TWIN this week featured Michael Waltrip and Chad Knaus along with host Steve Byrnes. The topics covered included a preview of Sonoma's road course and a review of the Sprint Cup race from Michigan.
Since you have had me offer my views on this show since February, we are going to turn things around a bit and simply ask for your thoughts on Monday's program. Give us your best review and the things you liked or did not.
This show has been on-the-air four months now and this is a good opportunity for NASCAR fans to talk about how things have been going.
Please keep your comments TV-related and they can be of any length. To post your opinion, just click on the COMMENTS button below. The rules for posting are located on the right side of the main page.
Thanks for helping with this project, if it goes well we will expand it to include other shows that get comments without a column. If not, no harm no foul.
I only watched parts of the show, but from what I saw, I enjoyed it.. I laughed a couple times.
ReplyDeleteI was a little worried when Mikey started talking about NASCAR and the car, but it turned out better than I thought it would.
Nothing really stood out as being great though. I still like NN more.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Mikey and Chad are really getting comfortable with each other, and it shows. They both had me laughing.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up, guys. You're winning me over.
I watched the entire show, and enjoyed it very much. Michael was in a better mood today that last week. I do wish they could get a third person, preferably Kenny Shrader, every week. Mikey and Chad are good together, but another view would be good also.
ReplyDeleteI do wish that they would go over the current race first and then preview the next. It would just make more sense.
I know that it is not Inside Nextel Cup, but it would also be great to see guest on the show every once in a while.
I enjoy the Monday night Nascar Now a lot, and the 30 minute ones are good also. A difference of Night and Day from last year.
Thank you
A Junior Fan!!!!
This show is still on the air?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was just a long lead in to race day on Sunday.....
I caught about 5 minutes of tonights show, They started talking about wardrobe again, so I turned it off.
I like the people on the show, Mike Chad, and Steve are some of my favorites of the NASCAR "media". But the way that the show is produced just simply sucks.
You have Chad and Mike there to talk for what 3 minutes? A 30 minute preview for a race a week away, before you even review lastnight then another 27 minutes of pre produced "features".
It really pains me to say that ESPN's NN on Mondays blows them out of the water.
The show started out ok but as others here have said the show really needs a guest ( or a permanent Schrader) the long preview of the next race was way too much too soon.
ReplyDeleteAB & the Wallaces were much better.
Of the Wallaces I think Mike is the least ego laden, and really is pleasant on TV.Kenny was well behaved, & Rusty was Rusty.
When your audience complains about how the show is produced, it is time to make a change. The show shouldn't be assembled in such as way that it makes the produecr happy; it ought to be done for the audience.
ReplyDeleteAnd the audience clearly does NOT like the backward format. It makes no sense at all.
So fix it.
It's been said over and over but I think we should keep saying it. The long preview of the next race prior to discussing the race from the previous day makes no sense to anyone anywhere. I have yet to see a post stating that they like it in that order.
ReplyDeleteThe show is still missing a third person. Why can they not get Kenny Schrader back on the show? He helps keep Mikey in line and they work so well together. Mikey and Chad are worlds apart on any topic. Mikey thinks that Nascar can do no wrong and no one beleives that for a minute.I have been giving input on this show since February and no one on the show seems to care about us fans or even listens. I liked it much better last year and was my favorite show.
ReplyDeleteI have DVR'd this show every week this season and have not once watched an entire show. Besides the creepy music at the beginning of the show, I just can't get past the inverted format.
ReplyDeleteI will continue to record it and the first time I see the past weekends race discussed first, I will watch it.
"This week in NA$CAR"
..........OR...........
"Next Week in NA$CAR"
Which is it?
Steve L.
E. TN
@anon 7:45--then you haven't seen my posts then :). I have no issues with the format at all :) and don't see why everyone is all up in arms over it. But that's why we're individuals :)
ReplyDeleteI don't find this show gives me much that's new. After being exposed to Mikey's non stop babbling hype during the truck race, I find he's just too much to take on Monday. Over exposure to 2 of 3 of the 'guests' on this show really makes it seem like another re-run. I tried to watch, but found my attention wandered away too often.
ReplyDeleteGymmie it's like opening your Christmas present before putting your tree up.
ReplyDeleteTks. JD. Ron Il.
Mikey totally hogs air time and usually it is to stick up for NASCAR. He kisses up to them way to much. Chad is the only reason I watch the show at all.
ReplyDelete@Ron--that's why I don't bother with the tree ;). But yes I always like to open the presents early and even had a tradition where we could open one early :).
ReplyDelete@regina--it's Mikey's show so he's allowed to hog up all the time :) (old joke about how the show originated).
I've decided that the reason it's done backwards is so that if the boys go off and take up too much time talking about the past race they still covered the upcoming race. I love watching Mikey and Chad it's like the Ying and Yang of Nascar and they play off each other well. I think Chad keeps Mikey from going off on too big of a tangent. Steve is starting to egg Mikey on a little at times and I haven't decided if that is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing they could do is cut out the other video clips (think sand cars) or make the show 90 minutes and do a "Where's Schrader?" every week from some local track. I've seen it with Eldora and Macon on SR but it belongs on TWIN and not just when the cups guys are there. It could be Speeds contribution to back to the soul of Nascar (What are we talking about 1 guy with a camera and a mike).
@nrf--Yup...many a time the old shows, they'd be lucky to have enough time to do the drive around much less discuss the "stories" of the next race.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned earlier, I do not like the "inverted" format...I want to hear about the PREVIOUS race.
ReplyDeleteMikey needs to be reined in, and Steve isn't doing it (like Dave did). Waltrip hogs the conversation, jumping in all the time...wow, I am tired of him.
I like Steve and Chad, but Steve isn't forceful enough with Waltrip, and Chad kind of isn't either.
Esample: talking about Junior and the pace car at the end of the show...Steve asked BOTH of them what they thought about the situation...Waltrip took all the time allowed, and Steve didn't step in to get Chad's opinion.
I have reeeallly had it up to here with Mikey Waltrip.
LP in KS
The backward structure of the show and just 3 panelists makes me question whether SPEED is really committed to the show or just going through the motions since TWIN does not fit in with its other Mon. - Thursday programming. With the memory of the weekend's race still fresh, starting with the panelists thoughts and experiences in the race would seem to be a no-brainer to hook and involve fans. Also Kenny Schrader's absence continues to diminish the quality of TWIN since not only is he always interesting, but he makes Mikey better. I still record TWIN most every Monday, but I don't feel like I've lost something if I don't have a chance to get around to watching it like I used to before the ill-conceived chances to Inside Nextel Cup. I still enjoy the show, but it has lost a lot, even though I do enjoy Mikey, Chad, and Steve.
ReplyDeleteJust got around to watching TWIN on DVR. What does that tell you? Not a priority like Monday's NN on ESPN2.
ReplyDeleteWhy the long review of LAST year's Infineon race? Why didn't Steve ask Mikey what the "rev chip (?)" was that he was talking about. Chad could have explained. Did anyone else notice it was an old Ken Schrader story about the crew member that got a big laugh when MW told it? Schrader, you're well out of it, man. And if Steve says "Moving on again..." I'll scream.
Chad and MW are okay together, but they still need another panelist and more time to talk race talk. I hate those driver sound bites about the next weekend's track. They're part of the "canned" feel.
Love the idea someone else had about "where's Schrader racing this weekend?" Cool idea.
The few minutes when everyone talks without Steve saying "moving on" give glimpses of what TWIN could be about.
One guy asking 2 guys questions and 1 guy (who I like) taking up all the time. Not compelling TV. I'm tired of talking about the reverse order of the show. It is totally nonsensical and just ridiculous to not start with the race just run. Oops, I'm talkng about it...and my blood pressure is rising. I too think the driver comments about the upcoming track seems staged, dated or just not right.
ReplyDeleteAdd a third person, discuss the previous race, the trucks, the Nationwide, Arca if it was run, then preview the next week. Give us some inside scoop about what went on at the just run races, if there is something. Use captioning on the scanner segment which is great. I'm done. Diane
I like TWIN a lot, but it needs a few tweaks:
ReplyDelete1) Tell Steve Byrnes to stop the in-jokes. It seems every week he's making jokes about some college football announcer than only he and Waltrip get. Very annoying.
2) Can we lose the weekly quick-cut montage of Kenny Wallace acting like a boob? It's a wasted 2 minutes every week that could be used for something - anything - worthwhile.
3) Highlights of the past week's race come too quickly for the commentators to comment on. Regularly TWIN will roll the tape showing maybe four things that happened during the race. Well, most of the time Waltrip or his co-guest aren't even done talking about the first clip by the time the fourth rolls around. Everyone wants them to cover the past race first, but often they don't really do that great a job of covering the past race.
4) Waltrip is really a homer for NASCAR. He LOVES every track they're about to go to. He rarely says anything too compelling. Perhaps he was at his best after Busch spun out Jr weeks back and Waltrip lambasted Busch's actions as unacceptable. That was a riveting commentary -- but lately it's just Waltrip promising the CoT will race really well, and when it doesn't he talks about all the interesting stuff he saw out there (too bad we didn't).
5) More Kenny Schrader. I like Chad Knaus and respect his knowledge, but I find him to be pretty boring with the presentation and super unwilling to criticize anyone. Between his reluctance to step on anyone's toes and Waltrip's rah-rah for NASCAR officials, it's no wonder you get a situation like Byrnes asking an important question, like about JR passing the pace car at Michigan - and then both the panelists just inhale through their teeth and sigh like they want to say something but feel they can't or shouldn't.
6) Okay, this is minor, but JD seems to like to pick on up minor things ---- can someone at TWIN either change the loop that runs behind Michael Waltrip or at least make it longer? Every five seconds when he is talking, Tony Stewart pulls up over his shoulder.