Saturday, October 11, 2008

Primetime NASCAR Racing On ABC Saturday Night


As someone famous once said, "it's time to make the donuts." The Friday night support race is over, the talking head TV shows are winding-down and fans across the nation are tuning-in. It's Saturday night at 7PM and the pressure is on.

No race in the remainder of The Chase will get the hype and media attention of the Charlotte night race. The Musco lights make for pretty TV pictures and the track makes for tough racing and tight tempers. Casual fans surfing through the channels will stop when they see NASCAR racing at full speed on ABC. The big question is, will they stay?

All season long the NASCAR on ESPN group has been working with one goal in mind. That is the final ten Sprint Cup Series races of the year. Now, after the early stories of The Chase have begun to fade, it is once again time for the racing to return to the intensity that old-time fans used to know so well.

This is the best combination of ingredients that ESPN has enjoyed before a race all year. A fight in the garage, a bunch of drivers racing to keep their rides and a track that reaches up at the worst possible moment and claims numerous victims.

Dr. Jerry Punch is going to have to step-it-up to serve the broader mainstream audience of a Saturday night. Key to his success is going to be the intensity of Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. Alongside of Punch in the announce booth until well after midnight on Friday, these two analysts are going to be the real face of the ESPN coverage to TV viewers.

Hustling on pit road the four ESPN pit reporters are going to be facing three challenges. One, the story of the race. Two, the story of The Chase. Three, this is the backyard of every team and no one wants to get pushed around on their home field. NASCAR politics are going to be pushed aside and intensity is going to be on display from the green flag. One bad or ill-prepared question from a pit reporter might get a very direct response.

Setting the table will be Allen Bestwick, Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty from the Infield Pit Studio. Bestwick has been steady and solid this season. Wallace has been himself and seems to enjoy his role as a commentator instead of an analyst. Daugherty has been the dependable cheerleader and NASCAR supporter.

Viewers of the Saturday night Nationwide Series race saw ESPN strip-down the telecast and put the bells-and-whistles on the shelf. The result was limited interruptions from Tim Brewer in the Tech Center. Bestwick was often heard but not seen and Wallace and Daugherty faded quickly into the background under the green flag.

The Director laid-off the bumper cams and used the in-car cameras only when they made sense. The low angle "speed shots" are great at LMS, and ESPN is famous for cranking the audio as the cars roar by. Fighting the tendency of the camera guys to zoom-in and show one or two cars instead of groups will be key. Also, look to see if the cameras frame the track and let the cars race in or if the coverage just keeps the same "camera loop" going under green.

This post will serve to host your TV-related comments about the Sprint Cup Series race from Lowe's Motor Speedway on ABC. 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.

588 comments:

1 – 200 of 588   Newer›   Newest»
bevo said...

HotPass announcers:

BURTON
Adam Alexander
Wendy Venturini
Producer: Keith D’Alessandro

EARNHARDT JR
Rick Allen
Phil Parsons
Producer: Ted Laukaitis

JOHNSON
Randy Pemberton
Hermie Sadler
Producer: John Walsh

EDWARDS
Larry McReynolds
Matt Yocum
Producer: John Morris

Anonymous said...

Here's hoping this'll be a good one. Looks like a beautiful night for racing.

Anonymous said...

JD,
Last week you touched on the economic downturn. NBC Evening News tonight, 10/11/08, said that GM stock is down by half this week and they are looking at merging with Chrylser. That should have Nascar repercussions.
Marybeth

Anonymous said...

Oh, it looks like the UNC/Notre Dame game is going to run a bit long. Some markets might lose 5 minutes or so of the prerace.

stricklinfan82 said...

In my opinion last night's Nationwide race broadcast was ESPN's best in the last two years. No gimmicks, no pre-taped video packages under green, no video bumpers, and no in-car camera overkill. The ESPN production truck just showed us the cars on the track and did its best to always find the best racing on the track.

I don't know what exactly changed but it's obvious to me that something did. I'm very thankful for whatever adjustments were made and I'm looking forward to the same approach being used in tonight's Cup broadcast. I can't wait for an ESPN Cup broadcast with no pre-taped junk under green, no 'Chasers Only' Up To Speed segments, no "script", and nothing but the best on-track racing the director can find. It should be fun.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Anon 6:50PM,

I got a lot of grief for trying to say that the economic issues are going to play a role in this sport for the remainder of the year.

Now, there are a lot of companies directly involved in the sport that are facing some big decisions over the next couple of months.

I certainly hope all of this will continue to allow for multiple series next season.

JD

Daly Planet Editor said...

RaceDay is really crashing into the NASCAR Countdown action. Interesting..

Anonymous said...

JD,

You think that this could eliminate one of the 'big three' NASCAR series, or are you talking about ARCA or Camping World East/West?

Whatever does happen, it's definitely going to be reducing the number of non-Sprint Cup teams entering the Truck and Nationwide series events. And I could see GM deciding to end Dodge factory support completely. Considering how poorly the Dodges have run this year, that might not be a bad thing if it lets the Dodge teams out of their contracts.

Daly Planet Editor said...

What an ending to the football game...only Notre Dame.

Daly Planet Editor said...

The big three. Only 28 real trucks in Dega and the Nationwide series is littered with the "start and park" set. It's a mess.

PammH said...

geez, make a decision already!!

Anonymous said...

Good lord. Was there really even a chance for Notre Dame to win that?

On to NASCAR!

JD - I assume that it's most likely that the Truck Series would fold, but do you think it's possible that NASCAR would change the Nationwide series to trucks? In either case, you're right, they have to do something about the start-n-parkers.

Anonymous said...

JD
Here in Tampa we are getting the local news not pre race!
Because of the Rays. ABC is threatening to give updates during evenings programming. I tried to call WFTS (ABC LOCAL)but all the lines are busy! Hopefully we get the race!

PammH said...

broflo-after the last couple of wks in the financial world, I don't think that park & starters are gonna be a problem.

Anonymous said...

jo - YIKES! I'd have a fit if I were in your place. (I nearly did when our NBC station did the same thing to the Ryder Cup.)

Hope you can see the race, but failing that, I hope you have a radio.

Wow, I'm surprised they're focusing on this first rather than Edwards/Harvick.

PammH said...

Here in the Detroit area, I have some life affirming show about pulling yourself up from your bootstraps~Hope Floats~ or some BS like that. I'm mad!

inkthatpaints said...

JD- KABC the Los Angeles affiliate is also playing local news rather than the NASCAR Countdown - even though it clearly says that NASCAR Countdown should be on right now.

Anonymous said...

AB once again manages to make the 15-second replay of the Carl-caused wreck far more exciting than it felt during the race last week.

bevo said...

jo-

I just wish we had a problem here with ABC updating the Rangers in the ALCS :)

My niece is at the game, she's a bit pumped up about it

WickedJ said...

Anyone in the Cleveland, Ohio area watching the freakin recap of the OSU game rather than the race on ABC

/me glares at WEWS Channel 5

Anonymous said...

Enough of Talledga stuff lets get on with tonight...........

Anonymous said...

Well PRN is on, thru the net. Local Radio is also carrying the Rays hysteria right now. So its gonna be a 2 computer night. Hubby went to watch on HotPass at his buddy's house. I wish I had gone (even tho his wife isn't a race fan & wants to chat thru the race) So this could be tricky tonight! Raceview/PitComm. on 1 comp & PRN on another. Yippeeee!

The Loose Wheel said...

The doom and gloom saying NASCAR would end a series is ridiculous in my eyes. It wont happen. Maybe one of the "big 3" will leave, SO WHAT!

There are other makes sitting in the wings waiting for a chance. Nissan has been kicking the NASCAR idea around for years and I'd quite honestly welcome it.

This is a down time in the economy but it will bounce back. The weak teams/companies/sponsors will probably fold in the process but thats how it goes.

As for the race, glad to see Regan get some tv time. That run last week was the best thing to happen to the kid all year especially considering that he will probably be out of a ride at the end of the year...

Anonymous said...

@bevo LOL they are discussing the weather ( Rays play in a dome I think)
wicked - I lived in Cleve for 40 years - you have my sympathy.

Anonymous said...

So...many...commercials!

Geeze said...

inkthatpaints,

Yeah. and not even a crawl saying anything about the race. Makes me wonder what we are going to see on KABC in LA.

Anonymous said...

To all of y'all who don't have the pre-race: You're not missing much. They haven't even mentioned the Harvick/Edwards incident.

Hope your stations get with it and get the race to you.

Anonymous said...

Theyre showing local news here in Ohio anyone else not seeing NASCAR countdown?

bevo said...

Is it just me or does it look a bit dark on the track?

rich said...

KXLY-ABC Spokane, Wa is also running local news. Busy phone.

WickedJ said...

*shakes fist at TV* i dont care about OSU! i care about NASCAR

The Loose Wheel said...

so when do you think NASCAR will have open tryouts for singing the national anthem?

Anonymous said...

.....Ow. I know I shouldn't comment on the singers here, but Jessica Simpson is screeching a truly awful rendition of the anthem.

Haus14 said...

Evidently Jessica didn't memorize the words to the National Anthem...

"through the perilous flight?"

The Loose Wheel said...

yes. that was HORRID

Nan S said...

I'm listening on the radio, since its not on TV. Jessica Simpson sounds horrible and just screwed up the words.

bevo said...

Horrible anthem. She has only two talents

WickedJ said...

at exactly 7:30 they shut up about OSU and cut to NASCAR

/me throws the TV

Anonymous said...

JS Can't sing & didn't know the words YIKES heard it on radio

bevo said...

david-

Unfortunately it's the tracks that choose them

Nan S said...

Bevo says: She has only two talents
LOL. That's a great way to phrase it.

I thought it was funny how she was tryin to "twang" it up.

The Loose Wheel said...

well LMS needs to just have a "Who Wants to be a NASCAR Grand Marshall?" contest then because that seriously was difficult to listen to. I never thought she was a bad singer until now. WOW.

Geeze said...

KABC in LA just went to the race broadcast. Guess they just blew off NASCAR Countdown.

Anonymous said...

Just got NASCAR

bevo said...

Sounds like Matt Yocum is fighting off a really bad cold. I'll probably be watching the Edwards channel just for Larry Mc

Anonymous said...

Here in Dayton and I think we got NASCAR Countdown on time.

I only turned it on for background noise but I didn't hear the national anthem by Jessica Simpson.

Was it really that bad?

WickedJ said...

Anon 7:24

feedback5@newsnet5.com go raise hell

Daly Planet Editor said...

So, local ABC affiliates covered Countdown with local news. Wow.

Is there anyone right now who is not seeing the actual race broadcast?

JD

The Loose Wheel said...

yes adam. words were screwed up...it sounded just horrible.

she was better off just giving the command and letting a little old lady in her early hundreds sing it instead.

PammH said...

I still have a telethon on, with a ticker telling me we will join the race in progress. I have NO idea when that will be..

The Loose Wheel said...

Stewarts Radio: Tony has told his spotter to tell him when the LEADER takes off to call the restart. NOT the flag.

Anonymous said...

adam - It was beyond bad.

Anonymous said...

We got NASCAR @ 7:33pm after the Beef O'Brady comm'l.

Anonymous said...

The person at LMS that picked Jessica Simpson to perform the National Anthem should be demoted ASAP. It's the one time at a major sporting event where fans and athletes can reflect, think about the country, and takes things seriously, and having someone who forgets the words and screeches through the anthem like that is pitiful and fully expected.

Anyone remember her sister Ashlee singing one of her songs during the pre-game or halftime for a Bowl Game a few years back and getting booed off the stage (right around the time she got busted for lip-syncing on SNL).

Daly Planet Editor said...

pammh,

What TV market is that?

Anonymous said...

She was dressed ridiculously too.

Anonymous said...

anon 7:39 - That was the 2005 Orange Bowl.

Anonymous said...

What was the guy who gave the Start Your Engines call thinking? He growled the second half of that thing and it sounded bad too.

Was that Aaron Piersol, the Olympic swimmer???

Karen said...

Kudos to the T Taylor moment of silence. Touching.

The Loose Wheel said...

"All eyes are on the 12 Chase drivers"?

Mine aren't. Thanks for telling me who I am watching Shannon. Gonna ask me how im "feeling?"

Karen said...

Was that Aaron Piersol, the Olympic swimmer???


Yep.

bevo said...

There is something wrong with the track lights

Anonymous said...

J Simpson better not quit her day job, uh oh yeah. EEEK.

Haus14 said...

On October 11, @ 12:15 AM, haus20 said...

These spotters need to call the green when the lead car accelerates, not when the green flag waves.

I am glad Tony listened to my suggestion from last night. J/K

The Loose Wheel said...

Tony told his spotter that the restart zones might change tonight so he wanted to be informed of the leader so that last night doesnt repeat itself.

PammH said...

JD-It was WXTZ channel 7 in Detroit. When I checked the TV Guide, they NEVER planned to show Countdown! Racetime was scheduled for 7:25. They joined the race at 7:42, after the telethon.

Newracefan said...

Was the prerace 30 or 50 minutes? I wasn't home but the DVR only got 25 minutes here outside Philly because of the 35 minute local news. This is week 3 last 2 weeks it was Parades.

Erik said...

ABC affiliates suck when it comes to always carrying network programming. Some even decided to show something else instead of the early college football game this morning.

PammH said...

sorry, WXYZ in Detroit!

The Loose Wheel said...

AP GREAT eyes tonight. DJ quiet to start this one shockingly.

Anonymous said...

newracefan - Prerace was supposed to be 25 minutes, but ended up being 15 due to a football overrun.

Newracefan said...

Thanks guess I didn't miss much

Vicky D said...

Houston had the Countdown show. Good news for folks here - gas prices are down to $2.80 gallon, too, that should help the economy for a little bit and even beyond.

Sophia said...

The SOUND from the booth is horrible on my tv..like the guys are in a tin can..and too much AMBIENT noise..anybody else notice? I just logged on and not read all 71 comments yet.

SOUND NEEDS FIXING PLEASE

Anonymous said...

WOW another bad night for Jeff! Dang

Anonymous said...

11 laps. We don't even finish 11 laps before the first commercial.

Rargh.

AP is on fire and JP is doing ok. DJ has been rather quiet though.

Anonymous said...

yall talking about GM, it has less market cap (adjusted for inflation) and has a lower stock price than during the great depression. It closed Friday at 4.89. IT traded at 94 and change in 2001. One year ago it was trading at 43.00 if you think that's bad, Ford has been a two dollar stock for the last two years. If Toyota had not come into the series it would be much worse. And, Toyota had one of its biggest earnings losses this year and sales are off by some astronomical amount like 17%.

JD is absolutly right, the ramifications for NASCAR are blanket and dramatic.

The 25 BILLION dollar bailout that congress made to the big three is a drop in the bucket and will stave off bankruptcy for a year maybe.

That is just the manufacturers, What about the sponsors Wells Fargo anyone? How about BBT? some of these sponsors are on the verge of bankruptcy themselves. No garruntee the takeover company will care one whit about NASCAR.

Anonymous said...

Sophia - that sounds like an issue with your feed. It's ok to me. (Columbia, SC)

Dot said...

Is any racing going on?

Anonymous said...

seems pretty spread out and single file! YUCK!

Sophia said...

Bummer TW ABC feed sounds bad on all tv/s wah.

VERY TINNY...and we have heard similar before...NOT starting out like last night....the mix is all off imo.

Anonymous said...

dot - Mark Martin and David Ragan are working their way up through the field; they're in 10th and 11th, respectively.

Aside from that....I couldn't tell you from this broadcast.

bevo said...

Sound good in Fort Worth/Dallas
(where the Horns kicked OU butt!)

Newracefan said...

Dot Mikey has gone from 31 to 26th and Jeff has passed at least 10 cars so there is passing we're just not seeing it

The Loose Wheel said...

Stewart is the best car on the track...he's coming forward in a hurry. Up to 3rd, 2 seconds back

Anonymous said...

anon 7:57 - Have you ever watched a Charlotte race before? :p

We'll get about 100 laps of this (2-3 car battles), and then some wrecks and some full-on racing. Later, rinse, repeat. Of course, if this were an actual race broadcast instead of a Chase showcase, we'd be able to see more of the small battles.

Daly Planet Editor said...

I think using commercial music going to break when cars are at speed should be illegal.

Sophia said...

Well tried another ABC affiliate from another city...same sound issue. Bummer.

Commercials SOUND FINE. Southern Ohio...Time Warner...

Anonymous said...

@bevo - of course they did! Congrats!

Anyone up for drinkin game - we could start w/ Hot Rod already used a couple times by Brad

Anonymous said...

dot yup their just not in the chase

PammH said...

I don't CARE that David Regan wants to make the Chase next yr!! WTH does that have to do with this race??? Give me info I need now!

Dot said...

Thanks NRF. Are you cheatin and looking at the leaderboard on N.com? Or, do you have hot pass or something?

Anonymous said...

I'm a Tony fan - but yikes he has gotten 15 mentions already

Daly Planet Editor said...

Having a little trouble with the flow tonight. Lots of tight shots.

Dot said...

Oops, they're showing more than one car in the shot.

The Loose Wheel said...

tight shots = not full grandstands

Anonymous said...

JD please tell me this isn't the same group from last night?

PammH said...

okay, that was info I wanted from Mike, Nascar saw the pics & had a talk w/the boys about being boys!

Anonymous said...

And,

Especially persuent to this collum is what the lack of ad dollars will do to the TV coverage. This will effect both how many suppport shows we will have and their 'liveness', how much talent will be retained by the verious tv partners, and may effect our access to anything that isn't the actual race itself, ie no practice or qualls.

There are at least four sponsors in NN that have either gone out of buisness, merged or are in receivership.

Anonymous said...

WOW lots of empty seats just now

Dot said...

They might as well break out the bumper cams.

Newracefan said...

Dot I always cheat. Pitcommand and Racetrax on foxsports.com. I can highlight 3 drivers and always know where they are. Pitcommand I can see Jeff passing cars, to hard to tell time once they are lapped with racetrax.

The Loose Wheel said...

I was at this race last year and all of turns 3-4 was empty as well as the stands before turn 1. Someone called a pre-race show on SIRIUS and asked about seats still being available and the word from LMS was YES!

Sophia said...

Well between the tight camera shots and sound issues...not sure I am going to stay here...even my room mates new super speakers sound tv sounds a tad better but he hears it too..cars sound higher pitched and not at all like last nights rumble

..but I am not going to call TW...might get to a human in 5 minutes could be 30 or longer...

Not sure I am that interested...I need to wash my hair. :)
Might see how MRN comes in after dark and LISTEN.

I tried Warp radio and could NOT find NASCAR listed...is there a secret thing to find racin g there?


see they saved COMEMRCIALS from last night for tonight, too. :(

Anonymous said...

Shhhh Dot they may hear you
Cuation out - we at comm'l

PammH said...

Nemacheck causing a caution!

Newracefan said...

someone in the wall yellow out

Anonymous said...

caution. nemechek.

Daly Planet Editor said...

If anyone gets an official attendance figure, give it to us.

Anonymous said...

We missed the wreck. What a shocker.

Dot said...

You think there are empty seats this year? Wait till next yr.

PammH said...

sophia-it just starts broadcasting the race after a min or so-patience, grasshopper! the do the cup lite & truck races too.

Anonymous said...

commercial and caution as one would expect. when they go to commercial breaks every 8 laps you can assume they'll miss a caution.

as soon as they get back...another set of commercials.

meanwhile, i'm caught up using PRN and RaceTrax while ESPN is out to lunch.

This blog had caution updated before ESPN even came back from break. That's sad.

Dot said...

Dinger got the call.

Anonymous said...

Oof. Carl Edwards may have just gotten stuck.

That's really unfortunate for AJ.

Sophia said...

Pammh

This grasshopper is patient...I have nothing. Could you click on my name and email me an exact link please? I clicked on SPORTS and still nothing...just a bunch of logos on the page I am on...not a racing page to be found.

grasshopper going in circles. THANKS if you see this :)

Karen said...

PammH said...

sophia-it just starts broadcasting the race after a min or so-patience, grasshopper! the do the cup lite & truck races too.

Sophia, it took a bit for it to come on, but if you used PammH's website address, it'll come on.

PammH, many thanks really for that website. Always have it on during race.

Anonymous said...

WOW a mention of the free pass & a graphic! Probably cuz it was Jeff

And cut to comm'l. how awful!

Dot said...

They need to extend the safer barrier all around the track. As Ken Schrader says, "We can wreck anywhere".

Daly Planet Editor said...

What do you think? Full Throttle time?

Vicky D said...

That DirectTV commercial with Craig T. Nelson is clever. Dinger got dinged. Too bad only in that car for tonight's race I think.

Anonymous said...

Daly Planet Editor said...

What do you think? Full Throttle time?

October 11, 2008 8:21 PM

Only if they make it back for green flag! Bets anyone?

The Loose Wheel said...

Dinger made a rookie mistake right there.

We'll see how he does in the 10 the rest of the year

rich said...

Just a thought, I bet the quality (and hopefully the number) of the commercials goes down next year due to this crappy economy. Laying off 60 where I work.

Daly Planet Editor said...

That was interesting....

Anonymous said...

Prime time Pulse - get that crap off!!!!! If I want to watch football I'll change the channel

Anonymous said...

vickyd - Dinger is in the #10 for the rest of the year; no word on next year. Hope he lands on his feet.

Also, um...what is that DirecTV commercial a takeoff of?

The Loose Wheel said...

NASCAR made the right call. Edwards has to blend in where he exits pit road. The field was by him and Gordon was by him as well.

Dot said...

Karma for Cuz.

Daly Planet Editor said...

That was curious. That pulse went over the ABC stations and it contained all ESPN network programming.

Some of the ABC affils are not owned by Disney and I bet that certainly got their attention.

JD

Anonymous said...

They're INTERVIEWING AJ!? *runs to check the temperature down below*

The Loose Wheel said...

Mature response by AJ.

Anonymous said...

Full throttle mabe with out the scanner chatter Crank it up gives the surround sound a good work out, the neighbors really like it too.

Anonymous said...

Poltergist

Karen said...

JD,

Are the same "eyes" that were on last night's race on this race, too? Here's hoping.

Anonymous said...

I could probably deal with the "junk" if I got good info from the TV announcers ( PbP) but since we don't, why waste time on junk - why not get us up to speed with - oh I don't know a full field run thru - UMMM like last Night! Remember last night espn? Good camera shots, coherent mostly announce team? Remember?

Dot said...

I liked DJs Freudian slip, breast awareness.

Anonymous said...

Are we having tire issues AGAIN?

Anonymous said...

Regarding Jessica Simpson, will they be keeping with the NASCAR technical norms. Replacing the air in her head with nitrogen. I bet that they could have went into the grandstands and found a dozen that could have done a better job on the anthem.

Frank in Sebring

The Loose Wheel said...

The camera work is gonna stay shaky because the place isn't anywhere near sold out. They don't wanna show empty seats if they dont have to. So turn 3-4 will be a tight shot, and after the S/F line will be a tight shot.

Anonymous said...

very cool to watch kenny hold the 84 up there

Dot said...

MWR driving with their eyes closed.

bevo said...

Larry Mc says Goodyear is checking the balance in the tires

PammH said...

sophia-it should be on it's way. don't click on anything, just let it start. it takes abit. Karen-glad JD played Sgt Shultz that nite, so I could share! Wow, they interviewed Dinger-good move!! Poor Kenny...(

Anonymous said...

DJ no tires guess if front row joe was a one off

Anonymous said...

Yeesh. Mikey, what are you doing!?

Anonymous said...

And more comm'ls.
Frank in Sebring - with Nitro in JS head make her sing better? or just float away?

Sophia said...

thanks!! Miss Pammh!

xoxo

Merci Beaucoup!!

The Loose Wheel said...

Well they said before the race that teams were getting roughly 50 or so laps on the tires, Nemecheck had that issue well into a run. I imagine their camber was aggressive rather than it being a tire issue.

Anonymous said...

Wells Fargo is one of the strongest banks in the country, has relatively few subprime mortgages, and has agreed to acquire Wachovia. It is probably stronger (or at least as strong as) Bank of America, the race sponsor. Wachovia, the 2nd largest employer in the Charlotte area, is virually on life support, pending the acquisition by Wells Fargo. BB&T has also held up well - well enough that its long-time, well-respected CEO is planning to retire.

Dot said...

@ Frank in Sebring, if JS didn't have b00bs and blonde hair we wouldn't even know who she is. I missed the Anthem. Roommate said she's been the worst so far this year.

Dot said...

I don't watch MNF. Do they mention NASCAR?

stricklinfan82 said...

There is an element on Hotpass I enjoy and think Fox/TNT/ESPN should emulate. They keep the scoring crawl on the screen the whole time (even under yellow) and every time NASCAR identifies the Lucky Dog they put it on the scoring crawl. Just now they put "#41-Reed Sorenson gets the free pass" on the crawl.

Very enjoyable broadcast so far. No pre-taped junk under green yet and they even interviewed A.J. Allmendinger. Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

Richard in NC

I agree that Wells is solid, but the point is that there are going to be so few banks left that the available ad dollars are not likely to stay with NASCAR same with BBT

bevo said...

No spark for Edwards

Dot said...

More Karma for Cuz. Let's hear from Happy.

Anonymous said...

How long until the Cat in the Hat accuses RCR of sabotage?

Anonymous said...

one to go

Anonymous said...

Dot they never mention anything but NFL

More karma for Carl.

Anonymous said...

Uh, JP...he's about to lose a heckuva lot more than a lap.

Daly Planet Editor said...

At least Bestwick has a clue...

Sophia said...

By the way, WHY is the coverage so BIPOLAR/schizophrenic between NW and CUP?

Last night was so great?

Tonight ??

The Loose Wheel said...

MNF does do a pitch for the NASCAR race. I've seen it during college games even

Vicky D said...

Good explanation by TB. Poor Carl when it rains it pours.

The Loose Wheel said...

with the NW race, NASCAR is less concerned with the empty stands as they only have a limited number of seats open. Where I see the tight shots are where i know there are empty seats. Its bad for image when your premiere series doesn't have full stands.

Anonymous said...

brotherflounder said...

How long until the Cat in the Hat accuses RCR of sabotage?

October 11, 2008 8:36 PM
---
Depends on How fast they get a mic in front of him

Sophia said...

at least camera wise

Anonymous said...

Great idea from Hot pass about the lucky dog. Do they do who is in the garage or on pit road some how?

Why can't ESPN do something like that? Lucky dog in blue, in the garage in grey, pit road red. They do it with in the chase and we are supposed to understand that so why not expand the idea if they arn't going to give us the info by PXP?

Sophia said...

sorry carl!!

:-)

NOT!!

will we hear from SCHRADER?

The Loose Wheel said...

BTW there are no light problems in 3-4. Those are the original lights and some idiot at LMS built the new stands behind the light poles. Thus why those seats are a hard sell for LMS and are dirt cheap.

Anonymous said...

They've said the 77 has been in the wall a couple of times ...

BUT

They NEVER showed it ...


More "let's focus only on the Chasers" crap ...

PammH said...

Good info & coverage on Cuz Carl. Karma is a bear, bud..LOL! sophia, you are quite welcome! Glad to help.

Anonymous said...

Soph Re bipolar telecast.

It has been that way between NN and Cup for the last three months.

Anonymous said...

Banks traditionally lose customers when they are taken over and I'm sure the sniping at Wachovia has already begun - and NC is one of the most competitive banking markets in the U.S. Wells as successor to Wachovia may want to ramp up advertising to keep customers - and BB&T and BOA to try to take customers from a wounded Wachovia.

Anonymous said...

i know punch has knowledge of racing, but did he honestly just suggest Mears could pass Johnson and Stewart to get back on the lead lap. That made ZERO sense.

Saying a guy who has been so slow that he's lost a lap would all of a sudden be able to pass the only two drivers who have led the entire race (other than AJ) is insane.

If you don't have something intelligent to say, say nothing Punch. It would be better, trust me.

Anonymous said...

show the race in the bigger box and edwards sitting there in the small one. not the way you have it ESPN.

Dot said...

Can we have the race in the big box, please?

Daly Planet Editor said...

OK, which pit reporter is assigned Carl today? Get ready...

Haus14 said...

Good grief... you would think Carl Edwards was 300 points down right now. "His championship hopes evaporate?"


Guys, don't forget, there are still 5 races left after tonight.

Sophia said...

I thought they would NEVER take down the carl split screen.

Gee minelly.

bevo said...

Changed the panel out on the dash, solved the problem for Edwards

Daly Planet Editor said...

Born to Run? Are you kidding me?

The Loose Wheel said...

Tony is just in another zip code right now. Gordon seems to have made the car better running top 20 solidly now

Anonymous said...

Trust me I have an inside at B of A they are just prying Merryil and Countrywide don't bring them down. They couldn't even be bothered to buy into the FDIC insurance for Money Markets untill three days after the program was announced and they had a HUGE deposit base flight.

Getting Wachovia brancehes is the least of thier thoughts

Vicky D said...

Anon at 8:41 - maybe Casey Mears could sail into the corner and pass both TS & JJ to get in the lead lap.

Dot said...

Jack must not rate. He's in the small box.

Anonymous said...

Magicly?

Daly Planet Editor said...

Probably better that Jack did not hear that weak Shannon-like question from Massaro.

Karen said...

ri88girl said...

Trust me I have an inside at B of A they are just prying Merryil and Countrywide don't bring them down. They couldn't even be bothered to buy into the FDIC insurance for Money Markets untill three days after the program was announced and they had a HUGE deposit base flight.


Oh, crap. Thought BoA was in good shape.

stricklinfan82 said...

I would definitely prefer it if Hotpass would switch the Carl Edwards channel to Biffle, Stewart, or someone else in contention. Not much value in watching someone run around 16 laps down for the next 3 hours, in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

It would appear the racing Gods at not working in Cuz Carl's favor

Dot said...

Wow, lots of empty seats shown from the blimp cam.

Vicky D said...

Did JP just call Kyle Busch Kyle Petty?

Anonymous said...

There's a real BOA versus Wachovia history going back decades. I bet many at BOA would like nothing more than to take customers from Wachovia. Wells will need to defend its turf once Wachovia is theirs.

I guess it is safe to say that Carl does not have the race by the throat.

Anonymous said...

Bleh. All Gordon did was pit after hitting the wall and go a lap down. He still had a car better than 80% of the field.

Calm down Punch.

"Give a call...folks"

Anonymous said...

Please no replays under green flags!
Show the race on the track now

Dot said...

@ Richard in NC, did you see the bottom line too? I read the throat comment too. When did the story change?

Anonymous said...

B of A is SOUND. it is just that they have taken some wild bets with the two mergers and they are having difficulty assessing conterparty risk. BUT the bank itself is fine and will be able to let off alot of the bad paper they hold to the FED. Wachovia, and some other regional banks do not have the same deposti base.

I was refering to the fact that
B of A is a penny pincher and if it doesn't have to pay for something it won't. Howerver, when its high net worth customers started to run they bought the insurance LOL.

Anonymous said...

gee tire ya think?

Anonymous said...

uite lucky timing for ESPN there. Hope Junior's okay.

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