The Nationwide Series race at the newly-named New Hampshire Motor Speedway will signal the return of Dale Jarrett to the ABC broadcast booth and finally give Rusty Wallace a weekend off.
While Jarrett was off on his planned vacation, Wallace has done double-duty for ESPN. He has appeared on the NASCAR Countdown program and then gone upstairs to call the races. Give credit to Wallace, he has improved dramatically this season and fans have noticed his ability to present himself on TV in a very professional manner.
It will be Allen Bestwick starting the coverage with NASCAR Countdown at 2:30PM Eastern Time. For this edition, Bestwick will be joined by Jarrett and Brad Daugherty. There are plenty of topics to discuss this week, and it should be noticed by fans just how many relate directly to the Nationwide Series and how much attention during this thirty minute show is given to the Sprint Cup gang.
Jarrett moves up to the broadcast booth where he will be working alongside of Dr. Jerry Punch. This track is not the type that Punch enjoys and the lack of passing combined with the flat and slippery track should be a challenge for this former pit reporter. Look for Jarrett to give Punch a lot of help during the later stages of the event.
ESPN has begun to heighten the profile of Ray Evernham. Still undecided as to his plans for 2009, Evernham will step-in for the vacationing Andy Petree and handle the analysis with Jarrett. Still well-spoken, Evernham is trying to decide his future on-and-off the track.
For the next three weeks, Evernham will appear on the one hour Monday NASCAR Now program that Allen Bestwick has made so successful this season. In addition, Evernham will be the studio analyst for the NASCAR Now show before the big Daytona Sprint Cup race next weekend. ESPN is giving Evernham a variety of assignments, and it should be interesting to see what direction the network and Evernham choose to go for next season.
Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Shannon Spake will report from pit road but there will also be another change on the ESPN TV team. Tim Brewer has the weekend off, and it will be the #24 crew chief Steve Letarte stepping-in to handle the TV duties from the Tech Center. Letarte is a Maine native, and a well-spoken NASCAR personality with good knowledge of the ins-and-out of the sport.
One final note. With the NCTS racing later Saturday night in Memphis, TN perhaps Bestwick will ask Daugherty about his plans to operate a NCTS team for 2009. Since NASCAR Now dramatically hosted NFL veteran Randy Moss and NBA veteran Daugherty to announce that both were going to start their own NCTS teams, fans have not heard a peep out of either man about those plans. Emails to Daugherty about this topic were not returned.
This post will serve to host your comments about the Nationwide Series race from NHMS. To add your opinion, just click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the easy instructions. The rules for posting are located on the right side of the main page. Thanks once again for taking the time to stop by.
183 comments:
JD, with rain possibly being an issue today, any word on back-up plans for TV if the broadcast goes past 6pm ET? I'm assuming ESPN Classic?
John. Another question for you here from an "Anon". I was just at NASCAR.Com and saw next week they will be broadcasting the Nationwide Series race from Daytona live on their website. Do we know what the reason for this is? IS there yet another scheudle conflict with ESPN?
anon, 12:52 I belive they've been braodcasting all the ESPN/ESPN2 races online but not ABC, so this week is the exception, next week the norm
Good answer. The Nationwide races have been on NASCAR.com for several years now, as that company (Turner Interactive) owns the online rights to both the Cup and Nationwide Series.
About the rain, it should be fun to watch and see what happens as the magic 6PM Eastern Time window begins to close.
JD
Add insult to injury ...
Espn360.com does NOT have the Countdown on their site ... Most of the time they do ...
KOMO-tv just joined the broadcast at
" ... remove your hats ... "
You know, I like Brad Daugherty but I am still a bit puzzled about what he brings to these telecasts.
In this pre-race, he just talked like a fan and speculated on what might happen.
Do you guys "get him" a bit better than I do?
JD
I wish they'd make a rule that you need to MEMORIZE the invocation! I hate when they read it...Now that we have Coach back when's he going to do it again? I love it when he does it :)
Nice job KOMO-tv and on behalf of all the NASCAR fans, thanks for absolutely nothing once again.
Loved the JG/ST Q&A in the tech center. That was funny.
Gymmie said...
I wish they'd make a rule that you need to MEMORIZE the invocation! I hate when they read it.
Agree, but you gotta give kudos to the girl that sang the anthem.
JD - Nope, I don't "get" Brad ... He's too much of their token piece of diversity ... Sure he was a team owner & is getting back into it, but he just does NOT add anything to the broadcasts ...
BTW - KOMO-tv sucks ... They've always sucked & will continue to suck ... Google this "Ken Schram evacuation" & you'll see the debacle that the station's mouthpiece created last year ...
Karen - The girl trying to sing the National Anthem sounded like she was trying to drag it out ... as if she was waiting for the flyover (which didn't seem to exist) ... She sounded better on tv than on the radio ...
The girl trying to sing the National Anthem sounded like she was trying to drag it out.
Anon, I wasn't paying that close attention. I just know I wasn't covering my ears.
@anon 3:08--Oh my! He should have been fined up the wahzoo...
I like DJ...glad we get to check in with him during the race. I enjoy his segments on NN.
That was close...almost missed the green flag there
Brad spun around :(
Dr. Punch is already struggling, doesn't look good for the rest of the race
hey gang! missed being part of the conversation for the past 2 weeks but it was well worth being away: paris was magnificent!
old race fan: many thanks for carrying the "journalistic standards should not be lowered" banner while i was without internet. i appreciate you keeping that point in focus.
pre-race, invocation, anthem all ok. liked seeing dj back from vacation, looking tanned. hope golf was good to him. nice suits on dj and ray as well.
as for brad d? got me. i thought i just didn't know enough his connection to nascar to understand. still and all, he's fine by me: sometimes having the everyman voice in the booth is a plus and i think he does a good job in that role.
i really dislike the in-race reporter drill. but hey! dj copp's on-board with us so all is not lost. nice subtle but important point about the pit wall at loudon, something only a pit crew member can apprecaiate, i suspect.
If you would take a moment to read the column about the ABC coverage it will provide the info about the race announcers and schedules.
JD
Anyone have a weather update?
Gymmie - Wazoo (WSU)is over in Pullman on the Palouse ... LOL
Brad D is fine with me. I love his enthusiasm. Sometimes he goes a bit overboard, but at times these prerace shows need a boost.
abc's graphics package is certainly getting a workout today, huh? verging on "way too much info" for me.
and nascar requiring coleman's car to the garage and coleman to infield care is interesting. wonder what THAT'S all about? wonder if pit road reporters can follow up. maybe a cooling down period being called by nascar?
JD,
To answer your question I very rarely "get it" with Brad Daughtery.
Maybe having him on the telecasts is a diversity move, but there's only so much you can insight you can give when your "gimmick" is to be the voice of the fans.
Perfect example why we need SOMEONE from NASCAR to explain that ruling they threw on Brad Coleman.
They "made" Coleman go behind the wall ??
Come on ABC.... get someone from NASCAR.
I certainly hope they keep the lower third ticker to a minimum. Tennis scores and baseball match-ups can be found on the Internet with ease.
daly planet editor said...
I certainly hope they keep the lower third ticker to a minimum. Tennis scores and baseball match-ups can be found on the Internet with ease.
yep, that's kinda one of the moments i was alluding to in my comment as well. at one point, we had running order, driver photo/stat box, lap information and other sports ticker all running simultaneously.
I'd take Brad D over Rutledge anyday.
3:33 PM @ lap 30 of 200
radar shows most of the rain way north of the state of NH but there is a large line extending from Hartford to Laconia.
Gonna be close but may get half the race in.
The bottom ticker is beyond annoying ... With the race on the mothership, they should dump the lower third ticker ...
MRN's broadcast is "ahead" of ABC ...
Carl Edwards was waving cars to pass him..... and we get NO REPORT on what troubles he's having.
Don't they always take the car to the garage and the driver to the infield if he cant drive away himself? I don't see the problem here.
@anon 3:19---ahhhhhh......I see :p
@ken--yes I don't get why they haven't had an update yet...or at least someone saying they're going to check on it. Maybe they can make up their own theory and NA$CAR will come over for a "visit" and correct them.
I enjoy Brad. He has stories from the garage and is pleasant to listen to for me.
In fact, Brad brings more to the table than some of the pit "reporters" who say, "yeah, two weeks ago I was told". I've never understood why "old" information is relevant during green flag racing. :)
"MRN's broadcast is "ahead" of ABC ..."
That could just be your Television provider. My cable company delays the feed by 7 seconds on the analog feed but the HD feed is about the same as MRN i believe.
ticker? No bottom ticker that I see.
watching WABC NYC
JD, this broadcast has seemed very disjointed from the start
remember that these days your analog feed is converted from HD to analog so that might account for the delay.
Anon @ 3:34pm - Yes, the driver is required to go to the infield care center IF he can't drive the car back to the garage ...
BUT ...
It's the fact that race control "heard" the threat of retaliation that got their attention ...
In actuality, the wrecker should've just helped Brad get out of the wet grass & let him drive the car back ...
nice job in the tech center by steve: smooth, clear ane concise, confident. very nice.
anon 3:34: guess i'm looking for someone, anyone, to clarify what happened. if coleman's crew chief said there was "nothing wrong" with their car, then why was it being towed? hey booth guys? if you're with us today, a clarification please?
A NASCAR official should acknowledege the fact that they "heard" the threat of retaliation.
It would sure help clear up alot of issues like this to the viewers.
"anonymous said...
ticker? No bottom ticker that I see.
watching WABC NYC"
it's been appearing off and on since the start here on comcast outside philly.
ah, landon, that would be a fire, son. you might want to get out.
They go to Letarte for pit strategy, when you have Evernham sittin in the booth ??
Last count... Ray has just a few more championships than Letarte.
Wasted TV time going to Letarte.
OK - NOW go to Letarte and explain the fuel pump / oil pump being knocked off.
Anons @ 3:36 & 3:38 - Actually, this always happens & it doesn't matter what network is broadcasting the race on tv ... MRN will be ahead of the tv and PRN will be behind the tv ... Well, at least it is with Comcast Seattle/Everett ...
Ken-Michigan,
You are missing the point. Evernham is in the booth...he can comment anytime, but he does not have the cut-away car. Steve does have the car, but he is not in the booth. its a perfect balance. seems good to have both to me.
ken-michigan: as i read it, evernham is filling role of booth announcer and letarte is filling in for tim brewer this week in the tech center. i don't think it has anything to do with who has won more championships any more than it would with brewer in the tech center.
and i like hearing dj copp count his lugnuts -- even when he misses one!
Anyone else remember the video of Bobby Jr. getting wrecked by Cassill a few weeks ago (at Nashville I believe?) and confronting his crew chief on pit road? Might be a good time to queue that up ESPN production truck.
wow ask and you get video - nice question - think they're reading?
stricklinfan82,
they were way ahead of you.
but at least you think alike. :)
anon 3:49: if they ARE istening, they should take up ken's comment about going to letarte and discussing the oil pump/fuel pump point . . .
Whoops, one of those words on broadcast TV you aren't supposed to say.
Nice swear word on live national TV. Wonder what the fine will be for that one.
They censored that pretty well... Is the race under a small delay to cover slip-ups like that?
what did jamie apologize for? was something bleeped?
stricklinfan82 said...
Anyone else remember the video of Bobby Jr. getting wrecked by Cassill a few weeks ago (at Nashville I believe?) and confronting his crew chief on pit road? Might be a good time to queue that up ESPN production truck.
June 28, 2008 3:48 PM
Major kudos to ESPN for not burying their heads in the sand and ignoring the past incident between the two. A++++
ouch....CC for the 5 car said, "s**t happens" and the censor missed it by just a second. oh well, Jamie handled it well.
disregard last
Anonymous said...
disregard last
June 28, 2008 3:52 PM
why? the last comment is mine. not yours. please clarify.
Landon brought up the wreck at Nashville ... doing his interview on MRN ... which was before his ABC interview ...
red, good to see you back and glad you enjoyed Paris.
This bottom ticker is TOO MUCH. Leave that rubbish for ESPN (they should REALLY turn it off on ESPN for the race, too...I know it's a MASTER switch and all but it's STILL TAKES AWAY FROM THE TV. Only one tv in this house stretches to hide the ticker and that's in the kitchen.
i would STILL like to know why the wrecked car 'had' to go to the garage as well.
Between a weather map with 25 or so counties in the corner to cover the graphics, and the ticker stuff and the lower stuff, my tv screen is full of 'bugs'. but another station has the picture DISTORTED as all get out and 1/3 the lower screen with "Thunderstorm POTENTIAL" warnings...sigh.
swear word on ABB during afternoon? Fines will be forthcoming.
I think that cussword was in memory of Georg Carlins 7 words you can't say on tv. :-)
Although 3 or 4 of those 7 words ARE now uttered on broadcast primetime.
why is that Punch only gets charged up for promos and going to commercials. weird
The censor missed it by about half a second, at least on my broadcast. Pretty clear miss watching it again on the DVR. Ended up bleeping the first part of Jamie's attempt to apologize.
"Fines will be forthcoming."
that is not always the case. many people think the FCC just issues the fines w/o any investigation. they will need to determine how many heard it and what effort ABC took to censor and/or apologize.
Unless of course you mean fines by NASCAR. thats a different story. NASCAR might issue a fine.
NASCAR fines - their investigation is already completed.
anonymous said...
"Fines will be forthcoming."
that is not always the case. many people think the FCC just issues the fines w/o any investigation. they will need to determine how many heard it and what effort ABC took to censor and/or apologize.
in that case: to quote sgt schultz from hogan's heroes "i heard nothing . . . NOTHING!"
Sophia - It was the threat of retaliation by the driver of the 27 against the 66 that caused the demand of his presence in the garage ...
ABC uses the bottom ticker because Disney changed the sports dept from "ABC Sports" to "ESPN Sports" ... So, whatever they do on ESPN gets done on ABC too ...
!#^!*#^!*#*^ hate local tv for races in storms. It's NOT the end of the world..**** WEATHERMAN breaking end like it's the end of the world.
The other station is VERY distorted but I can listen..looking at it gives me vertigo with the distortion and camera angle.. ENOUGH with the weatherman...IT's SEVERAL COUNTIES AWAY.
Big brother saving everybody....Aargh
anonymous said...
Sophia - It was the threat of retaliation by the driver of the 27 against the 66 that caused the demand of his presence in the garage ...
source of that onformation, please? thanks.
MRN is also playing up the "retaliation" angle on Bobby Jr vs Landon ...
Someone needs to furnish Jamie and Shannon clean spoons. So busy trying to stir something up!
Tacky.
SophiaZ123,
*Just calm down!* please! they are trying to keep you informed of dangers and possible tornadoes. a race is not more important than a tornado. please don't bring that kind of complaining into this forum...its just pointless here.
Yes I was talking NASCAR Fine, not the FCC. Last year the fine was what $25K? Wonder what it is this year now that they are "letting boys be boys"?
Im sure some "family first" group already has filed several thousand complaints about it. But lets face it, they can now say the S word in prime time since NYPD Blue did it in the mid to late 90's.
JD
FYI
I keep getting kicked off when I try to post a comment. Getting a "blogger error message".
I am not getting any error messages...
anonymous said...
MRN is also playing up the "retaliation" angle on Bobby Jr vs Landon ...
understandable b/c it is the obvious conclusion. but is there any confirmation from nascar as to what happened from their perspective? and if it was retaliation, why was coleman pulled to the garage and infield care and is now some 16 laps or so down when it would have been hamilton taking revenge?
see, this is where i start to get annoyed. reporters should be looking for someone to ask this question and not leaving it up to fans to try and deduce what happened here. so, again: piut reporters, please get the story for us if you can.
Anon
I found your GET A LIFE COMMENT very offensive.
i have lived to be 51 without big brother weather warnings. A beeping crawl on screen is sufficient so get your own life.
Don't interrupt a RACE. they had 3 minutes of commercial..more than enoough time.
Besides, PRODUCERS are INFAMOUS for whipping folks into a weather frenzy around these here parts.
*Note if its' SUPER SERIOUS WEATHER" They break into all cable/Local stations..this is ego driven..trust me..i know folks in the media biz in the area and they hate having to break in..it's TPTB at NWS and government forcing this.
Now back to the racing
Now they are FLASHING ANIMATED maps..if you can't read and figure that out . .
I got a blogger error as well.
Yes it does seem like they are trying to stir the pot about retaliation and history. Looks overcast on the track...any weather forecast of rain in NH?
The race is moving at a nice clip, nearly halfway done. At this rate, they should have no problem beating the weather.
Red - MRN ... Plus, Jamie on ABC had mentioned it too ...
Throw in previous precedence of others threatening retaliation ... & them getting parked ...
Sophia - FYI - The FCC will fine the local stations IF they fail to provide emergency information to their viewing audience ... even if it's for 2 counties away ... The information has to be seen and heard ... On-screen graphics & closed captioning as well as from the audio part of the broadcast ...
i have a question: can't all these driver comment pre-produced pieces be put into the pre-race show and have the booth talk about the race during the race? surely there's enough happening on the track to talk about? if not, i'm pretty certain we can provide LOTS of suggestions from this site alone.
Just a FYI Blogger just went and did a bunch of upgrades. So there might b a bug or two to work out yet.
Wow halfway already. I missed how Stewart is doing in the race..anybody know?
didn't I say that - local TV stations have a FCC mandated obligation to serve the public. Even if it means pre-empting programs. They can lose their license.
Relax, I will take care of the comments. Let's talk racing.
JD
Anon 4>10
thanks for the update. I know things have gotten so out of hand that one local station had to replay some primetime show in a weekend because there were so many complaintss...some drama show. but yea, I know of the rules. But they never replay missed sports.
:-)
Red - Not everyone gets to see the pre-race show ... KOMO-tv / KATU / KXLY decided to skip (or delay) it today & as well as the other 3 Nationwide races on ABC this year ...
ESPN told me this is the beginning of a bigger presence for Evernham on TV. I wonder what this might mean for Andy Petree for next season.
I don't think they intend to put Ray in the Tech Center.
JD
anonymous said...
Red - MRN ... Plus, Jamie on ABC had mentioned it too ...
Throw in previous precedence of others threatening retaliation ... & them getting parked ...
just so i'm clear here: we're still talking about an assumption that's being made, correct? at this point, we have no answer from nascar as to why coleman's car had to go to the garage and he had to go to the care center?
i'm hearing the assumption being made by numerous sources but i'm still hoping that someone from nascar will either confirm (which i doubt they would) or deny (which is far more likely.) did mrn give their source b/c jamie little certainly did not.
again, if it's for retaliation, i'm even more confused. hamilton is the one who did the retaliating, not coleman. why essentially park colemen?
(see, jd? this is what happens when reporters rely on assumptions and don't do the heavy lifting to get the story. of course, it's also true that someone is trying to get the information from nascar and is not having any success.)
ABC's video inconclusive ... But, MRN's reporter in that turn said the 66 hit the 4 & dumped him ...
MRN has reporters all around the track ...
anon 4:15: thanks for that reminder. i had completely forgotten about that reality. thanks!
Well at least they are halfway..looks dark there.
Thanks for keeping an eye out JD.
Gracias
MRN still talking about the wreck..guess we missed something. thanks for the feedback.
Gosh JD..you think they would YANK Andy for Ray??
I enjoy Andy in the booth...that would be a bummer.
On your question earlier about Brad, he is ok and nice...I enjoy him ok but like you am sometimes confused at his exact purpose. But he does bring an enthusiasm that is sometimes sorely needed to these long ESPN broadcasts.
I agree JD. I like Mr. E it'll be interesting to see how they continue to use him and see what happens to Mr. Petree :). I liked that little Saturday show that he did with his son Ray-J. I was hoping it would come back :(
JD is the tech center on-site or back in Bristol (Ct that is)- My guess is that they drove/towed it the short didtance to NH.
Red - NASCAR won't always specifically come out & say "we called so & so to the garage for this reason" ... Remember, it's NASCAR's game & we're lucky to get to watch them play ...
The incident with the 5 & 25 looked like other incidents that are written off as "hard racing" ... But, with the driver from the 5 bringing up the possibility of retaliation ... throw in the crew chief from the 5 ramping it up ... The tv / radio will play it up ...
Since there's not been a lot of cautions, the media is trying to create drama ... And "retaliation" is always something that drums up interest ...
See JD, that is a signal that ESPN doesn't listen to the fans. He's the best analysis they got
I think Andy's contract might be up after this season, I will check on that one. Do not think they would yank him because he is outstanding.
ESPN tells me the Tech Center is always at the track and this week is in NH.
Hey, don't you think DJ is worth his weight in gold for ESPN and ABC? He has handled analysis, worked will with Ray, handled the transitions to the other talent directly and can speak to almost any topic.
The ESPN execs have to be smiling with the Cup Series right around the corner.
JD
oops..."worked well"
JD, DJ is awesome he's been the leader of this whole broadcast. Any word on AB replacing Doc next season?
yes DJ is doing great in the Booth :). Reminds of Allen, very versatile, smart, articulate and welcoming :). Wherever they have him he's always adding to the conversation.
anon 4:28: agreed, it's nascar's game and rules. so, supposition is all we have to go by. and that's part of the larger discussion we have from time to time.
BUT . . . the driver doing the alleged retalition was NOT the driver who is now 16 laps behind. maybe that's why i'm dogging this one. hamilton is the one who threatened retaliation against coleman yet coleman is the one who was put behind the wall. so, yes, it may have well been a case of retaliation but if so, the guy who got nailed is not the one who "did the deed."
ah well. it will likely be a mystery for the ages, i suppose.
The one thing that the on-air talent needs to improve on is the use of their leading questions to get others involved ...
It's always something like "Hey So&So, How is / come ... blah blah blah?" ... It's like they're channeling a bad lawyer ...
Today it's been Jamie trying to get DJ involved ... The last few weeks, it was Rusty & Andy ...
Thanks JD for the Andy info.
Wow, imagine AB, DJ and Andy IN THE BOOTH..well a girl can dream. But I think that would be a great dynamic..maybe..and put Punch in ABs current job..that way Punch won't get tired of whatever might be going on with him.
Sigh..they broke in to say it's still raining and thundering but no SEVERE WARNINGS? Sigh
I guess I did not miss much from reading here.
Sorry to hear that ESPN has more on the air plans for Evernham. That means I will not be watching , or, at the very least recording and fast forwarding through anything connected with him.
Red - Now you've got me confused ... because I think you've got two drivers & two separate incidents confused ... Coleman threatened retaliation against Stephen Wallace ... because it was the 2nd time that Coleman had been wrecked by Stephen ...
Landon Cassill tried to claim that Bobby Hamilton Jr was retaliating against him for an incident back at Nashville ... Cassill's crew chief (Chad Walter) had also eluded to Hamilton retalitating against Cassill ...
sean,
They love AB in his current role. I think they looked at Marty Reid since he went over to the IRL from the NHRA coverage.
I think Reid is the favorite, but the darkhorse is still good old Bob Jenkins who is doing the IRL support series for ESPN to great reviews. Wouldn't that be interesting?
JD
red,
Throw some TV thoughts into all that retailiation stuff if you want to keep it going OK?
anon 4:40: i claim jet lag.
i was, in fact, blending separate incidents. my apology. usually i'm more on my game during a race.
to quote emily latella" "never mind!"
I have been working the phone and the email about the sound effects every time they put a graphic in for the drivers.
It is really making me a little nuts and I was trying to find out if ESPN has used it before.
Anybody remember on the last ABC race if they used those goofy sound effects?
I wonder if the same ABC Summer TV team that did "NASCAR in Primetime" last season are producing the Hopkins series ABC has been promoting?
JD - Which sound effects ?? I'm listening to MRN as well as ABC ...
Wait, did they say that Dario got a penalty for leaving the pits with equipment?? Wedge wrench stuck in the car ...
Listen for it when the graphics go in on the drivers...did you just hear it?
I am sorry to hear that the ever-lovely Ray will have an expanded role on the broadcasts. Ah well, I guess he does need the money!
lisa,
I am trying to break it to you gently, but get ready for a lot of Ray in 2009.
JD
Daly Planet Editor said...
sean,
They love AB in his current role.
So AB's done so well with the studio host role that he's put himself out of the running for a promotion to the #1 job on the broadcast team - play-by-play announcer? That's certainly ... interesting... if that's truly ESPN's stance on the AB situation. I agree with the other poster that AB should be the #1 candidate for that job if a change is made.
It's silly that I have to say this but I continue to be thankful that ESPN/ABC hasn't interrupted any NASCAR race this year with stick-and-ball highlight packages. Let's hope that continues when the Cup broadcasts start.
I sure wish they'd dump the full-screen NASCAR video packages though. Roush drivers at a baseball game and Tony Stewart winning Daytona interrupting live green flag racing.... SIGH.
JD-
I appreciate your gentle touch. :)
I'm going to be in for a rough time next year, it seems. I don't care for Marty Reid as he has the same speech cadence as Doc, sounds like they are announcing a baseball game or golf. Marty's "excitement" sounds forced.
More Ray, ewwwwwwww. :)
JD, so is ESPN seriously thinking about replacing Doc in 2009? Also, AB is fantastic in his current role. It looks like he likes being there too
lets see - 22 laps - will take about 15 minutes if caution maybe 20 so ABC will have over 30 minutes to fill.
Anon 5:01PM,
I think that I would be safe in saying we will probably not see a re-air of The Bill Engvall Show!
JD
So did Kesolowski have five straight top five finishes or 5 straight top ten finishes- Jerry once again stumbled as if unsure.
More ray? Hmmm.
Also I SECOND the Marty Reid comments. He is so beloved on this site I was afraid to criticize but totally agree his enthusiasm sounds FORCED at times and drives some of us crazy during the IRL races.
IRL TRULY needs to get a good mixed team and KEEP one.
WOW. THIRTEEN laps to go and my tv guide has this SCHEDULED until 6pm...I bet they leave early..what do the rest of you think?
This has been a quick race.
Yep, that crew came from the news and documentary unit. I bet it is.
dont think they can leave early as local stations have nothing to fill - I believe they have to fill til 6PM ET- now if were on the deuce it would be sportscenter of ESPN News.
Yep, Jerry is having a tough day for sure. Think he knows there are five laps to go?
Not to knock Jerry but he just can't go three hours - what will he do when ESPN does cup and races go over four hours.
ESPN needs to cut out the "up-nose" shots ... I know it's a "dominance" angle shot, but man it is just NOT flattering to anybody ...
yea..Tony run..if a cup guy was gonna win glad it was him...but wish it had been a NW driver.
CC hometown..ok that is sweet..he seems touched. sunglasses on SUCH a dark day....hmm...would be nice to see the guys eyes.
Why are we interviewing the winning crew chief instead of showing us the cause of the 16's spin?
Two laps to go and side-by-side racing for a top 10 position on the screen .... and Dr. Punch decides to begin a discussion about Patrick Carpentier winning the pole for tomorrow's Cup race? Yikes!
Kyle
They are showing us the CC because it smells like the director from Fox is here..or producer..whatever.
But I hear ya. :( ABC/ESPN screw the end of the IRL races as well. :(
kyle said...
Why are we interviewing the winning crew chief instead of showing us the cause of the 16's spin?
i was pondering the same point but then realized it had been somewhat set up earlier in the race when they first talked about the crew chief, this being his local track and his dad being in attendance. needed to deliver the closing knock out punch (to mix a sports metaphor!)
sure hope we find out why the 16 spun. was there contact there?
Think we will ever see what happened to Biffle?
wipe the lens PLEASE or change cameras to do so.
THANK YOU!
:)
stricklinfan,
That moment was amazing. Mike Joy would be re-setting the scene and building the excitement for the finish.
"ESPN needs to cut out the "up-nose" shots ... I know it's a "dominance" angle shot, but man it is just NOT flattering to anybody ..."
are you serious?? The shot is done that way for the CC interview because the Camera man cant fit on top of the box. I mean come on! Jamie little could barely manage to stay up there.
JD
About Biffle..probably not unless we get a 40 minute POST race.
I bet our local tv goes to weatherman to tell us it's ok to come out from under the bed now (SUN is out) or the ubiquitous INFOMERCIAL.
There we see what might have happened to Biffle. I was wrong and promptly admit it.
:)
This isn't the first time this season that there was a last lap wreck and we had to wait til after the entire victory celebration had concluded ...
They did the same thing last year ...
Apparently, they still have yet to realize that an interview can wait 30 seconds whilst they show us the footage of the wreck ...
Stricklin, that's exactly what I was thinking. Why is he bringing up Carpentier's pole with under 5 laps to go?!
I was kinda shocked they didn't ask Tony about his contract in the winners circle. Cause that would have been some classic tony footage for you tube :)
Can't they find any drivers ?? An interview with the winning crew chief's dad ??
Great accent!!
Now Kyle...be nice. :)
I did not know about the passing of Mrs. Braun. I get the emotion now.
JD, yeah when was the last time we got to hear a south Boston accent in a NASCAR race?
Sophia - They mentioned it several times during the race, practice & qualifying that Momma B had passed away suddenly & unexpected as well as how she was almost always at the races & in the pit boxes ...
I don't seem to remember her from when Braun was part of "NBS 24/7" ...
I think it was also on Jayski ...
Dr. Punch just can't stay focused on the event that he is there to call. Isn't the simplest explanation of his job to "tell the people what they're seeing on the screen"? It's even worse during qualifying coverage. He can't focus on the on-track action and any time he sets up the analysts with a discussion point it's always about something completely unrelated to what is going on on the track.
Blowing off side-by-side racing on the screen with less than 2 laps to go in the NATIONWIDE race to talk about the guy who won the pole for Sunday's CUP race was about as bad as it could get.
I love the guy and in my mind he certainly deserves to be in the broadcaster's wing of the NASCAR Hall of Fame some day but this just isn't working out with him in the booth in 2008 I'm sorry.
Way to go Smoke! Great win for the crew chief and family.
Appreciate them going back to show what happened to Biffle.
I didn't hear Doc on the last laps as I attempt to mute to avoid the play-by-play announcer's dramatic speech. They all do it. Mike Joy is the least annoying with Weber being the most annoying.
Enjoyed the comments today, folks. Well most of them anyway. :)
Re: Braun family..I did not see practice of qualifying and missed it during the race while doing laundry..or the 'weather is not severe break-ins' of several minutes.
just caught it on Jayski. thanks
It should be almost time for AB and Brad to fill-out the timeslot.
What is a woman official doing near the #20?
It's certainly nice to see a NASCAR TV network actually filling their alloted programming block with post-race coverage when the race ends early.
It sure is a huge contrast when you look at TNT's approach of rushing off the air as quickly as possible after the race, even when there is still time left before the next show is scheduled to start.
Stricklin I agree with you 100%. If ESPN can make a couple more changes they can end up being better than FOX
JD-
I hope you will do a column about any changes that ESPN has planned. When you can, of course.
I won't be able to watch the Truck race live tonight. I'll read everyone's comments after I watch the race tomorrow morning.
No AB yet? Bummer.
I waited until post race to say this. Ray E. is a huge downer on this race broadcast. He brings no excitement & he is just whiney. I really was hoping his "personality" would grown on me or improve.
Why did it take so long into post race interviews to let us know what happened to Biff? Did I miss it? If so I apologize. The coverage was boring to say the least.
JD you are right - the graphics racket / noise/music? was very distracting. whats up with that?
Interesting how they sorta downplayed Toyota & Gibbs' dominance after Brad Keselowski threw them under the bus ... They tried to get DJ to tell the truth about how Toyota's got more horsepower & $$$, but it got turned into a Jim Aust tribute ...
Braun IS affiliated with a Cup team ... since their drivers are current or former Gibbs drivers ... Plus, they sure didn't have the performance last year without Gibbs ...
I like Dr Punch ... But, I think it's not all of his doing ... I think there's something with the director ... The pit reporters have problems too ...
Anon 5:41PM,
After the race, even in Victory Lane, the car cannot be touched by the crew or even the driver.
NASCAR assigns at least two inspectors to Victory Lane to keep the car "clean" and not allow anyone to put hands on it.
JD
We will be here for the Truck race tonight at 8:30PM from Memphis.
Should be a good one!
Ah the Polish victory lap.
Nice touch to bring in Letarte at the close. Smart and classy.
Ouch!! Reutimann's comment about his crew chief being on "suicide watch" was pretty tacky ... and showed how ignorant he is ... Very UN-professional of him ...
hey JD, I have a quick question. Will Steve L. get a pay check for his work on ESPN today? did he already have some sort of analyst contract with ESPN?
love seeing steve's little yellow note pad as well! always the crew chief.
I left to run a few errands after the victory lane interview. I just got home and the race is still on!!
Is this the first time in Nascar history that the post-race show has almost been as long as the pre-race?
Usually it's 3 minutes of interview and they're out.
Alex, this is only because the race ended 45 min before the broadcast was supposed to end. So, ESPN had to fill 45 min. And this has happened before due to the same thing.
That makes sense. I'll have to go back and watch the tape, sounds like I probably missed a lot of good interviews.
Kinda makes you wish they always allocated a lot of extra time.
Reutimann is the true "Debbie Downer" of pre and post race interviews. Some friends of mine were talking about that the other day when discussing Silly Season. Reutimann might have talent, but he's not going to keep a Cup ride much longer because he always looks and sounds so unhappy on camera, whether he does well or does poorly. Not good for sponsors.
It is a treat to have a LONG POST race...too much pre race (yes I do NOT watch it) but it is nice to hear from drivers and crew after it's all over.
Might catch the truck race or tape it as we watch the IRL race...if there is clear weather for that one.
Thanks, JD.
Anon 5:57PM,
Freelance employees who are not on a regular TV contract sign a release form and then are paid by the day.
Most of the announcers have a contract that has a specific number of events. ESPN provides travel to the event, transportation and lodging. The network also pays a per diem fee each day for food or caters the event.
If you have any other questions about that stuff I would be happy to answer them.
JD
I have high hopes for ESPN and ABC this season.
I hope they can get back to there Speedworld days of the 1990's.
Re; comments about Brad, Rusty, etc.:
I eagerly watched the very first ESPN daily show when they started the current contract. I forsook my normally "sacred" 6:00 & 6:30 news broadcasts to watch it. I haven't watched another since.
I felt then, and I do now that all that goody-goody enthusiasm is acting. Brad does it. Rusty does it. For me it is a turn off. I don't watch the NFL pre-game shows for the same reason.
This is just my opinion, and I am not trashing anyone's opposite opinion.
I am into content, not showmanship. It's unfortunate, (to me anyway), that the TV executives seem to be judging on air performance this way.
Hope we get the Cup race in today. The weather forecast doesn't good.
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