wing was responsible for the ability to recover cars that should have been spinning out of control was priceless.

Additionally, having Harvick as a guest broadcaster was an excellent choice. I've not been too fond of him over the years, but he did a thoughtful and professional job without bringing his on-track rivalries and biases into play.

Unknown said...

stricklinfan82 said...

"While I'm here I have but one request for Daytona 500 qualifying tomorrow if the Fox crew is reading it... if you're not using the TiVo style format (which I doubt since the Pro Bowl is right after qualifying) can you please front-load the commercials so when the go-or-go-homers qualify at the end of the session we can watch that part of qualifying uninterrupted?"

This is a non-issue. The change in qualifying for the go/no go cars starts in race 2 at California. Today's qualifying is not a go/no go situation due to the unique qualifying process for the D-500.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

OK....are all u guys Fox employee's or what. Ur drooling over Fox's NASCAR TV team is almost as nauseating as their on air coverage. This is the only board that I know of that talks about how great they are. most of the boards have comments like "Tell DW & Mac 2 shut up!!! And knock off that stupid "Boogity boogity" crap. It's old n stupid.

Kevin did an outstanding job. Now if they cud pair Dave Despain n Alan Bestwick 2gether...then u'd hav a broadcast team.

These NASCAR shills jus go waaaay 2 far over the top IMHO. Enuf already with all the stupid graphics too. They take up almost 1/3 of the screen.

Oh BTW, doesn't any1 know that when they do a live feed from the pits, during a race, that u can't hear what they r saying???

What I've done, ever more frequently, is 2 tune in the race on radio. I know there is a 6 second delay, but they are broadcasters who give u a great story as the race proceeds.

Aside from that, may we all enjoy a great racing season and hope for the best in the broadcast booth.

Invader

Tripp said...

I'll echo the others' comments that having the Fox crew back is like watching the race with old friends and they were very welcome at my house. The old school wide shots and stunning HD audio and video were scintillating. "Happy" Harvick in the HH was a great addition.

DW's contention that wing end plates help keep the the cars going straight is interesting and makes sense on the surface of it. It will be interesting to see if science bears that out because NASCAR Nation will be talking about it.

My only complaint is that there were no interviews with those who fell out of the race. It's an opportunity missed on several levels. Aside from showing fans that drivers are okay, pit reporters can get first-hand information on what things are like on the track while the race is going on. They might also get an unfiltered reaction to what happened to them on track. Thinking back on broadcasts from decades past, how many good sound bites emerged from those interviews outside the infield care center.

Overall though, well done Fox. I'm going to cherish these Fox broadcasts and hope they sustain me through the back half of the season.

And by the way, congratulations to Jr. It did my heart good to see him win.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Invader,

I don't know if you were here last season, but the Fox guys were taken to task about their decision to only show one car finish and their over-use of the 3-D animation.

After the mayhem at the end of the season, I think it was nice to just get a race done without updates and cut-ins and celebrities and promos. Harvick was just fine as a guest.

One of our biggest topics from last season is how many fans use the radio and the computer to suppliment their TV experience.

Please come back and let us know what you think of the Daytona 500, but you need to just tell us your thoughts without criticizing other posters. Everyone has the right to state their opinion.

I look forward to hearing more from you as the season progresses.

JD

Anonymous said...

Hearing the Fox guys made me happy. The only negative was DW going a little overboard in his cheering for Junior before he actually won the race. I think he wants to make up for a couple of years ago when Junior kinda called DW out for being really harsh on him. Which resulted in when Junior next won, he told NBC how happy he was to be in Victory Lane on NBC. (ie not FOX).

Otherwise good coverage, I kept waiting for them to go to commercial at inappropriate times and they didn't.

From the live blog:
"Looks like Tony has a girlfriend and where's Buffy Waltrip."

One of the blogs that was on the NASCAR blog list that JD is #1 on has the answers to both those questions this morning. "Answer This...NASCAR Wives and Girlfriends" (which was #5 or #6 on the NASCAR blog list) has a new Bud Shootout FAQ up. For future reference, you can find the answers (and hints of info that will be coming out later) to any of those types of "drivers as celebrities" questions on that site since they may or may not fit here.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Anon 9:56AM,

Would you drop me an email at editor@thedalyplanet.tv when you get a moment? Thanks.

JD

Anonymous said...

Wide angle camera shots..

THANK YOU! I could actually see what was happening when watching a race. Imagine that!

Anonymous said...

I thought the TV coverage was the best it has been in a long time. Thank goodness there were no accidents or mechanical failures to spoil the scripted finish.

TexasRaceLady said...

Now that I've recovered, I'll add my 2 cents. LOL

I was relieved to see large packs of cars racing --- not just 1 or 2.

I would like to have heard from Bill and others, but this race is so frantic and frenzied that it just couldn't be done. I'm sure we would have heard if the drivers had not been OK.

Kevin Harvick surprised me with his appropriate and insightful commentarty. Who knew? Good job, Kevin.

The A-Team was on their game tonight. Keeping up with the racing on the track, not overwhelming us with "toys", and projecting the excitement that the race generates.

Having been to this race, I felt the same excitement at home that I did at the track.

And a huge pat on the back goes to FOX for sticking with the post-race celebration, even though it did run long.

And, whether you're a Dale Jr. fan or not, wasn't it wonderful to see the huge smile again?

Anonymous said...

I thought it was a great broadcast. For those of you saying they only showd Junior finishing, how is that even possible? They were in a pack and crossed the line all at the same time. The network never fix the camera on the start finish line at SuperSpeedways because they run in a pack and cross the line within 1 second of eachother.

So yes. FOX did show the field crossing the line.

Anonymous said...

Now that FOX is back, why did they bring back Chris Meyers? Whenever he says "I kid because I care" I cringe. Funny he is not, BORING he is. There is nothing wrong with Tradin Paint and Kyle Petty. He brings truth and fairness to the show. He is not afraid to speakup. He is the real deal.

Anonymous said...

It was a great race broadcast. The wide angles really allowed the fan to see which lines were getting runs and which ones were not.

I would have liked to see the sponsor on the TV panel camera so I could know immediately which car's camera I was viewing.

Anonymous said...

OK, I have one comment to make about FOX. Larry Mac said twice during the broadcast that Tony had to change an engine and then start in the back of the field. When I watched the start of the race I was looking for Tony and he was right where he was supposed to be. Yes, I like Tony and yes I'm not to crazy about Larry Mac.

4ever3 said...

Hey John,

Thanks for the add. I really appreciate it.

Take Care,
Bob

Tracy D said...

Kevin Harvick was surprisingly good. Good choice for a guest in the booth for the Shootout.

Anonymous said...

Way to go Danie!!!! Good job Artie!!! Great audio Freddy!!! WOO HOO!!

Rich said...

Shorten the pre-race coverage by about 20-30 minutes and add that time to the end of the race.

Get rid of Dave SeSpain. He doesn't care one twit about Nascar.

Put a GPS in "that cat" Mikey's car so he can find his pit. What an idiot.

Anonymous said...

That coverage in my mind was 100 times better over last year!!. Having watched qualifying today,I must say that the coverage was very good again. The highlight shot for me was JG's wife trying to do something with Jeffy's hair during the National Anthem. I agree about Mr Harvick. I think he was a great addition to the both.The fidst half of the year should be almost gripe free.

Anonymous said...

Thank you God for a few months of Fox, before we have the hell of TNT and ESPN. I love the addition of Ken Squirer. What a great encyclopedia of Nascar history. He brings a wonderful perspective of old time racing, and is a font of knowledge with regards to the history of the sport. His stories are invaluable.

ESPN needs to take heed of how to do race programming the right way. Professional, concise and without all the stupid graphics and phony technology. Kevin Harvick was surprisingly good and has a future when he hangs up his driver's suit. Camera angles were good, and they did tend to show more of just the first few cars. Loved how they were able to show the perspective of how banked the track is when they showed Bill Elliotts car against the wall.

Sophia said...

saying the banking of the track was like one's roof on a house made me think "wow"

amazing banking. I have enjoyed the Dave and ken show.

Happy surprised everybody, I think.

Anonymous said...

That race last night was some of the best NASCAR action I've seen in a couple of years! TV was outstanding, the racing equally so............just what the doctor ordered! Let's hope the rest of the season is more of this!

JD;-)

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
That race last night was some of the best NASCAR action I've seen in a couple of years! TV was outstanding, the racing equally so............just what the doctor ordered! Let's hope the rest of the season is more of this!

JD;-)

February 10, 2008 6:53 PM


um... is that really JD???? or someone else?

Anonymous said...

The only thing that drove me crazy last night was twice the broadcasters referred to teh #8 car as Jr. or Dale Earnhardt Jr. I know it's an honest mistake, but it honestly made me cringe. Seriously.

GinaV24 said...

I thought the race was broadcast pretty well, but I agree that DW really really needs to cut back on the cheerleading for Dale Jr. It isn't professional and it is irritating if you don't happen to be a Jr fan. Maybe for the Jr fans it works fine, but for the rest of us -- give it a rest and just call the race. I liked the wider shots so we could see more of the race and the "team" was enjoying themselves and made the TV experience comfortable since they obviously like each other. I do think the Chris Meyers is a waste on this broadcast as he still acts like he knows nothing. He's been around the sport since 2001 any idiot would be able to figure things out by now -- he doens't act like that on the football broadcasts, so why on NASCAR? However he is so much better than Weber on TNT that I can live with him being ther. Other than that, it was nice to see the field cross the start fiinish line at the end of the race, too.

Daly Planet Editor said...

I guess there are more than just one JD in the world, so I am going to let that comment stay.

JD

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Hope you don't shop at Wal-Mart, if you want to "Buy American' so badly.

By the way, what brand is your TV? 'Cause it is pretty tough to own an American-made TV--but I am sure you'd NEVER buy a foreign-made one, right?

Anonymous said...

JD
Have to disagree
I tought FOX missed a ton of action, and they only had half of a typical race field! Late in the race, single car spin after tire goes down-they totally miss two cars get together behind that. Took them MINUTES to realize it.
Late pit stop. The 49 (Schrader) takes 2 tires. They miss it until he comes out of the pits in 7th.
Race restart. Schrader tries to block the 99 and gets booted to the middle line-all alone.
He has to lift which causes eventially causes a wreck behind him. FOX was totally oblivious.
Car goes from 7th to last and no comment
BAD FORM FOX

Anonymous said...

Note to Ingrid:

Once the invocation and national anthem starts, it is too late to try to adjust Jeff's hair.

Just leave it, because you look disrespectful if you're seen messing with it on TV

chase said...

John: What fun! Saturday night was extraordinary -- to begin with it was so nice to be able to actually watch the cars (note: plural) race and not just completely focused on the lead cars, it was actually good to hear the voices of Mike, Jeff, Larry and Darryl - but agree with a poster above who said Chris Myers has got to go - he gives us NOTHING. I hope the powers that be at ESPN were watching. I do agree that the car graphics are a bit too big but hey, if that's the only problem so far, I can live with it! Now if they keep on the same track for the 500 on Sunday, we'll all have a good day, regardless of who wins!

Anonymous said...

Put a GPS in "that cat" Mikey's car so he can find his pit. What an idiot.

Like that's never happened to any other driver. Come on.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Anon 9:36AM,

Normally, I would delete that because it has nothing to do with TV, but...that was funny.

I worked with Jeff when he was in the Busch Series and had him on our original This Week In NASCAR show with Eli Gold many times.

He is hilarious, with a great sense of humor that is very different from the big, loud guys like myself.

Of all the drivers on that show, he was one of the most popular with the TV crew, the other being Cale Yarborough. Every year we did a show from his home, and he had the crew over early, opened the swimming pool and then fed them lunch.

Once we get the big site up with a forum, maybe we can start telling some "old school" TV stories. It might be a good way to help folks understand who these NASCAR personalities are when they are not locked in sponsor land.

JD

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Daly Planet Editor said...

Anon 2:05PM,

The rules for posting are on the right side of the main page. You were doing fine until your insults began. Please refrain from hate speech in this blog.

You are welcome to return and make your TV comments, which were quite good until you ruined it. Thousands of people have commented with no problem, I hope you will choose to become one of them.

JD

Anonymous said...

Invader said...
OK....are all u guys Fox employee's or what. Ur drooling over Fox's NASCAR TV team is almost as nauseating as their on air coverage. This is the only board that I know of that talks about how great they are. most of the boards have comments like "Tell DW & Mac 2 shut up!!! And knock off that stupid "Boogity boogity" crap.


Hallelujah! Finally a voice of reason in this lovefest for the network that single-handedly ruined NASCAR broadcasts!

I don't know what it is with the mindset here, but how can anybody claim this is good coverage?

Besides all of the above, you have Jeff Hammand saying "we're all praying that Junior wins." Talk about pandering to the Earnhardt fans! Talk about the nepotism network...

Daly Planet Editor said...

Anon 2:57PM,

As I said to Invader, you can state anything you want within the rules, but don't you read the comments and the column first?

I busted Fox hard last season for several reasons, and continued throughout their season coverage.

On every comment thread, people agree and disagree. That is the format of the blog. If you think Fox is pandering and the coverage is bad, just say so.

There is no need to call other posters names or try to intimate that somehow your opinion matters more than any other NASCAR fan.

You are welcome back, but how about just stating your own case?

JD

Anonymous said...

Thanks, John, for your latest posts and our opinions on the coverage.

Unfortunately, I was the victim of a bizarre incident involving my TV and DirecTV service. I was not home when the race happened live at 5 p.m. PT, so I relied on DVR to tape the race. When I came home, I found that the receiver was broken, I could not turn it on![:(x2] But strangely, the yellow "record" light was still on. I have never seen a malfunction like that ever since I got cable/satellite service.

The system was later reset and the picture restored. But it was too late to save the planned recording. It is now in the history file as "Not recorded." Bummer.

What's worse, there is no rebroadcast scheduled. It was either watch it live or don't watch it at all (unlike most NASCAR races). SPEED could have put on the rebroadcast yesterday, after the third showing of ARCA, or today. But they chose off-road racing yesterday and FIM Superbike today.

I watched the extended highlights on NASCAR.com later that night, and the FOX audio was on it.

I am happy that FOX showed more than one car across the finish line at the end. OK, so it was the cable cam, but it's still better than nothing. On the other hand, if Jeff Hammond indeed said that "all of us are hoping that Dale Jr. wins" (paraphrase), that is disturbing. Hammond should only speak for himself in that situation.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed todays race so much, partly due to Jeff Burton's win, but mostly because I didn't have to listen to DW talk - mostly about Jeff Gordon all race long (no matter what position he is in). The rest of the broadcast crew is great! If it was up to me DW would have a lot less air time and leave the broadcasting to the guys who do it the best!

Anonymous said...

Fox's coverage of the race was awesome. They really know how to cover the sport.