Sunday, March 29, 2009

Live Blogging The Martinsville Sprint Cup Race on Fox


After a rainy and messy weekend, the sky has cleared and the Sprint Cup race from Martinsville will be run as scheduled.

Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond will start the day in the Hollywood Hotel at 1:30PM. Darrell Waltrip will join them for the pre-race show and then scoot up to the announce booth to join Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds for the 2:15PM race.

This day is being featured as the 25th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports. Rick Hendrick has already appeared on the other NASCAR TV programs, so look for him on the Fox pre-race show. It should be interesting to see who asks the questions.

Down on pit road it will be Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda and Dick Berggren reporting. These four will be on the spot today because of the potential issues on the narrow and dangerous Martinsville pit road.

The track is green and no rubber down may contribute to single file racing and lots of arguments over space early on. It is easy to get a lap down and the fight in the back of the pack with the leader approaching is going to be a story for most of the event.

Martinsville has a great track level camera angle, where we will no doubt be seeing Digger appear. Using this effect under caution is great, but inserting the Digger animation during green flag racing can cause viewers to miss almost an entire lap. A lot can happen very quickly at Martinsville.

Fox switched to a triple-split on the caution flag pit stops. This use of three video boxes instead of four allows the TV viewer to see the pit road live while also watching the stops of the top three contenders. What a great move.

In the middle of this event, the grind becomes apparent and the TV crew has to search for stories to keep the viewers interested. The challenge for Fox this season has been to tell the stories of the cars outside of the top twenty. Just because a team finds themselves racing from the back of the pack should not mean they become invisible.

Everyone races the last lap like a heat race and the brand new Fox approach of showing a camera wideshot with live graphics as the field races to the finish line has been a welcome improvement this season. Hopefully, that will continue.

This post will host your comments about the coverage of the Sprint Cup Series from Martinsville on Fox. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below.

TDP is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.

313 comments:

1 – 200 of 313   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

I am so over these endless features on Speed where drivers talk about making commercials.
BARF.

Daly Planet Editor said...

That was a very pure product placement. Hope they got paid.

Newracefan said...

I just assumed they got paid, commercial pure and simple

Anonymous said...

Jimmy made a funny :p

The Loose Wheel said...

Spencer picked Mayfield? Guess that makes up for bashing the guy the last month...

Daly Planet Editor said...

Nice to see RaceDay get back on track. No Rutledge and only the Havick PR deal. Wendy and Hermie are making that show hum right now.

Dot said...

Stremme calling Jimmy out.

Anonymous said...

Nice to show Geoff's Old School Car...the Bodines get such a bad rap but they seem like really neat guys :)

kbaskins said...

JD, you'll be happy to know that FOX KCPQ in Seattle finally got their act together and are showing the pre-race show instead of children's programming.

Woohoo! I get to stay home from work today and watch the race. Too bad my guys monumentally suck at this track.

--KarenB

Daly Planet Editor said...

Karen,

Wow! That is great news. Two years of yelling and emails may have finally gotten things straightened out. Congrats!

JD

Anonymous said...

LOVE IT! Go Dr. Dick Go!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Geez, the Myers thing is kinda lame.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Maybe now Myers will knock it off for the rest of the Fox season.

Anonymous said...

I wish Fox would clearly indicate in their TV schedule how long their pre-race fluff programming is. It should be a seperate entry in the guide like how ESPN does it.

Its like movie theater listings. The start time advertised could be a good 30 minutes from the start of the movie after all the ads and previews.

Daly Planet Editor said...

If they would just say the green flag is at 2:15PM it would be a start.

bevo said...

Howdy folks!

Anybody catch the F1 race this morning? They totally changed the aero on the cars, changed the tires to slicks and changed the compounds on the tires. Guess what happened. No tire problems at all. Think Goodyear could use some of those Bridgestone engineers? I'll bet Smoke would agree :)

Austin Thompson said...

My pick is Johnson. I don't like they guy but I respect his ability. I just wish like hell that Junior or Edwards would start showing up.

Anonymous said...

@JD--which Myers thing? The Montage of Dr. Dick jokes?

Palmetto said...

All future renditions of the national anthem should be by marching band. The only exception is the children's choir at Bristol.

bevo said...

Track promoters take note : that's how you do the national anthem!

Sophia said...

Yes Fox is fluff. I am watching season 1 of a tv show on DVD. First 5 dvd's just got straight to the feature. The 6th and final disk? 9 MINUTES of promotion for movies, and ABC stuff from Desperate Housewives to SOAPNET. Glad I got it from the library.

Oh and you can't ff thru the promos.

sigh. I agree, Fox should schedule the pre-race show ALONE.

Oh but I have to see I liked Dr. B getting back at CM.

That reminds me the Formula 1 race is on this afternoon, must tape for room mate.

All anthems should be INSTRUMENTALS!! That was nice to hear and see.
:)

wish camera work could've gotten ALL the jets in the picture. would've been nice.

Austin Thompson said...

Hows about Busch getting booed? Guess that's what happens when you spend all week bashing someone.

Sophia said...

@Bevo

No spoilers but what time was the race on? I kept wondering why I could not find it on SPEED until 4:30pm since it was from Australia? I forgot to check middle of the night.

Glad to hear the tire changes was a good thing. I agree, be nice to see those tire guys in NASCAR.

Brian said...

That is the way the national anthem should be! Great job to the ladies and gentlemen who were playing it!

Dot said...

JD, why do they keep the exact start time a secret? It'd be nice to know in case one wants to tape the pre race show only.

Palmetto said...

Anon @ 1:52, no other sport combines the pre-game and competition broadcasts into a single television listing. I agree that doing so is a bad idea. I don't care when the 'broadcast' starts, I care when the event starts.

There's also no excuse for not starting within three minutes of the hour. If every other sport can do it, so can NASCAR.

Sophia said...

@Austin

Who did Ky B bash? I missed it but heard the guys refer to such a statement. tx

Dot said...

I hope Jeff G wins. I want to see a better shot of Ingrid's haircut.

bevo said...

Sophia-

12:30 Central this morning. Tape the Grand Prixview too, did a good job catching everyone up on the team changes.

Be prepared - it was a wild and woolly race :)

Sophia said...

@Bevo! WOW, Glad I asked, will tape the preview..was wondering about that. Now to go set my timer to REMEMBER! :)

room mate won't get back until later tonight.

Anonymous said...

@Sophia--it was on at 1 am eastern for their preview, then the race stuff started at 1:30 am eastern and the race a hair after 2 am eastern

kbaskins said...

Dot:

Check Jayski's page for the approximate start times. Go to the page for the particular race you're interested in and the time is listed there.

--KarenB

bevo said...

BTW Jayski'd always has the Green Flag time near the top of the race page

Sophia said...

@VCR folks

Please help. the old VCR with the digital tv in my room needs to tape the F1 race. I only know how to tape one touch recording on these digital tv/tape recordings.

VCR only has two speeds. EP and SP. Which will give me more tape time?

I have cut off races before due to confusion. :( Can't find the book just now.

Thanks

Dot said...

Thank you Karen.

@ dear Sophia, EP.

Sophia said...

thanks Gymmie for the info times too. :)

I have been slow on Twitter lately. I think I am weary of it..and tired of the celebrity "ghost Twitterers".

Whew, boy, Tony Stewart is the in car cam.

I hope he does fantastic anyway!!

Sophia said...

Thanks Dot! Will make a note back there right now.

brb

inkthatpaints said...

Did Tony just say that "Goodyear brought a great tire here" ... wh-wh-what!?

Daly Planet Editor said...

Hi everyone! For those of you joining us for the first time we are in our third season of watching the TV broadcasts of the Sprint Cup series and offering comments.

Everyone is entitled to their views in this forum and we keep things family friendly due to our diverse group of readers.

Thanks for dropping by TDP!

JD

Daly Planet Editor said...

Did I miss it or was there no Digger cartoon in the pre-race today?

Newracefan said...

JD Shssssss

Daly Planet Editor said...

Something about gift horse and mouth?

bevo said...

JD -

I think the Myers thing trumped Digger :)

Daly Planet Editor said...

Hope they can get some rubber down and make it stick.

Vicky D said...

Missed most of the pre-race show, but caught the National Anthem and enjoyed that. I did hear Smoke talk positive about the Goodyear tires. My fav is not having a good start either. What's wrong with those Fords lately.

bevo said...

Looks like it's going to be a long day with the in-car shots

Sophia said...

ok. it is over cast here and once again the fox DIGITAL channel is breaking up...sigh

BUT the main old FASHIONED station and TV is great. :)

bevo said...

Think anyone is watching the commercials during the race or switching over to the Mich St- Louisville game???

Sophia said...

Um...When did Fox add a black bar to the TOP and bottom of the screen? My normal old tv is displaying this way now???

We had the FULL 4:# screen filled last week. :(

wow...this tv just got smaller in the LR and I need to tape the F1 race on my 30 inch tv as I am NOT familiar with this VCR. Wah.

dang the CRAWL is not about 1/3 down the picture on this and VERY TINY! boo

Sophia said...

Hmmm Cincy station but into the 4:3 ratio after first commercial.

Just switched to DAYTON FOX and THANKFULLY they are STILL filling the 4:3 ration on my screen.

The Loose Wheel said...

Hope they talk about what some of the teams are doing with their front suspensions like what the #2 is doing and how it'll affect wear if wear becomes an issue

Sophia said...

Wonder what Clint just said on his radio about Mikey.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Think ya got the HD feed going there Soph. Both Fox feeds in SD and HD are just fine right now.

As I mentioned in the column, the back of the pack action is going to be key today.

JD

Mary said...

Anyone got Raceview? I have the sound but no graphics - sigh.

Anonymous said...

Looks like we only had 3 so far JD, there's only 3 on Hulu (plus the theme song video and interview with Keith)...as *yes* I found the Digger channel on Hulu by accident, it was on the front page one day :p. And there wasn't one on the 8th or last week that I recall.

Dot said...

Just once I want to see Digger splattered when the cars run over him.

The Track Girl said...

Mary- I gave up on Raceview a long time ago. PitCommand is better. The graphics never worked for me.

Looks like a beautiful day there!

The Loose Wheel said...

Not a fan of that end of pit road shot but i guess thats just a product of the track. wish we had a camera from turn 1 personally then cut to the end shot for the race off

Kenn Fong said...

Sophia,

When your screen is "letterboxed" with the black bands on the top and the bottom of the screen, you're actually seeing more, although less of the screen is being filled. It's a paradox, but it's true.

You're getting a wider view. You're not actually losing anything on the top and bottom, it's just displayed in a narrower format, to permit viewing more of the sides.

In movies, this is the difference between widescreen and pan-and-scan full screen. Here's an example. In the classic "Odd Couple," when Felix and Oscar are playing poker with the boys, if you are watching the widescreen version you see more two or more of them listening and reacting, just as the director framed the shot. But in the fullscreen version (4:3 length to width aspect ratio), you generally only see closeups.

West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California

Anonymous said...

I'd rather Mike Joy call the race instead of reading stats on Hendrick Motorsports. By the time he realized there was a lead change, Gordon was 4-5 car lengths in front of Speed.

Anonymous said...

So Scott Speed, one of the rookies that these t.v. peeps have supposedly been SOOOOOO excited about, leads and they can barely mention him? The usual obsessing over the 24, 18 and 48 cars. Typical.

The Loose Wheel said...

18 and 82 just wrecked

SquidBuzz said...

Sad to say, but Time Warner cable in Milwaukee, WI is having technical problems and the race isn't on at the moment, at test pattern is.

Dot said...

Whoo Hooo!!

Anonymous said...

Start & Park Update:

#64 Todd Bodine pulled it in on lap 3. (Pretty sad in Cup series)

#66 Dave Blaney pulled it in on Lap 49. (Has parked 4 out of 5 races).

Anonymous said...

I've seen that Gillette Young Guns commercial multiple times. I still don't get what they're looking for at the end. Remote? Cell phone? There's no sound that indicates anything, just KB looking as if something happened.

Vicky D said...

Yeah, today's race broadcast is a Hendrick lovefest.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Squid,

Bad weather?

red said...

anon 2:28: doesn't the commercial copy have something about the cost being only a buck or so? honestly, i've taken to hitting the mute button on commercials but i recall thinking that it was something about digging for change in the sofa cushions -- or something.

Sophia said...

@Kenny Fong

Thanks I am familiar with the concept just wondered WHY it changed to Widescreen after a commercial break.

THINGS ARE LOTS TINIER on my screen thus I am not seeing "more" and the fonts on ticker IMPOSSIBLE to read. This tv is only 20 inch and the HD still having signal issues.

Like I said I switched to a Dayton affiliate and THEy still have tne normal 4;3 feed. Usually channel 19 ini Cincy you have to tune into the 19.1 station for the HD.

I think somebody messed up.

I just fired off an email to the PD.

Oh and I LOVE the Odd Couple!! TV and the movie.

:)

Anonymous said...

Poor Speedy :(

Daly Planet Editor said...

Two angles of the Kenseth problem, nice job.

Vicky D said...

What a long day Matt is going to have for my fav. Good video of tire mishap.

Newracefan said...

Wow 3 start and park in Cup, sad but at least they didn't beat out Mayfield and Riggs who don't intend to start and park (at least that's their story)

red said...

Daly Planet Editor said...
Two angles of the Kenseth problem, nice job.

agreed -- which makes me wonder why drew blick was arguing to the official?

Dot said...

That spin looked a little staged.

bevo said...

Not getting much information about the cars from the pit reporters today

Anonymous said...

@red--Yes sir! I've looked at it that they were looking for their change to go buy some more...

red said...

ok, good job by fox on placing that logano piece during the yellow with no pit stops happening. wasn't a particularly compelling piece but at least it didn't take away from actual racing or pit coverage.

Daly Planet Editor said...

He was arguing the old rule, that the tire was not out of the box.

Larry Mac was good in talking about the new rule of always being in control of the tires and why.

Nice job, hope they interview Scott Speed.

Still not happy about three start and parkers.

JD

The Loose Wheel said...

Riggs wont be a start and park team. Tommy Baldwin isnt that kind of guy...they are there to race.

Mayfield, I dont know about.

Did they show how Robby's tire got cut?

Dot said...

Funny how the Gillette comml references cost now. A dollar a week. Have you priced those things? They better do more than remove hair.

Daly Planet Editor said...

That AT&T feature has to kill SPRINT!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Reut and Ambrose in the top ten again. They are going to have to plug MWR sooner or later.

The Loose Wheel said...

What about the Verizon Speed Shot?

The Loose Wheel said...

Hamlin looking good despite hating his car off the corner. Says its bogging down.

Anonymous said...

David said...
'18 and 82 just wrecked'
March 29, 2009 2:46 PM


Yep and DW, once again, came to Kyle's defense, saying the wreck was a product of the track. Love DW BUT there is no excuse for Kyle being that aggressive this early in the race. This is not the first time he's done this year and it's the second time he's taken Scott Speed out of a race with the first one being the Nationwide race in Vegas.

red said...

" Daly Planet Editor said...
He was arguing the old rule, that the tire was not out of the box. "

copy that. my point is more like this: if you and i and everyone else knew that the penalty was b/c of the new rule about controlling the tire, what confused blick? i mean, he's a smart guy: i can't imagine he had a brain fart right then but ya' never know, i suppose.

Sophia said...

Watching Kyle Busch race tactics makes you wonder about that whole karma deal, does'nt it.

:(

I am tired of the Joey Home Depot commercial.

inkthatpaints said...

The Kenseth deal with the tire (via scanner) - Drew Blick said he was 'warned' about the tire being rolled but the official never actually told him that Matt had to serve a one lap penalty, that's why he was shown arguing.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Anyone listening to Sirius? How is their racecast going?

Vicky D said...

How many times today are we going to have to sit through that HD commercial with Logano?

SquidBuzz said...

Nope. Seems to have just been a fluke. The signal was really choppy, both video and sound. Then it went totally away for a few minutes and then back. We did get snow last night and have some winds today, but no reason for things to not be working.

red said...

@inkthatpaints: thanks! that makes sense. sure wish the booth could have given us that info . . .

The Loose Wheel said...

MRN putting on a solid broadcast they've been ontop of pit stops and what is going on with track battles. No interviews with any S&P drivers but that wouldn't surprise me.

bevo said...

Ever notice that "communication" seems to be a reoccurring issue with Jr?

PammH said...

I'm listening to Sirius, unless TV talks about my guy. Knew about the Speed/Busch caution before TV came back. Amazing listening to a real race!! ;) They talk about alot of different drivers & do a race rundown quite often. Love Barney Hall!

The Loose Wheel said...

What PammH said.

Field rundown right now as we speak

Daly Planet Editor said...

Hey! It just occurred to me. Have we seen the Digger animation and the sound effects?

I only recall seeing the logo and no sound. The announcers did not even talk about it.

Anyone?

Newracefan said...

Just got a blank screen and then ident info for race and now more commercials this isn't good

The Loose Wheel said...

Gordon ontop of traffic, Hamlin ontop of Gordon.

Another car with a flat, 8 car

Dot said...

I guess Jeff G didn't have a deal with David G. David should have spun so Jeff didn't have to navigate the lapped cars.

@ JD, to repeat an earlier comment, Shhhhh.

red said...

jd: i swear by all that is holy that if we suddenly start seeing that rodent on this broadcast, i am packing my hammer and sheet metal and flying down your way!

in all seriousness: is it at all feasible that maybe the message over "over used" is sinking in somewhere in fox-land?

Dot said...

Table for two for the Gordons'.

What racing god did Matt K pi$$ off?

red said...

hmmm. third or fourth cut tire today. anyone hearing any speculation about it?

Daly Planet Editor said...

Why did they show the crew member an miss the race off pit road? Terrible!

Newracefan said...

I'm afraid that it's because there is no grass in the infield in Martinsville and Bristol and he'll be back like gangbusters in Texas

Dot said...

Weed's day from bad to worse. Karma.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Dot,

Women tell me that all the time....never works!

Erik said...

What the heck? Showing a pit crew closeup instead of the race off pit road?

The Loose Wheel said...

Grubb telling Tony "itty bitty cords on RF"

PammH said...

Jeff showed us absolutely nothing w/that cut-away car. He should have watched DJ Copp this morn on NN. He's really gotten pretty good on TV.

Anonymous said...

Flat tires for Gilliland, Almirola, and Robby Gordon and no update on any? Instead we get a pre-recorded allstate satefty report.

Anonymous said...

"safety report"

Sorry, typo.

red said...

not b/c i personally don't understand but shouldn't hammond have explained what the bead is on the tire for folks? i mean, he's showing up all the duct work that's used to keep the tire cooled and most fans know all about the importance of that at a short track. but i would guess fewer folks know what the bead is and what it means to "melt the bead."

bevo said...

Something is really off with the broadcast today. Not getting much information on the cars from the pits, a lot of shots behind the cars instead of the action coming at us and slow to cut to the action.

The Loose Wheel said...

If only that 11 didnt have that stumble coming off the corner...

The Track Girl said...

Very little Digger! Just the camera and no screaming rat. Even the Powers that Be must realize how useless that camera angle is here..

Of course, we're only 154 laps in.

Sophia said...

Ok...PammH or somebody said Barney Hall so I got UP and turned on the radio.

but now they are interviewing the GOVERNOR????????


sigh

Local tv HD feed is way OFF on a newer tv...tv is 35 inch screen and about 5 years old. the black bar at the top of the station is huge, the lower black bar, smaller. On the 20 inch tv things seem more balanced...on second thought, no, off 'center' here too.

Glad I have the affiliate FILLING 4:3 tv..can at least see the ticker while I MUTE TV and listen to MRN guys.

I am sorry but I DO NOT LIKE PRN RADIO..

thankfully the gov interview was short but geez....

The Loose Wheel said...

MRN always does that Pamm...they usually have a few interviews during the race...they interviewed someone earlier too

Sophia said...

@Bevo

yes camera work not good.

We should see more headlights, not tail lights.

I am losing interest...have radio on and surfing the net. :0

The Loose Wheel said...

Er i meant Sophia lol

Daly Planet Editor said...

Yep, need to get a little more pit info and get the pit stops right next time.

That whole drivers playing the drums thing going to break is interesting......

JD

red said...

the 29 car is putting down some fassstttt laps!

bevo said...

So am I to assume that if I buy State Farm insurance they'll give me the stick?

Not the best advertising message if you ask me.

The Loose Wheel said...

Good time to go through the field

The J said...

just got home to watch this race and look at reutimann in the top 10 again!!!

Sophia said...

ok..have the tv on but tried to turn on Jeff H...LOUD TRACK NOISE...that was a ludicrous cutaway during GREEN FLAG...


sigh...Fox

not a good thing.

red said...

David said...
Good time to go through the field

agreed. but instead, we get a discussion about brake packages, something that should have been covered in the pre-race show, in my opinion.

The Loose Wheel said...

MRN talking about Stremme, going through the field

Dot said...

@ Red, Ditto.

Daly Planet Editor said...

I am hoping we will get a rundown at lap 200. There are some drivers who faded to the back and others who should not be there but are.

We really need the pit reporters to update us with a rundown outside the top ten.

JD

Sophia said...

MRN saying Jr had transmission gear shift slipping out of place.

I don't recall hearing that from tv?

The Loose Wheel said...

Good job talking about dinger...wow another RF.

Gotta get a rundown

The Loose Wheel said...

They reported JR early. After his first stop. They threw a bungee cord in and then went on a tirade about how they were shocked they didnt already have something like that in the car...

red said...

sophia: i believe they mentioned that dale picked up a bungee cord on that longggg stop that moved him to the rear of the pack and that led to a brief discussion about the transmission concerns for the 88 team this season.

The J said...

logano will probably be out of the top 35 next week

Dot said...

@ dear Sophia, they talked about JRs tranny earlier. They gave him a bungee cord earlier. Is it working?

Daly Planet Editor said...

So, what we are saying is that radio is once again calling a better race than the TV guys.

Anonymous said...

Gilliland, Almirola, Robby Gordon, Sadler, now Logano all have tire problems and still no update/reason for any.

Is it tire heat? too much camber? debris? What about everyone else's tires?

Dot said...

comment con't, I guess it is since JR is running 5th. Duh.

red said...

@david: sorry for stepping on your answer.

and "tirade" is a great word for what occured! seems to me that a team shouldn't be PLANNING for a transmission to slip and have a bungee cord in the car "just in case." maybe that was a necessary strategy back in the day but i certainly hope the sport has advanced a bit beyond that!

PammH said...

pretty much, JD. Now they are talking about the tires being cut.

The J said...

tire info really needs to be updated

red said...

Daly Planet Editor said...
So, what we are saying is that radio is once again calling a better race than the TV guys

and we're surprised because . . . ?

The Loose Wheel said...

My early guess on the right fronts are going to go with tire and brake heat causing this. The teams that have had issues are teams that arent very good/experienced which means the cars are probably being overdrove in which is building up heat. If LF's were failing I would think its a camber issues. Grubb however did tell Tony he was showing slight cords after that one really long green flag run.

Kenny wallace in the booth with MRN

Dot said...

They're called tire boogers.

bevo said...

A lot of marbles in the race groove

Sophia said...

@rea & Dot

ok, my bad...missed the Jr comment.

Must have been taking cookies out of oven and not paying attention.

I can't tell if MRN is breaking up or if it is distant car noise, intermittently, behind Barney Hall. :)

*got a phone call and now feel out of the loop.

The Loose Wheel said...

Red I actually agree with Jeff and Larry though. They should have had a bungee cord in the car. Its a safety measure that would have saved them some 20 spots on the track that are incredibly hard to get back here under green...

Newracefan said...

Went from HD to SD then about 30 sec later got boxed so they could run a ticker at the bottom telling me about a thunderstorm warning, then back to SD then finally HD, would help if they timed it better but at least it wasn't the every 30 minute snow update I got a few races back

Dot said...

I can't listen to the race on the radio. No reception. Don't they have to call it better so you can "see" it? They have to be more descriptive.

The Loose Wheel said...

JD im getting a little ticked. MRN has gone through the field 3 times under this run and have gone somewhat in depth of the top 15 at least twice...yet NOTHING from FOX. This is a LONG run and we NEED a rundown.

Newracefan said...

Ok I really need a general update and don't start from 11 cause we haven't heard anything about Reut and he's been top ten the entire race.

red said...

david, it might not be a bad idea, especially for the 88 car, what with this being the 4th week of transmission issues. the "old timers" just sounded a tad too self-righteous to me, tho' to be fair, i guess they've earned the right to be that way since it would have sped up that stop a bit.
(but they also put a spring rubber in during that same stop and i suspect that took the bulk of the time. but the booth didn't mention that, i don't believe.)

The Loose Wheel said...

Your right Red...they did not report that.

bevo said...

Seems like the few pit reports we are getting are ESPN-like. General talk about the driver or team and not much info about the actual race.

OK, Matt just did it right.

The Loose Wheel said...

Matt is the best pit reporter they have...

They hopped around a bit but now its time to at least reset this and just talk about where they started, what they've done, what the car is doing and move on to the next guy. At least run down the top 15 and some notable guys struggling. Maybe the impact of the Top 35 right now because of the right fronts because with the 20, 82, 71, 8 having issues the 98 and 36 are getting some help they've needed

bevo said...

@Dot-

yes they have to be more descriptive since it's radio but they actually get a lot of information about the cars and strategy that you are not getting out of the tv guys

Daly Planet Editor said...

This is the "grind" portion of the event. Tough to keep the excitement level high and the telecast fresh right now.

bevo said...

These AT&T Race Breaks should be giving the information - these have been pretty much useless today

Newracefan said...

There are cars passing and Fox seems to be having trouble showing them today not to mention still no through the field and we are at half way.

The Track Girl said...

Switched to the radio over here too.
@Dot, you might see if the MRN website has the broadcast. Or I think that NASCAR.com has the broadcast for free.

red said...

Daly Planet Editor said...
This is the "grind" portion of the event. Tough to keep the excitement level high and the telecast fresh right now.

yeppers. this is when i start to do some heavy web surfing, studying lap times, checking out other conversations. tv just isn't holding my attention b/c we aren't getting to watch a race. all we get is a series of single car shots.

not very compelling.

Dot said...

@ Track Girl, thanks.

Kenn Fong said...

Sophia,

Junior had a very long stop because a pit member had to go in through the passenger side window to fasten a bungie cord to hold the stick in 4th. Jeff wondered why the bungie cord wasn't already inside the car so Junior could reach back and fasten it when needed. A 24 fan called me, Matt, and told me it's funny, in this high-tech COT, that a number of the cars have the bungie cords inside at the ready.

By the way, Matt said of the Hendrick team, the 24 and 48 are running very well, but the 88 and 5 aren't. He wonders if there's a connection since they work out of the same shop.

West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California

Martin Vincent said...

Fox shows the Ford "Drive One" Moment showing Dale Jarrett beating his Yates teammate Ricky Rudd at Martinsville, but the caption reads "Matt Kenseth with back-to-back California wins".

Daly Planet Editor said...

Martin,

That was too weird!

red said...

west coast kenny: as i discovered from another site, the 88 team also put in a spring rubber on that stop and that, more than a crew member leaning in the window and attaching the bungee cord, is what took the bulk of the time.

as for the 88/5 shop: hendrick motorsports swears it has nothing to do with that and i would agree. it doesn't benefit the company to have 1/2 of the stable not perform. i think it has to do more with what DW alluded to: the juniors are finally beginning to understand what it means to be part of a multi-car team and are learning how to best take advantage of what the other shops are doing.

Kenn Fong said...

Sophia,

Rick Hendrick just got on the radio during the last caution to praise Junior and compliment his pit crew. Junior seconded that, and told his pit crew they've been terrific the past couple of races.

West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California

Vicky D said...

Poor Carl, gets a flat tire and goes 2 laps down, then is never heard of again from the booth. Too many comments about those hotdogs.

red said...

really?!? we're gonna re-visit the m'ville hot dog crap? during green flag racing?
again: fox this is why you have a freakin' pre-race show!

Daly Planet Editor said...

200 to go and this thing is dragging!

bevo said...

I wish I knew if they sold hot dogs at Martinsville.

As an aside - I think I'm on the verge of having every team make the Elite 8 in my pool and not have a single one make the Final 4. My last hope is NC. Must be some kind of record.

Sophia said...

Kenn Fong

Wow! Thanks for the Jr info. I decided to go to the library drive thru and pick up some things and have the radio on in the car.

Thanks for the information. glad to hear it...and indeed, interesting the 88 and 5 are not doing as well as 24 and 48.

thanks for the update.

:)

P.S. That Martinsville hot dot insert TOTAL HOGWASH. I have the radio on and the HD signal tv still disappearing and re-appearing as it sees fit. How about some "real info" Fox?


*sigh*

red said...

@bevo: yeah, but our villanova's still in it! (truth be told, tho': i think they're gonna get it handed to them in this next round . . .)

Newracefan said...

JD do you have any idea why they haven't been doing thru the fields, is it because of the noise factor for the pit reporters or because they don't care that we need them?

Vicky D said...

Bevo - and they even comment how much those hot dogs cost! Also, waiting for qualifying they showed the concession stand and had to point out that the ice cost more than the hot dogs.

Sophia said...

I would not eat ANYTHING with that much food coloring in it. Hotdogs are grotesque looking!

bevo said...

@red-

That was one team that scared me. I was uneasy with Pitt - I'm a Marquette and Texas alum :)

The Loose Wheel said...

Constructive...we've gone from the race to a hot dog discussion. we're as bad as the FOX production team now!

Least we haven't seen that rodent thing...

Gotta say Ambrose has done a good job again this week

bevo said...

@VickyD-

Yep the dogs haven't gone up... everything else at the concession stand on the other hand...

Daly Planet Editor said...

NRF,

This is something Fox just does not do. TNT and ESPN both handle this with no problem.

With the advent of the COT, it is more important than ever to update the entire field.

There is always at least one or two teams running in the back who have stories worth telling.

This race has again shifted to the emphasis on the leaders and the team is often surprised when a car just shows up.

As I mentioned earlier, the back of the pack is always where the action is at this track.

JD

bevo said...

@David-

Promise. My last hot dog comment ;)

The Track Girl said...

@Sophia. They are _so_ good.
:D

While I love the nose to tail shots, when they are racing for position, I would love it if they would show it from a wider angle. Oh. there they go..

red said...

hey jd? do you happen to know how many cameras they have at m'ville or bristol and how that compares to an intermediate track?

The Loose Wheel said...

Boy that #33 is "hotdoggin" it...

lol @ bevo

Newracefan said...

We evidently missed a pass for the lead

The Loose Wheel said...

24 to the point...

Daly Planet Editor said...

red,

Try watching the TV broadcast with an eye to which camera is being used.

The high cameras on the roof, the speed shot cameras that do not move and the robotic cameras that swivel next to the track.

Also, each pit reporter has an RF wireless camera crew with them.

JD

Dot said...

@NRF, beat me to it.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Where the heck is Junior?

The Loose Wheel said...

5th

Vicky D said...

I heard a debris caution and thought JR was getting ready to be lapped.

Dot said...

A timely caution.

The Loose Wheel said...

FOX overhyped Jr being ontop of the battle all along...

The Track Girl said...

I missed it! was that some kind of bitty thing on the track, or a valid debris caution?!

bevo said...

MRN (Winston Kelly)just spent 45 seconds explaining the tire problems the various teams are having today. Why can't Fox do that?

Dot said...

@ VickyD, I sent my comment too soon. You're killing me.

@ TrackGirl, soda can from the stands.

The Loose Wheel said...

Kerr had his guys add brake fluid to Ambrose's car...reporting he is starting to lose the brakes

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