ESPN2 will present the Nationwide Series race at 4PM. Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race show with Dale Jarrett and Brad Daugherty. Rusty Wallace has the weekend off as does Vince Welch in the pits. Mike Massaro will sub for Welch.
Dr. Jerry Punch will call the action with Jarrett and Andy Petree alongside. The regular pit road cast of Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Dave Burns will also work the race.
The track is fast and the Nationwide field is a mix of Cup drivers, Nationwide veterans and lots of drivers will very little experience on ovals like Vegas. Keep an eye on the tail of the field to see if there are some "start and park" teams in this event.
This post will serve to host the in-progress comments about the race. Just click on the comments button below to add your TV-related comments. This website is family-friendly, please avoid foul language or hateful speech. Thanks and happy posting.
201 comments:
1 – 200 of 201 Newer› Newest»At 3:50pm, there is 6:31 left in the basketball game.
Classic time!
JD,
Any idea why ESPN360 doesn't have the race? I seem to recall they carried all of them last year.
BTW a big thumbs up to ESPN for enabling ESPN360 remote. If your ISP provides it you can link it with your ESPN account and access it away from home.
No clue, except they regard it as a second tier event.
Live on classic...
Classic it is for the second week in a row!
Glad I remember what channel Classic is :)
Hopefully they'll tell us when it's time to go back to the Deuce, I missed the transition last week and looked up and saw whatever show was on. But as long as they don't do it again while a poor fella is trying to pray I don't mind the "when" they do it.
Go Uncle Brenni Go!
Thanks.
Hope they decide to carry them. Last year I watched a few of the races on 360 out on the patio with a good cigar and a frosty (or two or six) brews :)
Must be nice to have a daddy that owns a casino!
Wow, three weeks off until Bristol. I didn't realize that until glancing at the schedule. That should get us out of this basketball delay pattern.
Lots of rich boys in the sport right now. All three series.
Not all of us have Classic - this ESPN coverage infuriates me. I get the bonus of seeing DJ instead of Rusty and the jerks at ESPN can't show it I'm fuming.
Erik,
Like football, college basketball has changed and the new breed of player is slowing down the games.
This is now a chronic problem for both the networks and syndicators carrying college hoop.
It is tough to get a game over in a two hour format with commercials and a standard halftime. It has been playing havoc with the schedules.
JD
Except for the birth of NASCAR racing has always been a playground for the rich. I think that was the basis for other forms of motorsports looking down their noses at NASCAR which we still see today.
@bevo--yup his daddy sponsored him for many years after he lost NAPA (he might have sponsored him as he came up as well, not sure). I think he still offers race weekend packages for the fans.
@JD--yup quite a bit of money connections the last few years especially.
JD, I dont like your implication on the front page. You say the Nationwide "Race has started." And it scared the @%#& out of me. Until I went to NASCAR.com and saw that the RACE has not started on ESPN's Pre-race broadcast has. You should change that.
Sorry
On = Only
in my last post
BBall finally over
Weird to see Mike back in the firesuit.
Was there a warning to change the channel to BSPN2? I wasn't watching.
Dot said...
Was there a warning to change the channel to BSPN2? I wasn't watching.
February 28, 2009 4:20 PM
YES, there was.
I still don't understand what Brad adds to the broadcast. AB and DJ are all you need.
The basketball announcers were great with the NASCAR comments, it sounded like both of them knew the sport very well.
The entire process of transitioning from one network to another is still a bit rough. Especially for those who do not have ESPN Classic. ESPN2 does not do a big reset when the network goes on-air, they just continue in the pre-race format.
JD
@Dot--I missed the announcement as well...just flipped over when they went to commercial and saw the BBall people celebrating the game was finished.
@bevo--I don't get Brad's contribution either. Was it Wednesday when Ted was on? A couple of stepping on toes moments there.
@JD--yes it would be very nice if they did a recap for those who don't have Classic. Recap the stories that had been touched on before.
JD, Thank You for removing the bad implication.
Anon, I removed it because the coverage switched over to ESPN2, but I understand your point.
The Nationwide telecast is one big piece, as are the Cup shows. I will make sure to refer to them as telecasts in the future.
JD
was that the first sighting of Carl's mom this season?
John, I'm pretty sure I spotted Carl's mom at Daytona.
Pretty good crowd.
I agree a very nice crowd on hand.
I missed it, who's daddy owns a casino? Brendan Gaughan (Sp?)
Nice shot of jets...somebody missed them last week during anthem.
I am going out to hear music and might tape the race but whether I watch it, who knows. Will check back here for SURE for the rest of the story.
:)
Technically, Brendan Gaughan is NOT a "native" of Las Vegas ... as he was born in Los Angeles ...
Sophia - Brendan's dad (Michael) owns the South Point Casino ... Used to own the Orleans Casino ...
Much better crowd than at California. We missed the pre-race show as we were on speed with re-wound cup practice.
What an interesting mix of characters in this race. It should be fascinating to see what stories ESPN chooses to cover.
Sophia-
His grandfather started the business. His dad carries on.
Agree JD - Speed with Kyle and Harvick could be fun
I guess the broadcast will be a Busch lovefest this afternoon already and it's only the 4th lap. I wonder if we'll see any full time NW drivers that are racing today besides BK, JK or JL.
w00t! to TV time for Mr. Morgan :)
And Denny is the first caution
Uh Oh! The Klondike Bar got into it as well :(
@Gymmie-
What would he do for a Klondike?
/sorry... had to do it
Yeah a cup guy spins for first caution.
Weird camera cutting for the live accident. Glad for the replay.
Are some drivers using the old body style cars, and some using the "car of tomorrow?"
Poor BK is snakebit so far this season!
Wow. thanks for the answers on BG..maybe I won't tape this race and one of my fave drivers will do better. :)
More fun to read the blog later..and if it's a love fest for KY, ain't interested.
Hopefully the pub MIGHT have race on a tv but doubt it..did not have the Bud shoot out last time.
This place does have wi fi but I am not that addicted to this place and will enjoy my band.
Have fun everybody.
@Jason-
COT for NW is on the backburner for now
@bevo--LOL! I love the one years ago when they sponsored Jeff Burton a few races and the commercial was of him riding a tricycle for his.
Jason,
No COT's in the Nationwide Series quite yet, but the rumor is they are coming soon.
JD
Anyone think Mark has ever eaten a PopTart? :)
wow, Cup driver in a Nationwide Series race as a guest. Mark did run a lot of Busch Series racing, but I wonder what this is all about.
I've wondered if he's eaten any of his sposnsors' products as well.
There goes Kylie, Scott & David
Oh wait...maybe David just took evasive action....
Scotty had no where to go
Those flashing lights in front of the desk in the studio are too bright and distracting.
JD...MM is sort of the defending champ of the race....
Jerry is doing a much better job of calling the play by play. He got right in there and stayed with the action until the end.
Yep, I remember Mark hooking Brad and taking out the front of the field.
Doesn't Martin have the most Grand National/Busch/NW wins ever? At least he did as of a few years ago.
Cup guys causing some issues today.
@Gymmie-
Sort of doubt it, Martin was a health freak before it was fashionable in NASCAR :)
Quick question...are the ads for tickets for Bristol national ads?
Last week...Michigan ticket ads ran all during the Cup race (I live in the metro Indianapolis area).
Anon at 5:16 PM we saw the Bristol tix ads here in Houston.
Mark was amazing in the Winn dixie car all those years in the Busch Series.
I wonder if they got a driver in because Rusty is off today?
Didn't notice Bristol ads (switching to the hockey game during commercials) but down here we had Martinsville ads in addition to Texas ones.
JD, to give the benefit to ESPN, who else would they interview?? The NW guys are racing (or wrecking, as the case may be).
The red flag will mean the race will finish on BSPNCL.
Change your DVR settings if you leave before the race is over.
Mark looks much less stressed than he did a couple of years ago
I hear ya Bevo!
Brad's in it for the free food. He was bugging Happy last year for some of Dee's cookies.
@anon 5:16--yes it is, I see it all the time here in DFW. I wish they'd bring back the "Bristol Divorce" commercial I LOVED that one!
Bevo, maybe MM's had some "work" done! LOL. He is 50 now though.
Misc. thoughts...
The kid in the escalator ad, for Old Spice looks like Mr. Bean's son!
Incredible.
100% fault KB gets interviewed by Jaime, and leaves on his shades.
In pre-race show, JR at least takes off shades for interviews. Class act!
JR needs to stay classy in Sprint Cup too, if he wants to be in top 35 points! Could be messy PR for NASCAR if most popular driver has to qualify to race, in a few weeks.
Scott Speed needs a hair tonic sponsor. ;-)
And I forgot to add "Brad tours the garage" segment from the other week where he "sampled" some of the food the various teams cooked up
@Gary--maybe Brian can hook him up with the folks who sponsored him a few years back when he was with Hendrick.
JWTs turn
I think Brad D was wrong about the amount of cautions today. So far, it's been a wreck fest.
Thank you for your responses to the Bristol ads.
I never thought I would see the day that Bristol would be running ads for tickets. We have ads on the radio daily.
Great crowd today....for a place where you have muliple options for entertainment.
Gymmie, Benny Parsons used to have a segment during the races called "Buffet Benny" and it looked like he tasted and feasted on everything.
Didn't JWT race a truck at LVMS? JP should clarify that if so.
Wow, never seen this before. During the hockey game there was a huge banner ad during action for the April race at TMS. It was twice the size of the game ticker and lasted a good 10 seconds. On FoxSportsNet.
This is a nice solid race for the ESPN guys. Lots of action and good stories to follow.
The Nationwide dynamic might finally be a compelling one this year if someone other than a Cup driver can get in the mix.
JD
JD, and JP is again animated for this race. I wish they would mention the NW guys more. Casey Atwood was in the top 15 and never a word about him but now he's 2 laps down and we never heard why.
I agree that JP is doing a good job on play by play today. I disagree with the others who think Brad is not contributing much. I find him to be a great cheerleader for the sport in a time that really needs this now. He know what he's talking about and has a fans perspective in mind. BTW, I could care less if a driver takes off his sunglasses for an interview. Small potatoes.
Race recap 50 laps in, nice touch.
Am I the only one lost on what just happened between Wallace and Jr?
its been a good telecast so far
Have you noticed that Jerry has eliminated the old catch-phrases that he used over and over again for the last two seasons?
I haven't heard of anyone "sailing it into the corner" yet.
Jerry seems different this year. im not sure why but something is different
I'm confused when some of you mention coverage starting on Classic and then switching. I turned on ESPN2 at 4:30 EST, saw the prayer, anthem, command, etc. No basketball. I'm on Time-Warner in South Carolina.
Missed the action on the track for a few minutes too. Crashfest for sure but glad they showed the free pass car this time. The race rundown a few laps ago was great, although I do have live leaderboard running now. Hope no teams will run out of tires today too.
college basketball has overlapped with the pre-race show for the last two weeks. Luckily, neither of the games went to overtime.
Palmetto,
i think the prerace started on classic but by 4:30 it was back on espn2
@ JD 5:55, Maybe there hasn't been enough GF laps yet. He is doing a better job though.
I couldn't believe they cut the Tony S comm'l short. Mistake?
Nice cutting the commercials for pit stops.
Seems to be more life and enthusiasm in the booth today.
JD,
I've heard "driving the wheels off" two times. But he is getting better about it.
JD and The J, thanks. My agreement with my wife is I can watch all the racing I want on the main set as long as I don't make her sit through anything that doesn't actually have cars making circles. I can watch whatever I want on the 13" in the garage!
Oh, and JD, glad you're back!
Comments seem knd of slow today? Due to some good racing and coverage?
start and park info anyone?
i like that theyre talking about allgaier's great run so far.
I did this last minute Dot, kind of a stealth chat...
@Vicky D--I have on one of my tapes a segment from the October Charlotte 2K3 qualifying. The Pit Boyz had the evening off and BP was working Pit Road and they brought him a feast. He was interviewing Mikey and after serenading Jr. for his birthday the boyz showed up with a feast. He had wine and lobster and something else. I remember the teasing he got for his sampling. There was one, where there was pizza or doughnuts right out of reach. I think they were under a rain delay and were chatting in the booth. And Wally & Allen gave him a hard time about him being able to see and smell it but not being able to reach it. I miss BP :(
@Palmetto--the prerace was scheduled to start 4 PM eastern on the Deuce and the race 4:30 eastern. But the BBall game ran over about 15 minutes. So we watched the Pre-Race on Classic and flipped over when the game ended.
If we had Rusty in the booth he'd be saying - they're driving their brains out - so at least we don't have to be aggravated! Poor Bliss.
Go Mr. Alligator Go!
The wall painters are going to be busy later.
The broadcast does seem less scripted today. Maybe because KyB is already out.
JD, you can't have stealth chats. We all check TDP daly. I think of it as a pleasant surprise.
they just jinxed annett
@Vicky D-
I tell you what - I think you're right :)
#0, #15, *81. This is officially a wreck fest.
I guess it's the rookies turn to have spins now. So many yellows and reds. Coming out of Texas Motor Speedway after a Busch race, we were listening to a Robert Richardson radio interview and he's a very interesting guy. Would like for him to do better too. I wonder how many times we are going to see this Golden Corral commercial today.
Uh oh, another red flag.
Vicky D said...
"Coming out of Texas Motor Speedway after a Busch race"
I don't think Busch races exist.
this nationwide Dale Jr commercial is getting replayed every break. its annoying
You'll see a bunch of Golden Corral ads. They're doing a sponsorship tomorrow and if the car finishes in the top 10 it's a free buffet for every kid in America.
what car is golden corral sponsoring?
They're sponsoring Kvapil
well he didnt qualify for the race so that promotion is uh, well its dead for tomorrow
It's for the next three races.
From the press release:
"Golden Corral, America's favorite family buffet and grill restaurant chain, is extending its NASCAR involvement and has signed on to sponsor Yates Racing driver Travis Kvapil for the next three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. It will also continue its "Race for America's Families" promotion. Each time Kvapil posts a top 10 finish, Golden Corral will give every kid in America a free buffet* as well as make a $5,000 donation to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV)."
oh ok well i hope travis qualifies for those races.
The Golden Corral decals are very small. They show their commls here all the time. Funny thing is, there aren't any in LV.
ESPN's graphic is wrong...Edwards isn't leading anymore. Allgaier has lead for a couple laps now.
Rut Roh! Cousin Carl in trouble!
Only 3 S&P today (90,91,96)....for a long trip that is really not to bad.
Mr. Alligator getting some good words from the booth and including the other drivers.
Wow. This is what needs to happen more often to the Cup drivers. Really shakes things up.
thanks for the info, I was wondering about that.
Booth doing a very solid job today, getting some good info from the pit reporters too
Geez! Cautions breading cautions
Jeff & Happy, young Steven, Stanton :(
They're just doing their part to stimulate the economy today :)
A lot of money torn up out there
So true Bevo. And the fans are getting their money's worth too. Glad all the wrecks are injury free.
'Funny thing is, there aren't any in LV."
So? these races are broadcast nationally, remember? Im sure it'll get some TV time no matter how small it is.
Things will get interesting soon, because there's no way this race is getting over by 7:30p.m. Eastern....who's going to get priority....NASCAR or a pair of mid-major basketball teams. If I had to assume that game will start on ESPN Classic.
@Vicky--Yes I've been impressed with the props that Mr. Alligator & Mr. Morgan have received today :)
@bevo--They're definitely doing a great job of that! It's one of those "I went to a demolition derby and a race broke out" days :p
This has got to be one of the best, if not the best, Nationwide telecast that ESPN has done in the two seasons of racing.
Sigh, it just goes to show you, some people only like this race because of the crashes. Not me of course.
Lots of owners getting their moneysworth (in one way) from their pit crew members today.
Daly Planet Editor said...
This has got to be one of the best, if not the best, Nationwide telecast that ESPN has done in the two seasons of racing.
You can say that again, JD.
They must have lost the script!
@ Anon 6:45, the Golden Corral commls are shown during non racing shows here too. That's what I meant.
@ Anon 6:47, it's not the wrecks fans like to see, it's the awe of the drivers not wrecking more often. The collisions are just part of it.
Morgan Shepherd on the lead lap..in Vegas...
Good for him...the irony is really funny
#12 is really looking good..
There hasn't been a post saying they like the crashes, we're commenting on the number of them
Did you guys see that Nicole Manske is going to host the Monday NASCAR Now roundtable next week?
ESPN is mixing things up, I give them credit. And they are bringing Evernham, Craven and LaJoie back for the panel.
Anon, 6:47PM
I don't EVER want to see crashes. The best races I've ever seen have been caution-free.
JD,
Notice they're coming back from commercials right into the action? No music videos or anything.
I like it!
JD - a non nationwide question - after seeing the commerical.
The FOX racing team seems to always refer to Tony Stewart as the Old Spice #14 (never the Old Spice/Office Depot)...is that due to the purchase of ads?
He's running 4th, 5th, 4th, 5th :)
Funny!
@anon--6:47--I haven't seen any posts of anyone enjoying the crashes.
@Dot--IKWYM. Not for GC as I think we do have some here, but every once in a while we get the Slowsky's Comcast commercial and we haven't had them in DFW for I believe 4 years now.
Yes I did see that Nicole would be doing the Roundtable.
Just noticed another crowd shot. What a burn to ISC that SMI has a bigger crowd than CA did. Just expanding on an earlier posters' comment about more entertainment options here in LV.
Poor Biff, snake bit again.
Just looked at the guide. Boxing marathon on after Bball. JD, are they moving the race? Post race?
@Dot-
Love him or hate him Bruton knows how to run a track and promote it
Not that I'm complaining, but it's been a looong time since comml.
Does Vegas still not allow coolers? I was at the first Truck race at the track...remember we could not bring anything to the track.
They must really do a great job of promotion...and Vegas is a cool place to visit.
I really think DJ is pulling hard for the #12...in a good way.
ESPN finishes events in progress and moves the next event in almost all cases.
This race has the feel of a truck series telecast, easy to watch and lots of stories being explained.
Let me repeat. The Cup guys getting spanked really adds excitement. First Biff, and now Hamlin. I love it.
Btw, I have nothing against them as drivers.
I'm loving this telecast. So many happenings keeping the boys in the booth on their toes.
"First Biff, and now Hamlin. "
How so? The Biff is leading!!
And the pit reporters are really giving us lots of information too. Very good telecast!
Yeah, I expect the race to finish on ESPN2, but with a very abbreviated post-race, the winner interview likely done by Andy or Dale over the radio before cutting to basketball. If they even have time for that.
Biff was running out of gas.
"This race has the feel of a truck series telecast, easy to watch and lots of stories being explained."
JD, I'm sure you meant that in the nicest possible way, but it sure sounds like a slam on Cup coverage :-D
"but it sure sounds like a slam on Cup coverage"
How? We love the truck telecasts here. And that should have nothing to do with the CUP side.
You mention ESPN mixing things up and so forth. It must be across the board ESPN is doing that, because I notice this year with their NBA & College Basketball coverage, they've been doing a lot of mixing & matching with their announcing teams. For instance, one game it'll be Brent Musburger & Steve Lavin, but the next game Musburger is with Bobby Knight while Lavin is with Dave O'Brien. Like I say they've been stuff like with their NBA crews as well.
I think what ESPN is doing by doing that is to see if it'll help keep everyone fresh.
How is it that Shannon Spake (in her early 30s) refers to David Ragan as "this young man"? It sounds silly. It's annoying enough that so many of the older guys refer to 20 somethings that way.
And what's up with Jamie Little asking Scott Speed "What happened out there?". Uh, he just got caught up in Kyle Busch's wreck. I'm sorry, its just a dumb question.
Single file restart. Is this the first one with 20 to go?
JD,
Has there been a change in personnel with the production staff or something?
Wow. BSPN is now playing Bball roulette.
Anon 7:28, don't get me wrong. I think the Trucks are some of the finest racing going, both in terms of the racing and the coverage (excluding Mikey's constant Aaron's referrals). I meant JD's comment could be interpreted as saying the Truck series coverage is superior to Cup coverage (which it often is).
Dot said...
Single file restart. Is this the first one with 20 to go?
February 28, 2009 7:33 PM
NASCAR changed the rules. You didnt hear? Single file restarts now come with 20 to go.
"I meant JD's comment could be interpreted as saying the Truck series coverage is superior to Cup coverage (which it often is)."
I don't see how....but, I think we can just agree to disagree on that issue.
I'm in shock. Split screen with racing action. Be still my heart.
Crud! Denny & Mike :(
Dot said...
I'm in shock. Split screen with racing action. Be still my heart.
That thud you heard was my jaw hitting the floor.
Split-screen! Yahooooooo!
Did I mention this was like a Truck Series race? Now we get green/white/checker.
Good replays.
@ Anon 7:37, yeah I knew about the rule. Was this the first race it happened in? That was my question.
This has been a wreck-fest :( But the coverage has been terrific! We are seeing REAL racing for a change.
CUP cars are back in front...interesting huh?
What a mess. I never expected all these cautions during this race.
Dot I believe a truck race had a single file restart this year with less than 20 laps to go.
Could be an interesting day tomorrow with the COT and it's handling on this track. Wonder how much Fox will reference this race.
Thank you Vicky D.
Vicky D-
Wasn't it Daytona?
I'm pretty sure it was Daytona. But doesn't Mike Bliss looked whipped????
Morgan 13th!!!!!
I say dump the races in Cali and give LV three races.
This has been a great race.
@Karen-
Nice thought but no way is ISC giving up two race dates to SMI
Congratulations to Da Biff :)
Thanks everyone for stopping by, please join us for the Cup race tomorrow.
There will be a full column up for your comments on this race shortly.
JD
I hate when these broadcasters get giddy about a cup guy winning a Nationwide race.
Karen said...
I say dump the races in Cali and give LV three races.
This has been a great race.
February 28, 2009 8:00 PM
Again....Why??? that takes 2 races away from me. There are actually humans living out west that can only afford to travel a short distance to California Speedway. I feel sidelined by your comment.
Biffle must have been told that Espn is getting ready to go to Basketball and get in Victory Lane. No spin outs just get to the interview.
Great coverage all around by ESPN. Guys in the booth were great including the good doctor. Pit reporters had good information. Great camera work and loved the lighter production touch.
I hope the Cup race is just as exciting.
Good job by all.
anon 8:04...maybe because Vegas drew more for a Nationwide race than your track drew the ENTIRE WEEKEND.
Great job by ESPN...even got 2 interviews before going to basketball
Anon @ 8:08 PM
Thats BS. I think ya'll on the east coast are getting selfish and not caring about the SoCal folks anymore.
anon 8:04...I'm sorry, but you can't compare the quality of racing from last wk to this wk, which is why the comment was made. No offense to you, but the racing @ ACS is NOT good. No slight to u, just your racetrack.
Anon said ...
I feel sidelined by your comment.
Didn't mean to hurt your feelings.
Thanks, PammH. That's exactly what I meant.
What they really need to do is reconfigure the Fontana track to make the racing more interesting, but in this economy I don't see that happening.
You sort of drew around 10-15 thousand for the truck/nationwide doubleheader...60K (that is really being generous) for the cup race.
Was not trying to disrespect the good fans at your track....but your numbers are not cutting it!
"No offense to you, but the racing @ ACS is NOT good."
I understand...but instead of talking about taking all race dates away from a region, we should petition to make a change to ACS. Something like Vegas did a few years back to create a good race like today.
that victory lane there at vegas looks like a random spot in the infield that has a banner which says victory lane on it.
way too much plugging of the basketball game. plus only 2 post race interviews is unacceptable
heres an idea. instead of racing at the auto club track, why not race at irwindale? its in socal too. so it pleases the people who want better racing and it keeps socal fans happy.
"instead of racing at the auto club track, why not race at irwindale?"
While that is a good idea, im not sure Irwindale has enough seats and other necessities to support a CUP event per NASCAR regulations.
I say we build a brand new track in San Diego, CA or Riverside, CA, but thats just me.
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