After six months of rehearsing with the Nationwide Series, Sunday at 1PM brings the debut of ESPN's transition to the Sprint Cup.
Allen Bestwick will lead the panel of Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty and Ray Evernham from the Infield Pit Center through a one-hour version of NASCAR Countdown. This pre-race show is going to be talking about the critical Goodyear tire issue which will dominate this telecast.
This pressing issue is sure to change the scripted nature of what ESPN had planned for this hour and continues to change as showtime approaches. The pit reporters are going to be put to the test in this show.
It will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Mike Massaro who will be charged with keeping the viewers up to date from pit road, the garage area and the Infield Medical Center. Spake was a fill-in last season and is still coming up to speed with live TV, the other three are veterans from last season's coverage.
Upstairs will be Dr. Jerry Punch, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. Punch will be handling the play-by-play duties for this second season with the very bright spotlight shining on this high-profile position. He struggled last year on these longer races and often appeared to be very tired only halfway through the event.
The big new fish in the ESPN pond is Dale Jarrett. He has been the savior of ESPN this season with his calm demeanor and his strong knowledge of the sport. Coupled with Andy Petree, this duo has all the bases covered for ESPN and should be the strongest part of the Indy coverage.
ESPN has been challenged to abandon the "scripted" approach to these races that drove fans crazy last year, and the Indy tire problems may be just what the doctor ordered. The network is going to be forced to deal with the reality of this problem rather than stick with the stories it chose to highlight in the pre-race show.
Look for solid triple splits on the caution flag pit stops with ESPN trying to do everything possible to cover the most important part of this event, the race off pit road. It is entirely possible that the order leaving the pits will be the order finishing the race with all the COT issues.
Bestwick is very different from former infield host Suzy Kolber, so TV viewers should not be subjected to celebrity interviews and ESPN promos during green flag racing. The network also has to choose when to insert SportsCenter updates and other non-racing content.
The HD cameras at Indy are always outstanding, and this season the ESPN crew produced a memorable Indy 500 IRL telecast. Hopefully, the outstanding pictures and sound will continue with the ESPN TV crew on this broadcast. Look for moving boom and jig cameras in the telecast, especially on pit road.
The final laps of this race call for the big decision on the part of the Producer. Show the drama of the winner alone crossing the finish-line or keep the bigger perspective and show the lead-lap cars all racing to the stripe. It should be interesting to see what ESPN decides this season. In 2007, they chose to show only the winning car and no others cross the line.
This post will serve to host your TV-related comments about the Brickyard 400 telecast on ESPN. To add your comments, simply 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 for joining us for our second Brickyard race.
591 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 591 of 591Gymmie said...
it truly is a shame that DJ and Mr. Petree sound more excited doing a recap or explaining what's going on that Dr. Jerry does all race :(....well except for commercials and such
Yeah they need AB doing play-by-play
Finally some green flag racing and now three commercials in a row.
I dont know. i think this race is very exciting! you folks cant see all the passing going on??
So many cautions & we get green flag commercials?
Jo,
well, ESPN couldnt take a break during those cautions because you kids wanted interviews. you cant have it both ways.
ESPN has 1 hour left before Sports center - wonder if they will bounce this over to Espn2 or classic since the mandatory cautions are making the race go longer than expected. 2 hours 40 mins for 120 laps. Almost 1 1/2 minutes per lap - with 40 left - gonna be close to 1 hour left, without any mishaps and no victory lane.
BillWebz
HotPass really needs to use a different camera angle on Burton and Gordon. It gets blocked out by the scoring tower when they come off turn 4 until the finish line
Where did they come up with an extra set of right side tires?
Burton taking 4 tires
I thought they were out of Indy tires?
Hey, have we heard the words "Marcos Ambrose" from ESPN today? Did I miss it?
Bevo, ESPN will NOT move the race for Sportscenter. Sportscenter can move more easily. The race has until the baseball game at 8PM EDT.
Come on...do you really think ESPN would do that to you?
Gordon taking 4
Jr taking 4
Bill H, ESPN will NOT move the race for Sportscenter. Sportscenter can move more easily. The race has until the baseball game at 8PM EDT.
Come on...do you really think ESPN would do that to you?
am19psu said...
Where did they come up with an extra set of right side tires?
i was just scrambling around the net to see if i could find that answer as well. they didn't say they were pocono tires, right?
do we have anyone who can provide that answer? anyone in the production truck with us today who can send someone to dig out that answer?
Daly Planet Editor said...
Hey, have we heard the words "Marcos Ambrose" from ESPN today? Did I miss it?
July 27, 2008 5:06 PM
Not since the prerace line up.
Hamlin took 2
JD,
I was just thinking about that. With all of the the cautions, they haven't had a whole lot of time to get back behind the Top 10.
When did I say they would move the race for SportsCenter???
IMS says cords still showing on Jr & Hamlins tires
bevo, I meant "Bill H." Please read up. I apologize for any confusion.
Daly Planet Editor said...
Hey, have we heard the words "Marcos Ambrose" from ESPN today? Did I miss it?
July 27, 2008 5:06 PM
Unfortunately that could apply to a number of drivers today. It's ridiculous that ESPN hasn't gone through the field.
And have we heard the words "Regan Smith" anytime this entire season? LOL
The cars out of the race BV and down a bunch of laps 55, 42, 2, 15, etc can afford to sell some. Goodyear prob had extra rights there just in case but usually only release in sets
I have not heard Ambrose mentioned and was just wondering about the right side tires as well. Where did they come from?
I changed rooms...did I miss the explanation on the rt side tires?
Man, we SO NEED AB in the booth.
Gotta say, I am tired of Rusty. Look forward to seeing Brad on NN tomorrow..the guy does have love for the sport and ENTHUSIASM.
AB really needs to be doing the play by play
Nascar is really stretching these mandatory cautions - how many laps does it take everyone to changetires? They are using the cautions to extend the tire life.
BillWebz
OK all. you have to make up your mind. do you want ESPN to spend time and resources on the tire issue OR do you want them to focus on the drivers in the back?
Bad choice for the video behind them. It makes them look like they are in the Pagoda.
nrf,
Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking too.
I'm surprised there isn't a camera set up to catch the guys trying to get tires from other teams, that would be interesting to watch. I wonder if they have scalper prices.
Newracefan said...
The cars out of the race BV and down a bunch of laps 55, 42, 2, 15, etc can afford to sell some. Goodyear prob had extra rights there just in case but usually only release in sets
July 27, 2008 5:10 PM
oops I forgot about that, so many not mentioned for so long
JD~ With the exception of the ticker, there's more than a few names that haven't been seen or heard since the starting lineup.
Mike Joy could pound-out a full field recap in three minutes.
something about Tim Brewer creeps me out
Anonymous said...
OK all. you have to make up your mind. do you want ESPN to spend time and resources on the tire issue OR do you want them to focus on the drivers in the back?
That would be both, it's not like there are not enough caution laps to get the job done
JJ YEley? Hell I forgot he was in this race, too!! LOL
JD..is there a behind the scenes reason as to why AB is not in the booth? If so, can you share? Just wondering...
Larry Mc just ran down how many tires each one of the top ten took before they went back to green
It looks like Denny Hamlin has tires from Mikey's car - with those chrome wheels. Maybe it's a Toyota deal.
daly planet editor said...
Mike Joy could pound-out a full field recap in three minutes.
agree. it's not that i don't appreciate the info they've been discussing but i'd certainly like a "thru the field" at some point in this race.
Could they not announce the next CCaution will be with so and so laps to go.
Gotta be quick on the math to keep up with the score lap thingie.
Junior in tenth after his earlier problems. Last season, that would be the lead story. At least we are seeing some positive changes.
20th through 40th are taking a licking with no pub at all.
Lap 138 for the next caution and Punch says that is 11 laps away. Why not say a caution with 22 laps to go.
"is there a behind the scenes reason as to why AB is not in the booth? "
AB has a job. its the "host" role in the in-field studio. ESPN is not in the business of changing positions during the season.
Larry Mc said he hopes they're spacing the yellows so we can get a longer final segment for the win
Vicky D said...
It looks like Denny Hamlin has tires from Mikey's car - with those chrome wheels. Maybe it's a Toyota deal.
Great catch
@anon 4:53--yes it came back as I hit send and started to delete...just strange so many today :(
@lacboi--I agree :)
@JD--have not heard a thing about Marcos :(. First mention I can recall of Yeley a bit ago :(
@bevo--I think anon 5:06 meant to direct that to bill h's comments @ 5:03
Vicky D,
thats interesting. thanks for noticing the tires on Hamlin.
Next comp caution is at lap 138 according to IMS radio broadcast
I figured since Marcos is a Nationwide regular and ESPN2 has all the races he might get some TV time...but no.
Anon at 5:18 - it's the wheels on the right hand side only on Hamlin's car.
Teams have been told two sets of stickers left and no Pocono tires today, from Bob Margolis at Yahoo live race blog.
Hope nobody runs out with a green white checker or something
I wonder if ESPN cares about the top 35?
You are two-timing me for Bob at Yahoo? Oh, man...that just hurts.
I have to give Bob some grief on that. Have you noticed how they suddenly started a live blog? Hmmm...
Anonymous said...
Teams have been told two sets of stickers left and no Pocono tires today, from Bob Margolis at Yahoo live race blog.
Hope nobody runs out with a green white checker or something
July 27, 2008 5:20 PM
Thanks for the info
I saw Brad Coleman's new Nationwide Series race commercial earlier. So at least NASCAR is branching out from promoting Joey Logano on NW ads. Maybe because Joey's likely going Cup and they need a backup.
I love how this season whenever Jamie McMurray's job is in the news as being on the line, he has a very good performance that following race. Sorry, it can't be coincidence. Same with Casey Mears.
Quick note: what the guys in the booth just said was inaccurate. The 77 was in the top 35 coming into Indy. The 66 was in 36th.
Dale Jr has a real potty mouth
The radios are always a little more colorful than fans hear at home. That is why the TV networks record them and then play them back.
Nothing new for this bunch.
Maybe we will get a full field recap out of the break.
lacboi said...
Dale Jr has a real potty mouth
July 27, 2008 5:25 PM
They all do during the race, its been politely called the heat of competition. I could care less myself - just win. ( jr is not my driver)
lacboi said...
Dale Jr has a real potty mouth
always has, always will. that's why his radio is often censored by hotpass. i'm assuming he's passed thru his s-word moment and is in his f-bomb stage?
If I can get a pic of that machine that records all the team radios at once and then can instantly play them back I will post it this week.
WOW JD you are such an optimist!!! LOL
Sorry JD for the two-timing. :-) You're the main blogger for me and most folks because you're the original.
Actually I don't check the Yahoo blog much unless something crazy like this happens. It's usually kind of dry, but they're pretty fired up about the mess today.
And I did notice they started the live comments this season after you had them last year. You're right, hmmm....
Junebug learned from the best potty-mouth in racing. ROTFL
Big E could scorch the paint.
Well, ESPN had everyone contribute and we have not seen SportsCenter or hyped interviews. I can live with the creepy promos.
This poor guy doing the live SportsCenter promos is going to have a long couple of days.
Ok, I'm tired of this Steve live SC guy already!
I like those LIVE ESPN Sportscenter promos. very creative.
It would seem that they'd talk about Marcos since he's going to be driving FT next year. They don't even have to mention Brad's ownership in it. I have a feeling if J.Lo were in the race today they'd be all over the "will he replace Tony next year". Heck yesterday there were chatting yesterday about if Tony misses the "it's not a playoff" playoff if Coach will let him get started on his new team and bring J.Lo over.
Jr is the very model of decorum on the radio compared to Sr :)
texasracelady,
I have been no the wrong end of that from both Senior...and his wife! Got to love TV.
red said...
always has, always will. that's why his radio is often censored by hotpass. i'm assuming he's passed thru his s-word moment and is in his f-bomb stage?
YEP!
Yoakum saying rumor is another yellow at 150. Larry Mc wondering who will gamble and stay out
and the strategy continues: the #88 crew chief has just informed his driver that they WILL be taking 2 tires this time. apparently, there will be no discussion as to 2 vs. 4 this time.
"This poor guy doing the live SportsCenter promos is going to have a long couple of days."
JD, Im sorry. did i miss something? i dont understand.
red-that would be a yes!!
The SC guy has been very very busy today.
So we are getting geared-up for ESPN to show us their first finish line coverage of the Sprint Cup Series this season.
The last couple of laps and the final lap should tell the TV tale.
At least we know the burnout will pop the tires for sure!
jd said: At least we know the burnout will pop the tires for sure!
now that's funny right there!
ESPN has an employee doing live Sports Center promos from all around ESPN as he is at work, lunch, etc...
Every time I switch the audio back to ESPN either DJ or AP are calling the action on the track.
bummer timing for competition caution..by the time they get going...how many laps left to run?
hmmm
red said...
and the strategy continues: the #88 crew chief has just informed his driver that they WILL be taking 2 tires this time. apparently, there will be no discussion as to 2 vs. 4 this time.
I loved the jr and jr discussion. ;)
Dennys car has a Bud can in the grill. Even the car needed a drink!
Good camera shot
Big pressure on the triple split for the TV crew. Which cars are you going to put in the boxes?
Have to catch the race off because it will probably be the race itself.
Good camera shot of the can leaving H's car, lol.
great camera shot on that bud can in the #11 grille. i thought i'd seen a can on the track a bunch of laps earlier and wondered why it wasn't flagged.
sound like the good Dr. is making up new phrases as he goes along.
At least it wasn't a dead bird on Denny's car!
475 posts? Is that a record (I don't usually stop in here cause I watch on the TV not in the PC room...)
Anyways, this is a joke (I feel the worst for the fans in the stands...). I have to applaud the TV guys for actually making this sound interesting. But Jerry has made a bunch of errors today...he even used the dreaded (by me) Eli Gold phrase 'if you're a fan of -insertdrivername- blah blah. I know Eli had fans but I couldn't stand him, ever. Anyways, I think Andy & Dale should get a medal from NASCAR. They appear to actually be racing now, but of course, they just had to have another caution. What a bizarre day. No other Cup race with bad tires has *ever* been this weird.
what the heck happened to Stewart and Jr?
I knew this last pit would be scary.
Great catch! ... almost
should be a great finish. especially with all the passing that has been going on. DJ just said so.
glen,
Wireless router at Best Buy....$39 bucks!
lacboi said...
Great catch! ... almost
and good camera work and replay in the #11 pit. hope that wrist or arm isn't broken.
Gonna be a good battle between Johnson, Edwards amd Hamlin I think. 24 might be in it, but hes gonna need them racin jimmie for him to have a shot
EXCELLENT coverage by ESPN today with what they have to deal with. Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett have been on spot today
I'm glad I didn't pay money to travel to this race I would have been disappointed with this thing. Hope Denny's crewman didn't get hurt but was that was gutsy.
Amazing all the tire dust on the car cameras
great camera work on the long strech of cars coming at us!
Thanks in advance to everybody who stopped by today to chat. ESPNEWS will be live after the race.
SportsCenter is on at 6, SPEED Report at 7 and Victory Lane at8.
We will have a column up shortly on the ESPN coverage of the Brickyard.
Thanks again for stopping by.
Now, about that last lap!
JD
48 and 99 moving around... DraftTrak anyone??? :)
Just joking!
Hey Hey Hey!! Somebody has made a change!
real nice move to show more than the two leaders... and the scroll of th finishing order is on the spot!
Thank you ESPN for showing us the cars crossing the finish line. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?! :-)
Top 10 for Jimmy & the Dinger! So far their partnership is working well :)
Well I'll be danged they listened !
Thank you for showing most cars at the finish line.
Look at that !!!! Cars crossing the finish line.
Yahooooooooo ! !
nice closing shot and finishing order! thanks, espn gang, for showing the finish we've been asking for each week.
hey, look at that. I would have preferred the director make that camera go into the flagman (just because I like that shot) THEN take the camera looking down the frontstretch so Y'all can see the cars crossing. But i guess it works either way.
Johnson just blew right rear tire doing the burnout
500 + posts - is that some kind of record?
Nice camera work and good announcing from DJ and Andy.
The pit reporters were good too and how about that finishing camera shot?
Hope ESPN/ABC can keep the momentum going.
The only grip[e I had was the competition yellows.
If you guys ever questioned if your comments made a difference, there ya go.
No Draft Track, No SC Updates, no celeb interviews, no in-race live promos under green...and the lead laps cars crossing the finish line.
How about that for some good TV changes since last year's race?
Great finish but what a mess of a race.
I am already SO TIRED of...
"Looks like..."
"Could be..."
"I think..."
I can do that from home! The annoucners are at the track and are paid to know what's going on.
I sit here with TrackPass and know more about the race than they do.
Three guys in their living rooms with earpieces, listening to TrackPass, could call the race better than Punch and Company.
Look out the danged window! You cannot effectively call a race by watching the monitors.
ESPN is still terrible.
Jerry Punch is horrible. Where is Bestwick??
Also. The Indy race was a "Made for TV race." They had cautions every 12 laps or so. Why not wait and get the commercials in during the cautions? Why show about 5 minutes of race, then 2 minutes of commercials. Only to show another 3 or 4 minutes including pit stops and then you go to commercial again. I hate missing green flag "racing or lack thereof." But none the less. ESPN is terrible, terrible, terrible. They had built in TV timeouts and still showed a TON of commercials.
Very good job by ESPN especially with the rather odd circumstances. Thank you for listening!
JD,
I can't believe you said the words "Draft Track"! Don't jinx us!!! :-)
I think this place did over 600 posts, once, didn't we
:)
Just racing.
None of that silly gimmicks or hype.
Thanks ESPN/ABC.
Jeff Gordon just apologized on IMS Radio interview for the way the race was. He thanked the fans for patience. WOW
WHY ARE YOU SAYING THERE WAS NO RACING???????
Did you see the race???
THERE was a whole bunch of passing!!
By the way, "for all you Michael Waltrip fans, he rejoined the race and will not have a DNF."
Just thought i'd say that, becaue the Doctor and his cohorts FAILED to do it.
Jr biting his tongue big time right now. Parsons trying to give him some cover :)
ESPN did a good job under the circumstances. Would have like to hear about cars further back. DJ and AP carried the booth. Guess were ar being dumped at 6 with no top 35 and few interviews. Well off to JD post race on mute until interviews start.
how come all these ESPN haters show up right at the end??
it was a great ESPN broadcast.
Yeah Sophia, we had over 600 posts for one race towards the end of last season.
SophiaZ123 said...
I think this place did over 600 posts, once, didn't we?
I think this is the most at least as long as I've been around here, which is spring of last year.
Miserable announcing.
Yes, the lack of gimmicks was refreshing and good. But the core of the race coverage is the PbyP, and that's still bad.
As for phrases we don't need to hear anymore, I tried to count the times someone said "it will be interesting to see," but finally gave up somewhere north of 20.
The SportsCenter frontmen are saying will get back to the Brickyard.
Time to wait and see.
Lets just say that this broadcast was an improvement over last seasons bad habits.
Thank you ESPN for good race coverage mostly. I know it was a difficult day, thanks for the finish line coverage, for wide shots, for great camera shots, thanks.
A very heartfelt thanks for no hyped up music, no draft trax air colors or junk.
You still have some work to do, just tweaks not an overhaul like last year.
Thanks for a good job B+ for today.
Keep in Mind Sportscenter will go back to Indy for more post race interviews in a few minutes. AND ESPN2 will have a full wrap-up at 10PM EDT. so no need to push the main broadcast over the scheduled window with all the coverage to follow.
Vince,
I stand corrected.
how come all these ESPN haters show up right at the end??
How come expecting a higher quality of broadcast makes someone a "hater"?
ESPNNEWS has live post race coverage on right now.
Edwards on ESPN News.
Carl on ESPNNews
SportsCenter NASCAR coverage on now.
Interesting comment by Dr Punch talking to AP and DJ after the race - "I hate to have to ask Mike about this but I've got to ask him how this could have been avoided"
Seems like ESPN did a pretty good job of getting to the wrecks pretty quickly and they actually showed most of the field crossing the finish line. I was surprised.
I think we can all agree on a couple of points:
1 - We have not seen a true test of Punch and company. That will come next week in Pocono. Bestwick and that group we already know so well down in the Infield from the Nationwide races.
2 - The big weakness in this race was that ESPN slowly lost any car outside of the top 20, and then the top 15 and finally the top 10. There has to be some more respect shown to the fans of the drivers who just happen not to be running in the top 10 at the moment.
3 - The good racing stories of the event like Marcos Ambrose and Allmendinger were lost once "tire mania" took hold. Granted, the tire updates were good, but fans still wanted to get updated on the happenings outside of the top 10.
On we go to Pocono!
JD, sorry to disappoint you in my lack of interest in posting during races, lol...I don't have a laptop and don't plan to move a PC to the other room (I just don't CARE that much. I think it's fine for people who enjoy doing it.) Plus, frankly, when they're actually *racing* I prefer to concentrate on what's going on. Today was an exception due to the absurdness of the race, and I was curious what others were thinking. I think it's a good thing to supply to fans though.
Is ESPN News on radio? We can't hear the AM station that covers the race in Houston but don't know ESPN News. Thanks.
So far Sportscenter coverage just disjointed highlights. Good news the''re going to AB and cRusty. ESPN news unfortunately cut to all-Favre-allthetime just when Hamlin showed up.
Media center on JD PR. Someone finally brought up the Indy 500 tire fiasco. Hamlin let Carl answer the question.
AB just announced NASCAR Official Robin will have a news conference that will be covered on ESPN NEWS shortly
OK I've got the DVR recording SC and ESPNNews, Speed Report, VL and WT. Am I missing anything?
Newracefan,
You are missing NASCAR Now from Indy at 10 PM EDT! You dont want to miss that.
Have NN on series recording but thanks for the thought.
glen,
We are going to drag you kicking and screaming into the 1990's yet!
Wireless keyboard.....PC plugged into HDTV.....Picture in picture....the future is here!
Lot of upset folks on the Sirius post-race show :)
Just checking. because this is the first NASCAR Now, Hour edition on a Sunday. it is also ESPN2.
WOW. Lots of comments today. I don't have time to read the 550+ comments before I post mine so please forgive any repeating of others' thoughts.
I didn't have any major issues with the coverage of the race, other than the very disappointing short and rushed 5 minutes of post-race coverage to the event that is the crown jewel of any sporting event the ESPN network covers during the year. The race was a complete mess with the tire debacle so I don't think this was really a true test of how they will cover a 'normal' race, so I'll be anxious to see how they handle Pocono. I'm definitely glad that the Sportscenter Minutes, Draft Tracks, and football announcers are gone and that the great finish line camera work from TNT has been carried over to ESPN.
I felt for Dr. Punch though, I think he had a rough outing. He just didn't seem to be on the ball calling the action and keeping the viewers informed about what we missed, which are the two most important jobs of the play-by-play announcer during the running of the race. Very rarely did we ever hear anything about Lucky Dogs until the very end of the race. Many times the announcers told us things like "Dale Jr. will be the Lucky Dog next lap when the yellow comes out" and "Mark Martin will be leading after these pit stops", and then when those things never occurred we never got an explanation from Punch about what changed. I thought maybe NASCAR wasn't giving out Lucky Dogs for competition yellows but DJ finally jumped in and clarified the situation several laps after the second time where Junior was hyped on TV as being the guy on the verge of getting the Lucky Dog, only to mysteriously see him still a lap down on the following restart. And I'm still not quite sure why Martin didn't end up leading after pulling that "pit under yellow before the caution and stay out to get the lead" strategy.
Punch's call of the finish was also pretty rough. He started with something about "many people had guesses who would win, they were all different........" then a very awkward long pause until DJ finally jumped in and tried to save the moment, but by then it was too late, the damage had been done and the moment had been blown. And then his golf announcer-like quiet monotone call of Johnson jumping out of his car in victory lane didn't exactly fit the moment of a significant victory like this.
I love Dr. Punch. He's a first ballot inductee into the broadcaster's wing of the soon-to-be-completed NASCAR Hall-of-Fame in my opinion, but this play-by-play role is just not fitting his immense talent as a broadcaster in my opinion.
And yes I did also notice ESPN completely blowing off the outcome of the top 35 in owner's points battle. I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise though since ESPN ignores qualifying on qualifying day itself as well.
stricklinfan-
Very good summary. I agree 100% about Dr Punch.
ESPN2 will most likely cover the top 35 at 10PM EDT.
"other than the very disappointing short and rushed 5 minutes of post-race coverage to the event that is the crown jewel of any sporting event the ESPN network covers during the year. "
-----------------------
If this event is the "crown jewel" of the sporting events ESPN covers in an entire year (trust me, it isn't - unless you don't watch any other sports but NASCAR), I fear for sports in general.
Anon 6:36PM,
You are welcome to return and state your opinion in our discussion. Everyone is welcome to have their own views in this forum.
We debate, but we respect.
JD
Anonymous said...
ESPN2 will most likely cover the top 35 at 10PM EDT.
I don't want to wait until 10pm. I guess I'll just keep checking Jayski
I didnt think I was rude, JD. but ok i will restate my opinion.
stricklinfan82 said,
"other than the very disappointing short and rushed 5 minutes of post-race coverage "
All I was saying was that ESPN had no need to stay on the air with more post race and bump into sportscenter time slot. Sportcenter has added many interviews and information from indy during its own time. AND ESPN2 will be at Indy for an hour at 10PM EDT. I am satisfied with all the post race.
It's 6:50 on the East Coast. Robin Pemberton has already addressed the media, since Sportscenter showed a brief clip. So why wasn't that press conference on ESPNews as Allen Bestwick said it would be?
ESPNews has also been running a "Coming Up: Jimmie Johnson" for at least 20 minutes. I think ESPNnews is still doing the bait and switch, trying to use NASCAR fans to raise viewership for an hour while really not showing us anything as we see endless baseball Favre highlights.
There ya go. Didn't say you were rude, we all just respect each other in here. Thanks for taking the time to re-post.
JD
I heard from an email that they are out taking pictures and doing the "kiss the bricks" deal. This should take a while.
Jimmie just got to the media center (see JD poast race it's off mute now) I guess he was kissing those bricks not that we have seen any proof of that on TV anywhere
If this event is the "crown jewel" of the sporting events ESPN covers in an entire year (trust me, it isn't - unless you don't watch any other sports but NASCAR), I fear for sports in general.
I respect your right to your opinion but I don't see any other single day sporting events that air on ESPN as being much more prestigous than the Brickyard 400. Unless I'm forgetting something the other significant events they cover include 17 regular season NFL games, 4-7 NBA Eastern Conference Finals games, and the frst and second round of The Masters.
Occasionally they might luck into a huge game 7 in the NBA or into a Monday Night Football game between two undefeated teams, but when the sports calendar in unveiled at the start of the year the Brickyard is a constant.
ESPN doesn't air the NFL playoffs, the BCS, the MLB playoffs, the NBA Finals, the Daytona 500, the Indy 500, or anything else significant that I can think of. Most of those other significant one-day sporting events are aired on over-the-air TV, that's why I made that statement.
"not that we have seen any proof of that on TV anywhere"
Um....that was shown on ESPN. just tellin ya.
I did not catch anything from Ray E., but I thought all the other ESPN commentators did a good job all weekend explaining and discussing the tire situation. I've tried several times with several commentators, but have never gotten an answer to why the tracks don't drag the track with used tires when they expect a green track, tire usage problem might occur. I suspect a big part of the problem is the very limited amount of tire testing Goodyear does. I think it will be very interesting to see how aggressively Goodyear responds to the situation.
Anonymous said...
"not that we have seen any proof of that on TV anywhere"
Um....that was shown on ESPN. just tellin ya.
When/where so I know which DVRed show to look at
I will watch SR, VL, WT and NN tonight.
I refuse to watch the bait and switch of ESPN NEWS.
if I hear about Brett Favre one more time, I might have to hurr somebody.:)
SR should have good highlights off all racing.
thanks for keeping an eye on the room as usual, JD. Got a little crowded today.
I believe it was on ESPN during sportscenter. cant tell you the Exact time though. But i definitely saw it.
Darrell Waltrip on Wind Tunnel tonight...that should be good.
JD, ya just can't give it up, can ya, lol! I don't have an HDTV, because the amount of money that and the service cost aren't worth it to me yet. Someday they will be (and I'll be spending less than the early adopters), but not yet. Heck, I just upped myself to a 19 inch monitor from a 15.
But believe it or not, some of us would rather spend our precious extra cash for actual race tickets--I'll be thinking of you at your PC's while I'm at the Glen & Dover.
:)
But truth be told, Jerry, Dale, Andy & and the gang are saying the exact same things on my TV (and it does have PIP...hehehe.) Got that so I could watch football & racing in the fall. BTW, I work in a tech related company, so I do *know* about all that stuff, I just don't have a need for it. I'm like the guy in the ad where the pig-man tells him he doesn't *need* the new TV...
glen glen glen...
We have to hook you up with the $400 Vizio from Wal-Mart. The official starter HDTV of NASCAR.
Isn't that why we got those economic incentive checks?
Someone pulled the plug on SPEED from Indy in the middle of a liveshot.
any inside scoop on that "plug pull" JD?
Yeah - I'm done with ESPNNews. After AB promised Robin Pemberton and I sat through about fifty Brett Favre updates, I'm sick of ESPN. Really sick of ESPN.
At least JJ is on now.
"Yeah - I'm done with ESPNNews."
Its actually 'ESPNEWS'. But the interview you were looking for was on ESPN.
JD, I don't shop at the evil empire. But I don't want a starter...rather somewhere in the middle.
And my check is still in the bank, where it belongs. Too many bills to pay off...frivolous things like car payments and insurance...imagine that! (And yes, it's in spite of what the intent was...)
Forgot to say, I also want to agree with the complaints on the poor coverage of any but a handful of drivers--they're just showing the top 20 now and I'm thinking of how many they never mentioned all day, not just those at the back like Marcos. And I say let's flip Allen & Jerry. Hope SPEED gets back to Indy soon.
Good interview with Jimmy, Chad, and Rick in the media center.
Boy, did I feel sorry for everyone at ESPN, including the broadcasters, camera men and every other support person. Nascar should be totally ashamed by the product they put on the track today. ESPN sure didn't get what they paid for with this horrible non-race. Considering all the hype, and the fact that this is the second biggest race of the seaon, the product that ESPN had to deal with was embarrassing. Going a few laps, throwing a caution and then another few laps isn't what ESPN was hoping for. When you consider how attendance is falling at most Nascar venues, having the second biggest race of the season turn out like this is just what this sport doesn't need. And if ESPN was hoping for great racing to start their broadcast season, they sure got the big finger with this awful race.
There is a new post up about the ESPN coverage of The Brickyard for your comments.
Thanks so much to everyone for dropping by, we have the best readers.
JD
All I was saying was that ESPN had no need to stay on the air with more post race and bump into sportscenter time slot. Sportcenter has added many interviews and information from indy during its own time. AND ESPN2 will be at Indy for an hour at 10PM EDT. I am satisfied with all the post race.
That's a very fair point and I respect that counterargument. If this had happened at Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, or California I still would have been disappointed but I could have at least understood the decision to not bump into Sportscenter. I was just expressing the viewpoint that since this is Indy (and is a much more significant event, especially for this network that is basically shut out of the conclusions of "majors" in other sports thanks to over-the-air TV) I had a greater expectation for a few extra minutes of post-race before going to Sportscenter.
Please drop me an email at editor@thedalyplanet.tv when you have a moment. Thanks.
JD
There are two new posts up for your comments. Thanks.
JD
I thought ESPN did a pretty good job with the coverage of this event -- I'm not going to call it a race -- a successsion of 10 lap heats isn't a race. NASCAR and Goodyear should be ashamed of themselves and have to give the money back to the fans who wasted so much of theirs to go to this venue. Allen did his usual great job with all of this and I thought ESPN didn't sugarcoat the tire issues too much -- a nice change from Fox being in NASCAR's camp all the time.
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