The "A team" returns to the Nationwide Series on Friday night for ESPN. All hands are on deck as the two Bristol night races hit the ESPN family of TV networks on consecutive nights.
Allen Bestwick will start the coverage with the NASCAR Countdown show from the Infield Pit Studio. He will be joined by Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, both just back from their Wednesday trip to the White House and an audience with the President.
Wallace is deeply involved in the Nationwide Series and has been offering the best information for TV viewers on the series. Bestwick always gets his facts straight and Daugherty is a NASCAR cheerleader, so the pre-race should be solid.
Once the action starts, Jerry Punch will return to call the race after an absence. Last week, ESPN did not use a play-by-play announcer at Michigan. Marty Reid has been calling the races prior to that since ESPN started the Sprint Cup coverage.
Punch will be joined by Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree in the booth. These two have been working well together this season and have become solid at jumping in and trying to add their own excitement to the race telecast when Punch lags behind.
On pit road will be the NASCAR on ESPN foursome that has been taking their lumps from the fans. Dave Burns, Vince Welch, Jamie Little and Shannon Spake are going to be dealing with some very loud conditions and cramped quarters.
As I mentioned last week, tempers are tight this time of the year and sometimes the pit reporters get the wrath of the drivers when they ask a "how do you feel about that" kind of question. ESPN struggled in the pits back in year one. It would be a shame if this weekend gets things pointed right back in the same direction.
At Bristol, TV viewers want to watch cars racing at them and not away from them. It take a lot of work from the director to continually cut the cameras in a pattern that make sense to the viewers. There has also been a tendency to keep the action low and not insert high camera shots to keep a perspective on the track.
Once the sun goes down, the pictures really get good and the action picks up. This track does not lend itself to in-car camera views live, but they are great for replays. The fixed "speed shots" also do not work well because the laps are just so fast. The simple challenge for the TV team in the production truck is to keep ahead of the action on the track.
This post will serve to host your comments about the Nationwide Series coverage on ESPN2. To add your TV-related opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and share your thoughts with other NASCAR fans.
396 comments:
1 – 200 of 396 Newer› Newest»HI JD and the rest of the Planeteers :)
Look forward to a good show tonight. Hope to see some youngins force them off script.
I think it is going to be good on the track. I hope the commentary matches the racing.
Hola folks.
Back after a goofy week. That Wed night race really throws your sense of what day of the week it is off quite a bit.
That 88 is gonna be stout I think. So that should shuffle the "script" up quite a bit. Gonna tune out of the pre-race though. Back around 8:30
I was in one of those card stunts at Richmond...I was in the M in God Bless America....
looks like we might be okay with the weather if more storms don't pop up.
The black and white stuff is horrible....
Instead of E:60, is this NN:3?
for everyone that's going to comment about tonight's coverage, keep one thing in mind. At least you get to watch it live! TSN ( canada) isn't going to show it until midnight pst time.
Pete from van island
Bristol Start & Parks:
#47 Coleman Pressley
#49 Mark Green
#78 Kevin Lepage
#90 Johnny Chapman
#91 Terry Cook
Those 5 sent home the #0, #31, #70, #89 that all would have ran the distance.
Pete, is there another live event blocking it tonight?
Hey JD, could you please turn off the veri word? Thank you.
JD, I was thinking 'this is where they plot their production script', lol. "Let's bore everyone by talking about Carl and Kyle all night..."
DISH is out...some big T-storms moving through. Not sure I care that I'm missing prerace....
The CFL is on tsn and tsn2 all night. The problem is, I believe that tsn2 is just re-broadcasting the games at a later start time to cover all the time zones. Time shifting, as it were.
Pete
glenc1,
I'll take the interruption in Dish, if it meant rain. I've got a front yard of hay in Round Rock (CenTX).
@JD--I do too! This is a fast track and we don't have time for *crickets* and uhming and awing.
@David--yes it does and it makes me HUNGRY for midweek racing!
@glen--how fun that must have been :)
@Pete--head over to Justin.tv there are several channels that show NA$CAR and we have a few Canucks on there as well as folks from around the world :).
@anon 7:30--which is what FRUSTRATES me about the Cash for Clunkers! Those who WOULD have ran the distance or at least until the only thing left was the steering wheel, get sent home and then those who come for a check leave after a handful of laps :(
Pete, I am so old that I used to work on CFL games when we showed them live on ESPN.
Warren Moon was the star QB and we just used to watch him get munched over and over again.
"Run Warren Run!" used to echo down the hall outside the ESPN control rooms.
JD
I don't know if I can do it live JD. I think I'm going to watch the Practices I DVR'd and save it for later. I'll check back if it looks like fun I can always just be behind
I was so glad when Moon got his 'later in life' shot at the NFL. Flutie too.
Patrick, you can have it. We've had a very cool & wet summer (as the Watkins Glen & Pocono races proved.) I'm going to Dover & I hope it doesn't follow us there.
Gymmie, it was fun. I kept the card (and the VCR tape of the race.)
That was a little aggresive when Kez has been denying the rumors all day. No?
Plus, that's more of a Cup story, not relative to NW.
Is there anyplace on line to watch the race? As mentioned earlier it isn't on in Canada. TSN has a CFL football doubleheader , and TSN2 has women's tennis _followed_ by CFL football. The tape delays are at 3am and 6am Eastern.
it was pushy--the reporters know darn well the drivers are not allowed to say anything until the i's are dotted, as they say.
Such a shame what Jamie did because BK was just on NASCAR Now and also all over the Internet saying no comment.
What was he going to do just because she asked him? Somehow cave under her evil eye?
Come on...how amateurish...
Why is Brad yelling?
When's that green flag again?
@ JD, I said "please".
bryan, if you click around Google you might justin find yourself a location or two.
Telling you that justin case you want to look of course.
JD
Don't know if the 31 would have run all night. probably would have.
Such is life though. Would like to see that #90 get a sponsor since Terry Cook is a much much better driver than a start and park.
may only have 2 tomorrow, max of 3 i believe
bryan,
yes. if you send me an email, I tell you a secret. will hide address again before race is over
Interesting, no US Fidelis on the #66 next year....
I agree with you JD about the interview with Jamie and Kez. How she keeps her job is beyond me.
spers
@ David, interesting but not surprising.
igiver
yeah. Oh wow, someone said 8:43 would be the GF earlier, not the case...looking like we'll be green in 20 mins
gront
@JD icwutudidthar :P
Patrick, is that justin case he wants some help? Nice of you.
David, 8:13PM...right on the sched.
thought someone posted 8:43 this morning
ovenis
OK. I got it. A bit slow, eh?
That's why I was asking. Read two different times.
evirevel
jets coming early or great camera shot :) Oops..gone
now back again but too far away..oh, well.
OOH now THAT"s nice show against orange skies.
THERE I said something positive about....this network. ;-0
@JD--heheehehehe ;-)
It's truly sad and how these guys keep their cool is beyond me. My blood boils and the question isn't even addressed to me! But of course many times they just get smart with them. Which they had to do all the time when Jeanne was thrust upon us.
Young Steven Wallace seemed bored during the Anthem :(. At least he could pretend he was enjoying it.
Hm, i dunno what to think of Brad racing for Penske next year. better then some options he has..though id have like to seen him take the 07
Do you think the S&P guys stand in a circle and say "PARK!"?
Steve L.
I wasn't P2Pressuring anyone. I just wouldn't want to P2Publish anything illegal.
That's funny as hell, anon.
Is it supposed to rain later?
stessi
wicked, RCR is soooo far off in comparison to Hendrick that it would be a huge step down. Penske is the next best choice since its a home state guy. Plus it may be a 1 year deal. Kinda gotta wait and see how the contract plays out. Nice to see him back in a Dodge though since thats what K Automotive has run for years upon years.
Sophia, thats a huge step for ya! lol.
Thought it was interesting ppl threw out Furniture Row as a possible place for Brad, though I don't think Rick could have lined up the sponsorship for it.
JD, ever though of holding a live chat on like IRC?
wickedj,
I guess Kez just doesn't want to wait anymore. He certainly has proven himself. I just hope that he doesn't sign a multi-year deal, so that he can return to HMS (if he's actually going elsewhere).
I could've said the command with more energy than that.
Gotta say it's really strange sitting here watching the race on TV. First time in 9 years I haven't been sitting off Turn 2 at Bristol.
I guess most of you do not like country music , but I thought it was a good national athem. It was not overdone.
Is that Angus Kahne in the 10 car? That ad graphic on the in-car does draw one's eye...
@ SalB, sorry you're missing the race live. The coverage will be painful from the couch but, it's fun here at TDP.
mulung
Live chat ! Mama Mia, I like a moderated blog..being the sissy I am.
David, thanks for the notice. :)
Dot
are you purposely typing the word very in your box...or is that a hint for JD to turn it off?
Just askin' :-)
metemon
Dont see jamie rocking the banking in heels. Just another knock against her.
@SalB--yes my friend Nas has had season tickets for 15 years due to the economy she had to give them up this year :(
@bryanh--I enjoyed the anthem, I thought he did a great job :)
Wicked, working with Twitter right now on live chat that refreshes automatically.
IRC is too tech heavy for my crowd.
Twitter is working hard, might have it up and running pretty soon.
I know, Dot. Enjoy watching with TDP crowd. The racing has been so disappointing there the past few years...this might be an improvement!
bryanh, I liked the anthem, it was good. And no goofy outfits!
@ dear Sophia, you caught that. I was trying to be subtle. I politely asked JD to turn it off.
Here we go.
whoever deemed we peeps here the Planeteers, makes me imagine folks with the Mickey Mouse ears on their head.
(ok my age is showing)
maybe we have "spoilers" on our heads..or wings for the COT.
Looks like a good crowd for Bristol
Nubleste
(sounds Spanish)
Sophia, IRC allows for moderation of the room and users.
Re: Kez, yeah i guess it was go to Penske or be stuck in N'wide for another year and probably another half year in cup
Sorry, just remind me if I forget to turn the Veri off for the live races.
You know...men and multi-tasking!
early energy Mr Punch, now can u keep it up?
Wow, could have have been an any more anti-climactic call to the green?
Who called it the "Coliseum of Collision" ??
That anthem was a lot better than some of the versions this season.
are people taking pictures in the stands? I saw flashes at the beginning on the wide show.
ugh..in car cams.
Lather rinse repeat.
Racing in Dega, Bristol or China...sigh
and bumper cam while someboy spins
JD, not really. for anyone familier with IRC its just joining another channel
for the IRC noobs they can use Mibbit. which is java based and fairly simpley to use
Patrick,
I was wondering the same.
Wonder who got paid to think that up?
Thank you JD.
Wow. Some excitement from the booth.
Lotsa people taking pics of the start. It can almost blind you when you're at the track!
MSRP (#90 & #91) didn't even make it to the 1st caution. Weak.
Patrick, its what they do.
Larry Gunselman is responsible for this, remember Talladega last year?
ok i have to admit, the baby commercial cracks me up
Wicked, I started on IRC...I know the drill.
@ Patrick, agreed.
Awesome aerial shot! Love it...
remember that ESPN ad where they talk about how 'not everyone can talk sports'? They could be parodying *themselves*. BTW, Sportsnation was an idiot waste of time...caught some of it yesterday.
Hey, JP just said Start and Park!
Nice! Punch calling out the S&P's tonight.
Jerry just said the S&Ps.
Actual mention of S&P!
Nationwide should run Salem, that would be an awesome race
The sunset aerial shots of the Thunder Valley were incredible. Looks like beautiful country down there.
That's why we need Rusty in the booth. Where was Steven's spotter?
It's beautiful in the mountains...but schlepping up and down the hills right at the track in the heat & humidity can reduce you to tears!
"I've fallen and I can't get up!"
JP calls the S&P cars...even as brief as it was. Nice move.
Cant get used to Bowyer in the 29, i see the car and my brain says "Burton"
TV does not do justice to the true colors of the cars.
if this is as excited as punch can get its gonna be a long nite and a loooooooooong chase.
hey, lets check in on stevie wallace!!!!! there must not be any other cars in the field
Bray kroter
wideshots guys! Come on...zoom out!
good to see Matt Carter out there
whos pitting right there? 61?
Right, Steve. So many of the colors are neon bright.
Hey director. The tight camera shots ruin the coverage!!!!
In lieu of DW, ill do it
"Hello Walls..."
Good thing they're keeping close track of the Cup drivers...otherwise we might get distracted by those Nationwide regulars!
@ wickedJ and SalB, funny.
The in car curse lives on. What are THOSE odds?
in race reporter jinx continues
Speaking of the future, i dont think ill like The King putting Toyotas on the track
aw crap
What idiot thinks that an in car camera gives any sort of perspective?
Dang it! Poor Mr. Alligator :(
Man, MORE bad luck for poor Justin. :(
wrecked him. what a joke
Well, we had an horrendous thunderstorm come through and lost our satellite but now it's passed so hopefully we can finish watching the race.
Actually, David, he got loose off the turn and got up into the 12.
Sal. I always felt the older style non-HD bumper cams were good for perspective, but these ones they use now that dont have a shelf under them are just weird. hate them.
I want the old style onboards back!!!!
Rear bumper cams should not be allowed.
If two cars are racing, show the two cars.
wicked, too early to be racing justin like that though. least thats what i think anyways
nice battle and they used bumper cam to show it? wow ESPN.
David, I hate it when they try to show a pass from the bumper cam...you can't tell who has the advantage until they pull back to a wideer shot!
From someomne who's not watching in HD, I concur with David. These bumper cams are all video game, no perspective.
a topic for another day...the cult commercials...Cole Trickle's idea? Wrong audience.
Yeah, he got loose and WRECKED him.
He's Little Gator, by the way. Can't believe Brad did that; hope Roger is giving his hiring second thoughts. (Justin is a local boy.)
There'S BK'S penalty. Fixing thr car.
Justin had a great car. awesome seeing him work that high line. Think it showed that might be a good place to choose for restarts
Mars as big as a full moon?! Sophia, im curious now.
glenc1
You're NOT wrong. Keep on "stayin' alive" (jd should appreciate that)
Wendy said earlier today that Justin was "Little Gator" Bob Dillner interviewed him during qualifying...Bob looked like a giant compared to him.
What the F....
Wow. Did you guys see that? That's the kind of coverage we want to see.
Loudly applauding!!!!!
YES!!!!
Oh boy - I can't wait to hear THIS interview...
Cant buy a break tonight. Danggit. My boy is out.
Rut Roh! There goes the #1 script story!
Somehow i dont feel bad for Kyle...i really dont
Good God, what's going on here? Bristol's always rough on the cars, but I don't remember it being a wreckfest recently.
Chase Austin JP, NOT Jason White
I know it isn't PC, but I somehow just can't feel too bad when Kyle wrecks. from the sound from the track, I'm in the majority. ;)
No interview tonight!
Is that steam from Kryle's radiator or his ears? Listen to that crowd. How can he be content with himself when that's the response from paying public?
Wah. Poor Kyle b, the ONLY guy to ever have a bad night in a race.
Glad he is OUT of the race but ok
Jesus. Spotter, where you at dude?!
Maybe looks like he had a tire going down?
A little karma for the 1 car.
Bad luck!
Punch never mentions the screaming crowd after KB got smushed.
Make sure you have a driver before you start fixing the #18. He's probably already in the bus. We'll see if he's available for an interview.
wicked, he probably did. But no business diving down like that. The spotter needs to be fired ASAP.
wow what was the 07 thinking.
I just can't cry for Kryle, even when he's done wrong...
Patrick...hehehe...
Kind of reminds me the time the lap car of Kevin Lepage pulled up at Talladega and wrecked the field.
Lets take bets on ESPN chasing down Chase
Patrick - Maybe Dale Jr. can hop in the 18 car if they get it fixed. :-)
This has been a remarkably good broadcast so far, aside from JP not mentioning the crowd's obvious pleasure at KyBu's misfortune.
Sophia - the Mars thing is an urban legend: http://www.snopes.com/science/astronomy/brightmars.asp
OKC Dave,
Now you're talkin!
Yeah, either the spotter failed horribly or driver didnt hear the spotter
Hmmm. Are we sounding a bit cynical here? Or just experienced?
@ Dave in OKC, you're killing me.
David & Others.
Ok, never mind...that's a HOAX about the MARS thing...I wondered why I'd heard no news..my sister had a client that told here this but she just checked internet...before I had a chance to google it, she called me back. So I take back my comments...(blushing)
So much happening at Bristol...odd so many wrecks.
Who lost the battery...I've yet to be able to HEAR who that was..thank you
The crowd loved that crash. Awesome. See ya, punk a###!
My Glen seats are start/finish, & they had a new mike put up with a pole to catch crowd noise. All I could think was, if Jr wins or Kyle wrecks, lol.
JD, ON that one I wouldn't either because it was not funny.
lol the graphic just said his name is Pete something
Maybe Carl paid Chase off.
OMG Armando Fitz. What a JOKE this guy is.
I have nothing good to say about this joker and thats the NICEST thing I can say.
Sophia - Justin Allgaier lost the battery; they mentioned it a couple times. And yeah, this is odd for Bristol.
@19Spotter07 Austin kid doesn't deserve a license much less a racecar! Weapon
wow....
Are they fixing the 18? I hope they do.
Justin is a class act.
Andrew, thanks..I HATE when people post or email junk that is a hoax!! I apologize.
To other person, I thought the same thing about Dale Jr jumping into the 18 car lol.
Kyle's probably eating a bag of cheetos and getting ready to leave the track.
Sophia, that was gator who lost it when Brad cut his tire down and wrecked him. =\
Last couple cautions have been weird. needing that 60 to have a problem now.
Bad wrecks so far and it's not even a full moon. A red flag now that's bad.
Lots of repairs going on behind pit wall. Always fun to see if you're at the track. The crash carts there are amazing...they have every part known to man on them!
Mr. Alligator is a good kid! I hate when he gets bitten :(
Trevor Bayne? Jason Keller? I'm pulling for an upset tonight now.
somebody needs to give the driver of the 07 a breathalyzer test
OMG, Kyrle is being interviewed on PRN!! I'm shocked...
JD, you shocked someone said it? I've always called kids named Chase "Crash"
This supports the theory.
Cut the tire then turned down? When a tire goes down you can't turn the car left ASAP like that. He was just spaced out and his spotter must have been sleeping too. Since ESPN likes throwing guys under the bus lets hear from Chase now.
Not the first or last time something like this will happen.
Carl needs a good safe finish with good points.
you're asking Kyle how to drive properly? thats like asking Mr Magoo how to drive
OMG! Kyle has made mistakes? I can't believe he's being so nice. Did JD or the Coach have a talk with him?
Thanks Andrew for battery info.
Now I gotta go back and delete my post with the Mars hoax mention.....lol
My phone better not ring again...I keep missing the ACTION information of this place.
THANKS everybody for your answers. :)
p.s. WOW, Kyle is SMILING!
Ok, who is this guy impersonating Kyle B and what did you do with his body?
I gotta give Kyle alot of credit there. To not throw Chase under the bus like that is impressive.
WOW... almost a respectful interview from KB...
Maybe Jason Leffler will have a good race now.
@Sophia (and others):
That "Mars as big as a full moon" email you're quoting is atleast 5 years old and filled with lies to begin with. Nothing going on with Mars this year.
Who is this person in Kyle's body?
Very good interview. I'm impressed.
Credit where credit is due: Nice job speaking to all involved.
Apparently KB has had anger management schooling
hmm was kyle reading a script? wow amazing
One fan emailed that the crowd noise was deafening after the KB crash.
Never even acknowledged on TV.
Sophia-I was thinking the EXACT same thing-BodySnatchers BIIIG time!! This is not Vile Kyle....but I luvd the boos anyway-awful, I know.
Yeah, who is impersonating Kyle???? His good twin!
They STILL havent shown the 1 car plow into the 07 after the big wreck
While we're under the red, Jayski notes that tomorrow's Cup driver intros will feature music selected by each driver. JD, do you know if the intros will be featured during the pre-race? It would be interesting to hear what each driver picked for himself.
Amazing pandering to this punk. Even if Joe Gibbs performed an exorcism.
This is a first - KB has left me speechless.
I guess if you have to make a rookis mistake, taking out Kyle Busch is at least going to give you points with the crowd!
Kyle actually took a moment to collect himself. Makes quite a difference sometimes.
Anyone know if Joe or JD is at the track this weekend?
Its bad how I learn things from twitter before ESPN
Palmetto, we asked this morning, JD says unlikely since it would require 15-20 mins of pre-race time. =(
Seems KB has had anfer managemnt counseling
Palmetto --
I do know that Mark Martin and a couple of others have AC/DC music.
The pit reporter didn't ask stupid questions either.
He didn't try to get Kyle going.
I liked Chase's interview. Knew who he wrecked by the crowd's reaction.
Good interview with Weed? Like the others, I wonder who it really is.
David, thanks. I suspected that would be the answer. Maybe the track will release a list after the race.
There seems to be plenty of time to waste for driver intros before the All-Star race, and with each crewman mentioned.
Even a wife beater is nice sometimes. KB tastes karma, sweet. Wayyyyy too much coverage of this putz.
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