Sunday, June 8, 2008

In-Progress At Pocono: Sprint Cup Race on TNT


Here we go, the first of six races in the summer six-pack of Cup events on TNT. Last season, this is where the TV portion of the season took a wrong turn. This year, TNT vows to change course and relate to the viewers at home in a very different way.

TNT's own Marc Fein will host Larry McReynolds from the TNT mobile stage in the infield. Fein and Bill Weber will combine to host the ninety minutes of pre-race programming TNT will present before every race. The pre-race shows will be a mix of live interviews and pre-produced features.

Once the coverage is underway, Bill Weber will call the play-by-play action with Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach in the booth. Down on pit road will be Lindsay Czarniak, Matt Yocum, Ralph Shaheen and Marty Snider. TNT will used McReynolds to show technical issues with a cut-a-way car.

TNT will actively invite viewers to use their broadband computers to sign-up for RaceBuddy. This free page will have four camera angles live that viewers can choose, and an in-car camera that will change as viewers vote for different drivers. It will also include email sent directly to Larry McReynolds at the race, and offers fans a change to email video questions to be used on the telecast.

RaceBuddy is available by going to NASCAR.com, and this is a very brave experiment with the fans to see if they will respond to an active online companion to the TV broadcast.

This post will serve to host your comments about the entire TNT presentation both online and on TV. To add your opinion, just click on the COMMENTS button below. The rules for posting are listed on the right side of the main page. Thank you for taking the time to participate with us in this forum.

534 comments:

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Illpolo said...

way too much talk about the response time from safety workers that has nothing to do with the race coverage here. unless it's about the response by Kyle Petty on TNT, I think the rest can be left to Nascar and other reporters.

The BEST part about RaceBuddy - seeing the race during commercials. If I could see the race for all 200 laps that would please me most. Forget about what the broadcast comments on...if I could act like I was at the race each week, I can figure the rest out for myself.

bevo said...

Nice to see the boys from Daytona checking in.

Deja vu with our Bristol experience last year :)

Daly Planet Editor said...

tony is nerfing the pace car on racebuddy....too funny

Labbie said...

I may have figured out the best way to watch a TNT race broadcast.

On the TV, muted with closed captioning on just in case one of the announcers says something pertinent rather than just gabbing.

On the Desktop Conmputer, RaceBuddy full-screened with the quad view and the ambient track sounds.

On the Notebook Computer, this site and FoxTrax.

It's working out well for me. ;)

Daly Planet Editor said...

rick, good comment.

Anonymous said...

"In the end, it all worked out just fine for all concerned."

THIS time. What about the next time? That's where NASCAR is a failure and their constant efforts to quell any comments dissenting from their "Our way is the best way" attitude is very sad. I bet Petty and Dallenbach will think twice before they criticize anything having to do with NASCAR again for fear of being called out live on TV, and that's sad.

I'm sorry, but the officials from the NBA and the NFL don't call the networks to complain about commentary in the middle of a broadcast and make the commentators basically retract their statements. It makes NASCAR looks silly.

bevo said...

JD,

Thanks, I understand the process, been to plenty of races with my old reliable Uniden scanner :)

I'm just a bit touchy about fire in cars.

Anonymous said...

that is just a lie. And THAT is what is really sad, anon.

am19psu said...

Rain will stay about 5 miles east of the track. Nothing else is on the horizon for now.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Montoya is back, that is interesting.

Sophia said...

Enjoying the wide shots today

Don't know if it is the track or the crew...but am enjoying it.

The finish line will wrap up the rest of the story. :)

Montoya #42 and 42 laps down.... :)

Anonymous said...

JPM gets the free pass!

alex said...

Wow, JPM is the first car a lap down.

Sophia said...

Dario in the wall.
and Hornish....I really miss Dario in OW.

JPM got the free pass, LOL...Yay.

Labbie said...

RaceBuddy just showed Kyle Busch heading back out.

Illpolo said...

i see Leffler as being 8 laps back. and don't they just get a lap back anyways? i could be wrong and i'll say that first, but if Weber is that mistaken, they was a major problem.

Daly Planet Editor said...

The race Producer is the same one from the Fox package. The Director is the old Director from the ESPN NASCAR coverage in the 80's and 90's. Nice to see the broader perspective and the focus on racing.

Kyle said...

40 more cautions and JPM is right back in it!!!!

Anonymous said...

Amazing extra info with the shots from RB! I cant stop talking about it. RB is the best thing to add the the telecast experience.

Sophia said...

Geez, just caught a good look at Dario's car on RB during commercial...mess

Anonymous said...

I thought you were done with RB, sophia? RB is nice isnt it?

Anonymous said...

Nice to see the broader perspective and the focus on racing.
agree completely! please pass on my thanks directly to each of them, jd: i appreciate the "back in the day" feel of today's broadcast.

Matt said...

You know I was just thinking that some of these shots look like the old ESPN shots, like when the cars are shown going through the corner and then the robo cam off the corner. Interesting that you just said that JD.

Anonymous said...

Funny how the crack TV crew had KB picking up 6 points for returning earlier. Not sure how he will pick up those points

Anonymous said...

hey jd? are you going to do a column on racebuddy? should we hold final comments/thoughts for that? or add them in here at the end of the race?

Sophia said...

WELL A BIG THANKS to the guy calling the wide shots today. APPRECIATED.


I got to see Jr's pit stop during commercial with RB...it's too much to use all the time but I LOVE the access during commercials..and it's FREE.

Thanks TNT.

JD I may be the minority but so far i am enjoying the guys in the booth...even Weber seems to be having fun. ;-)

Anonymous said...

JD you should delete comments like that. Those types of comments Blatantly insulting the TV crew are not good and inexcusable.

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

Anon 5:20PM,

Sometimes, the best thing to do with those is just let them sit there for everyone to see.

Know what I mean?

Sophia said...

Anon

I meant I was done with RB AND trying to watch the tv...too much multi tasking for this old chick! And the scanner is not worth it with the 'numbers voice'..if they turned off the nubmers voice and we could hear the scanners better..that would be nice.

But I LOVE IT for commercials !!
I saw somebody hand Jr a frozen Snickers bar.


lol..J/K!
: ) : ) :)

And the fact it's working during the race...somebody did a good job designing this for a free site.

Daly Planet Editor said...

red,

I am going to put up a column about the TNT broadcast and RaceBuddy combined shortly after the race is over.

bevo said...

JD,

I agree with the director comment. When I flip over from HotPass I've been impressed. Hopefully they'll iron out the technical bugs before next weekend.

BTW if you get a chance to talk to someone from HotPass could you find out the audio problem on the national feed (794) and TNT?

Anonymous said...

daly planet editor said...
red,

I am going to put up a column about the TNT broadcast and RaceBuddy combined shortly after the race is over.

copy that, thanks.

Sophia said...

If we have good wide shots every week with TNT, I for one am going to be happy.

They are not using a bunch of bells and whistles crap either.

I LOVE the camera work..like Red mentioned...has an old time feel to it as opposed to "GRAPHICS/tech toys overload".

:-)

Sophia said...

Ok was that the first graphic for Race Buddy? I have been in and out of the room a couple of times and could've missed it..but it can't have been over used.

Is Biffle still driving without fresh air?

Anonymous said...

stricklinfan82 said...
I'm not going to bother with the computer stuff but it sounds like a cool thing for those that will. My main conern in this area is that the interactive stuff doesn't distract the attention of the TV broadcast away from the race. We better not be

...Too bad he is missing a great tool for the fan!

Anonymous said...

racebuddy just earned its keep: sweet pass by the 84 on the 20 under commercial! got to watch it happen in real time.

Labbie said...

Hamlin also pitted during that commercial break.

Anonymous said...

Dang y'all! I go to make cupcakes and Peanutbutter Cream Frosting and y'all get busy :)

@tracy--another scary one with Mikey was at Michigan a few years ago with the drivers side up against the wall. IIRC, the car wasn't on fire but there was a lot of talk of if it was and how he was going to get his 6' 5" 200 odd pound body out because the "passenger" side was like a maze with the rollbar and such. That's how they came up with the roof hatch, but it was too much of a pain to install and too heavy. But it was funny to see him play "Mikey in the Box" when he won 'Dega in 2K3 :)

@rick--LOL! I still need to get a laptop but yes I agree that would be the best set up :). I'm taking donations for a Sirius radio (I just found out that Chocolate has a show! Heck it's more of a who doesn't have a show on Sirius!) and for a laptop :)

Anonymous said...

Granted it is their first race together since last season, but is it just me or does anyone else get the feeling that these "broadcasters" are really struggling with both content and pacing? While proper grammer and correct word usage is obviously not important ant ANY network...today's crew seems very dull, quite lifeless and with countless errors and THAT is a major change from Fox. Anyone?

Anonymous said...

what a GREAT shot from racebuddy of kahne's crew waiting for him to come down pit road! just . . . wow!

Daly Planet Editor said...

I think it is tough to have two drivers in the booth and Larry down in the infield. Weber has been steady and not angry, he is a pleasant surprise.

Anonymous said...

I think TV crew might be having a problem grasping the strategy of the race, it is working like a roadcourse event, which I think really confused them before, I think

Anonymous said...

Are all drivers/teams participating in RB driver scan? It seems we are hearing only some drivers and crew chiefs. (I know Stewart never does.)

Jessica said...

The RB driver scan is the "scan all drivers" channel from trackpass. All the drivers participate. Stewart just isn't that chatty.

Sophia said...

saw Blaney's pit stop..and then a really cool shot of a tv camera guy up on top of a building!! Cool beans.

Ok...I take back what I said about RB...it is SWEET. Least for the commercials..I have been so happy with the tv pictures, I don't feel compelled to use it.

If this were a FOX race of bumper cams, I would be using this deal a lot.

Kudo's again to TNT for making this free for those of us on frugal lifestyles.

:-)

Kyle said...

Anyone just watching Burtons incar on RB?

He was smacking himself in the helmet down the straight away..... weird.

Anonymous said...

Daly Planet Editor said...
Just got a little note from the track that the safety workers stationed on foot at that location were not allowed to go onto the pit road surface.

The unit responsible for that area was in a truck and was on-scene within fifteen seconds.

Thanks for the info, that helped to clear-up that issue.

JD

June 8, 2008 4:44 PM

Late to the party here, but a comment: I'm taping the race with my trusty VCR. I rewound and started the timer from the time Montoya stopped the car to the time designated crew started pumping water. Total was 27 seconds, not 15 seconds. All total, Montoya's car was shown on air on fire for 37 seconds (including him driving to the pit) before any extinguishers were used.

****27 seconds, not 15.****

I feel some major whitewashing going on here -by whom I don't know because I don't know where your note at the track came from - and I wanted to add my thanks to Kyle and Wally for their comments as the event happened, which were perfectly appropriate under the terrible and shoddy safety work.

Now back to the race.

Anonymous said...

Kyle----Too fast on pitroad is not LUCK---it is DRIVER ERROR!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Hey,

The response time was from when they were dispatched by the tower.

No safety units move, even on foot, unless they are dispatched.

I was told the two safety workers were not allowed on pit road or the racing surface under any conditions.

I have no NASCAR agenda, I just got an email. If you disagree, that is your perfect right.

JD

Sophia said...

:-)

Just for the record, I have had iced tea and iced coffee today.

I'm just saying, JD.

Anonymous said...

another great overhead shot! wow, this is a major treat! is this b/c of who is in the booth (my feeling) or b/c of the kind of track that pocono is? regardless, it's wonderful.

Sophia said...

In all fairness, TNT did have a bit of a marathon today with this long race and they are keeping the energy up in the booth.

All things considered, I think that is better than some other broadcasts ....

Great shot above thee track!

TexasRaceLady said...

How weird was that commercial --- advertising the Prelude to the Dream, LIVE on DirecTV on June 4.

Has something happened to time that I missed? LOL

Karen said...

Kyle said...

Anyone just watching Burtons incar on RB? He was smacking himself in the helmet down the straight away..... weird.

Probably trying to stay awake like I am. Sorry. Fast cars, no action. Way toooooo long.

bevo said...

texasracelady-

They still have the Prelude on ppv on DirecTV.

Sophia said...

suddenly lots of speeders on pit road :(

Ok...who made the chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing...i am running out of steam here...

Red, nice to see somebody else ENJOYING the camera work as much as me...I was starting to feel like a photography geek (am a photo buff) but this has been SUCH A TREAT, indeed.

Anonymous said...

Poor Kylie :(

bevo said...

Kind of a fitting way for Shrub's weekend to end

Anonymous said...

TNT has zero chemistry!!! Bill W is just not that good at PxP. I always thought he was ok as a pit reporter, but he seems very smug.

I wish this was their last race.

midwest race fan

bevo said...

Be fun to see the Dinger end up in victory lane

Anonymous said...

@TRL--of course the "live" is wrong, but I know they have a few PPV replays before SPEED re-airs for those who weren't able to pay for the PPV. But yes "old" commercials happen a lot. I've seen commercials pimping a race we just saw a few days before

Sophia said...

aside from some various audio issues...that RB needs to get rid of the mechanical voice with numbers.

I keep waiting for somebody to yell

BINGO!!

Anonymous said...

looks like racebuddy is testing out the victory lane shot.

Anonymous said...

@bevo--wouldn't that be awesome to see! After a rough start, that would be icing on the cake!

Karen said...

JD,

I know someone explained that annoying voice calling out numbers on RB, but it doesn't make sense the numbers he's calling out and any cars shown. Think you could find out what he's doing?

Anonymous said...

"I keep waiting for somebody to yell

BINGO!!"

Spending too much time at the retirement home I see... jk, you are probably not that old

great coverage so far on RB and TNT!

bevo said...

OK I had a brain fart- it's Vickers, not Dinger up front...

these Pocono races are too long :)

alex said...

Where has Dale Jr been all day? Haven't heard a whole lot until right now.

Sophia said...

Anon

I have not ever played Bingo since a child...but the random numbers just makes me think of that....

:-)

Bevo

I don't know who has the nik name Dinger so your comment was lost on this blond.

alex said...

Nice easy to read graphic for the intervals.

emeraldchickpea said...

Glad to see the "interval at the line" used.

Anonymous said...

Closing in on an exciting finish!!

a great race!

Sophia said...

JD

question ..does the same person choose the camera direction for TV as for Race Buddy?

They had a fantastic zoom shot earlier...camera inside, looking at the fans in the stands...all you saw was a fast blur go by! WOW....now that was impressive to me as opposed to the close up "zoom zoom " cam that is over used in most races.

I have not even been using RB except on SOME commercials but I wondered if it is an assitant choosing the cams for the Internet stuff. Either way, GREAT WORK!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Ohhhh...tough time for a commercial after all this.

bevo said...

sophia-

AJ Allmendinger #84. Good guy and a great interview. If he ever wins he's going to be a fan favorite.

Newracefan said...

Are you kidding me commercials with 15 to go

Haus14 said...

another commercial with 14 to go...haven't there been enough?

Daly Planet Editor said...

karen, I was told it is an automated voice triggered when the team radio is keyed.

Tracy D said...

BAD time for a long commercial!

Jessica said...

The "robo voice" is unrelated to the video. On the "scan all drivers" channel it lets you know what car the audio is from.

Anonymous said...

Sophia, most of the camera selections on RB stay the same during the race. but these are the exact same camera used in the broadcast. for that reason the director is control where all the cameras point, but not which ones are one RB. can you image having to do RB while calling the race?

emeraldchickpea said...

I have surely MISSED the dropdown at the line stat reports! Glad to see them back!

Anonymous said...

@bevo--I was excited that he had been doing so well all day and going back and forth between boards I thought he was up further. And they even changed the paint jobs and we still get the cars mixed up! *giggle*

@JD--agreed about the commercial.

Anonymous said...

sorry. typos. The director controls where the cameras point (to put it simply), but does not chose what camera are on RB on the rare times that an RB camera changes.

Sophia said...

Bevo

Duh...I should've known Allmendinger.

My blond hair with dark roots was showing. :-)
I like him whenever I have seen him interviewed.

Not much of Jr mentioned today....that's good..and I like Jr..a lot.

Matt said...

I love the old-school drop downs at the line.. totally forgot about those. Great to see

Daly Planet Editor said...

don't forget, the entire TNT crew will be doing the Jack Daniels post-race show live on TNT once the race is off the air on TNT.

That is free of charge and available on NASCAR.com.....

Sophia said...

thanks for answer about the cams...I know some seem stationary on RB but I could not imagine keeping track of TWO THINGS which is why I asked.

:-)

Anonymous said...

I haven't posted much today - compared to last year the TNT coverage is better after the audio gremlin at the start of the race.

The wide shots have been awesome, in fact all the camera work both on TNT broadcast & RB has been great.

Kudos to the booth for the call out of the safety workers issues -
right wrong or indifferent to the issue, they had the stones to speak their minds. As drivers past & present it nice to hear them not tote the partyline. (I agree they were to slow to act)
Thank you most to TNT for not making this the JJ,Jeff & Jr. show, for mentioning other drivers, other crews - its nice.
Thank you for not fawning all over Kyle all the way thru the race, for the pit road reporter whose name I just forgot, for pointedly asking Kyle what happened and didn't help him answer.
Thank you for not over using techy stuff just cuz ya' got it.
All in all - not bad for week 1 a solid B+.
RB gets an A+ - better than race view pictures A- for the Bingocaller.
Thanks for the time and effort JD

Sophia said...

Wow...is Kasey on a hot streak?!

emeraldchickpea said...

They're doing very well today. I like the ticker staying with the entire field instead of restarting at the front over and over, and I'm loving the old fashioned dropdown stats! Keep it up, TNT!

Tracy D said...

RB is a winner, for sure. Love it.

Erik said...

ESPN has stepped up their broadcast. TNT has stepped up their broadcast. This really makes the trash Fox had stick out like a sore thumb.

Daly Planet Editor said...

That's what I'm talking about....hope the Fox Director was watching.

bevo said...

Now that's the way to show a finish!

emeraldchickpea said...

We finally get our wide shot!!!!!!!!!!!

Sophia said...

OMG!!!

That finish and long drop down was AWESOME!

I am almost SPEECHLESS

THANKS TNT and the producer/director guy.

Best broadcast I have seen in years as far as camera work.

Anonymous said...

I still like the FOX broadcasts better...To bad DW wasnt here today.

Illpolo said...

Wow! What a finish for TNT! All of the complaints for the first half of the season erased by TNT. Fix the other problems and keep RaceBuddy and nice work in the second half of the race.

Daly Planet Editor said...

There is a new post going up for your comments on the TNT race and the online Internet RaceBuddy feature.

JD

Newracefan said...

That's the way to show the end of the race!

Kyle said...

Nice drop down at the finish!
Nice wide shot, but with it would have been from the infield so we could have seen the car numbers/ or at least colors.
GOOD JOB at the finish TNT!!!!



Where was the flagman and jumping crew????? (sarcasm)

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Kasey and the #9 Budweiser team! No searching for the flag this week! Nice view from RB :)

bevo said...

Gee, I wonder if the 9 team was happy they won? Think they were jumping around hugging each other?

/sarcasm alert!

Sophia said...

Well I was dreading this long race..but with JD and the nice posters...the RB for commercials..and the FANTABULOUS camera work...I enjoyed Pocono.

Course it was too hot to leave the house...but had it not been for the great VISUALS, this race would not have been the same.

I almost felt I was watching a CLASSIC NASCAR race !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Karen said...

Kyle said...


Where was the flagman and jumping crew????? (sarcasm)


That would be over on RB.

Good shots of the winner from several angles.

TexasRaceLady said...

Now that's how I like to see a finish --- the cars crossing the line, the drop down box.

And, wonder of wonders, we get to see Kasey celebrating while listening to the CC instead of looking at him.

Kasey is so much cuter, anyway. :)

Sophia said...

Nice to see Sweet Kasey Kahne win.

Congrats.

Anonymous said...

I think the TV networks should band together and go to NASCAR with a directive saying they will not allow drivers to wear sunglasses in Victory Lane under any circumstances.

In practice, qualifying, pre-race, it can be acceptable. It is not acceptable in Victory Lane and the TV networks should man up and let the drivers know it.

Anonymous said...

RB should get the Post race media conference! that would be great!!

Sophia said...

Ok...Vickers was being so grateful for his cars improvement...why did Yocum have to say SECOND AGAIN like that was an insult...wasn't expecting that.

Jr has off the sunglasses. He seems beat!! goodness...boy needs fluids.

Nice Polite young man. Thanks for letting us see your eyes. I am a big eye contact person myself.

Anonymous said...

I love RB!! looks at all the extra shots we get!

Newracefan said...

Wow JR looked exhusted and he had a cool box, I wonder if the Biff can even stand up

Anonymous said...

don't forget, the entire TNT crew will be doing the Jack Daniels post-race show live on TNT once the race is off the air on TNT.



So is ESPN News still doing post race too?

Daly Planet Editor said...

The new TNT post is now up.

Thanks so much to everyone for coming by today and participating!

JD

Erik said...

Compare Jimmy's responce to his 6th place finish to what Kyle said on Friday after his 2nd place finish. Kyle has absoutley no class.

Illpolo said...

I had RaceBuddy to watch during commercials, after the race, and randomly to check on things; with the volume off, it was a great addition to my viewing experience. I also had RaceTrax open to watch speed, time, laps lead, etc. and then had the TV on with the volume on for the most part.

Best experience of the season. Some complain about Weber, but the entire just made me feel like I was watching the race there without overwhelming me with comments or the KB or Jr lovefest.

Newracefan said...

OK where is the top 35. I am pretty sure Michael is out

Vicky D said...

After coming home from watching the Astros get beaten by St. Louis, enjoyed most of the end of the race. Congrats to Kasey & Bud team.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Yes, the media center interviews will still be on ESPNEWS. Thanks for asking that question.

Anonymous said...

The post show is not up yet

Anonymous said...

I am not getting the post show...anyone else?

Newracefan said...

Post show not started yet but it will

Anonymous said...

How come I cannot see this 'post-show'? I clicked the link and nothing is playing.

Sophia said...

I can't get to the Jack daniels post race?

Do you have to be a NASCAR.com member?

it says free but froze up...maybe too many online causing it to crash??

Illpolo said...

Erik, your comment hits the nail on the head. Talk about a driver (the 48) who knows what his team and crew chief are doing and trust them, then responds in kind minutes after the race to seemingly let everyone know that they are THAT good as a team.

Busch, not so much. His luck ran pretty dry this week in a very small mistake that HE himself made after a long weekend.

Newracefan said...

Larry Mac on the post race show, can't get much better.

Anonymous said...

Post show is on now but RB turned off.

Sophia you do not have to be a member and it didnt crash...You seem to think everything will crash lately...

Daly Planet Editor said...

The post-race show is on NASCAR.com free of charge and you do not have to be a member.

Just click on the arrow right in the center of the screen.

Sophia said...

Erik and others

Agree about Jimmie's comments being classy and Kyles ungrateful comments about his truck being a piece of crap and finishing SECOND. Made his crew feel great.

It's all in the attitude and delivery to win friends and influence people.

Sophia said...

With his last place finish in Cup, bad attitude, and flying half around the country, think a certain driver will to the TRIPLE race repeat??

I'm still shocked to see Schrader has a reporting gig on SPEED REPORT...hope that was not a one shot deal !!

Anonymous said...

Schrader's played reporter before...he's done if a few times for when he's had his Night of Stars and a few other events :)

Anonymous said...

Commercials came in so so load we hit the mute button real fast.
Tks. JD Ron IL.

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