Here we go again. Rain and SNOW has caused yet another delay at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. SPEED has already stepped-aside and begun the day with stand-by programming.
The schedule on SPEED was supposed to include qualifying and practice leading up to the Nationwide Series race scheduled on ESPN2 at 2PM. The NASCAR Countdown show with Allen Bestwick is scheduled for 1:30PM.
This post will serve to host your comments about the TV struggles of both SPEED and ESPN2 today. If the Nationwide race gets underway, there will be a new post to host the in-progress comments.
There will shortly be a new full-length column up addressing the on-going NASCAR penalty issues and the response to those topics by the various NASCAR TV partners.
To add your opinion about the rain situation today, please click on the COMMENTS button below. We would especially like to hear from readers who are either at the track or in the general area. Thanks again for stopping-by.
21 comments:
Actually from what I saw on the internet it is not raining at Atlanta, it is snowing.
Wow. Talk about a bad weather forecast for this weekend. Yesterday they said 100% chance of rain, that didnt happen.
Todayw as supposed to be sunny. And its snowing! They never even forecasted snow!
Yes, it was snowing when the qualifying show came on and yes, the forecast as of last night did call for a chance of snow flurries this morning.
Nationwide qualifying this morning is indeed delayed for heavy snow flurries and a wet track. Jet dryers were out when SPEED came on air. Very interesting sight for Atlanta area. Crew came on at the schdeuled start time for the broadcast and gave us a good update with Mike, Larry, Hermie in the booth and with Krista in the snow outside who interviewed Carl Edwards's NW crew chief; she said not many drivers around.
After the five minute update, they moved to Back in the Day reruns until qualifying begins.
SPEED was back on for an update. Snow has gotten worse, blowing fairly hard and the skies looked darker and grayer than at 9. Krista interviewed Brad Keselowski, who was out and about because he had a track sponsor appearance to make. She also got up from where they were talking - you could see some snow falling on them - to show a better view of the snow falling and noted on air that is was blowing harder. Great job this morning, Krista.
43 drivers are entered in the NW race so they will set by points if needed (very likely) and no one will go home. Can't dry the track with snow coming down like that.
Sprint Cup first practice scheduled at 11 EST; Final practice at noon.
Now returned to Back in the Day.
We appreciate the 30 minute updates, SPEED folks!!
67 degrees right now in Homestead, FL and a slight chance of a shower, but otherwise just partly cloudy and overcast. A great day for raci...oops.
For some reason, the early March race is being held in Atlanta. It is currently 34 degrees and snowing with precipitation expected to continue with cold rain falling after the show. Tonight, below freezing with a low of 24 degrees.
Happy Saturday!
The last time this race was cancelled was for the "Blizzard of 93" as it is known in Georgia. I live a few miles north of the track and my skies are clear, but there is more snow in the area. It's very rare that Atlanta has snow past the end of January, or even at all!
No Quals
Maybe if Krista Voda joins the Yankees they won't choke in the playoffs! Just kidding, back on topic now.
Does this mean that if Kurt Busch wins tomorrow, he'll get to do his signature "snow angel" move again?
LOL
Well that update was just fun and made us smile.
Good job on showing the radar - y'all need to do that whenever there's bad weather in the race area from now on. Nice to hear Weather Channel Larry Mac's analysis.
That was a neat camera shot - I don't know what you call it - of showing all the snow coming through in a superfast motion shot. It really came down.
Also liked seeing Krista in the snowball fight with the crew guys, the crewman who made the little snowman, and Krista's perfect snowball shot at the camera with the caption "Krista Voda signs three-year deal with Yankees." Great! We have gloomy weather too, so it's nice to see the SPEED folks keep their sense of humor and pass it along to us.
Also thanks to the booth guys for pointing out that practice this afternoon will be interesting simply because the weather today is so different than forecast tomorrow, it will affect what they can learn and do in practice.
Good job all around. I don't know if there will be an update at 10:30 (which is fine) since they said they hope to get the track dry by 11. There were still some flurries, so I'd estimate there still might be a little delay past that.
I love racing but I'm just glad the snow moved on to Atlanta. We had 6 inches of that stuff Thursday, it melted yesterday and today the high is expected to be 60 with blue skies.
Look at the bright side - we won't hear the phrase "Hot 'Lanta" for the billionth time.
Update: Mike Joy said they are hoping to get the track dry by noon EST. Which was the time for the second cup practice, noon-1:30.
Well at least I get to catch up on all the stuff I DVR from yesterday. It's cold and raining here and watching TV is about all I feel like doing anyway
JD,
Wow, where did you get that pic from?
Also, that reminds me, whatever happened to the person doing all those SPEED promos (Melanie I think)?
Melanie still lives on SPEED, just not as much. The pic is from a Weather Channel fan site.
Just happened to have Atlanta on it and that is Jen Carfagno, a Penn State grad who does the early show at TWC.
By the way, the network is for sale if anyone happens to have five billion or so hanging around in your checking account.
JD
does Larry Mac know its for sale? Might be his only chance to be in a hurricane with Jim Cantore then his life would be complete as he said on TS.
He can afford it.
Good call by Speed Channel to air yesterday's Trackside again as rainfill instead of yet another Back in the Day rerun (two hours worth of those already this morning. They need to think of some other TV options in bad weather since they used Back in the Day as rainfill at Cali too). I missed Trackside yesterday because it was on early so glad to see it today.
Funny how there was a post weeks back about "grown adults" taking screen shots of Nicole Manske's outfits. Apprently Jen Carfagno screen shots are ok lol.
There is a new post up and ready for your opinion about the 99 situation and NASCAR Now on Friday.
Another column about Fox and SPEED will follow, did you hear the booing on Trackside? That was interesting.
It should be a fun week for NASCAR news.
JD
I selected the picture because it had Atlanta and rain. If Marshall Seese had been in it, that's who you would have seen.
If anyone has any Larry Mac on TWC pics, please pass them along. He apparently had a blast.
JD
Outstanding report by Jeff Hammond.
NASCAR and pretty weather girls. Nothing wrong with that. :>)
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