This is the week of transition for NASCAR fans as the reality of the second half of the season begins. This weekend on TV there is no Jimmy Spencer or Rutledge Wood. Memories of Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach have begun to fade.
With the Sprint Cup Series parked, it will be the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series working hard to get the attention of the fans on Saturday night. The warm-up for the big show will be coverage of practice sessions for both series on Friday.
A thirty minute version of NASCAR Now will begin the coverage at 6PM on ESPN2. Look for previews of both races and updates on the on-going NASCAR news stories. Coverage of the NCTS practice from Kentucky is up next at 6:30PM on SPEED with ESPN2 following closely at 7PM with the Nationwide Series from Gateway.
ESPN's broadcast team will be Dr. Jerry Punch, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. Allen Beswick, Brad Daugherty and Tim Brewer have the weekend off. DJ Copp will be filling-in for Brewer, Punch will handle the pre-race show. SPEED puts Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip in the booth for the Trucks.
Just a reminder that live ARCA action is on-tap at 8PM on SPEED to end the night.
This post will serve to host your comments about the NASCAR TV on Friday. 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 for taking the time to stop by.
15 comments:
It's quite strange seeing ARCA qualifying on television... it just seems so out of place that Speed wants to do this rather than televise more races. They've been decreasing their schedule every year, which is disappointing.
I've been watcing ARCA qualifying. What a wreck fest. We need to see more of this. Not the wrecks per se, but how they walk away from them. Lot's of excitement. SPEED, broadcast more ARCA events.
JD
I was about to post how you don't mention anything about the Arca races and I was reading the home page to be sure that somewhere it didn't say "nascar only" when I saw the one line blurb about the Arca race so I'll give it a pass ;)
I like the Arca races that Speed occasionally carries. They are covered in a better way then the Nascar races, hardly any fluff and just straight racing. Limited graphics and they don't just focus on one driver.
The other thing I like about he Arca races is that there will always be at least one female driver in each race (tonight we have 3, Angela Cope, Amber Cope and Gabi Decarlo (thought I think one of the Cope's may get out and let her dad park it).
With all the talk aboue diversity in Nascar I have never understood why they can't get a female driver or 2 to run full time in the Cup or Wide series. If it is sponser dollars only, Nascar should pony up the funds to sponser a car themselves.
So I am looking forward to the Arca race tonight. I would be exagerating if I said I have watched more than 3 Wide races this year, and the past few Cup races I have given cursory attention to if any at all (last week didn't even watch more than 1/4 of it). I don't know if it is the lake of excitement in the races, the predictability of the outcome or just apathy with the Nascar package this year.
BillWebz
I can't recall seeing that many wrecks in a qualifying session as I did during ARCA qualifying. That's quite the marathon for the guys in the booth today with ARCA quals, Truck prcatice, then the ARCA race back-to-back-to-back.
On the topic of Nationwide Series practice, I wonder what the decision making process is on what to show on the top ticker. In my opinion, lap times are more informative than top MPH speeds.
I hope that all of you who voiced concern about the lack of racing shows and the need for more ARCA broadcasts take the time to scoot over to SPEEDtv.com and use the links on that site and the forum to say the same thing.
I have a very long personal history with ARCA and have enjoyed the personalities involved in the sport just like most race fans. There is plenty of good American racing going-on in this country, we just need a place to show it.
JD
I hope those young ladies will be back for the truck race tommorrow. That was the best anthem in a long time.
ARCA races are pretty fun to watch.
Rick and Phil are there.
Haven't seen an ARCA in ages. Nice to see it on SPEED tonight.
But goodness, a crasherama so far. What the heck's the deal? I read quals were a mess as well.
Some of these ARCA drivers aren't having a good night. Hope we can get some long runs in. But crew is doing a good job.
I tuned in late to the ARCA race. Announcing crew is doing a good job with one exception: considering the amount of side by side racing , it would be nice if they gave some kudos to Hoosier tires but I haven't heard the crew even mention the tire manufacturer. JD, is it possible that it's politically incorrect to mention Hoosier on Speed?
Hoosier was talked about alot in probably first 3rd to 1/2 of the race. They had a lot of tires blowing out. (they think)
That was a good, simple, no nonsense broadcast. Enjoyable
shame they don't carry more ARCA races..that was good coverage, except for too many wrecks.
I wish I would've see the qualifying as I do not recall seeing the ARCA quals.
GOODNESS I am glad I did not pay for the Prelude to the Dream. I hear compared to last year the coverage was mseed up with fancy camera work and graphics. Ugh. I have channel surfed across it just in time to see two boxes of racing and LOTS OF WHITE/RED graphics with stars in it and lots of wasted dirt space. If i would've PPView for this I would've been mad.
Glad ARCA keeps things simple. Nice to see where future NASCAR drivers come from in the series of stepping stones.
SophiaZ123 said...
GOODNESS I am glad I did not pay for the Prelude to the Dream. I hear compared to last year the coverage was mseed up with fancy camera work and graphics. Ugh. I have channel surfed across it just in time to see two boxes of racing and LOTS OF WHITE/RED graphics with stars in it and lots of wasted dirt space. If i would've PPView for this I would've been mad.
I think it was better last year myself, too, but since VJGC benefitted, I was all right with it. Maybe it was the novelty of it last year for us PPV'ers.
Billh - Did you want Gabi's dad to park her car?? Or are you seriously mistaken in thinking that Amber & Angela are the offspring of Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope?? Angela & Amber are Derrike's nieces ...
Also, there were 4 female drivers in the race ... You forgot Alli Owens ...
JD - The Chyron operator had a problem ... Where exactly is "Payallup" ?? That's what they kept listing as the hometown for the Cope twins ... It should be "Puyallup" ...
I wish there was some continuity with the "hometowns" ... For Brian Scott, the annoucers/pit reporters kept saying "Boise" ... But, the Chyron operator kept saying "Mooresville, NC" ...
Anon,
The ARCA race was a "package" from Chet Burks Productions. You may recognize that company from the fine motorcyle shows they have done throughout the years.
There were many fundamental TV production errors and issues in this show. As you may know, I included the ARCA race listing because there were many NASCAR connections.
We do not, however, review the ARCA series races on this blog. I would suggest that you go to SPEEDtv.com and voice your concerns on the SPEED forum.
Thanks,
JD
I enjoyed the coverage of the ARCA qualifying and race. It would be nice to have more coverage of this series.
As far as the hometown issue, this happens in every series, to a certain degree. Hometown seems to mean where you were born, where you grew up, or where you presently reside. I have seen where three different hometowns are given for one driver during the same program.
JD- Sending us to SPEEDTV.com is like sending us down the rabbit hole! Unless things have changed recently, you get no response from feedback or emails. I think all of these are sent to the Pinks staff. :)
The SPEED forums are very unfriendly to NASCAR fans. The only safe place is the NASCAR forum and if you try to discuss a SPEED program there, the moderators moves it to the SPEED forum where the usual suspects post to bash NASCAR and the poor fan who dared to invade “their” territory. The moderators and administration of the board allow this to continue so you have to assume that they are also not NASCAR friendly. They seem to believe that any full-bodied race car is NASCAR. :)
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