Sunday, March 8, 2009

Live Blogging The Sprint Cup Series Race From Atlanta On Fox


The NASCAR on Fox crew is now several races into their season and hitting full stride. The TV veterans are going to once again be at one of the favorite tracks for good NASCAR racing and even better telecasts.

The Atlanta Motor Speedway promises a better scenario than last season's tire problems and single car domination. The CWTS race on Saturday set the tone with good action and no tire problems.

This week, there is no overlap with RaceDay on SPEED and the Fox pre-race is only thirty minutes long. That should solve a lot of the problems that viewers saw last week, including two Fox TV networks on the air from the same site at the same time live.

Chris Myers starts the day in the Hollywood Hotel with Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond alongside. There will be a feature involving Bobby Labonte and Larry McReynolds makes his annual visit to The Weather Channel.

Once the action starts, Mike Joy will handle the play-by-play with Waltrip and McReynolds alongside in the booth. Down on pit road is the best group of pit reporters in TV. Steve Byrnes, Dick Berggren, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum will once again be front-and-center with the stories of the race.

Fox continues to use a quad-split (4 video boxes) during yellow flag pit stops. The other NASCAR TV networks use three boxes, which enables them to keep a wideshot of pit road on the screen. This lets viewers see the cars pulling in and out as the stops are in-progress. the quad-split covers pit road and fans lose the perspective of who is where and what is going on.

The good news is that Fox has changed the final lap of the racing coverage to give fans a clear view of the lead lap cars crossing the finish line. This includes a new graphic element at the top of the screen that shows the finishing order as the cars cross the line. That was long overdue, but a welcome addition to the telecast.

There is a new dynamic in the Sprint Cup Series with independent teams trying to make a name for themselves. There are also former top teams struggling in the middle of the field and seemingly unable to get the COT technology to work for them.

This demands that the TV coverage go back in the pack much more often and update the stories of the race throughout the field. Fox struggled with this in Las Vegas, but Atlanta should give the TV crew an opportunity to look back and keep the fans of those teams updated.

The green flag is set for 2:16PM and the Fox TV stations are scheduled to continue the coverage until 6PM. The weather is good and the track is fast, the potential for an outstanding NASCAR on Fox is ripe for the picking.

This post will host your comments about the Sprint Cup Series coverage from Atlanta on Fox. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind as you post.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by TDP.

435 comments:

1 – 200 of 435   Newer›   Newest»
Daly Planet Editor said...

hey all, this should be a good one.

Dot said...

My hopes are that they don't get spread out in the beginning laps like yesterday. And they show the mid packers where the actual racing is going on.

Daly Planet Editor said...

good point...

Anonymous said...

Flipped over to Fox...Digger cartoon just started. Turned it off. Will return in five minutes.

John In Va

Anonymous said...

JD,with the great weather we might see an excellent turn-out for the race, which should set the mood for the coverage team. That was a large crowd for RaceDay.

On a side note, I got a kick out of Hammond saying on another show how he finds it hard to understand Montoya. Congratulations, now you know how some of us feel when we hear you and Larry Mac mangle the English. At least with Montoya, English is his second language.

Anonymous said...

I too turned away for the Digger segment. Anyone notice that this week's recipe at Laid Back Racing was for Gopher Stew? LOL.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
The Loose Wheel said...

45 minute pre-race, a 2:16 green flag time, my wishes may be coming true!

Though I did walk into the room just in time to see the Digger-toon. Think I lost some brain cells after that...

How long till it makes its own Saturday Morning Cartoon show?

Should be a good race though, excited to see this one

Daly Planet Editor said...

Loved the crowd for the truck race, hope today is good as well.

The track is so far from Atlanta, it is tough to get to sometimes.

Sophia said...

I will be on for awhile until my brother gets here for the last part of the race.

Weather looks TERRIFIC in Alanta. :)

Hope the bump stops don't affect the transmissions again.

Martin Truex passed his kidney stone. YIKES!! Most painful. Glad he got that out of the way for the race. :-)

Dot said...

@ glenc1. I did see that.

Let's have Digger free comments today. Remember bad press is better than no press. Let's pretend he's just not there.

@ dear Sophia, I think Truex would rather hit a non safer barrier wall than pass a stone.

The Loose Wheel said...

JD I noticed something watching that truck race yesterday and maybe I just never saw it before....the stands that used to be on the backstretch are no more...I remember when the tornado hit that it did a number on the old booths and suites up there but I thought they kept the stands....

Find it awfully interesting Bruton is trying to get Atlanta back as the finale again...

Dot said...

JD, just how far is the track from Atlanta? Is it like Fontana from LA?

Daly Planet Editor said...

certainly have been some interesting anthems this season...

Daly Planet Editor said...

Probably 45 min or so by car.

Anonymous said...

Atlanta motor Speedway is about 40 minutes from Atlanta. Fontana is about an hour to an hour and a half from LA. I wonder why that is never mentioned when we go to Fontana?

Dot said...

@ Anon 2:04, so the geographically challenged fans will think it's just down the street from H'wood.

Daly Planet Editor said...

West Coast Di,

Check your email pal.

Anon, I did an extensive column on the issues associated with the Fontana track here on TDP including the physical location.

JD

Anonymous said...

Dot, I know right?

But here is the thing, people think that even when its right down the street from H'wood in the middle of the second biggest city in the county(you know, since thats what they think, even though its not true) that is still has low attendance. When in reality, Fontana is quite far from LA.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Nice start engines command. Need more like that.

bevo said...

Whatever happened to singing the anthem the way it was written?

@cvt- I have a much easier time understanding JPM than the two of them most of the time :)

The Loose Wheel said...

Hoping FOX will run down how much the cars fall off into a run, some drivers speculating a 3 second dropoff

Anonymous said...

JD, I cant seem to find that column about the geography and location of Fontana, can you provide some guidance?

Daly Planet Editor said...

Just send me an email please.

That was interesting. Do you guys think JJ was reading that live or that is was recorded?

The Loose Wheel said...

recorded

GinaV24 said...

oh look,the ground camera view! surprise.

Sophia said...

have two tv's on in the living room. A new "digital tv" my room mate inherited. EVEN with cable, Fox channel 19.1 is digitizing and going black.

Picture is good "WHEN you can see it but it's blinking right now. Anybody with digital tv experiencing this? I am going to have to go to regular FOX channel...this does not give one confidence for the big switch.

Just wondered if anybody else with satellite or cable is having this..it was doing this last night and its very overcast today.

This is something I would expect from a dish NOT cable. :(

Anonymous said...

I think it was recorded. Nothing against that, but thats how it sounded.

The Loose Wheel said...

My FOX is solid here on cable...not a newer type tv tho

Anonymous said...

JD!!!!!!
MY FOX STATION IS FREEZING!! AGAIN! this happened last week too!!
via FOX 5 SAN DIEGO ON COX

Anonymous said...

Sophia, I should also mention that my cable company said that Solar flares might mess with cable carriers all across the country.
Im still pissed off about it though.

Daly Planet Editor said...

I think a phone call right now would be the way to go. Could be anything from solar interference to equipment problems.

Make sure to tell the station that there are no problems for others with the live Fox telecast.

Let us know what they say.

JD

The Loose Wheel said...

Ha, im in the valley of the sun and no issues here...

Goin Green

Anonymous said...

What a large number of empty seats.

Anonymous said...

Happy Sunday Gang!

@anon 1:44--Digger seems to come on +/- 15 minutes into the show, I may be off a bit since I watch all that off the DVR but it seems about right from what I recall on the DVR clock thingie. I slept in today so didn't get up until almost 1 CST.

@JD--My guess is that it was done via Memorex

Did they show the flyover or did I miss it? I was getting stuff together so might have missed it but was trying to watch.

Reed may be broke already

Anonymous said...

JD, My fox station has switch to the SD version on the HD channel. I don think this has to do with solar flares. again No HD with FOX 5 San Diego.

Anonymous said...

Im not sure its just my station if Sophia is also having the same problem.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Some stations have really struggled with trying to roll out HD. Hope they get it fixed.

Daly Planet Editor said...

The good HD news is that SPEED-HD continues to be added by systems nationwide and has picked-up steam.

The Loose Wheel said...

Nice Alfac commercial

bevo said...

JD,

I commented about the solar thing in the Kyle post. I was watching Fox Soccer Channel and it had a crawl about possible outages. It was from FSC and not DirecTV. When I looked at the solar weather though it showed no activity.

Anonymous said...

Yes I know, that is great news. I just got SPEED HD here too.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Lap 9 and the crew never said a word about Digger this time.

The Loose Wheel said...

Alright...the solar flares are affecting me now... Couple hops and skips...annoying but nothing too horrid

Anonymous said...

HD is back in San Diego. Last week this one affected the beginning of the race. I hope its better now.

red said...

hey gang! GREAT overhead shot of all 42 crs coming on pit road!

bevo said...

Just an aside but I've noticed that a BlackBerry will interfere with an HD tv broadcast if you use an over-the-air antennae.

Anonymous said...

I spoke too soon. Black on FOX 5.

oh oh! now its better again. Idk if I can bear this much longer.

The Loose Wheel said...

i do believe some of the over the air signal was sold to the wireless companies so something to that degree wouldnt surprise me...

Daly Planet Editor said...

Did you see those 4 video boxes on pit stops? Makes it kind of confusing when you cannot see pit road.

Anonymous said...

David, while that is true, they didn't sell any frequencies that broadcast TV currently, so they have little to do with each other. A blackberry is only gona give you RF interference and has nothing to do with the wireless company. An iPod will also give you the same problem.

The Loose Wheel said...

Cars falling off 2 tenths a lap

Sophia said...

^!&#^!*#^!*&#^!*&#

TW NOW says we don't have the HD box in the LR (but one in my room) Other HD shows have worked JUST FINE ok.

I got an HD Box in my room due to numerous digital box issues. NOW they want 19.95 to bring the box but we can go to the TW store and get new HD box ourselves. What a PAIN.

Anyway they claim that's why it's not working which makes sense but WHY did other HD shows work just DANDY IN HD BEFORE????

Back to the race...I am ticked but we will somehow get a free HD box.

I screamed and got $28 dollars off our bill last month (three tech visits in three weeks and still problems will do that )

Don't mess with Sophia

back to the race but that's the alleged HD update.

Is Labonte still in the race?

Anonymous said...

What has happened to the crawler at the top of
the screen with the field run down?

Daly Planet Editor said...

got freezing in florida now.....went to break.....hhhmmm...

The Loose Wheel said...

Bobby is still in the race, just bad loose. Reed is the only car behind the wall

The Track Girl said...

I've said it before. Thank goodness for DirectTv and Hotpass.
I know that they cut the number of drivers down, but at least you can still see some of what is happening on the track during the annoying Lead Driver spots and commercials.

Anonymous said...

exactly JD. its not just a local thing. Or so says my station.

The Loose Wheel said...

Bliss behind the wall...start and park?...

Dot said...

My TV is fine. Lowly digital vs HD.

What happened to Blaney & Bliss?

Daly Planet Editor said...

trouble in fox land.....

The Loose Wheel said...

Already fallen off 2 seconds.

Havent heard about Blaney or Bliss yet

Daly Planet Editor said...

normally we get a crawl on the screen for solar interference. Today, just green screens and video break-up.

Sophia said...

To Anon with HD problems..I am in Ohio

While I know common sense would say we need te HD box, the CURIOUSER thing is how we got other shows in great HD..including the SUPERBOWL with this 'normal digital box'.

AAAARG! My brother is coming over and I wanted to see the HD box.

No solar flares here..unless it's above the clouds...so dark hair can't see a channel.

HD works FINE for several minutes then messes up.

I was told by installers that the HD box is just newer and faster memory to change channels (took 15 seconds or longer to change stations on old box..HD 2 seconds)

You can call TW and get 5 answers from 5 people. :)

Daly Planet Editor said...

anyone else on the East Coast having momentary interruptions?

red said...

hmmm. i hesitate to type this but . . . no problems with comcast/fox here outside philly.

Anonymous said...

Sophia, I think you are confusing so many issues. (no offense) HD is a funny little thing. there are so many variables that are just in your case. Today, I think this is a National problem, as I, and now JD, have seen freezing.

Sophia said...

JD

I am thinking the stupid lady at TW was incorrect. As I said my room mate watched HOURS of the SUPERBOWL in HD. we had two tvs on at the time to see the difference. :)

But it sounds like scattered stuff around the country.

The Loose Wheel said...

Mine was momentary after the restart, but its good now.

Anonymous said...

In Los Angeles, HD went to normal during the in-car with Edwards before the start of the race. Now it seems to be back.

I don't think the Fox update ring should be used for a Digger ad. ugh!

red said...

ok, we now have updates on sorensen, bliss, and kvapil. any word on blaney?

bevo said...

Loss of signal HD and SD over-the-air in DFW. Same on DirecTV SD but not on other non-Fox channels.

Sophia said...

Anon

Oh no offense to my confusion! R U kidding...LMAO...sheesh... but yea, something is going on.

It's like the HD tv keeps 'blinking" or digitizing.

Dot said...

KuB 7 secs ahead. Caution coming.

Kenn Fong said...

JD,

DirecTV Free Hot Pass line-up:

795 - Kasey Kahne
796 - Jimmie Johnson
797 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
798 - Carl Edwards

The network audio level is still too high in the mix. It was impossible to hear Tony Junior talking with Junebug about the car leading into the first round of pit stops. Before that Dale Jr. said he wanted to be asked more often about how the car was handling.

Is anyone keeping track of the "start 'n' parkers." I spoke too soon, Mike Joy just mentioned the first two; Bliss & Kvapil.

West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California

Anonymous said...

@JD--yes I froze for a bit and went to green screen then it came back for commercial. TWC here in DFW. How's DirecTV in FW Bevo?

Anonymous said...

As for the Super Bowl, its on a terrestrial channel, NBC. So anyone can get it in HD, anywhere, with out a box. Again sophia there is just so many variables to understand. Just because you get one channel in HD you may not get any others. Or it may have nothing or everything to do with the box. HD is fun isnt it? Great picture, but hard to manage.

Kenn Fong said...

J.D.,

I wonder why free Hot Pass wasn't mentioned in the promo Mike Joy just read.

WCK

Glenn said...

The tv had a few minutes of breakup here in Ga. Seems ok for now.

The Loose Wheel said...

28 isnt a start and park driver. they just had an engine failure is all

bevo said...

@Gymmie-

I'm watching on an HD in another room. I used my Tivo on the DirecTV (SD) and it broke up on it. Both 4 and 4.1 on the OTA went blank.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Frozen solid in FL now for over a min......bummer.

red said...

Daly Planet Editor said...
Frozen solid in FL now for over a min......bummer.

would the online site address help at all today, jd?

Daly Planet Editor said...

now its back....3 min freeze

The Loose Wheel said...

Gilliland having a good run in 17th with that TRG team...given TK's start to the year might Yates be re-evaluating their move?

bevo said...

The odd thing is it just seems to be Fox satellites. I was watching a few other channels earlier on DirecTV and didn't have any problem. Of course it could just be bad timing on my part.

GinaV24 said...

Good here in NJ right now, no problems with freezing, but I have only digital cable, not HD.

Sophia said...

my normal fox station is fine thank goodness.

Anon thanks for the explanation on SUPERBOWL but my room mate watches stuff on PBS in HD (This Old House)

I realize explaining the variables of HD is like calculus...but I will take your word for it.

Oh, my I am still laughing at your thinking you might have offended me! Not about tech issues over my head. :)

Uh oh...now REGULAR FOX is messing upand just went to color bars and beep sound...time to turn on the radio. :)

Kenn Fong said...

J.D.,

At the start of the race, DirecTV 797, the Dale Jr channel had some momentary stuttering, and the race started without network audio and video, but it came back within a minute or two.

David, thanks for the correction on Kvapil.

WCK

Daly Planet Editor said...

nice interview with Kvapil, let's see if we get Blaney.

Anonymous said...

@bevo--thanks!

Oh dear! Who let that crew member go get that tire like that?

The Loose Wheel said...

Blaney (arguably the other start and park driver) just went behind the wall with engine issues.

Gonna be interesting to see if NASCAR stays firm on their supposed stance against start and park drivers

Lisa Hogan said...

I'm also having freeze/break-up problems here in central Florida on brighthouse cable.

No HD in the house. :)

The Loose Wheel said...

Allmendinger had a great run going, just got trapped 2 down cuz of that yellow.

Sophia said...

I can't believe that guy went to get the tire!! Zowee

bevo said...

Pit reporters doing a good job today.

Daly Planet Editor said...

great replay...and now the penalty.

Dot said...

My race is over.

red said...

@david -- and everyone else, i suppose: so, how many laps have to be run for a team to still be considered a "start and park"? we're at lap 67+: are we still legitimately in S&P status if a car falls out for a mechanical reason?

Unknown said...

oh no...this is not good..only 7 on the lap..yikes..

bevo said...

Interesting they're using the fourth box for the whole pit road.

Anonymous said...

if we're going to have a big one, it will be on this restart. how many times has this happened in the past, leaders in the back, everyone fighting for tail end of lead lap, this will be UGLY

Anonymous said...

"but my room mate watches stuff on PBS in HD "
Sophia, just in case you are interested, PBS is also a terrestrial channel. there are a few of them, but not many

Anonymous said...

FYI, OTA here blocking, switching from HD to SD and back. Windy in a three state area here and could be a factor. Pulled up digital signal meter on HDTV menu and it is all over the board. Local television engineer here posted late last year high winds play havoc on fixed microwave relay towers in network feeds.

Paul

Dot said...

Do we know how that tire got so far away? Was it hit, or just dropped?

Oh boy, 6-7 cars on the lead lap. KyB is 20th. This is going to be good.

The Loose Wheel said...

When the start and park teams park, they claim to have a mechanical reason for doing so. To which NASCAR is admitting they were lenient on it before but will not be as much now. Like Bliss falling out with "overheating" is a s&p excuse...much like handling and ignition is often claimed by the MSRP NW cars is an excuse as well.

GinaV24 said...

they advertise the Pa lottery with a groundhog here in NJ. I thought it was stupid before, now with Fox's animated deal, it annoys me even more.

Lots of commercials -- considering that it was just a loose tire on pit road, why is it taking so long to come back to green.

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone -

I enjoy seeing the split screens during green flag stops. This didnt happen a lot in 2008 on FOX.

Daly Planet Editor said...

red, they have no pit crew. No need to run more than the first gas run. Anything after that takes money out of the pocket.

Anonymous said...

ya know, local factors might be a minor issue, but I think the big issue with FOX today is on a national level.

Kenn Fong said...

J.D.,

Do you think that crew guy could get a suspension or lose his card for running across pit road to get the loose tire. By the way, has anyone here laid on an actual copy of NASCAR Rule Book? Or does such a thing only exist in mythology?

WCK

Sophia said...

OH NO! Graphic with 27 counties and words TORNADO WATCH.

uh oh.

red said...

GinaV24 said...
"Lots of commercials -- considering that it was just a loose tire on pit road, why is it taking so long to come back to green."

excellent observation! and we're STILL in caution yellow: curious. maybe they're just having a lousy time setting the field?

Anonymous said...

They just showed the digger cam with a ATT logo. Why cant they do that all the time?

Anonymous said...

Kenn, I have seen parts of the NASCAR rule book online. I forget where.

Anonymous said...

ya know, local factors might be a minor issue, but I think the big issue with FOX today is on a national level.

Is that what is called the 'backhaul'?

Paul

Anonymous said...

OH NO! tornodo watch?
dont hesitate to take cover is a Tornado Warning is issued. NASCAR can take a back seat then.

The Loose Wheel said...

I have seen a rulebook. It is a thin thing surprisingly. Didnt read thru it but it does actually exist.

The length of the caution is due to NASCAR trying to reset the field since this happened in the middle of a pit cycle. Lots of confusion of who is where and how many down they are and such

red said...

Daly Planet Editor said...
"red, they have no pit crew. No need to run more than the first gas run. Anything after that takes money out of the pocket."

yeah, i knew that, jd. i truly did. just a brain freeze, i guess. all this nice weekend weather here in philly has me confused . . . or something.

Anonymous said...

"Is that what is called the 'backhaul'?"

In some cases yes.

Daly Planet Editor said...

green screen in FL again....wah...

Anonymous said...

if a casual watcher just tuned in, i can just hear the first question: why is the person in front not the one leading the race?

Anonymous said...

OH NO! tornodo watch?
dont hesitate to take cover is a Tornado Warning is issued. NASCAR can take a back seat then.

Try our 'Digger' brand tornado shelters!

Paul

red said...

jd: let me know if this works for you:
http://www.justin.tv/nascarpovver

it lags behind the tv by about 3-5 seconds but at least you can see the race.

red said...

@paul: you, sir, are now the headliner on TDP comedy tour so far this week! congratulations!

bevo said...

The one good thing about that in-car shot looking back is seeing just how close the splitter rides.

Daly Planet Editor said...

the backhaul is the transmission path between the portable uplink (satellite) truck at the track and the Fox Ops Center where the signal is received.

Sophia said...

ok...signing off...nascar family member on way to finish the race.

Hope we all keep signals...I have the radio tuned in for now.

Will read comments later.

Oh, Anon, thanks for the terrestial tv explanations. :) I love learning this stuff...a little at a time.

~~Sophia waving bye.

Thanks JD

red said...

wonder what THAT was about between newman and young mr busch?

Daly Planet Editor said...

cars can be trapped on the tail end of the lead lap. They are not a lap down and they do not want to surrender their position on the track to the leader. so, they wind up behind the pace car with the leader behind them. It usually causes a big mess.

Anonymous said...

I heard something happened to a crew guy and they had to take him away, maybe to infield care. maybe the reason for the commercials and the wait to go back green.

GinaV24 said...

sounds like they still may not have gotten it right onthe field being reset -- they had cars that were more than one lap down starting in the wrong place. Stewart and Gordon were both complaining.

Anonymous said...

I understand cars starting "at the tail end of the lead lap" when they get caught out on a caution.

What I do not understand...why the cars at least a lap down get to start "ahead" of the 48 during the restart?

It would be a lot less confusing!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
I heard something happened to a crew guy and they had to take him away, maybe to infield care. maybe the reason for the commercials and the wait to go back green.

March 8, 2009 3:18 PM


Scratch that - I believe they were talking about taking away a crew member to talk to NASCAR about that tire. Not an injury. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

the cars in front of the leader are NOT a lap down.

Daly Planet Editor said...

I have had a green screen for over five minutes now in S. FL....not a good day for the Fox gang.

Lisa Hogan said...

Kenn-yes, I have seen a NASCAR rule book. All teams have one. :)

bevo said...

JD,

No problems for awhile here in DFW

Anonymous said...

JD, my station in San Diego has been fine for a while now. Makes me think maybe your issue is not on the backhaul feed.

Anonymous said...

The 5,83,23 were the only 3 cars at the tail end....the rest of the field was at least a lap down.

bevo said...

Truex is my sentimental pick today, anyone who passes a kidney stone and bounces around a track for 500 miles 12 hours later has my respect :)

Anonymous said...

JD, does anyone on this board know at this point in time what percentage of network broadcasts are via satellite versus microwave relay?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_radio_relay

And can you call someone to learn what distribution method this broadcast is using?

Curious Paul

red said...

wow: if labonte blows up that'll be 2 rouse/yates engines tanked today. maybe the #99 needs to back the rpm down a bit while he still can?

Dot said...

Bobby blows up during comm'l. Coming back to caution.

Kenn Fong said...

J.D.,

The Fox SD signal is fine in my market when I checked it a moment ago.

Only 5 cars on the lead lap is not good.

WCK

GinaV24 said...

caution is out again. Jr will get the lucky dog -- anyone surprised!

The Loose Wheel said...

Kyle Busch is livid they are 2 laps down...pretty much considering their day done. imagine they arent the only ones...

bevo said...

Wouldn't that duck be naked by the end there???

... and no I do not want to see a plucked duck.

Daly Planet Editor said...

and no pain meds the previous evening...that is a tough guy.

Dot said...

OK, I was close.

Anonymous said...

NASCAR on FOX uses a digital satellite system to send an HD feed of the broadcast to FOX HQ in LA. From there, FOX sends its finished, broadcast ready signal to all local stations via another digital satellite feed.

Anonymous said...

Very few national networks use Microwave signals to broadcast this kind of thing anymore. That is mostly used in local news to get live reports into the station from the field.

Kenn Fong said...

J.D.,

Someone at DirecTV must be reading your blog. The audio mix just changed and now I can understand everything on Junior's scanner cannel.

Thank you, whomever you are.

West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California

Daly Planet Editor said...

there ya go. thanks for the info.

Anonymous said...

@Kenn Fong--back in 2K3 during Speed Weeks, I saw one in the back pocket of an official. I was shocked that it wasn't the size of a Family Bible :p. But the teams have a copy and I believe the Media can get one. I know on IWC Allen referred to having it in his briefcase.

GinaV24 said...

Holy hat, Truex passed the stone without meds? No fun in that at all. He has my respect!

Back to green flag racing -- I guess Bobby Labonte blew up during the commercial?

Daly Planet Editor said...

Wow, the cars 2 laps down are some heavy hitters.

Kenn Fong said...

J.D.,

Sweet words from T.J. Majors on Junior's scanner:

"Clear on the 18. Not for position."

Thanks all for telling me about the rule book. I was sort of half-joking about its existence.

West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California

Dot said...

KyB is 30th. Let's see if we get an interview after the race.

Daly Planet Editor said...

gina, the pain meds were on the NASCAR banned drug list. If he took them, he would have been unable to drive today so he toughed it out.

red said...

@gina; actually, he spun but i didn't hear anyone say the engine "blowed up" -- just yet. may have missed it, tho', as i was studying lap times.

Anonymous said...

Why does everyone like to pile on K. Busch? what did he do that made all of you mad? Did I miss something many years ago?

Anonymous said...

nice explanation by Jeff on the cut-away car.

GinaV24 said...

geez, quit with the in car shots of an empty track. First it was Mark Martin and now Edwards.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Sometimes, Hammond is kind of the odd man out. Nice to see him staying involved. He does a lot better in his roles on SPEED.

GinaV24 said...

Thanks, JD, that would make sense that those types of meds would be on the banned list. I know my doctor wouldn't let me drive after whatever they gave me for my tests! And I felt great! LOL

Anyway, like I said, he has my respect for doing that without the meds. It hurts.


Sorry, Red, maybe I spoke too soon about Bobby? If anyone hears, please say.

Kyle Busch is an amazing wheelman, but he needs to develop some interpersonal skills to go along with that talent. Talent shouldn't excuse someone being a jerk to other people. There's an old saying -- be careful who you step on on the way up, cuz you'll meet them again on the way down. Just my opinion of why he's disliked by so many.

Anonymous said...

So far the biggest thing that changed todays race was that 47 crew member who ran across pit road to bring out a caution.

I think it deserves more attention.

Is THAT 47 crew member still in the pits or has been escorted to the garage?

It seems like a so-so issue, but to this point it was a major factor in the running of this race.

Daly Planet Editor said...

time for the big full field rundown. getting kind of boring.

red said...

@gina in re: young mr busch: i was struggling to put it in a way that wasn't snarky yet not speak for others. you did a great job amd captured exactly what i was thinking.

Vicky D said...

Didn't notice the new blog comments and posted on the other one (sorry). Good pit reporting I think. I also noticed they have tried to keep up with the cars out and reasons etc. I hope that more cars can get on the lead lap.

PammH said...

Per NOL leaderboard that crew member has been suspended for the rest of the race.

red said...

Ken-Michigan said...
"Is THAT 47 crew member still in the pits or has been escorted to the garage?"

from nascar.com leaderboard info:
Lap 138
The crew member from Marcos Ambrose's team who chased down the loose tire and forced a caution on Lap 67 has been suspended by NASCAR for the rest of the race

bevo said...

@gina & red -

There's a fine line between being confident and being arrogant. He's still trying to find that line.

Newracefan said...

Vicky you're not the only one I was wrong place wrong time too, just finished catching up

GinaV24 said...

Thanks, Red!

red said...

bevo, it'd be a whole lot easier for him to find that fine line it if he'd start looking. just sayin' . . .

Daly Planet Editor said...

Hey guys, I have some video breakups. Did the Fox guys report what happened to the crew member who got suspended for the race?

GinaV24 said...

Boring, indeed! Caution is out - NASCAR got bored, too.

red said...

jd: see both pamm and me at 4:00 PM

red said...

whoops! sorry, je: mis-read the question. to answer what you actually asked:
no, fox hasn't mentioned the crewmember suspension yet.

bevo said...

With all the branding in NASCAR it's amazing the water bottles are blank.

Dot said...

@ JD, not that I heard. And no mention what happened to Marcos? 1 lap penalty?

red said...

ahhh, bevo, you just gave 'em an idea . . .

Newracefan said...

Bevo they are not suppose to be caught drinking the container blocks the other stickers

GinaV24 said...

oh and it was the same 47 car that just brought out the caution -- leaking fluid! Hmmm, do I see a pattern here? Oh yeah, Jr got the lucky dog AGAIN. LOL

Newracefan said...

I don't think Marcos lap penalty maybe pass thru or tail end longest line

Kenn Fong said...

Anon 3:41,

The other thing I don't like about Kyle Busch: nothing is ever my fault, ever.

Kyle is never wrong in his own eyes. When anything goes against him, he always looks as if he's ready to burst into tears with a "How could they do this to me?"-look.

The 88 was coming in for a green flag pit stop just when the caution came out.

WCK

Dot said...

@ Gina, Marcos and Dale are in cahoots, lol. Funny how things happen like that during a race.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Red ... i wasnt monitoring nascar.com

But to my knowledge, FOX has not provided any information on the 47 crew member.

Vicky D said...

Nascar really watches out for that fluid or debris on the track. Good timing for Jr.

red said...

WCK said (in part):
"The 88 was coming in for a green flag pit stop just when the caution came out."

and, unlike a fuel issue as the booth speculated, the problem appears to have been a loose wheel on the #88. that's why he was planning to come in right before the caution flew.

Anonymous said...

I think that perception about Busch being like that (nothing is every my fault, type attitude) is just that, a personal perception. But thats just what I think.

Newracefan said...

I actually think the not my fault is an age/generational thing

Anonymous said...

NewFaceFan, as a young person, I don't think I am like that. Many a percentage of them are, but not all. Besides K. Busch is getting old, he aint a young person in my mind anymore. lol

Anonymous said...

We really need valuable TV time discussing the 10th place car...

The story is...why the #2 is freaking better than all the other Dodge's? They have been strong all year.

Now he gets passed by the 24.

red said...

ok, so here's why i like dale earnhardt jr: he told his pit crew that if a wheel comes off (like it did on him here in '07) and he hits the fence, he gets to whack 'em all with hammer. now THAT will focus your attention if you're one of his tire changers!

GinaV24 said...

Bevo, I guess I just don't think it's that fine a line. Kyle falls on the arrogant side every time its time he started engaging his brain BEFORE he puts his mouth in motion.

JD would probably prefer we took this off line if we are going to continue this, but then again, in some ways it goes back to the blog JD wrote this morning about the heavy KyB coverage that Fox was doing.

I tend to think it hurts interest in the series when one driver is dominant.

PammH said...

nrf, I agree w/you. This sure has messed up the storyline for DW rooting for Vile Kyle tho...LOL! Don't like this showing us stuff instead of green flag racing.

Dot said...

@ nrf, kinda like entitlement in the younger generation. KyB needs to become a better loser. He can't win everything. Maybe that's why he races in NW & CWTS to stroke his ego.

red said...

nice explanation by hammond but the camera just wasn't showing what he was talking about: threads showing on the longer studs.

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