The track is very happy that the Saturday night race is a sellout. One hundred and sixty thousand NASCAR fans are going to be making some noise as the Sprint Cup Series action unfolds.
ESPN has a one-hour pre-race version of NASCAR Countdown scheduled at 6:30PM. Allen Bestwick will be in the Infield Pit Studio with Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. These programs have proven to be hit-or-miss this season. Bestwick has the goods to define priorities and host good conversations, but often the production team has other ideas.
This week, the drivers were asked by the speedway to pick a song that will be used during driver intros. Click here to see the full list courtesy of our friend and veteran reporter Dustin Long. Unfortunately, ESPN will not be able to show this because the network has to pay rights fees every time popular music is used on national TV.
Once the action gets underway it will be Jerry Punch calling the play-by-play. Friday night was rough for Punch who struggled with everything from accidents to updating teams outside the top five. This event is extremely fast-paced and the challenge for the on-air TV team never ends. Even under caution, there is a lot of information that fans are looking forward to having updated.
Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree will once again be alongside of Punch. These two have been polite and enjoyable, but tonight face a new challenge. Once Punch fades, it will be Jarrett who slides over into calling the race while Petree will provide the strategy updates.
It is impossible to insert Tim Brewer from the Tech Garage full-screen under green flag racing because the laps are so quick. Look for ESPN to present Brewer in a two video box effect. Hopefully, he will be put in the smaller size box so fans can continue to enjoy the action while Brewer talks tech.
The aerial views and high camera shots of this track at night are spectacular. On Friday night, ESPN chose to bypass the opportunity to use this video as bumpers into and out of commercial break. Perhaps, seeing as this event is a sellout, TV viewers will get to see one of the most unique sports venues in the nation tonight for more than just a couple of seconds.
The excessive use of in-car cameras live during the race ruined the Friday night Nationwide Series telecast. Bristol is so steeply banked and the laps are so fast that live in-cars just jar the TV viewer and completely lose any perspective that had been established. Where the in-cars have a value is on replays, especially with the use of the audio recorded during incidents. See if there is a shift tonight.
"Headlights, not tailpipes" was the motto used by the TV networks that have telecast racing from BMS over the years. The ultimate challenge is to continue to cut cameras and stay ahead of the action. TV viewers should be seeing the front of the cars coming at them, not the rear ends of the cars racing away.
There is no doubt that tempers may be tight tonight, especially with drivers who are forced out of the race due to incidents on the track. The ESPN pit reporting team of Jamie Little, Shannon Spake, Vince Welch and Dave Burns will be right in the middle of the action.
There is tremendous potential tonight for an outstanding TV broadcast. The fans, the track and the teams are all in place. It would be a great time for ESPN to deliver a telecast that could set the network up for the Chase for the Championship to come.
This post will serve to host your comments on the ESPN Sprint Cup Series telecast from Bristol, TN. 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 time out of your Saturday night to join us at The Daly Planet.
674 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 601 – 674 of 674I really don't want this to end with the rain. How bad is it?
that was kurt who got his first win here, NOT kyle.
overkill on the kyle love much?
@ Anon, they're not green flag racing.
Anonymous plug for the daily Rowdy.com podcast. Best place for NASCAR information and some fun.
LOL we're not in commercial, I switched channels figuring they were. Maybe ESPN will do interview during the red flag and they can call it a pre-post-race.
Stupid question of the night - what does "RT" mean on these Tweets?
Jenna Tweeted RED FLAG for RAIN??
either she doesnt' pay attention to details or knows something PRN does not
Kyle wasn't racing Cup in 2002, mistake by ESPN there(they mean Kurt). Also Jamie, Kyle's last win was at Richmond not Vegas.
Anon at 10:57 - they'll go to commercial with 1 lap before green!!!
bevo
RT means RETWEETED..means you liked a comment or found value in repeating it. like a quote
TV just asked to speak to Mark Martin. AG said, what do you think about that? Mark replied, I don't wanna talk to them. (lol)
My better 1/2 says she's getting wet now at the track.
Steve L., you are spot on about points and chase. How many posts tonight have talked about points or chase. We don't care about that, we just want to see a race. The points will take care of themselves
Just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed going between here and Twitter during the race. I'm still sulking about Brad wrecking Justin last night!
Any word on where the post race will be? We're now cutting into Sports Center.
The red has to do with the wreck as well as rain. Both are why they red flagged. More the wreck than the rain
Burton's car was on 7 cylinders the first half of the race? Did anyone on ESPN mention this? Where were their pit reporters?
Burton's car was on 7 cylinders the first half of the race? Did anyone on ESPN mention this? Where were their pit reporters?
@Sophia- Thank You! Been bugging me for a long time now.
Thanks peggy, appreicate that. We have fun...no matter HOW BAD the tv coverage is!
There were two races on this track Wednesday. The Whelen Mods and the Camping World Trucks.
Completely different TV approach from SPEED that just showed the racing and used the fancy stuff only when it made sense.
This is really rough tonight.
Anon at 11:01 - they haven't studied the book "Pit Reporting For Dummies" this week!
Running into sportscenter time. The executives in Bristol must be ready to slit their throats.
Just for fun, try saying "retweet" three times fast. Bet you can't :)
Crowd doing the wave in the rain. Let's see it!!!
Yeah, the 18 radio mentioned Burton being on 7 cylinders very early in the race.
Reporting crowd getting the wave going
anon@11:01...we now have less than 10 laps left and this is the first i have heard of the issue for the 31, thanks.
There's the wave! Well, what else is there to do during a red flag
Thank god, the pace car just came on the track. Anyone else feel like this race has been excruciating to watch? Doesn't feel like Bristol at all.
I wonder if RC is timing the wave? I remember him doing that years ago during a rain delay. Said they were losing time in turn 4!
PRN says command to start engines has been given
Guess Jenna was right about rain but PRN was VERY FUZZY about the delay..we thought it was to clean up Mikey's wreck?
this has been so confusing tryiing to LISTEN to what's going on...
What did TV say? RAIN delay caused red flag???????????
have they always done the red flag clock and I just never noticed before?
BEVO, I can't even type it this late in the evening let alone say it three times!
No mention of Burton on 7 but Jerry Punch has told us 7 times that Biffle is one of six drivers that won last year that has yet to win this year. Shut up.
Just a reminder, before you call it a night. Come over to the "Your Turn" post on the main page and give us a couple of sentences about the ESPN coverage tonight.
Your comments have been going all over the place and are a good measure of how this NASCAR TV partner is doing.
Thanks as always....
I hope Mark rattles Weed's cage. :)
lol, comment about the wave. If you go into the way back machine, the old ESPN, during a rain delay at Bristol once timed the fans wave around the track. It was like 30 or 40 seconds and they gave the MPH that equaled for Bristol...
Now..we just get a mention. But whatever... Just goes to show the difference in yesteryear and now.
And I'm not even that old! I'm only 25!
Bevo
saying Retweet three times makes me sound like cartoon, Tweety bird :)
Sophia the fols on twitter were confused too. one said rain and the next said wreck clean up and on and on. Don't think anybody outside of race control knows what was going on.
Now Punch, say "If you're just joining us". lol
JD, thanks for giving us a place to vent! It really does help keep me from throwing something at the TV.
@andrew: agreed, it just doesn't feel like bristol to me and it has nothing to do with "the new bristol" because i'm one of the folks who likes this new bristol a whole bunch.
can't be my driver tonight b/c he's sitting in 5th place.
hmmmm. what's left?!?
I didn't realize that watching a nascar race on ESPN involved so much work. FoxTrax, TDP, MRN/Scanner audio + ESPN. That is sad.
@ Dot, me, too! let's hear it for the 50 year old.
Punt him Mark!!!
Martin will not punt Kyle, not his style
And Marcos finishes 3rd!!!!!!!!
Kyle Busch "Don't put dirt on us yet!"
Ugh. The Shrub. And the one guy that Mark really needed to beat tonight.
SUCH AN UNREWARDING end to another dreaful broadcast but teh PRN guys are excited.
no view of finish line.
Ugh.
there 3.5 hrs we won't ever get back
what the heck? how'd the 88 go from 5th to 9th? still, it's a top 10.
man, am i glad THAT'S over!
jd: will get to the "have your say" column tomorrow morning. i just can't go there right now -- sorry.
What a weird night in soooo many ways. Like to hear your comments after the race on our main page post.
Thanks again for hanging with us tonight and trading info and opinions.
I think we have a good thing going!
JD
Let's see how long ESPN sticks around.
--KarenB
Quick! Out of your cars so we can go to Sports Center!
Nice to spend Saturday night with all you guys, even if the race broadcast wasn't anything spectacular. And darn, shrubbie won.
See y'all on the flip side.
I think DJ needs to go to ESPN and ask for PxP pay. He called the last 3 laps of the race. Crickets from the "real" PxP guy.
GG Marcos and Matt finished 10th. Long long night.
Haven't said it lately but Thank You JD for being a great host. I really appreciate what you do for us giving a forum to chat.
Good night folks!
Yes INDEED JD.
you are keeping many tvs alive with this blog...Kyle gave chck flag away?
Marco always smiling :)
why is KYLE going backwards?????????
JD, I want to second Bevo's comment. Many thanks
So do we call clint a baby for blowing off espn?
lol, just KIDDING
it's obvious Clint did not want to speak..he's 31st..WHY are they dogging him?
And there's Vince looking for a comment about Waltrip from Bowyer. ESPN sucks. There was no other reason to talk to Bowyer other than to stir the pot.
Jerks.
--KarenB
Mr Editor -
Your efforts are appreciated ...Thanks muchly
Nice mistake by Jamie Little:
"It's been since May. This race was his last victory?"
What lie is she trying to propagate?
And nice job by Clint Bowyer giving Vince Welch a firm clue about the obvious:
"Very frustrated."
DUH!!!
Great job Marcos and Dot :D
@Karen--I know! I hate the low blows that BSPN tries to pull!
Thank you JD. As always I had fun with the Planeteers.
Sophia,
He's copying Big Brother's win at Atlanta...the Blue Deuce did the same thing.
BSPN is the supermarket tabloid of sports. Always looking for a "story"
OK, jump over to the main page for the new post. I am going to close this out. Thanks again!
anon 11:16 I think May would be correct for a cup win. Jamie was right on that.
did they blow off the final finishing order again?!
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