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:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 396 of 396let's just say the 07 team shows us where the tire was cut...? A rookie who's never been here before. I'd need more than that to indict the guy. Mark Martin came in a lap before a race was over once...just saying...if the tire was going down he's probably never been on banking like that. And I know nothing about him, just playing devil's advocate...
Gotta leave lots of time for the talking heads.
bad day for JGR
Palmetto, someone gave me a list this morning, but it's too long to put here, and I don't know where it came from. If you google it you should find it, though. Mark Martin has 'For those about to Rock', lol...and Marcos has 'Land Down Under'...those were my two favorites.
Did someone spike the drinking water here tonight?
Ok this is really catty to say but reading the Kyle Busch comments here were worth the price of admission.
Thanks JD!
LMAO.
oh and thanks Labbie for the additional point on the Mars hoax thing..my bad. My sister had a client bring her the article in hard copy. not an email..cause I asked her to send me the link to check it.
I won't be doing that again and thankfully deleted my comment so no evidence of my stupidity. :-)
Zoom out. PLEASE. Even folks on Twitter are Tweeting about the *&^%$^# camera work.
I need a second glass of Wine.....
Man, hopefully JGR has the bad luck out of the way tonight.
New sponsor for that group too...Brad ain't done well for 'em so far...
Lots of tire problems tonight.
gee whiz
steven wallace again
battling for 15th
must be no one else in the pack
amazing
bray
Kyle Busch interview was actually good and...calm! There's hope for him yet. And, YES, I'm a definite Kyle fan.
glenc1 and others, thanks.
Danny O'Quinn in 14th...wonder if he'll get a mention
Marcos and 'Down Under' great!
Maybe ESPN should adapt another Men At Work song - 'Overkill.'
David - They are having a GREAT run so far, but BSPN is completely ignoring him. That team is still looking for a full time sponsor & air time would be appreciated!
Seems good at first and then it just gets tighter and tighter until we just see one or two cars.
Weird...lots of zooming....in...
lots of empty seats on the backstretch!!!!!!!!!
bray
The TV coverage doesn't help most teaqms at all. Unless you have a Cup driver you get no mentions on air. Unless you're one of the top teams you get no mention. why sponsor a car if you never get on screen?
Brad K back up to 11th place. No mention?
Attention camera person. Zoom all the way out, all the way out.
Now zoom in until you see the difference in the colors on the cars.
Then stop.
We don't need to see the numbers on the cars every time. We know enough about these cars to tell who is who by the color of the car.
SalB - it's a crying shame! There are former champs sitting at home watching the races with all these cup guys in them.
bray, they often block the backstretches to make the fans sit in front to make it look more full (at least they do at Richmond & Dover).
or unless your Daddy is an announcer ork!!!on the netw
maybe great camera work can give the announcers something to talk about.
The Bus...sorry, Nationwide race rarely sells out. Back stretch seats as Bristol are great. Mostly because they get shade earlier than the frontstretch. at this time of year in Bristol that's a plus.
bray, for the N'wide race, they usually don't sell some of the backstretch.
It's my understanding that about 100K tics were sold for tonight.
That still leaves a whole lot of empty seats.
glen1
look at the seats going into turn 3!!!!!!
weird
Usually people at the night race have season tickets. They don't close off any seats at Bristol
Two "in case you just joined us..." in less than 2 minutes. He goes down from here? too much excitement in that 1st 95 laps? doesn't bode well for 500.
Wow, this is rugged from the Director tonight. Just rugged.
2 of the empty seats are mine,first time in ten years we are not at the race in Bristol
61 in the top 20, kenny wallace top 20 as well.
disappointing they aren't pumping up some excitement into this. id almost rather have AB and Brad call it from the studio
Amazing how ESPN can look as if this is their 'first rodeo' when they were the network that really brought stock cars to TV.
this is gawdawful
30-odd cars running and we watch steven wallace
jeezuz
bray
RichT, two other are mine. First time in 9 years.
09 in the wall, no mention of it
Please, we do NOT need to focus on one car just because they are being talked about.
Just SHOW US THE RACE!
JD
With you on that
ESPN must have stevie wonder as their guest director tonite
33 almost got turned by the 12, no mention either
If somebody has an ONLINE PRN radio station, PLEASE email me.
I can't TAKE the !#$%? camera work.
SalB--Bummer, looks like a fun race tonight
This is the ONE track where this kind of single car recap does not work...and they finally do one!
UP to Speed = filler
okay
a nice iso on the 09
credit where due
bray
This broadcast went as flat as Brad Coleman's tire.
Just wow.
Bring back the B team!
Wish i knew who the guy group was doing Lollipop in the Dell commercial
Anon
I made a comment about Stevie Wonder weeks ago running the booth, lol...last week I even mentioned Helen Keller.
Deaf, blind...and DEAD.
She could choose better cams.
It's truly frightening to think they can be this clueless...or this stupid when it comes to televising races, isn't it?
Jason Keller's in the race? I never would have known.
SalB or RichT...are all the seats for NW reserved, or is it a mix of reserved & General admission? Just curious.
I don't mind the recap, I just mind that they can't show the racing going one.
Is it too hard to have someone talking while showing something else?
I think everything at Bristol is reserved now.
Pit reports are improving. They just need to cut "xxx told me yesterday", "the car was xxx in practice", & Dave Burns rambling about the crew chief on the #29. Just say how the car is handling, what adjustments will be made & any pit strategy plans.
Good one dear Sophia. However, I do like the overhead shots.
He's baaaaaaack.
Marty would have this telecast going much better and make it exciting for the viewers. They are just showing the cup guys and a couple of NW drivers. Here we go back to the Kyle show.
wickedJ,
I hope that's for straglin' purposes. I have sped up my mute time because of 'Lollipop'
And there's Kyle - 2 days late for the Modified race...
This one race where TV can not do it justice, you have be there.
BUT THERE CAMERA WORK CAN BE A WHOLE LOT BETTER.
Whats a fuel run? how about tires? has that been mentioned?
There were walk-ups available tonight. That was the word via SIRIUS wed. from the track prez.
That #18 looks like what USED to be a 'typical' Bristol car!
Keselowski is the story of the race. Nothing from ESPN.
This is realllllly bad TV coverage.
Poor Danny O Quinn
Man! DOQ toast. =(
Nice one OKCDave
its called chrome horn, you held up the leader for far too long
Welcome to Bristol
At Last! Am Old Time Bristol move!
hey
there's the danny ogwynn mention
he only had to wreck to get on tv
bray
Wicked, 2 lead lap cars trying to stay on lead lap or battle for LD. Harvick was just soooo much faster than them made it tough. That was I think 11th and 12th place he was lapping.
Let's see how JP handles the last 100 laps with so few cars on the lead lap.
Yeah. they held the leader up. nothing weve never seen at bristol
fine for the 99, but Danny wasn't to blame...that's why I never liked Bristol. Too many innocent bystanders.
the empty seat remind me of what tv announcers say bout our local nba team
"Good seats available for Sundays game and bad seats are also still available"
@ trish, funny.
A few more cautions and Derrike Cope could have a top 20 finish tonight.
thank god for petrie and jarrett
if only bestwick were up top too
punch should be punched out
Yup Glen. Its better then its been though, just a tough place. If you get through here and keep the fenders on though, its normally a certain top 15. Look at the 61 and the 01 before the wreck. Still bummed Roush let Danny go, but I understand why they did it.
Anyone missing Marty Reid and Randy LaJoie right about now?
JD- That was a rhetorical question, right? :-)
I'm still stunned by Kryle, which mean I have to leave! But please keep the overhead shots-the in-camera just kills the coverage.
3 wide wreck for the lead? lol
Townley spins again - and STILL can't get on TV.
I met Danny at the Glen a few years ago. Very polite, nice guy. It was too bad, it was just the sponsor thing, like with so many other talented guys.
Definitely enjoying Bristol more than I used to.
JD, maybe the couple of NW races that Marty, Randy & Rusty did got a better reaction from the viewers than the cup race so ESPN didn't want them doing the Bristol race. Randy would be a riot tonight and Marty would be telling us what was really going on PLUS he would make sure a lot more NW guys were mentioned and seen.
David said...
This broadcast went as flat as Brad Coleman's tire.
Just wow.
Bring back the B team!
JD,
Please tell us that Marty will be back next week and will never leave us again. Hold me.
did ESPN seriously miss two cars wrecking right in front of them
How did they miss this wreck in progress?!
2 cars wreck in front of the booth & we get silence from all 3.
Man, there goes one of my favorites into the pits. Dang.
@ wickedj, why, yes they did.
JD, I think JP is having an adverse affect on JD and AP. They used to look out the window and NOT at the monitor. Now it appears they are staring at the monitor and not out the window. Sure they are really at Bristol, TN and NOT Bristol, CT?
Anyone else see this? When they showed the 11 car heading to the infield a moment ago, there was a glimpse of the parked 91 car, with tape for the car number instead of lettering?
Or am I losing the drinking game tonight? :-)
David, I think these guys are looking at their monitors not out the window - I bet Randy would definitely be watching the track that's for sure.
"Hey, Jerry, whats going on right in front of us"
"hell if i know, im watching the monitor"
After a while, you can actually tell the exact point where JP loses it for the night.
That was it...
Dave, in qualifying the 91 did not have tape numbers so I dunno what you just saw. I didn't see it though
David I think it was the 91 pit box but it was tape.
Thanks David. I'm switching back to Coca-Cola...
JD said 'That was it..."
I say it was when he said, "in case you just joined us" twice in a matter of minutes around lap 95
Dave, I think it was the oil-warming machine the teams use while the cars sit on pit road before qualifying. MSRP Motorsports just slapped on a red tape #91
thanks vicky. it could very well be tape then on the pit box lol. didn't figure they had a pit box nor needed it.
Thanks for the clarification, folks.
maybe JP bedtime is 9pm. kinda like my wakeup time is 10ish
trish, explain michigan then
About time for the spotters to all start yelling together on a restart.
some are surviving Bristol and I am surviving espn.
If they had panned that crowd shot up to the terrace seats I would have been seeing the race from my old seat!
David, I think a pit box is required. Not a crew, though. The S&Pers at the Glen all had toolboxes.
@ Charlie, there you go.
i cant stand this full throttle thing
Ah, 77 got loose and washed up the track in front of Brian. That's why Brian said Peyton stopped in front of him. Racing deal.
Did I call it or what.
dammit Charlie. I blame you for that.
Charlie, we're blaming you for this one!
Charlie,
Your words to ESPN's ears. LOL
Charlie
HOW did you know they were going full throttle...sigh
and IN CAR CAMS ON RESTARTS!
we are missing the DFR you maroons.
This is a trainwreck.
It seems like DJ is being critical to some of these rookie drivers tonight.
I was thinking th same thing about DJ. Funny, since I can remember at least 2 races I attended and watch DJ do slow motion low speed impacts with other cars! : 0
bobpockrass Kevin Harvick's crew chief said rain is 45 minutes to an hour away. The race should be over by then. #nascar #sprintracing
Kryle couldn't break the bumper cam in his wreck. I hate him even more now.
Nice comment by DJ saying, "kyle's modified"
@david maybe JP gets up late as well.
or maybe he justs gets bored easily
Ragan takes the lead during the break. of course.
wow, if it rains right after this one that will really be something! threatened all day and for once we dodged it. gonna make for a crazy start tomorrow though if it washes the track green.
kinda intrigued about the rookie thing. Thinking back, Mike Bliss went from trucks to Cup, then got the deal in the #20 to run Busch. He never ran a rookie stripe until he went to a track he had never been at before in a Cup car or Truck. I think even Hornaday did it once his full season of Busch.
Wondering when these full-time Cup vets got away with running yellow stripes all year long and if that started with Andretti cheating the ROTY status or what.
Nice Ragan. Got almost that whole thought typed during that commercial...
night and day difference in the energy between the infield and the booth
AB offers more excitement in a 2-lap recap than Punch offers for the entire race.
Wow. DIdn't we just come back from commercial?
weren't we just at a commercial break less than 3 minutes ago. I checked. backed up the dvr. says 3:30 as i hit 'post'
yes, David, Hornaday was like the oldest rookie in history. They made a lot of jokes about it at the time.
ooh...a 'gaggle' of cars...
stupid race is getting in the way of my commercials
And a gaggle of commercials.
WHAT THE (EXPLETIVE)!!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!??!?!?!??!?!??!
ANOTHER commercial...I need a snack...I don't even care anymore.:(
Another commercial? It seems like they aren't even over before they come back to the race. What a strange broadcast tonight.
back from commercials for 1:3o, then more commercials. BS BS BS!!!
If there are 5 or 6 cars running in a pack ahead of the leader that is passing one car at a time, why not show the cars racing in a pack?
How dare they interrupt my commercials for this racing stuff.
Dang, people.
Glen, I don't think he had the yellow stripe all year though. just for a certain number of races he had not raced at in a Cup car
OH NO not Tim now!!!!
How many times have we heard this burning off fuel explanation?
Jeez. Just tell us why a team usually punts on fourth down.
Guess we'll see all the cup guys now except BK til the end.
JD, what do you want us to say today?
FOX and TNT have listened for the mostpart this year...ESPN just seems clueless as a whole. Do they just not get it or just don't care?
I can't believe there is no racing on this track.
loldebris
NASCAR you amuse me
Debris caution. Whoda thunk it?
Your comments after the race have really been shaking folks up.
Without my opinion first, it really shows just how much you guys care about the TV coverage and how it directly affects your opinion and enjoyment of the sport.
Once again, before you pack it in tonight, just go back to the main page and add your race wrap-up to the "Your Turn" page.
Really appreciate you all helping with this new project.
JD
Keselowski behind Edwards on a late-race restart. Remember Talladega?
Wait, i thought the in race reporter was Kasey Kahne?
I thought Kasey Kahne was the in-race reporter?
Brad will be on the outside
JD, if we're shaking things us, we certainly aren't shaking things loose! ESPN is really as arrogant as Nascar itself. If they care at all about the people who are forced to watch their telecast they certainly disguse it well.
JD, if we're shaking things us, we certainly aren't shaking things loose! ESPN is really as arrogant as Nascar itself. If they care at all about the people who are forced to watch their telecast they certainly disguse it well.
Are you sure Jerry feels okay-?-he hyped the 4 laps left as if he was talking about running down to get the mail---see he mentioned medication...
Gee, are you guys channeling the booth.
An explanation why we were taking to Carl.
I forgot about the leader option...
Sorry about that. finger slipped. Must have been my outrage at the poor broadcast.
did Jerry forget about last week?
GWC DFR SOS.
JD
I have nothing more to add anymore ya know?
Camera work gets more maddening the more we voice our concern and ONGOING major disappointment.
all year, no change. :(
It's like some sick jerk and they enjoy SPOILING this sport.
dump the pacecar and lets go racing ffs
SOS ain't what is should be.
AAACK...in car cam during DFR.
UNCLE!
I give up
bad night for Justin lol
useless hype espn.
...Where was Justin involved in this?
No view of where anyone finished but the leader and a few back.
Okay, so the last-lap yellow was anti-climactic, but that is the LEAST enthusiastic winner call I've ever heard in my life.
OOPS! meant to say some sick JOKE instead of jerk.
Freudian slip?
sigh
Several Nationwide regulars and youngsters in the top 20. Not that we know that from watching the race, of course.
Sophia, you had it right the first time. ;-)
I spose since it wasn't a top CUP driver, they don't wanna show any love for David R.
That's a SHAME!
If you have to scoot, drop us a quick comment on the Your Turn post before you go. Thanks.
I don't have kids, unless you count the 4-legged kind. So, its good there aren't any around because I'm using George Carlin's list about now.
last restart from the in car...ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....
Michael Annett 8th, Matt Carter 12th. How big is the post-race window?
Patrick, my cat got so disgusted with the race that she decided to look out the windpw into the dark rather than watch! ; )
Patrick, my cat got so disgusted with the race that she decided to look out the windpw into the dark rather than watch! ; )
5 minutes to tennis. Is it live? doubt it. i already feel rushed.
Dave in OKC
Yea, I guess I did...subliminal mind at work. ;-)
I don't like to take to name calling...TEMPTING as it is...
Congratulations to David Ragan.
anon,
my cats don't care, but the big dog runs to the guest bedroom every time i raise my voice.
My cat decided to lick ....give himself a bath instead...other is asleep on hassock near a wide windowsill. :-)
I think he's lookin' for Mars to appear soon..supposed to be the size of the MOON YA KNOW...sigh
still -embarrassed-Sophia
4 minutes of post race. 90 minutes of pre race
fffff
Did they show the finishing line up or just the ticker finish.
I didn't see the finishing line up.
Thanks for stopping by everyone! See you guys tomorrow for the big show. That should be wild.
Full NASCAR TV schedule on the right side of the main page for tomorrow and the weekend.
Have a great night all!
Jd
only one replay of that last wreck? WTH? not even a check to see if any of them are ok
I appreciate Brad's apology long after the fact. goes to credibility. Probably have scared the cat during a race. Definitely during Giants gamss. Why are playing this song; David's from Ga.
I'm glad I took an hour off to watch Eureka on SciFi...this wasn't just a train wreck, it was a dinosaur-killer asteroid impact of a broadcast.
How can ESPN believe that after 2.5 years that Punch is a PxP guy? His legacy from pit road is completely lost...he will now forever be "that lousy PxP guy" to me. And I know that some will diasagree with this, but DJ and Andy are almost as bad as Punch. They are both just as lost in the broadcast, but that may just be because there is no leader in the booth and no direction from the truck.
JD, if we're shaking things up, the shakeup must be starting from the bottom; did they fire that intern yet? ;)
I'm going to miss y'all tomorrow night (sorry I won't be the source of info i was last week with all the info i gathered from the official's channel, RaceView, PitCommand, etc.). We have to visit the parents (Mom's b-day next week, Dad's GBM).
I could do my normal thing while at their house, but i get disconnected from conversation and it would be a little rude.
So, I'll see the rest of you in two weeks.
I like the fact that the late caution flag threw them for a loop.
Kept the race ticker up the top, never showed the flying headshots, never called the finish.
Never told any of us who was where.
If you or I performed in our real jobs like ESPN performed tonight...we would be fired.
Amazing.....
JD
I am livid. No full field rundown after the fact. Having to look at a ticker?! If I were a full-time NW driver I would honestly boycott talking to ESPN since they obviously don't care about the backbone of the series. Cup guys come down and run, its NOTHING new nor nothing fascinating. Now Matt Carter finishing 12th?! Both new AND fascinating!
3 interviews after the race? I'm just sick. sick to my stomach. Thank you SPEED for showing everyone how it is done Wed night. Sure, we had a few too many tight shots, but since that seems to be the "in" thing to do in 2009 at least they got all the other fundamentals right!
ESPN is just in a single word a JOKE
Blogger Labbie said...
I'm glad I took an hour off to watch Eureka on SciFi...this wasn't just a train wreck, it was a dinosaur-killer asteroid impact of a broadcast.
I take back my trainwreck comment and hope I can remember your description for tomorrow's race! Meow Hiss! Phhffft.
:(
yes Patrick you will be missed but have fun with the family! :)
LOL Sophia, that was the worst diaster I could think of...and with your astronomy reference earlier...it just fit tonight's braodcast.
And speaking of cats, mine usually enjoys watching the cars go round and round...tonight she went to the closet to sleep!!! She just came out, now that the race is over. LMAO.
It would be unfair to tennis fans to have NASCAR overrun its timeslow then the race was over. All of those called off restarts robbed the viewers a couple of interviews
Labbie
My 15 week old kitten has glimpsed at tv a few times for the races if I am watching from bed...but tonight just seemed bored. :)
I am going to wait to leave comments on your post JD. I am too frustrated.
Besides, I am not wild about the booth guys lately but STILL say the bigger issue is the &^%&$& camera direction and I've said that umpteen times already.
Though I appreciate us having our say so others can't think we are being "led into our comments" so to speak.
Jump over to the main page and leave us your comments on the race coverage if you would be so kind.
Thanks, see everyone here Saturday night for another live race blog.
JD
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