The big news on Sunday morning was that TNT's Bill Weber had been sent home from New Hampshire. Ralph Sheheen is going to step into the play-by-play role for Weber during the live telecast. As you can see from the photo above, Sheheen is not stranger to NASCAR.
According to thatsracing.com, Weber was involved in a loud and public confrontation late Friday night at the TNT hotel. Shawn Courchesne of the Hartford Courant reports Weber received a one race suspension for his actions. No further information has been or is expected to be released by the network.
The TNT booth announcers were not involved in the Friday telecasts, although the pit reporters participated in the coverage of practice and qualifying on SPEED. Weber was at the track on Friday and the incident in question was apparently much later on Friday night.
So, Sheheen will jump into the play-by-play role that is familiar to him. Sheheen is a TV and NASCAR veteran who can usually be seen on SPEED handling the various motorcycle coverage. As veteran fans know, Sheheen has a long history in NASCAR and continues to live and work in the Charlotte area.
The TNT analysts Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds did not mention a word about their broadcast partner Weber during the pre-race shows. Wally Dallenbach also passed on the opportunity when he was shown in the TNT booth with Sheheen.
New Hampshire is a flat track that tests the patience of both the drivers and the TV crew. Little passing and slow spins in the corner are the TV profile of this track. Veteran fans may remember that soft walls were added after two high-profile fatalities years ago.
TNT's coverage of pit road is going to be key to the telecast. Passing will happen under caution as the cars race away from stops and the pass for the win may well happen because of the pit crews. TNT has been working hard on the pit stop coverage and this will be perhaps the biggest test.
Rain is in the forecast. Should the track get wet, TNT's options are limited. The infield stage is open and has proven to be useless in bad weather. It will be up to Sheheen, Petty and Dallenbach to fill the time.
There are plenty of storylines in this event. TNT has done a great job of treating the teams equally and leaving the Dale Junior and Kyle Busch hype for others. Petty continues to Twitter during the race and RaceBuddy again is going to add four additional race cameras and a dedicated pit reporter to the coverage.
TNT is gearing-up for the Wide Open coverage at Daytona next weekend. It should be interesting to see how Sheheen handles a full Sprint Cup Series live telecast.
This post will serve to host your comments on the TV coverage. To add your opinion on this race, just click the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind while posting. Thanks for stopping by.
394 comments:
1 – 200 of 394 Newer› Newest»Is TNT operating short a pit reporter or did they have enough time to pull someone off the bench?
Bill had to have said something fairly inappropriate to get a one race boot I'm guessing.
That being said this will be an interesting broadcast to say the least.
Here's hoping that this is a good race, and doesn't turn into a race to halfway. Odd that TNT hasn't talked about the weather yet.
And could someone please adjust the audio levels? I'd rather not have to mute the TV every time a commercial on.
Um. Every time one comes on, even. :p
Kyle Petty on Twitter: "I was at the REO, STYX concert last night. When I got back was told Bill had personal business and had to leave. That's all I know..."
Looking at the weather radar, the nearest showers west of NHMS appear to be between Buffalo and Syracuse, New York. Depending on the speed those are moving, they shouldn't have a problem getting to halfway.
Nice work reaching into the tape archives for Ralph doing a victory interview with JJ all those years ago. And wasn't that Marty Reid calling that ESPN Speedworld clip / own the series?
"I sucked my whole life until I got to the Cup Series"
LOL!!!!
At least Jimmie is honest with himself...
Great piece.
MikeC: The rain is coming from the east, not the west. It's a whole lot closer, but it looks like it's pretty scattered. There's a good chance of getting it in today.
Well, TNT has avoided the Weber issue for ninety minutes.
Let's see how Ralph and Wally deal with it.
@JD - Looks like they're not going to. $2 says it's a TNT-imposed blind eye.
The TNT team acts like they never worked with Bill. Lovely- just ignore it the fans won't notice.
Should have just had Fein read a brief statement at the beginning and then move on. IMHO mistake to pretend.
It's a nor'easter! Not a very big nor'easter, but nonetheless a little unusual to see this weather pattern this time of year. The rain and possible thunderstorms will originate to the southeast, Portsmouth, N.H. is a good place to watch to see whats headed toward Loudon in this sort of weather pattern.
As an aside, I'm glad TNT is using pictures of the New Hampshire countryside instead of Boston, Fenway Park, etc.
Boy the senator from South Carolina sure has changed! :)
She's a bit flat, isn't she? Doesn't quite have the range for the anthem.
@Andrew- soft pitch right down the middle but I'm not going to swing :)
-sigh- must they show that clip from the 1999 Bristol night race during that commercial? Still peeves me off.
Wait...there are still tickets available for the night race at Bristol? The tracks really are doing poorly, aren't they?
I'm disappointed that TNT cuts away when they do, right now they are having the Canadian National Anthe.
Any bets on the ratings between the race and the USA-Brazil soccer match?
notice how they're having fein handle alot of this pre stuff so not to have to show sheheen up in the booth (which they did briefly earlier) to not make a bigger deal of it.
@bevo - I think they'll both be eclipsed by Wimbledon.
Hope this is a great race!
I thought Martin Truex was from NJ not New England. Anyway, maybe once the race starts the guys in the booth will say that Bill Weber is in a timeout!
Race Buddy is letting you vote on 6 different drivers this race for the in-car camera. I think it was 3 drivers before.
Yeah Andrew there have been for awhile...
Richmond is a better short track anyways =p
RB calling this a sellout...
Grubb telling Smoke and team they are racing to weather.
Vicky,
I think anyone who ran the old Busch North Series, later known as the Camping World East Series, considers Loudon the home race because of the very large purses that Bob Bahre would always put up, especially in the old days of the combined Busch North and Busch "South" race in the 1990s.
no mention of it. they're hiding it. yeah right. they think fans are dumb
Vicky D---right on I guess Lindsay think that if your state has New in it.. it means its part of New England-----maybe like Miss Teen South Carolina she never had a map at James Madison---Lindsay's brother, Andrew, is a 2005 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy in um NEW LONDON, CT....that is in New England----
what a weird transition to the booth, no mention of Weber!
I wonder if TNT will dive into the Danica to HMS rumors if Jr gets some camera time...
The TNT pre-race show seemed a little somber overall. However it did have its moments,the Woods brothers and the JJ piece was ok.
On the other hand other than Wendy and Hermie Raceday is slipping. I liked Kenny Wallace making the statement about ALL open wheel drivers wanting to come to NASCAR. I had a long conversation with Scott Dixon at Sebring believe me, he has no interest.Is it just me or does Kenny Wallace suffer from some sort of cranial-rectal malady.
Frank in Sebring
Well, good luck to Ralph. Plenty of eyes on him.
I dislike the booth talking live to the drivers. Let them race.
@Andrew No Wimbledon on the middle Sunday unless they've been delayed by rain in the first week. So it's soccer vs NASCAR.
Frank, I have no doubt not ALL OWR drivers want to come here...Scott is doing very well over there and if the guys at the IRL would get their heads out of their rears and do some work to make the cars race better, especially on the ovals, they could easily have a very marketable product that is cost effective for the time being.
Go Ralphie Go! I <3 Ralphie and I know he'll do great :)
@Anon 2:15 - Must have had a delay, because NBC is definitely showing it right now.
Note to the booth, the inside lane that Kurt is trying to use has less banking. Back when I went to Loudon, that was part of the apron.
Ralph will still be better than JP. We should give him a pass for the short notice.
@David the IRL race yesterday was a snore fest. They need Turbos, less downforce, etc, etc, etc.
it just me or does Kenny Wallace suffer from some sort of cranial-rectal malady.
Frank, priceless.
How are we on S&P this week? I know the #09 is running because Brad is driving.
71, 87, 37 and 36
Andrew, no live Wimbledon today.
Lap 10 and every car is still running and on lead lap.
SPEED has to revamp RaceDay during the off-season. Things in TV change all the time and it usually results in an improvement. RaceDay really needs it...today was bad.
All still racing for the time being, but all 4 are final 4 on running board
@Andrew, NBC showing week 1 highlights from Wimbledon. If THAT beats NASCAR in the ratings, we officially have a problem.
Wreck
JD I find Race Day & VL impossible to watch anymore. They better revamp it otherwise they will lose more and more viewers.
Anyone think if they park because of "brakes" that its legit?
Whoops, didn't realize it wasn't a live broadcast. Shows how much attention I pay to tennis! :p
Ambrose must have come in since he dropped back so much.
@David - Well, he did nearly hit Ragan and then hit the wall...
@Nan_S - RaceBuddy says that Ambrose is quite ill today.
@ Andrew, I know lol. I was joking.
Part of why I chuckle when everyone goes completely sideways because they think some of these reasons are bogus every time it happens. Most of the time, yeah. Every time...Nope.
I rarely catch RD anymore.
First TWO HOURS is too LONG for nonsense, promotiona bits and puffery.
Needs major REVAMP and who has 12 hours to watch TV all day.
Interesting to hear Kyle laughing about the restrictor plates @ NHMS. Have we had even one mention of Adam today?
For some reason, TNT and HotPass are not synched together. It was the same issue last week. There is about a one to two second delay between the in car camera and the TNT broadcast feed.
@David
"Brakes" is a legitimate reason if after 400 laps at Martinsville everything has burned out.
No, over the years the media guys have worked very well with Kyle to get around that issue.
Ralph is getting his sea legs right now.
RD has been going down hill since they expanded to 'too long'. Trying to fill that much time leads to too much fluff and stupidity.
This Kyle commentary on "if you ever have to hit a wall" conversation is really unnerving me.
As opposed to, going straight ahead full throttle into turn three before the safer barrier . . .
I'm kind of shocked with the whole Weber deal but not so much. He seems arrogant but lately he's been a great team player who I've actually enjoyed hearing.
I think Ralph will do fine. He's experienced, and no matter what will be better than Doc.
Wow, I completely forgot about Kyle being here at New Hampshire. It must be tough.
Also, hope that Ambrose isn't still throwing up. Maybe food poisoning?
I also quite watching the pre-race stuff.
Trying to look at the Weber thing from TNT's pint of view. They probably see it as an internal personnel matter, that they can deal with as they see fit. But if it should blow up into something bigger, and Weber leaves or is terminated, the way they refer to his status could become an issue if the dispute ever reaches a courtroom; i.e. Weber could claim that they deliberately damaged his career.
Or if you are recycling parts and using the same brakes you've had the last 3 weeks...
Tommy Baldwin saying they operate on low overhead means they are stretching every dollar.
If a team says they have a problem I get skeptical but when a driver like Dave Blaney says the brakes are totally gone I tend to buy that. Speaking of, didn't include the 66 in my S&P list.
In a way, it's too bad that Steve Byrnes did not get a shot at the PXP position. I know it's TNT vs. SPEED, but a fill-in role might have been an exception.
Byrnes worked the weekend and knew the cars, teams and news from Friday and Saturday.
Why would gordon choose the inside?
Jack, imagine how JP must be feeling after the Nationwide race...
This is turning into a wreckfest! Does anyone have grip today?
Tony commented its hard to get going when the tires are just spinning, that was only getting out of the pits
Wow, I just saw AJ Allmendinger's car for the first time when he spun there.
Berlin City Auto Group is large Maine local auto dealership that has sponsored a few local racers in northern New England through the years.
But nonetheless - its a local auto dealership!
Don't laugh but Larry Mc could also do it. He was great on HotPass calling the action last year
Hmmm. This is startingto remind me of Indy last year. But, to have a 'competition caution', doesn't there need to be more than 10 laps of 'competition'?
Berlin City was a longtime sponsor of Busch North driver Dave Dion. They mentioned Friday that Berlin City is now owned by the Gillett family, I didn't know that.
@Martin
Ah ha, that explains it!
J.D.,
When something happens like the Bill Weber matter, who makes the call to send him home and who chooses his replacement? Do you normally have a list of people -- either written or mental -- who are already under contract or are available on a freelance basis who would be good spot replacements?
West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California
Racing in the field but they're not showing but the first few cars!
Jack Roush has been doing ads on Sirius trying to get sponsors. It's a different world in NASCAR today.
#37 Raines - off
#66 Blaney - off
#36 Carpentier - out
By the way, the orange paint scheme on the #44 Berlin City car is a nod to Dave Dion's paint scheme.
Looks like Raines & Blaney parked now.
USA 1 Brazil 0 10:00 minutes
What's going on with TNT today? There's racing in the field, but the broadcast AND RaceBuddy are only showing the top 10 or so.
Kenn, we have seen this before with Ray Dunlap. Just a real life deal. TNT has plenty of talent around to cover.
Just thinking th same thing.
Battle cam not showing much different that the TV.
NASCAR.com's Scanner is not working well today. Keeps dumping out.
Wouldn't be so bad if it weren't a paid service.
JD - what in the worrld is this today? This race coverage is not so much - today. Are they using bspn folks? lots of single car shots, close ups... not usual TNT.
I don't like the track sound. You can't hear enough of the cars on the track. Just background noise.
Triple pits they way they SHOULD be!
=)
That was close to a tragedy in the pits.
Will he get penalized for that?
SDDD just knocks one of Menard's guys out of the way. How classy.
Kind of makes you wonder who else might not be there. Boring coverage not TNT style.
Menard was crooked in his box.
I have a feeling by the end of the day, many of us fans will approve of Ralph Shaheen and his call of the race.
He's true professional and it'll be a shame if this is his ONLY time in the pxp booth.
Now if Kyle can control his stuttering and stammering, maybe I could turn the audio back on.
at least ralph sounds excited unlike some people...
Is it just me or does Ralph sound a bit like a radio announcer?
McMurray stayed out on the track after his accident, but he looks to have taken the car to the garage in this round of pit stops. Must be needing more work.
Ralph sounds like he's watching and broadcasting the race from Charlotte. Audio is a little off but ok.
oops posted this on the wrong thread.. hey JD,
feature idea for racebuddy you may want to pass along to TNT/other networks interested in the technology...
I was sitting here thinking I could watch the entire race on racebuddy with one exception--- replays!
perhaps have a DVR-style slider like nascar online raceview uses.
not to be picky, but this would complete, what is by far the best TV feature to come to NASCAR in years!!!!!
Remember the last time TNT (in partnership with NBC) had a lead booth announcer miss a race?
It was our friend AB, who after his injury situation, lost the booth job to Weber permanently, leading to his nomadic journey to his current host gig with ESPN.
Is the scanner audio on nascar.com having problems? it is on Hotpass and on sirius.
Caution - if this isn't for Keselowski, this could really help him; he'd just reported a tire rub.
I thought Gilliland stayed out to lead a lap before parking, but looks like he didn't lead. Guess he pulled in one lap too soon, instead Elliott Sadler is credited with one lap led.
Seriously, NASCAR.com ought to offer credits for poor service like this on their Scanner feature.
WTH? Back to the race and then commls. Is it me or everyone else?
Scanner is totally off today. Messing up & dumpin out.
@Dot - Just you. Sounds like your local commercials cut in when they weren't supposed to.
Are we going to get a recap of the pit stops we missed?
haha, Wally "I'll probably use the telestrator" not reazling he was on the air
I don't claim to be an expert in this area by any means, but it sounds like a wire is shorted or in water. And it isn't just one driver, it is race control as well.
The booth guys are getting better...
@ Andrew, thanks. Same thing happened yesterday. Now you guys will understand my WTH/Fs?
Back to racing & no mention of DFR SOS - Thank you TNT!
USA 2 Brazil 0 27:00
@bevo - When did the US get good at soccer?
@Nan--yes it is. One of his tweets he mentioned that he had been in Loudon for a bit but hadn't been to the track yet. He definitely was taking his time to get there and only when he had to.
@Andrew- 2 weeks ago :)
Got it on ESPN360. Believe it or not this is an exciting soccer match, plenty of back and forth and tons of shots. It's the kind of game that casual fans would love.
Weber jokes in the booth?
I don't think the best announcers on the planet could make this a good race,, at least not with what we've seen so far...but then, it's Louden....why expect more? What's worse is having to come here twice....I feel for the NE fans though...Bruton ought to just gut the place & start over.
Everything seems off today! No rhythm or flow to this telecast. Unbalanced to me.
Kyle just broke Rule #1: Don't comment on the paid commercials.
I really hate being picky but Lindsay needs to look at a map.
Hey look BSPN, Larry in the small box.
glen, this has traditionally been a tough TV race as I mentioned in my column.
Taxicabs on an ice rink is one of the kinder ways this race has been talked about.
KP acknowledged laughing, said that Wally is funny.
I like Ralph's style....using stats to go into commercial breaks.
Somebody please tell Kyle that it's Hendrick NOT Hendrix or Hendricks.
JD-
Relatively speaking, this is a very good NH race. Then again, I attended the restrictor plate racwe at Loudon in person, so my view of a good NH race is a bit skewed.
Timing is really off all around for TNT
We need a caution.
hey guys! i'm staying with us soccer for now: will catch you on the flip side of that match.
I remember that one...plates on a one mile oval.
Hendrick looks like he has it dialed in, but anyone seen Junior?
TNT has not said a peep about him.
Unfortunately, the most entertaining development would be JJ and company getting trapped a lap down. In part because they have access to Larry Mac's calculator.
Junior still running 7th behind MM.
I hear ya, JD, it just never gets better. Well, when they reconfigured it it was slightly better. My least favorite track on the circuit (I guess we all have to have one.)
Not the smoothest broadcast I've ever heard, but not the worst.
Well, Jeff Burton had fun that day!
Halftime
USA 2
Brazil 0
Rest of the world wonders what the heck is going on :)
It's kind of interesting when they go to commercials....they fade right away to them after Ralph gets done....usually there's a few seconds afterwards before they fade out.
Rain about 45 minutes out per Tweeters in upstate NY.
Do they have a cameraman in the flag stand?
Also the track sound is really muddy today
@JD - Jr is in 7th & Witness Protection Program.
5 minutes of race, 2 minutes of commercials, 3 minutes of race then another commercial.
glen, they re-did Homestead so maybe Bruton will think about banking this after another slip and slide COT race.
red, you are leaving NASCAR for soccer? Wow....there is a statement.
@bevo - Maybe it's because of the taller and more curved-in fencing, but that flagstand camera shot is a bad choice. Couldn't see anything but the fence posts.
Are they anticipating rain? They seem to be increasing the rate of commercial breaks the last half hour or so. In other words, seems like there's getting be fewer and fewer laps of televised racing between breaks.
Charlie, think they are whacking the commercials because of the rain?
This is brutal!
You'd think NASCAR would find some debris. I guess because Jr is running in the top 10.
BEVO - that's what I said about the sound. It's just too low. Sounds better when pit reporters are talking.
@JD- doubt Bruton will do that, he'll send one of the dates to Kentucky when that mess gets straightened out.
@Martin- Agree. Bad shots.
If it does not rain, does that mean we just won't get commercial breaks for the last 75 laps, or will we get commercial breaks stuffed with promos for "The Closer" and all those TNT shows.
Maybe Weber got into a shouting match with the audio guy and they BOTH got sent home for the wknd...
-D
not only OT but off sport: bevo -- is the sound on soccer weird for you? sounds like a gigantic horde of wasps all buzzing at the same time. really distracting and i think i'm gonna go with no sound and closed captioning.
JD,
refresh my memory, but isn't this an annual TNT tradition that the race before and after the commercial-free Daytona race are usually commercial-loaded to compenstate.
I seem to recall that from previous years, and if true, doesn't help this is a short 300 mile race to begin with. Not defending them, just curious.
@red- the sound is a new kind of horn. FIFA is going to discuss banning them after this. I thought those ThunderSticks in baseball were bad until I heard those horns.
The natural sound mix for the Nationwide race was so much better yesterday.
ESPN really pushes those levels and makes the announcers talk overtop of the sound from the track.
This mix is so low it sounds like the guys are really in a glass booth...in another town.
I always complained (imagine that) about the heavy commercial load for this race and the final TNT race.
True or not, probably never going to find out.
latest tweet from raceweather.net:
Rain remains mostly over ME, only scattered showers near NHMS. Race should continue without issue.
JD-
Bruton wants permission from the local government to install lights and have night races, may bring the IRL back too. I think Kentucky is the threat.
However, Bruton has already told the New England media he has plans drawn up for how to convert Loudon into a 3/4 mile Bristol. They need the extra space to put that kind of banking in. I can only imagine a big Bristol being more exciting than a big Martinsville.
thanks, bevo. i am sincerely not liking it one bit. very annoying!
One date to Kentucky sounds like a good bet. It might be just another tri-oval, but anything would be better than this.
What was wrong with North Wilkesboro again?
Re the weather: I think they're going to get this one in. Rain doesn't look close, at least using the maps at intellicast.
@red-"FIFA is to discuss the future of the vuvuzela, the noisy plastic trumpet blown at the Confederations Cup which has drawn complaints from European television stations."
USA 2
Brazil 1
47:00
Theodore-
You know that as a strange byproduct of the New Hampshire purchase, Bruton now owns 100% of North Wilkesboro.
Well Bruton also has Atlanta to deal with. One of those dates might get dumped for KY if things dont improve
@Theodore- because we had this big track in Fort Worth without a Cup date :)
Annon, Bruton has also put the track up for sale/auction i believe as well.
Shame someone doesnt invest some money to get it where you could bring the Truck Series there but the investment isnt worth the loss/lack of profit at this point.
To me, give Kentucky Darlington's Mother's Day weekend date, move Darlington back to the Sunday night of Labor Day weekend. Problem with that, though, is the Atlanta date Bruton wants to get rid of is the March date.
Did Keselowski get a pit road penalty? He dropped to 27th after his stop, then to 35th...
I think the future of the Nationwide and Truck series is going to help those decisions along.
Meeting this week with Bruton and Mike Helton.
Keselowski was passed by the leaders before he stopped, after the cycle he lost a lap...no penalty i am aware of
Maybe Keselowski crossed the line in 27th before getting to his pit stall, I guess he would rejoin the field in 35th the next lap.
trackpass scanner still not really working, just get snipits of convo every five or ten min what gives?
Wow, it's gotta be tough for these guys to get any flow going with these breaks....they really can't start talking about anything.
Rain on the backstretch....uh oh.
Anon-
Yes, and as a North Carolina native that deal still sticks in my craw all these years later. It was one of the early steps on the way to the NASCAR of today. I miss Rockingham too.
Unusual circumstance for Kule B...a line of 4 cars on his tail threatening to pass him.!
@JD - The "meeting with Bruton Smith and Mike Helton" about the Truck Series was in Mike Mulhern cloudy mind, as far as I know. He also has Danica replacing Dale Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports! :)
Truck Series to Darlington, Richmond (Twice!) and Rockingham.
Give up Cali, Vegas and a Texas date, move the remaining Texas race to a triple header weekend at the end of the season and enforce a new body rule forcing teams to build symmetrical trucks instead of the twisted mess that exists.
My brief "fix the truck series" plan.
Wow, nice pit coverage including replays.
Rain on the #14's camera
Dang! I missed the announcement that it was take out Pit Crew Members today :(. Everyone stay safe out there!
Is TNT going to use the Fox policy on weather? TNT is saying this caution was for something else and not mentioning anything about rain.
well, i just slipped over to catch the pitstops: that was a hot mess. reporters talking over each other, booth talking about tough day for pit crews and the producer had keyed up the race off pit road. guess you'll see it all when they come back.
and jd? believe me: i wanted to spend time w/nascar today but the choice was made easier when the last 2-3 weeks of n'wide and truck broadcasts have left me flat. besides, loudon isn't one of my favorites. so, choosing usa soccer vs brazil was really easy.
and that's sad . . .
Aww red, the Milwaukee NW race was great! Broadcast sucked but the race was good.
Oughta hang out with us though...
@red- good thing they don't have video replay in soccer :)
@bevo: ain't THAT the truth! us got one heck of a break there, huh?
TNT creating their own reality today. Never mentioned Weber and never mentioned rain.
Did they ever show a replay of the crew member getting hit on pit road? Maybe they did and I missed it.
What's with all these commercials??????
ok, decided to go with RB on the laptop, keeping the soccer match on the tv. should be . . . interesting.
TNT must sell the same number of commercials for each Cup race?
This stock of commercials would not seem nearly as bad at the Pocono 500.
Caution, 17, 39, 16, others caught on pit road.
caution for...?!!?
#98
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