Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Ryan And Ryan Put On A Good Show


After all of the media events since Sunday evening, no one would have blamed Ryan Newman if he walked through his appearance on NASCAR Now looking like a tired NASCAR driver.

Instead, a happy and excited Newman greeted viewers alone at the top of the show. The normally laid-back Newman looked absolutely comfortable with the Tuesday host of NASCAR Now, Ryan Burr.

On the set, Burr and Newman walked viewers through the final two laps of the Daytona 500 with some exceptional and very frank comments from the champ. Newman explained exactly, and in his own way, how decision-making and teamwork led him to victory.

Burr has been working hard to turn himself into a racing host from an ESPNEWS anchor. This interaction with Newman on the set for the entire thirty minutes was fun. The old NASCAR Now was clearly gone. No hype, no sensationalism and no embarrassing questions were on the agenda.

Showing Newman the post-race "soundbites" from other drivers was a good touch, as was bringing in Ryan's father in a surprise telephone interview. The interaction between these two and the free-flowing conversation was great.

Reporter Terry Blount updated the news on Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his possible penalties from the Nationwide Series. He also updated the always interesting open-wheel merger and transitioned to discussing the former open-wheel stars now learning the NASCAR circuit.

Burr's preview of California next weekend with Newman brought-out the engineer in the driver, and reminded us all that he is a college educated professional driving a Sprint Cup Series car. We need to hear more from him in the future.

Burr closed-out a clean and informative show that never stepped over-the-line with Newman, and clearly allowed him to enjoy himself. The program ended with a very nice roll-out from the NASCAR Media Group that recapped the race and put the final spotlight right where it belonged. One last moment for this easy-going driver.

What a smart way to end another outstanding NASCAR Now. My, how times have changed.

The Daly Planet welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the easy instructions. The rules for posting are on the right side of the main page. Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and leave your opinion of Tuesday's NASCAR Now on ESPN2.

13 comments:

Sophia said...

OOps! Started to put this in the wrong thread but caught it before having to delete myself.

SophiaZ123 said...

Well, I watched Nascar NOw for the third day (Starting with Sunday night) and no longer feel like I need to pull the blinds or watch with remote in hand.

It seems Erik is gone for GOOD as are his hyperbolic ways. Nice to see NASCAR getting some respect.

I LOVE AB But Ryan did well with Ryan today.

I never thought I would watch this show three day's in a row. Let's hope they can keep this up now that Daytona is over.

StillalittlecynicalSophia
:)

TexasRaceLady said...

This was two guys sitting on the sofa talking about the race.

An absolute delight to watch. Nothing loud, nothing provocative, just 2 friends talking.

Keep it up, ESPN.

Like sophiaz, I never thought I would watch this show 3 days in a row.

Daly Planet Editor said...

For those of you who did not read my note on the other page, I got a nice email from Ryan Burr saying he enjoys reading your comments and looked at this blog before interviewing Ryan Newman.

Nice that the ESPN guys are opening the door to the fans.

Thanks, Ryan!

JD

elena said...

Ryan Burr seems to get better each time I see him. I actually always thought he was trying, he just did not seem to be that comfortable in his job.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's show.

Sophia said...

Thanks JD.

Thanks for reading the blog Ryan Burr! Reading online about what fans think is not for sissies!!

Actually I caught the midnight show and I missed Newman doing the INTRO and about the first 6 minutes. This show really was fun from the get go.

Good deal.

Oh, and I missed earlier the question about what he is going to spend the money on?

Didn't somebody post about that hear? Cool beans.

If Ryan is open enough to read this blog, he has himself a new viewer as long as the show stays respectful to NASCAR and what a treat to have somebody IN THE STUDIO at Bristol being interviewed FACE to FACE.

It showed the fun atmosphere that can be had at ESPN.

Thanks

Karen said...

Ryan Burr is definitely growing on me. Great show.

Ritchie said...

I ejoyed the show as well. Good information and good pace. I hope the energy continues throughout the season.

Its amazinge how hard it is to comment about a good show, versus how its so easy to write several paragraphs about a bad one.

Tripp said...

I am truly flabbergasted. The transformation of NN from last year to now is more than impressive. ESPN is to be congratulated for reinventing NASCAR Now and delivering informative and interesting shows that are just plain fun to watch.

Mr. Burr deserves congratulations for his part in the show's metamorphosis as evidenced by the "Ryan and Ryan Show". I completely agree with TRL that it was liking two friends discuss the race. Pulling that off is no easy task and Burr did it with ease.

Ryan, if you read this, nice job! I now have NN on my TiVo with a Season Pass.

Anonymous said...

Agreed, JD.

Great job by both Ryans. As an engineer myself, Ryan Newman would certainly be one of my favorite drivers if he didn't drive for Penske. What a wonderful person and he sure has a great personality and sense of humor.

It was great to see Ryan Burr do so well. He certainly seems to be settling into his role and doing a great job.

I just checked my DVR schedule for the day and the only NASCAR programming set to record is NASCAR Now. I'm actually looking forward to it. Unbelievable...

Thanks again ESPN for all of your effort this season. It is certainly noticed.

Anonymous said...

I am glad to hear that Ryan reads the blog. The show is much better than last year. Now if they could just imporve the race coverage then ESPN would have me as a fan, but until then I'm still a skeptic... ESPN has been known to pull the rug out from under our feet in the past.
Ryan, please keep up the good work!!!
but please ESPN, can you loose the jackets and ties??? we are Race Car Drivers not Accountants, and how about a studio in Charlotte... you know do here, where the action is???

C. Turner

Steve L. said...

I enjoyed Ryan Newman on the show. I posted on the other thread how the 'TWIN' show Monday night seemed to go on and on, this show had my attention and seemed to be over very quickly. It was good information with a good flow from start to finish.

Ryan Newman is a good speaker in public. It showed last month at the Sound and Speed festival in Nashville. When we got to interview him in the media center, once he was asked a question, it seemed like the whole room just sat back and listened to him talk. He is intelligent, articulate, and interesting to listen to him speak.

Last nights NN was a hit in my book. Hope they can keep it up.

Dot said...

JD,
I knew when I saw only 11 comments that NN was getting good reviews. Ryan B is doing a much better job. I set the DVR everyday now.

Anonymous said...

Diane said...

NN is a totally different show from last year. Very impressed that they could make such a major transformation in one season. Have enjoyed all the shows. Even Rusty did a great job. Must say I am partial to last night's show because as the "sights & sounds" of Daytona rolled at the end I was stunned to see "ME" the female fan at the ticket entrance to Turn 1. That was cool. Thank you TIVO as I had to rewind twice and pause to make sure. Anyway, great job ESPN...lets hope when you take over the 2nd half of the season the changes to your race coverage is as dramatic!!